The Best Places in the World to Retire in 2025 Workshop
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As a US expat, is it necessary to have an address in the US for matters of federal/state tax, Social Security, Medicare Advantage coverage, etc.? If so, do the mail screening and forwarding services that provide you the US address, that is not a P.O. Box, an effective and practical solution?
Absolutely a must for me, for all of the reasons you describe! I use Traveling Mailbox. I have an address in Miami, they allow me to request a scan, or trash, or to actually forward my mail here to Portugal. A terrific service. Glenda
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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 TimeIdealista.pt for Portugal! You can scroll over their interactive map (kind of like Zillow) and rental or purchase prices will pop up all over the country. It's how I found my quite villa off the main drag but minutes from the beach and 15 minutes from town. Glenda
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As a gay couple, my wife and I would love to live abroad in our retirement. What countries are welcoming and which should we avoid?
My best friends here are a gay couple who actually married in Portugal 14 years ago. They love the life here, and say they have never felt even uncomfortable since they moved here, even all those years ago!
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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.I can't answer the "allow you to bring her" question. I can't believe that they would prevent this in Portugal. They are so welcoming and so understanding of disability. A close friend has a brain tumor here and walks with a cane. He is invited to the front of every line, and people do not avoid speaking to him as they might in the States. Also, home health care is much cheaper here. I am on the board of a hospice charity. We employ two nurses and I was amazed at how affordable in home care is here. Definitely investigate Portugal, I think you would be comfortable here. Glenda
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great counties for a liberated woman?
please talk about heath insurance. I see someone else asked.
thank youPortugal is very liberated. I live near a surfing town where a lot of young people hang out and surf all day. As a single woman here, I never ran into any macho issues, or felt like the car mechanic didn't want to talk to me. As far as health insurance, my private insurance in Portugal went up to $207 per month when I turned 65. Incredibly cheap and terrific quality of care. Better than the US, frankly. You could also, once a resident, get completely free healthcare, but I understand the waits can be long, unless it's an emergency. I have a lot of health issues, so private makes sense for me.
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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)?
You need to show passive income (like social security) to get a retirement visa for Portugal. Of all the questions asked, none was about my health. In my six years here, it has never been asked when I renew my visa.
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Southern Portugal wins this one.
I live there, and I can't even find anyone to practice my Portuguese! Glenda -
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?
My doctor here in the Algarve on the Southern coast of Portugal is South African. Her English is better than mine! I also have many health issues and I am on many meds. The costs would be staggering in the US, very affordable here. The quality of care is also excellent! And I live 8 minutes from the beach.
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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.Portugal offers very affordable health insurance. I am 66, I pay $207 for private health insurance. You can rent a lovely two bedroom apartment in a number of places in Portugal for less than $1,000 a month. To scout, I always recommend getting a home base and stayingin a neighborhood. I have used Air BnB and VRBO and had great luck here in an number of areas. And a great tip for the cheapest car rentals here: carjet.com.
Good luck! Glenda
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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.
While in the US, you need to apply for your residency visa on line if you plan to stay more than 90 days in Portugal. You go through a website: vfsglobal.com. I did it all myself, a lot of pieces, but not difficult. Give yourself 90 days to get it all together before you get on the plane.
As far as real estate, you must have an attorney in Portugal to do the contract. I would just look for a local Portuguese attorney in the area you decide to settle. To do some fun exploring on line for homes to rent or buy, try idealista.pt. I have spent many fun hours on that site. I found my home there.
Good luck! Glenda
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We are big music people. What countries/cities have the best nighlife (as in live music, not "club" music).
Where I live, in the Algarve on the southern coast of Portugal, there is always live music to be found. There's a local jazz place at the marina that has live music year round. There are musical events listed in the weekly expat paper of all genres and in all areas here. Of course, the major cities have live music as well. My boyfriend is a musician and he loves living here.
Glenda
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What about moving? I mean physically. Do you recommend shipping all your furniture, appliances, books, cd's, etc. Or should you just dump all that and start from scratch?
What type of electricity is available in these 5 places?
Is online shopping easy and reasonable abroad? During covid I got used to using Amazon a lot. I know Walmart and other common US stores have an international presence, Can I shop online with them? What about HSN and QVC?I dumped almost everything, and I am shocked that I really haven't missed my "stuff". I had a LOT of it. Here in Portugal, it's so cheap (and fun!) to replace everything, it's not an issue. My Amazon Prime works here with Amazon Spain, I order something pretty much every week (three boxes today) and get free shipping. Wonderful! No Walmart or QVC that i am aware of, but lots of malls and small stores. I am a shopaholic and I love it in Portugal!
Glenda
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please advise how much of the native language you need for each location or can you get by with just Englis and a transilator app
Portugal, particularly on the warm southern coast, is English. Also in the major cities. In the countryside, Goodle Translate will work well.
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I am a musician and I'm wondering what is the best way to research the community music scene in various places overseas.
On the southern coast of Portugal, there is a weekly newspaper for expats that publishes all the musical events coming up for the week. You can check it out on line: portugalresident.com
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safest place to retire?
Portugal is one of the safest countries in the world. Almost no violent crime, I am a single woman and feel very safe here.
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We are interested in retiring to either France, Mexico, Panama or Portugal. Getting visas can be tricky for those of us who haven’t done it in the past. Do you recommend getting an immigration attorney? If so, would that be one in the U.S. or the country we’re interested in? How do we find a knowledgeable immigration attorney?
For Portugal, I did it myself on vfsglobal.com. Just be sure to apply while you are in the US.
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My husband and I (retired mid sixties) are interested in becoming part time residents in Portugal where my maternal ancestors are from. I speak some Portuguese and am working on improving. We are traveling there soon for three months to explore the country as a possible area in which to buy a condo. Our hope is to buy a place in the Algarve area that can be rented out during the warmest months while we are in the U.S. and spend about half the year in the condo ourselves. We have a certain amount of money to spend but it's not half a million euros, so I'm looking for a real estate manager who can help us in the 200-400,000 Euro range. It seems many I have found are very high end and we need someone willing to help the lower middle range. Any suggestions on how to find someone? Thank you!
Hi, I live on the Algarve and do exactly what you describe, I rent my villa in July and August while I explore the world. I know a very nice lady who volunteered with me at a charity event here. She's is English, a real estate agent here, but I have not used her services. I can tell you she gave her time for a hospice charity, so she is a good person and seems quite professional. Her name is Karen Sneider Shears. She can be reached on What's App or by phone at +351 915 962 156. Please tell her that Glenda Cole referred you. Good luck, it's a BEAUTIFUL life!!
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Can I still receive US social security when living in a foreign country
Absolutely. I live in Portugal and get it every month! Glenda
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what if we wsnted to stay in multiple countries throughout the year at most appropriate times within each cointry? Maybe three or four countries?
Sure. If you are talking about Europe, keep an eye on the 90 day limit with the Schengen Zone.
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For Portugal, you need to spend 5 years on a residency visa. Then you can either choose to apply for a citizenship, or a permanent Visa.