The Best Places in the World to Retire in 2025 Workshop
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Im wondering about the advantages and disadvantages of buying vs renting property
also, Im not much of an urbanite. I prefer to live within reasonable distance to town, but would prefer living in a quiet riral area, in a small bungalow-type of home. Im having a hard time finding a website to begin a search
thank you in advance
Brucieil_admin said:
The Best Places in the World to Retire in 2025 Workshop
Our Annual Global Retirement Index Explained
If you’re looking for your just-right place overseas, this roundtable discussion is for you. Here at International Living, we’ve been exploring the world’s best options for better living abroad since 1979. Each year, we create a useful tool with our Annual Global Retirement Index—comparing, contrasting, ranking, and rating the 20 top countries for retirement living across seven key categories.
Jennifer Stevens, Executive Editor, together with expats who live in the countries that snag the top five spots in the 2025 Index—Tuula Rampont in France, Bel Woodhouse in Mexico, Glenda Cole in Portugal, Bekah Bottone in Costa Rica, and Jessica Ramesch in Panama—will discuss what life is like in their respective countries and dive into the benefits that make them top contenders. You’ll discover how they compare when it comes to healthcare, cost of living, day-to-day lifestyle, climate, and more, plus take a look at those under-the-radar perks that make these places special.
Our experts will be online answering your questions, below. Please type your questions, and we’ll get you the insights you’re looking for.
Monday, December 2, 2024
12:00 Noon Eastern TimeHello,
Well, there could possibly be budget questions... but overall, it's a good idea to rent for awhile, even up to a year, to see if the spot where you landed is a good fit.
-Tuula, IL France Correspondent
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Will it be captioned? I am Deaf
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Is it cheaper and easy to ship a car to Panama, Costa Rica or Portugal or purchase a car in country?
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Female - 84 in February, 2025
Active and mentally alert/Multi-lingual
Somewhat limited financial resources
Any suggestions? -
We are big music people. What countries/cities have the best nighlife (as in live music, not "club" music).
France is great for live music! All around the country... Every June 21st, they have a national music festival where bands, singers, etc play all around France, even in small villages. Loads of jazz festivals, especially in the summer. Nice, Toulon, and Antibes, to name a few.
Check out "Fete de la Musique" on Google.-Tuula, IL France Correspondent
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Are you recording this so I can share it with my Fiance' No need to answer live
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Do any/all of the 5 countries require lengths of stay within the country to establish residency or can you come and go without restrictions?
In Costa Rica, to maintain temporary residency, you depending on the type of residency you have, you need to spend 3-4 months in the country (I need to confirm with my laywer). Once you obtain permanent residency, you need to visit Costa Rica once a year to keep your status (for 3 days).
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Hello! We are considering retiring to either France, Mexico, Panama or Portugal. Visas can be tricky. Do you recommend consulting an immigration attorney first? And would they be attornies in the U.S. or the country we are interested in? And how do we find these attornies? A similar question relates to renting a home or apartment. I read that it is a good idea to have a local attorney review the contract since countries have very different laws related to this process. Any thoughts or information would be greatly appreciated.
Hello,
For France, the visa is not too difficult. Many IL readers have done it on their own. You can see the steps on the IL website. I do have attorney contacts if you need them. Also, Adrian Leeds is the French real estate expert if you'd like to contact her.-Tuula, IL France Correspondent
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What's the best way to handle my social security payments abroad? I'd prefer to set up an account in the US before I move overseas. Are there any "safe" international banks I can do this with? I'm primarily looking at Schengen area countries. Thank you!
Hi Wendy,
You'll need to note each country's particularities individually. Panama has one of the world's most stable banking centers so many expats have accounts in the US and here in Panama.
Research your US banks before a move abroad. Some banks—like Charles Schwab—may be able to offer you important perks like foreign ATM fee reimbursement. Others—like Capital One—may offer credit cards with zero foreign currency fees.
Best,
Jess Ramesch, IL Panama Editor -
I live in a CCRC currently. That is a Continuing Care Retirement Community. If you are not aware, that is an independant living community with attached assissted living and rehab and nursing care sections. I had what I thought was a good deal because all maintence and utilities except telephone were included in the monthly fee aa well as a 20% discount on any stay in assissted living or nursing care. Also I liked the feeling of security it gave me. Is anything similar available abroad? I am still independant and relatively healthy.
It's too long a story for an email, but this CCRC has had a bankruptcy and the "life care" contract I signed is not worth the paper it was printed on! My deposit refund and the 20% discount on the medical section are gone. I consider it a fraud, but it is legal. I have an unbreakable lease for a year. Then I could stay here or move to another CCRC here in the States, but I have learned my lesson! I am looking for another option that would make me feel secure - perhaps a gated community?Hi Pat,
I know there is a beautiful CCRC here in Mexican Caribbean, in Cancun. I spoke to the owners at our big annual Bootcamp in Las Vegas last month and it was also a lot more affordable. The name of the place is Kiosko and here is the link to their website - https://kioskoseniorliving.com/. I hope that helps.
Warm Regards,
Bel Woodhouse - Mexico Correspondent. -
One of my basic concerns would be availability and cost of health insurance for me 73 and my wife 70 years old.
