Best Places In The World To Retire

Expats in Puerto Vallarta, in general, are treated with the same respect that everybody deserves. Because expats contribute a very big part of the income of this area, Mexicans treat all of them very nicely.

 

This is not the case in general, but some expats (and thank God I have not met a lot of them) may tend to become a little too pushy and think that because they have more money, they can treat Mexicans a certain way. That is the only reason that I see...

Expats in Puerto Vallarta, in general, are treated with the same respect that everybody deserves. Because expats contribute a very big part of the income of this area, Mexicans treat all of them very nicely.

 

This is not the case in general, but some expats (and thank God I have not met a lot of them) may tend to become a little too pushy and think that because they have more money, they can treat Mexicans a certain way. That is the only reason that I see why an expat would be treated in a bad manner by locals. 

 

Calling expats “gringo” is not a derogatory term; rather, it is a description. It started back in the days when Mexicans used to support the US in some military issues. The term “gringo” came from “green”, which is the color of the combat uniforms of the American soldiers, and “go” which is a common word used by the soldiers. So the Mexicans just called Americans “gringo,” because of the phrase “green go”. When a name is too difficult to remember, Mexicans name you by what they hear you say often or anything that they can relate you to.

 

(House and private beach in Nayarit, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, pictured.)

One of the worst reasons to retire overseas is expecting everything to be very cheap. It’s not. I lived in Hawaii for a year and 90% of everything in Hawaii is imported, so it is cheaper to go out to eat. It is the same in Panama. There are things in Panama that do come from the US, but you pay the extra cost of having that.

 

Panama is a developing nation and the rising standards of living reflect that. Some retirement companies seduce people by...

One of the worst reasons to retire overseas is expecting everything to be very cheap. It’s not. I lived in Hawaii for a year and 90% of everything in Hawaii is imported, so it is cheaper to go out to eat. It is the same in Panama. There are things in Panama that do come from the US, but you pay the extra cost of having that.

 

Panama is a developing nation and the rising standards of living reflect that. Some retirement companies seduce people by saying that you can buy a beach house for US $59,000. Well, there may be something out there for that amount, but it would be a shack on a beach that is not yet developed.

 

Some retirement companies tell people that the price of fuel, groceries, and similar things in the US is very cheap here in Panama, and that is not 100% true. They make people go to their seminars. You will pay for your own flight; you will pay a ridiculous amount for your hotel accommodation in Panama City. Then they have seminars and they rush people to different places, such as to an immigration attorney they know, who will fix people’s paperwork. If you want to buy property, they will tell you to go to a specific attorney, and they all get paid under the table for things that we do at no charge, and that is disappointing for us.