International Living Community

It depends on the cost of the prescription in Mexico and Belize. I have been living in China for 11 years, and althought I have my insulin covered, I often just buy extra out of pocket so that I have 6 - month worth of insulin because it is affordable to simply buy it from the pharmacy. You may want to consider that. Or, if possible, stock up now, if your insurance allows you to get more than x months of medicine at once.

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I agree with you 100%. It is unfair to paint an entire country on one location. Thank you for sharing your insights. Cheers, Bel.

Hi LCURRYTALK2001, While International Living covers destinations outside of the US and Canada perhaps some of our Canadian readers can weigh in on Vancouver which while lovely is indeed one of the most expensive cities in the world. If you're looking for somewhere beautiful with more affordable real estate and where English is the national language you may want to read our website section on Belize (https://internationalliving.com/countries/belize/). Or if you're looking for somewhere with similarly seasonal weather you'll find plenty of info on Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Uruguay, and Argentina at the main website www.InternationalLiving.com. Best, IL Overseas Editor Jess Ramesch

That's great information, thanks so much for sharing it with us. Cheers, Bel.

Hi Will, the good news is that there are many places to consider. If you have a look at "Mexico" under the 'countries' tab at the top of the IL webpage, you will find over 40 locations to cosider. All you have to do it scroll to the bottom of the Mexico page, and they are all listed there. Each place has complete information about each place so you can find out cost of living, amenities, health care options etc. If you have more questions, you can email me at: bwoodhouse@internationalliving.com. I hope this helps, cheers, Bel.

I am planning to retire next May and am getting truely obsessed with the idea of moving to Europe (right now it's Portugal, but who knows until I do more research). My plan is to rent out my home here in the US and rent in Europe for 1-2 years (or more if I love it). I want to use it as a base for travel to the rest of Europe. I keep reading that I'll be able to live off my soc security in Europe, I can't do that in the US. And I'm feeling more and more like this country is no longer my heart and soul.

Hi there! That's wonderful! What did your son study in the Netherlands? The job market in Spain is tough as the country suffers from high unemployment and low wages. Getting a visa sponsorship is difficult, however, some roles that are in demand may qualify for the highly qualifeid visa (tech, finance, senior management). An easier route to Spain is through the digital nomad visa (DNV). If Chris can get a qualifying remote job that is based outside of Spain, he could apply for the DNV and take his remote job to Spain. In this case he would not require a visa sponsorship. This is the most popular route right now for remote workers who want to move to Spain. After 2 years on the digital nomad visa in Spain, since he is a Colombian citizen, he could apply for Spanish citizenship. After applying for citizenship the waittime to a response/approval is generally 6 months to 2 years. I hope this helps! Please le us know if you have any quesitons. Cepee, IL Correspondent - Spain

Hi there! That's great that you're looking to spend the winter in Spain. Have you been to Valencia and Cartegena yet? If not, both are lovely options and quite different. Valencia is Spain's 3rd large city (population about 800,000) with a lot of culture, restuarants, arts, and entertainment, as well as mild winters, although lows can get into the 40s and highs are in the 60s. Cartagena is very lovely, however, a much different lifestyle than Valencia. It's a smaller city (around 200,000) and will be more laid back, and has much less going on. However, there is lots to see in and around the city. Spain has a wonderful public and private healthare system. Your wife being Italian, she may be able to get on a EHIC: https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/moving-working-europe/eu-social-security-coordination/european-health-insurance-card/how-use-card/spain-european-health-insurance-card_en Let us know if you have any questions! Cepee, IL Correspondent - Spain

Hi there, sorry you had some trouble finding the Dream Retirement Project—I realize the website can be confusing at times. You should be able to access it at this link. Let me know if you have any more trouble accessing it.

Thanks for your reply. Good luck.

Personally, I don't have any experience in this area. It does seem like dementia is a growing concern in the country. I would try contacting people here to look for more info: https://findahelpline.com/countries/cr/topics/dementia-alzheimers https://www.alzint.org/member/asociacion-costarricense-de-alzheimer-y-otras-demencias-asociadas-ascada/ a nursing home: https://nursinghomescostarica.com/ & https://verdeza.com/ Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.

We used StartAbroad. Zach is excellent and we highly recommend him as well as the people who have helped us once we landed in Costa Rica.

Looking for town but much to see and experience, laid back but totally fun, no cold weather, at least close to a beach, perfer walking, friendly and neigborly. Is that to much to ask? It is for my sister and I and we would like to move in the next year. Looking to spend no more than $2k a month for the both of us. Thank you. Perfer for a easy transition!