Also the offers of a 2 bedroom & 2 bathroom apartment , house or similar.
Where to find B&B at reasonable prices to rent while scouting the areas. Car rentals too.Hello,
For France, you can expect to pay $1800 a year, or less, per person for healthcare. There are no age restrictions and the public system provides great care.-Tuula, IL France Correspondent
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Are you recording this so I can share it with my Fiance' No need to answer live
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We don't speak any language but English. I've tried to learn, but perhaps we need better tools. I know a few words of Spanish. I have health issues that require a combination of regular and alternative treatments and meds. And we'd like a place with moderate temps that is affordable and maybe within an hour of a beach. Is all that even realistic in any of these destinations? If we visit places first, do you offer help to visit the best areas to live for expats?
Hello,
If you contact the correspondents, they can usually set you up with some expat contacts that live in the spot you'd like to visit. In France, there's an app where you can search for English-speaking doctors, if that's helpful.
-Tuula, IL France Correspondent
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Is a major medical condition an impediment for gaining residency and, eventually, citizenship in the popular EU countries (ie Italy, Portugal, Spain, Greece and France)?
Hello,
No, there are no health restrictions for France.
-Tuula, IL France Correspondent
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Two questions. First, I am a single man, almost 87, who is in excellent health. I think that, more important than where you live is the human relationships you form. That said, finding a female partner in a country where more than half the people voted for a criminal, traitor, and overall despicable person as president is very difficult. I hope to find an educated, more enlightened woman in the expat or native population of the country I move to. What areas are best for cultivating female friendships that may lead to a relationship?
Second, I am a writer and author, and want to continue plying my avocation where I relocate. In what spots would I most likely thrive?Hi,
Most places in Mexico are very open to foreigners and the warmth of the Mexican people means it's easy to meet people and form friendships or something more.
As for being a writer, I myself am a writer and have never had any issues. We have excellent internet, and places like San Miguel de Allende in Mexico has a wonderful creative expat community full of writers. They also hold an annual literary festival which attracts thousands of participants from all over the world so I'm sure you would meet some amazing people in San Miguel.
Regards,
Bel - Il Mexico Correspondent. -
I have a unique question...I started playing Senior Softball here in Florida last year, and I really enjoy it. Does Panama have any Senior Softball leagues or pickup games? I know baseball is popular there. I'd be interested to see if Mexico or Costa Rica has Senior Softball also, but I would tend to think not...Thanks!
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I live in a CCRC currently. That is a Continuing Care Retirement Community. If you are not aware, that is an independant living community with attached assissted living and rehab and nursing care sections. I had what I thought was a good deal because all maintence and utilities except telephone were included in the monthly fee aa well as a 20% discount on any stay in assissted living or nursing care. Also I liked the feeling of security it gave me. Is anything similar available abroad? I am still independant and relatively healthy.
It's too long a story for an email, but this CCRC has had a bankruptcy and the "life care" contract I signed is not worth the paper it was printed on! My deposit refund and the 20% discount on the medical section are gone. I consider it a fraud, but it is legal. I have an unbreakable lease for a year. Then I could stay here or move to another CCRC here in the States, but I have learned my lesson! I am looking for another option that would make me feel secure - perhaps a gated community?In Mexico, you'll find options in San Miguel de Allende and in Lake Chapala. Here's a piece we ran a little bit ago with Three Case Studies for Long-Term Care in Mexico that should give you some insights:
https://members.internationalliving.com/articles/three-case-studies-on-affordable-long-term-care-in-mexico-mag-10-2019/Tuula mentioned they exist in France as well.
Related: you might find this article useful, too, just FYI... Medical Tourism: How Insiders Afford New Hips, Hair Plugs, and Facelifts https://magazine.internationalliving.com/internationalliving/library/item/october_2023/4138620/
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There are a lot of countries that sound great. The biggest difficulties that I have trouble getting real information about are:
my wife is in memory care because of Alzheimers. Which countries would allow me to bring her? Which countries have affordable care for her, preferably at home with me using aides. I do have enough money for this.
Which countries would be better if you have no car and do not drive.Hello,
You should have some luck with France. They have in-home health aides and care homes if that is a needed. You could start to do some research to find what's available in the area of the country where you'd like to move.-Tuula, IL France Correspondent
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What is it like living as a SINGLE WOMAN in your best places? I spent a semester in Rome, Italy a long time ago and remember the papagali (Italian men just "standing on the corner watching all the girls go by") were quite annoying., Of course I am no longer a bella ragazza but a 77 year old. But I still like to shop and even eat out alone and I worry about being harrassed especially in "latin" countries like Costa Rica, Panama, Portugal, France, Mexico and yes Italy. I will be moving alone leaving my family behind, with no men to "protect" me. I guess that makes me a scarlet woman.
I love how someone recommended Facebook groups. I would totally see if there are any single or expat groups where you want to visit to reach out and see what is available.
I am a single woman in Costa Rica; I have always felt safe here, even when I was young.er I always compared Costa Rica to Jamaica, where I was horrified at what the people yelled at me on the street-- it was so vulgar compared to what I had experienced in Costa Rica prior to that trip.
I always suggest not meeting people alone and being in a group setting in a busy place, not walking at night alone, and following one's gut feelings.