Best Places In The World To Retire

Here where I live in La Ventana, La Ventana (about 40 minutes from La Paz and a little more than 2 hours from the Cabo San Lucas area), there is a high standard of living here compared to other parts of Mexico or other foreign countries. There is a low minimum wage and there are people here that do not make that much money, but in general, in La Paz, we have some fairly well to do Mexicans who have whatever they want and who are living a nice life here.
 
I come from Canada but...

Here where I live in La Ventana, La Ventana (about 40 minutes from La Paz and a little more than 2 hours from the Cabo San Lucas area), there is a high standard of living here compared to other parts of Mexico or other foreign countries. There is a low minimum wage and there are people here that do not make that much money, but in general, in La Paz, we have some fairly well to do Mexicans who have whatever they want and who are living a nice life here.
 
I come from Canada but it is tough to compare the standard of living in La Paz to the standard of living in places like Toronto or Vancouver because the cost of living in these places are so incredibly different. The cost of living here very low but the number of choices that you have is not the same, either. We have major stores here like Costco, Home Depot, and Walmart but those places do not necessarily have all the merchandise that you would normally find in their counterparts up in Canada or in the States but they have everything that you would need. If you want to have special items shipped here from the US, you can also do that, which some people do from time to time.  Otherwise, when you are in a foreign country, you just have to get used to not having everything that you are used to always being available to you.

 

 

(View of  La Ventana Bay from a rental home, La Ventana, Baja California Sur, Mexico, pictured.)

Nicaragua is a very religious country that is predominantly Catholic. There are strong roots of Catholicism in Nicaragua, as well as a lot of Christian movements in Nicaragua in the past 10 years. There are a lot of missionaries and a lot of missionary teams visiting here, too.
 
We also have other religions present in Nicaragua. Freedom of religion is very well protected in Nicaragua even if you are not a Christian or a Catholic. 
 
There is a mosque in Managua and...

Nicaragua is a very religious country that is predominantly Catholic. There are strong roots of Catholicism in Nicaragua, as well as a lot of Christian movements in Nicaragua in the past 10 years. There are a lot of missionaries and a lot of missionary teams visiting here, too.
 
We also have other religions present in Nicaragua. Freedom of religion is very well protected in Nicaragua even if you are not a Christian or a Catholic. 
 
There is a mosque in Managua and there are Jehovah’s’ Witness centers throughout the country of Nicaragua as well. There are many religions present in the country.

 

(Kingdom Hall for the Jehovah's Witness, Salón del Reino de los Testigos de Jehová, pictured.)

When shipping pets, one thing to be mindful of are the very specific requirements that can apply to travel crates and kennels. When we flew out of the UK with our cat, we arrived at Heathrow airport with our brand new shinny crate only to be told that they could not accept it because it did not have a "central locking mechanism" (the crate happened to lock in 2 places).

 

We were extremely lucky that day to be able to buy a crate from...

When shipping pets, one thing to be mindful of are the very specific requirements that can apply to travel crates and kennels. When we flew out of the UK with our cat, we arrived at Heathrow airport with our brand new shinny crate only to be told that they could not accept it because it did not have a "central locking mechanism" (the crate happened to lock in 2 places).

 

We were extremely lucky that day to be able to buy a crate from them directly, they had one available that day, which is apparently not always the case. Otherwise the cat would simply not have been allowed to fly. 

 

As lucky as we were, the crate still ended costing us a lot more than it would have had we bought it in advance. So be careful with these requirements and don't let this happen to you (and your cat)!

In Belize, you will find all types of homes. There are homes in Belize built similar to what you would find in North America, and then there are local style homes, made out of wood or concrete.

 

Mostly, you will notice many are built to allow ventilation, as many homes here in Belize do not have air conditioning. You can get almost anything built here you can imagine.

 

The key is to find the right builder.

 

In Belize, you will find all types of homes. There are homes in Belize built similar to what you would find in North America, and then there are local style homes, made out of wood or concrete.

 

Mostly, you will notice many are built to allow ventilation, as many homes here in Belize do not have air conditioning. You can get almost anything built here you can imagine.

 

The key is to find the right builder.

 

In my opinion, one of the best places to live and retire is in Portugal is Cascais. Cascais is just half an hour away from Lisbon, which is the capital of Portugal. Within a radius of 50 kilometers (about 31 miles) from Cascais, you will find beaches, golf courses, castles, top class clinics, international schools, etc. You have everything that you need and want within a radius of 50 kilometers.
 
The Algarve is a little more spread out over a 100-kilometer (a little over 60...

In my opinion, one of the best places to live and retire is in Portugal is Cascais. Cascais is just half an hour away from Lisbon, which is the capital of Portugal. Within a radius of 50 kilometers (about 31 miles) from Cascais, you will find beaches, golf courses, castles, top class clinics, international schools, etc. You have everything that you need and want within a radius of 50 kilometers.
 
The Algarve is a little more spread out over a 100-kilometer (a little over 60 miles) coastline. From the Spanish border all the way to the western tip of Portugal, you will find that Algarve is divided into four centers. One of the best places to live in Algarve is Quinta do Lago, which is probably the most affluent place in the Algarve. It is for the really wealthy people, a bit like Monaco in Spain except that it is not a tax haven. Quinta do Lago has some enormous properties and so the wealthiest of the wealthy that want to retire in the Algarve would typically go to Quinta do Lago. 
 
As you move further east, the prices come down. Vilamoura is also a very nice upmarket place to live in the Algarve. It has world-class golf courses and an excellent marina for sailors. Moving westward from Vilamoura, you will find Alvor and then Lagos, which is the last of the really nice places to live in Portugal before you get to the western tip of the country.

 

(House in  Vilamoura, Portugal, pictured.)

Foreigners can get a home mortgage loan in Panama just like how it is in the United States.  You have to demonstrate that you have the means to get money from somewhere to pay for the loan.  Panamanians pay the rate of 4.5% for home mortgages; foreigners on the other hand, will have to pay 1% more, which is around 5.5% or 6%.
 
The terms of mortgage in Panama is limited to how many years it is until you’re 75.  Example, if you’re 60 years old, you will...

Foreigners can get a home mortgage loan in Panama just like how it is in the United States.  You have to demonstrate that you have the means to get money from somewhere to pay for the loan.  Panamanians pay the rate of 4.5% for home mortgages; foreigners on the other hand, will have to pay 1% more, which is around 5.5% or 6%.
 
The terms of mortgage in Panama is limited to how many years it is until you’re 75.  Example, if you’re 60 years old, you will be given a 10 to 15-year loan instead of the typical 30-year mortgage loan. The older you get, the lesser term you’re going to get on your loan.  
 
The down payment required for foreigners is 30% loan to value.  If you bought a house that costs $200,000, then you’re going to need roughly $60,000 for the down payment.   

 

(Promotional rendering of a cul de sac in the Costa Linda development, outside of Panama City, Panama, pictured.)