Best Places In The World To Retire

Depending on your personal desires, you can get a small condominium or even a small home in Ajijic starting as low as around US $50,000. This would not be a huge space perhaps at that price point be it a condo or a home. It would have one or two bedrooms, a small lawn or yards (shared ones for condominiums). You can get something nicer starting around $100,000 for a two or three-bedroom home with a bit of a yard.

 

You also have to decide if you want to be...

Depending on your personal desires, you can get a small condominium or even a small home in Ajijic starting as low as around US $50,000. This would not be a huge space perhaps at that price point be it a condo or a home. It would have one or two bedrooms, a small lawn or yards (shared ones for condominiums). You can get something nicer starting around $100,000 for a two or three-bedroom home with a bit of a yard.

 

You also have to decide if you want to be close to the lakeside or the village area. There are wonderful mountains within a quarter mile of the lake that afford you a view of the beautiful Lake Chapala.

 

My personal purchase was a rather large space. It is a 5,200 square feet with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. We have a huge mirador, a 1,350 foot rooftop patio with a full bar and a barbecue. It has a swimming pool, a hot tub, and a 850 foot entertainment section for parties. Next to it is an 850 square foot apartment, which is a separate building from the main house. We have the avocado orchard and a lime orchard next door that I purchased as well, all for $330,000. The size of the lot is just a hair over half an acre. It’s not huge, but it is certainly very spacious and it has beautiful trees, with birds of paradise and bougainvillea all over the place. We have hibiscus trees and a wonderful environment. Our real estate property tax is only $420 per year.

 

(Mark O'Neal's  pool and steps uo to the mirador, Ajijic, Mexico, pcitured.)

There are a lot of things you need to know about living abroad, starting with your attitude. I find a lot of people come down here to Panama and they still have the same attitude and expectations as when they lived in Canada or the US and they should rather adapt to what’s going on here. At least they should have an accepting attitude, etc.

 

For example, the quality of workmanship will not be as good here as in North America. If you don’t accept...

There are a lot of things you need to know about living abroad, starting with your attitude. I find a lot of people come down here to Panama and they still have the same attitude and expectations as when they lived in Canada or the US and they should rather adapt to what’s going on here. At least they should have an accepting attitude, etc.

 

For example, the quality of workmanship will not be as good here as in North America. If you don’t accept it you can pretty well drive yourself a little mad. If you do find someone who provides good quality workmanship, you should stay with them.

 

You don’t have to agree with how things are here, but you need to accept it.  For example, I don’t agree with the traffic here in Panama City but I accept it because I’m driving in it. I don’t agree with the lack of training many times service people have.  For example, recently, I had to show a gas station attendant how to check my oil.  I don’t agree with it, but I accept it.   

 

(Puma gas station, Panama, picutred.)

The Portuguese banks are not in a great state of health. The Spanish banks are in much better shape. However, Portuguese banks have a guarantee of up to 100,000 euros, which is provided by the Portuguese government. So generally, I would feel secure putting my money into a Portuguese bank account.

 

Currently, we have virtually negative interest rates, which is why the property market is doing well.  People are investing in “buy to rent”...

The Portuguese banks are not in a great state of health. The Spanish banks are in much better shape. However, Portuguese banks have a guarantee of up to 100,000 euros, which is provided by the Portuguese government. So generally, I would feel secure putting my money into a Portuguese bank account.

 

Currently, we have virtually negative interest rates, which is why the property market is doing well.  People are investing in “buy to rent” because you get close to nothing on your deposits at the bank.

 

But as far as making deposits into a Portuguese bank, it is very secure because of the insurance that you will not lose your deposit. These banks are now subject to stress tests, which are conducted by the European Banking Authority, so if they do not have enough capital then they have to find it and raise it.

 

(Bank of Portugal, Lisbon, Portugal, pictured.)

