Best Places In The World To Retire

The cost of food in restaurants in Portugal varies. I can have lunch for €6 (US $6.50 or £4.32) at my local café for a meal that includes a glass of wine, dessert and coffee. It’s cooked in the morning, served for lunch and you have a choice of two dishes. Grilled fish could cost about €15 to €20 (US $16.27 to $21.70 or £10.81 to £14.42) per person.
 
It’s very important to note that in Portugal, they have set menus. They have what...

The cost of food in restaurants in Portugal varies. I can have lunch for €6 (US $6.50 or £4.32) at my local café for a meal that includes a glass of wine, dessert and coffee. It’s cooked in the morning, served for lunch and you have a choice of two dishes. Grilled fish could cost about €15 to €20 (US $16.27 to $21.70 or £10.81 to £14.42) per person.
 
It’s very important to note that in Portugal, they have set menus. They have what is called “Dish of the Day” that usually varies between €7 and €10 (US $7.59 and $10.85 or £5 and £7.21) and it’s all inclusive of wine, coffee, and dessert. You have two choices, either meat or fish. Portuguese people do not generally eat sandwiches. The have meals which include a knife and fork for lunch and a knife and fork for dinner; they have traditional sit-down dinners.
 
However, we also have fast food chains like Burger King and Pizza Hut but they are not as many as you would see in England. In England, every street has a fast food chain, while here in Portugal, the fast food chains are mostly located in shopping malls. A Big Mac at McDonald’s here in Portugal costs about €5 (US $5.43 or £3.60).  

 

(Lunch with wine in Portugal, pictured.)

While the medical facilities in Nicaragua seem to be busy all the time, I've been very pleasantly surprised not to have to wait a long time for doctors when I have an appointment.  It might be a little daunting to make an appointment in Spanish (there is an English-speaking button when you call the Metropolitano Hospital, but it pays to be ready in Spanish), but if you can understand the numbers (for time) and the days of the week, it's not so bad.

 

In...

While the medical facilities in Nicaragua seem to be busy all the time, I've been very pleasantly surprised not to have to wait a long time for doctors when I have an appointment.  It might be a little daunting to make an appointment in Spanish (there is an English-speaking button when you call the Metropolitano Hospital, but it pays to be ready in Spanish), but if you can understand the numbers (for time) and the days of the week, it's not so bad.

 

In 2012, I had to spend quite a bit of time in the hospital and only waited about 20 minutes past my appointment time just once.  And, unlike feeling like I was "herded like cattle" in and out of the doctor's office, I was given all the time necessary for my personal appointment. Because the appointment ultimately led to a surgery at Metropolitano, I walked away after spending a whole hour in consultation, and was pleased with the direct answers and information regarding the upcoming procedure.

The history of this beautiful town of Pedasi begins in the pre Columbian area when the first indigenous settlers colonized Azuero Peninsula. With the arrival of the Spanish colonizers around the 16th century, Panama became the gateway to Latin America with Panama City being the first city in all of early Latin America.

 

The entire indigenous community was displaced to give way to the new Spanish "Conquistadores".

 

...

The history of this beautiful town of Pedasi begins in the pre Columbian area when the first indigenous settlers colonized Azuero Peninsula. With the arrival of the Spanish colonizers around the 16th century, Panama became the gateway to Latin America with Panama City being the first city in all of early Latin America.

 

The entire indigenous community was displaced to give way to the new Spanish "Conquistadores".

 

The district of Pedasi was created in 1840 as a sub-division of the county of Los Santos which at that point was part of the province of Panama, at that time, part of Columbia.  Back in the day, and even nowadays Pedasi is a "hot spot" for both fishing and agriculture.

 

An interesting fact is that Pedasi is the home town of the first female president of the republic of Panama, Mireya Moscoso and where she currently resides today.

Under most circumstances, having a dual citizenship is the preferred way to go about when moving abroad because formally renouncing your citizenship is actually a rather complicated process. Dealing with the IRS is never fun and pre-paying future taxes in order to relinquish citizenship is a significant burden vs continuing to file taxes as a US citizen despite living abroad.
 
There are some tax advantages living abroad. Most notably, if you’re out of the country for more...

Under most circumstances, having a dual citizenship is the preferred way to go about when moving abroad because formally renouncing your citizenship is actually a rather complicated process. Dealing with the IRS is never fun and pre-paying future taxes in order to relinquish citizenship is a significant burden vs continuing to file taxes as a US citizen despite living abroad.
 
There are some tax advantages living abroad. Most notably, if you’re out of the country for more than 330 days, you will get a tax exemption called the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. In a nutshell, if you have low income then you are not going to be paying the US taxes. The Foreign Income Exclusion stops a little over $100,000 in earned income for a single US taxpayer. What’s nice about it is that you pay 0% on earnings up to the amount of the exclusion and then that first money earned above that is taxed at a lower rate. This is what I understand but it’s probably something that is best to revisit from a financial perspective especially when you are getting closer to making that decision. You do not need to renounce or relinquish your US citizenship in order to live in another country. Making this decision is not something to be taken lightly as revoking your citizenship is a big deal.  Certainly review all matters tax related since rules definitely change and how your income arrives, w-2 vs. investment, vs foreign payroll are all factors that should be considered and advised by a tax professional.