Best Places In The World To Retire

The total one time cost for temporary residency for moving to Mexico is between $30 to $40 once you get your temporary residence at the Mexican consulate. When you get here you have to have 3,365 pesos (US $184) for a year plus the $30 that will be the immigration fee. And then if you want a person like me to hire to do this when the person arrives to Mexico, it’s between 1,000 to 1,500 pesos (US$ 55 to $82) on top of the immigration fee. 

 

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The total one time cost for temporary residency for moving to Mexico is between $30 to $40 once you get your temporary residence at the Mexican consulate. When you get here you have to have 3,365 pesos (US $184) for a year plus the $30 that will be the immigration fee. And then if you want a person like me to hire to do this when the person arrives to Mexico, it’s between 1,000 to 1,500 pesos (US$ 55 to $82) on top of the immigration fee. 

 

Basically, in order to come and live in Mexico, every foreigner has to go to a Mexican consulate. In the Mexican consulate, the person can ask directly for a Permanente or for a Temporary. My advice is to try to get a Permanente. If the Mexican consulate approves the Permanente then that person is already a Permanente and only when they arrive to Mexico, their card will be issued in Mexico. 

 

If they want a Temporary, it’s just basically the same. They have to go to a Mexican consulate and fulfill the income requirements, which is the same thing they would have to do for the Permanente.   

 

(The Plaza de la Constitución, Mexico City, Mexico, pictured.)

Generally, it is heavily legislated that if you are going to build something, you have to build to a certain standard and that standard tends to be good. There are no modern methods of building here. In other words, there is no steel frame, no wooden frame, or that kind of thing. We build using bricks and mortar. The structure is still reinforced with concrete on the structural load bearing parts of the building, villa, or apartment. You would also have a slab on each layer. If it is...

Generally, it is heavily legislated that if you are going to build something, you have to build to a certain standard and that standard tends to be good. There are no modern methods of building here. In other words, there is no steel frame, no wooden frame, or that kind of thing. We build using bricks and mortar. The structure is still reinforced with concrete on the structural load bearing parts of the building, villa, or apartment. You would also have a slab on each layer. If it is a two-story house, you would layer a concrete slab across and then you would in fill with brick. You would lay and run the services and utilities by literally breaking the brick and creating a little tunnel for the electric, the sewerage, and all the plumbing.

 

Generally, construction here in Algarve is very solid.  This is not California in terms of earthquake risk but Portugal is not far away from a meeting of two of the tectonic plates in the Atlantic. The last major earthquake was quite some time ago, in 1755, it was very destructive so most of the modern buildings here are built to earthquake standards or close to it. From a physical construction perspective, you would find very solidly built properties. You will not be knocking on drywall and wooden structures here. 

 

In terms of the quality and finishing perspective, the structures here in Algarve are very good, especially the modern builds. There is a proliferation of marble in Portugal so you will see a lot of buildings or homes that were finished with marble and with big tiles, which are very modern and clean. There is a very modern look to the inside of the house. The bathrooms are modern as well, with suspended sinks and a lot of glass.

 

An average-sized property is 1/3 bigger in Portugal than it is in Spain. Sometimes the size is reflected on the price and sometimes it is not. The pricing depends on the area. We find that people remark that the residential construction here has more space than they would have expected. A typical two-bedroom apartment, for example, would be in the region of 80 to 100 square meters (860 square feet to 1,077 square feet), whereas in Spain, the average is about 60 to 80 square meters (646 square feet to 860 square feet).

 

( Modern Portuguese home, pictured.)

There are healthcare centers in every area in Belize.  There are clinics in every village. They are very affordable, if you are a permanent resident of Belize.

 

Once you’ve been here for a while, most expats become permanent residents, at which point, we receive free healthcare.  You would go to the public healthcare clinic here if there were an emergency. You don’t pay like you would in the States, for example, when you have to pay a...

There are healthcare centers in every area in Belize.  There are clinics in every village. They are very affordable, if you are a permanent resident of Belize.

 

Once you’ve been here for a while, most expats become permanent residents, at which point, we receive free healthcare.  You would go to the public healthcare clinic here if there were an emergency. You don’t pay like you would in the States, for example, when you have to pay a deductible; for example, of US $50.  You don’t have that here.

 

There are some clinics that do charge but basically it’s just between BZ $5 to $10 (US $2.50 to $5) for a visit. Medicines are mostly free. Some do cost but, it’s also very minimal.

 

You can find every medicine that you need.  I have friends who have heart issues and sometimes they have to get very expensive heart medications, but they’re able to find that here in Belize. Being here in Corozal, we’re closer to Mexico so a lot of people drive across the border and get their prescriptions filled there and then come back.  The cost is very low, compared to the States. 

 

I would rate the quality of the healthcare as very similar to the States. They’re growing. Belize has only been a country for 34 years so in the 34 years that they’ve been around their hospitals are growing and expanding.  They’re learning more.

 

Just recently in Corozal, we got a new operating room valued at over a million dollars. The people, the staff, and the doctors are excellent. Many times they’re trained in Cuba and then they come here and practice and they’re all very well qualified.

 

In Belize City you’ll find the better hospitals and you can also have private hospital access there. Of course you’re going to pay a little bit more for private care, but about a third of the amount you would pay in the United States.

 

I have diabetes and so I have to go to the doctor every often and I have to get medicine monthly.  I have received excellent care in the 4 years that we’ve been living in Belize.  

 

(Corozal, Belize bordering Chetumal City, Mexico, pictured.)

Yes, you can. Even after you move abroad, US citizens must still file a Federal Return if they are receiving income. Fortunately there are some big exclusions and credits in place to limit (or even eliminate) this tax liability. These include the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and the Foreign Tax Credit.

 

Together, these credits will make your US liability much lower than when you were living in the States. In fact, with the Foreign Tax Credit, you could...

Yes, you can. Even after you move abroad, US citizens must still file a Federal Return if they are receiving income. Fortunately there are some big exclusions and credits in place to limit (or even eliminate) this tax liability. These include the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and the Foreign Tax Credit.

 

Together, these credits will make your US liability much lower than when you were living in the States. In fact, with the Foreign Tax Credit, you could even get a credit on your US taxes to carry forward on next year’s taxes (this would happen if you are paying more in tax to Panama than you would have been to the US).

 

Recently, many people are scared of the Zika virus, which is a virus that is carried by mosquitoes. You might have to be careful of that by using some insect repellents or something to protect you from getting bitten by mosquitoes.

 

It seems that recently, there are a lot of infections that are being transmitted by mosquitoes all over Latin America, and Nicaragua is not an exception. It also depends on where you are going. If you are going outside of the...

Recently, many people are scared of the Zika virus, which is a virus that is carried by mosquitoes. You might have to be careful of that by using some insect repellents or something to protect you from getting bitten by mosquitoes.

 

It seems that recently, there are a lot of infections that are being transmitted by mosquitoes all over Latin America, and Nicaragua is not an exception. It also depends on where you are going. If you are going outside of the city or to a mountain or a volcano, you might have to use some protection from mosquito bites, but if you are in the city, it is not a big deal at all. We don’t worry about it. Malaria and Yellow Fever is from the past. It is not common any more, even here in Nicaragua.  

 

(Volcán Masaya, Nicaragua, pictured.)