The best outdoor activities in Granada, Nicaragua are going to the lake by boat and going around the isletas (“little islands”). You can also go to the area of the lake where you can swim. The water in the lake is warm because it is located very close to the volcano. This is one of the main activities here in Granada. 

 

Another activity here is walking or taking the carriage driven by...

The best outdoor activities in Granada, Nicaragua are going to the lake by boat and going around the isletas (“little islands”). You can also go to the area of the lake where you can swim. The water in the lake is warm because it is located very close to the volcano. This is one of the main activities here in Granada. 

 

Another activity here is walking or taking the carriage driven by horses. We have a lot of that here in Granada. You can take a horse drawn carriage to to buy groceries or to work instead of walking. You see a lot of carriages around the park. Both locals and foreigners take these carriages and go around Granada Central Park and to the lake to enjoy a beautiful view.  

 

(Pictured: Isletas in Granada, Nicaragua.)

Sadly, many Americans in particular come to Panama with the mantle of the “Ugly American”. Many come with North American expectations and not too much flexibility. If you don’t learn to adjust to your new environment and your new culture and new language, you might find it to be a struggle.

 

There are also expats who come to Panama with an open mind, embrace Panama and embrace their culture and as a result, are very happy. For example, it...

Sadly, many Americans in particular come to Panama with the mantle of the “Ugly American”. Many come with North American expectations and not too much flexibility. If you don’t learn to adjust to your new environment and your new culture and new language, you might find it to be a struggle.

 

There are also expats who come to Panama with an open mind, embrace Panama and embrace their culture and as a result, are very happy. For example, it would be difficult to convince my wife to leave Panama.

 

I find that the reason people who come to Panama and ultimately do leave is that they didn’t make the adjustment, or perhaps they had a medical situation that they couldn’t solve in Panama because they didn’t have the correct insurance or coverage that they may have something else like Medicare, or they just simply missed their family, their grandchildren, etc. 

 

Overall, those expats that make the adjustments are very happy to be here and it would be hard to convince them to leave.

 

(Expats visiting a mushroom farm, Panama, pictured.)

The people of Belize speak the same English as we do in North America. If English is not the person’s first language, he or she will have an accent when they speak English. Some of our Spanish neighbors and their descendants may have a bit of a Latin accent to the English they speak, but you will still understand them.

 

The Spanish that is spoken here, from my understanding (because I'm not a Spanish speaker), is not the Spanish from Spain by any...

The people of Belize speak the same English as we do in North America. If English is not the person’s first language, he or she will have an accent when they speak English. Some of our Spanish neighbors and their descendants may have a bit of a Latin accent to the English they speak, but you will still understand them.

 

The Spanish that is spoken here, from my understanding (because I'm not a Spanish speaker), is not the Spanish from Spain by any means. We get a few Spanish speakers coming through from Spain and some of my team do not want to speak Spanish to them because the Spanish from Spain is so different from the Mexican, Guatemalan, Honduran, and the overall Central American Spanish. However, they can of course, communicate.  We have two families combined who are guests here from Guatemala. My team and the families were exclusively speaking Spanish yesterday when they checked in.

 

English is easy here in Belize. Their English is North American English, but do not expect it without an accent. The Belizeans have either a Spanish accent or a Creole accent, which is just a little more colorful. The accents that you will hear people speak here in Belize are very manageable. I guess for some people who have never traveled before, when they come to a different country and they experience speaking to someone with an accent, they feel like it is some kind of impediment from enjoying the area, when it is not. The accent is just a little bit different, so you just have to adapt.

 

If you go from region to region in the US, there is often a considerable difference in the way they speak English, too. Likewise, I find it very difficult to understand southerners because my ears aren’t tuned to the way they speak English. I think those comments from people who first get here and say that the English here in Belize is difficult to understand are those who do not hear the exact same accent that they are used to, so they find it difficult. It is really just a matter of getting out of your comfort zone. You are trying to understand and interpret another person. They are speaking the same language as you, but they just have a different intonation.