Best Places In The World To Retire

The best place I have found in Panama to live is in David, Chiriqui. My family moved here about 25 years ago.  I never thought after three months that I would still be here. Yes,it does depend on where you would like to live. But, thus so far I love the tropical weather, this growing city, and most of all the people. I´m not too crazy about the cold weather but if I want that, I only have to drive about 45 minutes to Boquete or Volcan and get cool weather, so you get a bit...

The best place I have found in Panama to live is in David, Chiriqui. My family moved here about 25 years ago.  I never thought after three months that I would still be here. Yes,it does depend on where you would like to live. But, thus so far I love the tropical weather, this growing city, and most of all the people. I´m not too crazy about the cold weather but if I want that, I only have to drive about 45 minutes to Boquete or Volcan and get cool weather, so you get a bit of both climates. The Pacific Ocean is 25 minutes from my home and what I love about that is, when I need a break I just pick up some lunch and head to the beach for a picnic with my kids. Or even a romantic walk down the beach with my hubby in the moonlight. I wouldn´t change it for the world.

This is a difficult question to answer in a generic way because some requirements (for example, visa) will vary depending on your nationality.  The answer to this question will necessarily need to be analyzed on a case-by-case matter.
 
In the example of an American couple without children that want to retire and move to Portugal for one year in a leased apartment the costs would not be very high.  Basically the costs they would incur are the official costs of obtaining...

This is a difficult question to answer in a generic way because some requirements (for example, visa) will vary depending on your nationality.  The answer to this question will necessarily need to be analyzed on a case-by-case matter.
 
In the example of an American couple without children that want to retire and move to Portugal for one year in a leased apartment the costs would not be very high.  Basically the costs they would incur are the official costs of obtaining the visas (we are assuming the couple in the example does not have a European passport, which may avoid the need for a visa) which are around 500 euros (about US $560) per person and the costs of hiring a lawyer to assist in the procedure of obtaining a visa, which should not exceed 1,500 euros per person (about US $1,670).

We would recommend people with little knowledge about Portugal to make a test try for 6 to 12 months in a leased apartment in order to reduce the costs and limit your exposure in a first phase.

 

(Apartment in the Algarve, Portugal, pictured.)

There is no capital gains tax in Belize, no inheritance tax, no wealth tax, and the property tax is virtually zero.
 
However, if you are an American citizen or taxpayer, you still have to pay US taxes, irrespective of where your money is earned, any place in the world.

There is no capital gains tax in Belize, no inheritance tax, no wealth tax, and the property tax is virtually zero.
 
However, if you are an American citizen or taxpayer, you still have to pay US taxes, irrespective of where your money is earned, any place in the world.

As a tourists you can get by just speaking English. However, to really enjoy the country at the people, culture and feel part of the community I would recommend that you learn the language. There are many language schools or individuals that can teach you and assist you in integrating. 

 

I am fortunate that my fiancee and I speak Spanish; therefore we hear more and understand our surroundings better. Yes, there are quite a few expats that have been here more...

As a tourists you can get by just speaking English. However, to really enjoy the country at the people, culture and feel part of the community I would recommend that you learn the language. There are many language schools or individuals that can teach you and assist you in integrating. 

 

I am fortunate that my fiancee and I speak Spanish; therefore we hear more and understand our surroundings better. Yes, there are quite a few expats that have been here more than 10 years that have picked up a few words, but have not fully embraced to learn the language. They still seem happy and are integrating well. But we have always made an effort to learn the local language.  It's fun and a great learning experience.

 

(Pictured: La Calzada, Granada, Nicaragua, at night.)

 

 

 

 

Whether or not you are satisfied with your decision after one year, two years, three years, four years, five years, and so on. You really have to know yourself and you really have to know the community in which you are going to choose to live in order to ensure that you’re in it for either the long term or enough time that made the effort worth it. Maybe it’s not permanent. You could decide to stay for only three to five years but the point is to choose the right location so...

Whether or not you are satisfied with your decision after one year, two years, three years, four years, five years, and so on. You really have to know yourself and you really have to know the community in which you are going to choose to live in order to ensure that you’re in it for either the long term or enough time that made the effort worth it. Maybe it’s not permanent. You could decide to stay for only three to five years but the point is to choose the right location so you feel that you are able to achieve that goal that you have for yourself.
 
In order to make that happen, it is best to spend time reading up on the different cultural dynamics, hearing stories from other expats, and actually spending time in two to three locations probably for three weeks to a month, or maybe more. It is nice to really get into a rhythm before making that choice to move. I think it would be rather naïve, and most likely, a catastrophic mistake to show up and buy a place after being there for only three to four days. You can have a feeling that this place feels right after a few days but you really need to test that feeling out and that means doing your due diligence by spending three weeks to a month there. Make new friends in the area and try to figure out what part of the town you could imagine yourself living in. You have to figure out what your routine might be if you lived in that certain place. Going through that testing phase, I think, is a requirement in order to make sure that the decision you are going to make is based on sound judgment.