Best Places In The World To Retire

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Recently Answered Questions

Can I buy furniture in Mexico?

Yvon Marier - Travel Info Mexico

Carved Mexican dining room chairs – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

You can buy all kinds of furniture in Mexico. You’ll find basic and high-end furniture and everything in between, depending on what you want. There are so many furniture stores in Mazatlán that offer whatever you want. Fifteen years ago, furniture stores were few and very far in between. Now, you can find a lot of nice furniture in Mazatlán.

I just bought a large reclining massage chair here in Mazatlán which was made in the US....

How's the hiking and camping in and around Placencia, Belize?

Boris Mannsfeld - Boris Mannsfeld & Associates

jaguar in tree, Belize – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

We have a good hiking spot just 45 minutes away from here in Placencia called Cockscomb National Jaguar Reserve, which is a 120,000-acre natural park in the jungle in the mountains of Belize. You can drive there and then take a hiking trail.

Cockscomb Jaguar Reserve is the only official jaguar reserve in the world. It is a protected area for jaguars. Of course there are jaguars there, but jaguars are nocturnal so you do not get to see them...

What should I be most concerned about regarding retiring abroad?

Lissy Lezcano - Lissy Lezcano Attorney & Mediator

I think that, when retiring abroad, you should be most concerned about the culture, the area and the language. You need to know that every country is different and with its own rules. For example, in Panama things take more time than in North America and you need to be patient.

Also, make certain that you have a realistic budget. Some people think they can come to Panama and live on $500 per month, but they don't do...

How long will I have to wait for a doctor's appointment in the Panama City, Panama suburb of Fort Clayton / Clayton?

Alexandra Vallarino

Clayton road – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

There are only little clinics in Clayton. They don’t really have big hospitals there. If you go to the clinic for all but the most serious or complex health issues, I don’t think there will be a problem, but you wouldn’t go for an emergency or something really bad. If you have an emergency, you have to go straight to a hospital.

If you just want to have a doctor’s appointment, you can go the next day. You...

What's the best way to get around in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua?

George Cooper - Casa de Cooper

Beautiful beaches of San Juan del Sur – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

The best way to get around San Juan del Sur is by walking. Of course, there are taxi cabs available at a very reasonable cost.

If you want to reach some of the great beaches, you have many choices for transportation. Just by going to the center of San Juan del Sur you can find transportation to any of the beaches both North and South of San Juan del Sur.

Now, on the other hand, you can rent a car in town through one of the...

What are the best and worst things about living and retiring in Algarve?

Luis Teixeira da Silva - Algarve Senior Living

algarve-beach-hotel – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

I’ve lived in several locations that would be considered ideal retirement locations such as Florida and I have little doubt that the Algarve is the best, if not one of the best locations in the world. Here are some of the reasons:

The weather is superb. The Algarve has than 3,000 hours and 300 days of sunlight. The Algarve has more sunlight and more sunny days than California. The weather is very similar to Southern California—San Diego, Santa...

The weather is superb. The Algarve has than 3,000 hours and 300 days of sunlight. The Algarve has more sunlight and more sunny days than California. The weather is very similar to Southern California—San Diego, Santa Barbara—that kind of area. The Algarve also receives very little rainfall. It doesn’t get very hot, and it doesn’t get very cold. Whatever heat we get in the summer is moderated by the Atlantic, which keeps things moderate.

The cost of living is very reasonable, if not low—certainly low in European standards.

The healthcare is good. We have a great public healthcare system, and one in which, under certain circumstances, expats can participate.

The Algarve is very safe.

Most people in the Algarve speak English.

There’s a huge range of activities to do in the Algarve even in the winter, whether it be sporting, wellness, or cultural.

There is an existing expat population in the Algarve so it’s quite easy to integrate and you’ll probably easily find someone of your nationality. And if you don’t like your own nationality you’ll find someone with somebody else’s nationality. So there are plenty of options there.

Generally speaking, people just like living here. They like the Portuguese people and the way that they are; the friendly nature of the local folk.

Portugal is probably the most tax efficient country in Europe at the moment. It has no income tax on pensions for most pensioners. It has no inheritance tax. It has no wealth tax. So there are a number of advantages from a taxation perspective that draws many people to Portugal and to the Algarve in specific.

Here are some of the not so good things:

Portugal is a fairly bureaucratic country, so as a retiree even though the system is being simplified, initially come prepared for a little bit of bureaucracy. It will take a little bit of time to get things organized. Dealing with public bodies is not easy at all. I’m someone who lives most of my time outside Portugal and therefore when I’m here I always feel a little bit frustrated by having to deal with public sector bodies that take too long and many times they don’t give you the right answer at the first go, so you have to be very careful about the advice that you take from them and double check it. It helps to have someone on the ground to help you along if you’re moving to the country just to make sure you avoid any mistakes and make sure that the transition goes smoothly.

Getting Internet connectivity may be a bit of an issue. Once it’s working, it’s great. But it just takes a little bit of time to get things set up and organized.

If you are thinking of building, planning, or constructing something, there may be challenges. If you have a passion to buy a piece of land and build a house, take great care because it’s a fairly long process and you need to make sure that planning is in place that you are authorized and build and develop what you want. And it’s something to be handled very, very carefully.

Another challenge here in the Algarve for some people is that there are certain items that are not competitively priced, for example, electronics, motor vehicles, and fuel. So shop around. This is not necessary a negative point. In every country there are expensive or less expensive things. When you move and retire to the Algarve, make sure that you shop around because by doing so you can cut your cost of living tremendously.

(Beach on the Algarve, Portugal, pictured.)

Recently Posted Expat Stories

Making new friends in Mexico is EASY!

It seems that everything I do gives me opportunities for new friendships. Even on my first trip to Mexico, as a high school student, I made friends. I would ask questions and the conversations would start. At that time, my Spanish was almost non-existent but it did not matter. Mexico has a tradition of hospitality and the majority of the people that you meet will welcome you. It is even better if you try a few words in Spanish....

London's Calling; We are off to London in a week to showcase our new musical. – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

I survived my heart attack. Some of you may have read my harrowing story on this site about my ambulance ride to Panama City (Why are you shaving my testicles?), which is why I founded The Panama Helpline.

I didn't die - so... What"s Next? Bucket list time: "I have never won a TONY - so let's go get one" I declared to my wife.

I was undeterred that I had never written a musical, I can't play an instrument, I don't...

Indians, Natives and Birds in Panama

One of the first things to catch my eye when we arrived in Panama was the indigenous Indian women's brightly colored dresses. They make them and many are sold at the side of the Pan-American Highway under thatched roof huts. From infant to adult sizes the colored dresses float in the wind at the small vendor's places. On the women everyday you find yourself counting the different colors you see as you walk around town or pass the villages long the highways. Blue, green,...

Best Places In The World To Retire

Recently Answered Questions

Can I buy furniture in Mexico?

How's the hiking and camping in and around Placencia, Belize?

What should I be most concerned about regarding retiring abroad?

How long will I have to wait for a doctor's appointment in the Panama City, Panama suburb of Fort Clayton / Clayton?

What's the best way to get around in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua?

What are the best and worst things about living and retiring in Algarve?

Recently Posted Expat Stories

Making new friends in Mexico is EASY!

Making new friends in Mexico is EASY!

What do you do if you don't die?

Indians, Natives and Birds in Panama

Best Places In The World To Retire