So you are looking to retire.. where oh where

For those who are looking at or are already in retirement and finding life and money are not quite what you had hoped for here is an article which might change things for you.
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Thailand finished in 3rd place, with a score of 94 points out of 100, behind Cambodia (1st) and Vietnam (2nd) in the Cost of Living category, with the Land of Smiles, finishing in 9th place overall.

The World’s Best Places to Retire in 2019
10. Spain

9. Thailand

8. Peru

7. Portugal

6. Colombia

5. Malaysia

4. Ecuador

3. Mexico

2. Costa Rica

1. Panama



The 5 Most Affordable Retirement Havens of 2019



- (tie) 4. Bolivia

- (tie) 4. Peru

3. Thailand

2. Vietnam

1. Cambodia

*source: Internationalliving.com

From the supposedly cheapest places to live: Thailand it all depends on where as Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and especially Phuket are expensive compared to just about any place else in Thailand .. Just down the road from Phuket is Kamala which is ocean front and way way cheaper. Thailand has many golf courses, some to expensive and some cheap or not to bad.. The problem for some with Thailand is working legally or for others visa problems..

Vietnam even in Ho Chi Minh city/Saigon is cheaper, but Vietnam is expensive when it comes to golf.. otherwise it has a stable government unlike some countries on the worlds best places to retire... If you are thinking about any place go there first and stay a month or two..you might be surprised as it is better or much worse than the advertisements say.

I have been hearing many good things about Cambodia (excluding their government) as it is much easier to start a business or even teach.. You can find just about any price range living accommodations you can imagine in Cambodia and some places are very fine coupled with cheap cheap cheap..

Any place in Asia if you have transportation as long as you drive like everyone is sooner or later gonna try to kill you....you will do just fine !

Even though it is not on the list the Philippines does have some beautiful places and I have several friends who have settled down in various localities in PI.

IMO the most important thing in retirement is to be interested in doing something other than sitting on your butt and doing nothing but waiting to die.

a reply to: 727Sky

Yeah right, go somewhere where they have good medical services, it's an important factor with aging, no where on the list you provided is a place I would consider retiring to.

Japan is OK, but visas are hard to come by. But recently I see many foreigners here.
If your income is about 2500 bucks a month, one can get by living in Japan. Used houses are not so expensive.
But my choice would be Thailand I think, not because money can go further there, but the weather I like.

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: 727Sky

Yeah right, go somewhere where they have good medical services, it's an important factor with aging, no where on the list you provided is a place I would consider retiring to.

First of all it is not my list but a list compiled every year by the International Living’s Annual Global Retirement Index 2019. Which is supposedly supposedly an independent data gathering center.

Medical service ...Humm... People come from all over the world for medical services in Thailand as it has some of the best hospitals anywhere. A hip replacement will cost around $41,000++ in the states and that is just for the hip replacement.. The same hip replacements in S.E. Asia range anywhere from $17,000 (high end) to less than $10,000 in Vietnam.. A friend of mine had a hip replacement last year and was golfing 8 weeks later..His cost was $15,000 for everything to include physical therapy and follow-up visits.... He has since gone back and got the other hip replaced by the same hospital and doctor; still playing golf..

I had a root canal, X-rays and a cap for less than 100 USD. You can not even get your teeth cleaned for that in the states.. Oh teeth cleaned $15.65 at current exchange rates.

I spent 7 days in hospital with pneumonia with many test and X-ray..private room.. did not cost me even 900 USD. I can go to a doctor and it will cost less than 20 USD.. Try that in America and get back to me...So.... as far as medical services you are way off base.

I see more British, Swedes, and Germans in my part of the world than other nationalities although I do have a friend from Japan who lives here that I golf with. Some just come for a few months every year and return to their home country... They are international snow birds I suppose you could say.

Someone moving out of their country is a big deal and should not be undertaken without some serious thought. Being retired from the airline I fly basically free on standby.... so anyplace I want to go see, I just go.. as it is not a big deal.. Having said that the last time I was in the states was 3 years ago.. I could not believe the prices of stuff and I ain't poor..

So as far as I am concerned consider this thread a public information type thingy..

I suggest the Philippines.

I love it there, and my wife is from the Philippines, so we will buy land and move there in a few years. You can live very, very well on your social security check or pension. Avoid the big cities.

I went and stayed a few years renting a place on the beach in the country for 350 a month. Food is very inexpensive. You can get places much cheaper also.



You can't own land other than a condo unless you marry someone from the Philippines then the land would be in their name.

Good thread, I've been watching vids for most the places you named. If I live to retirement I'll consider anywhere but where I am now lol.

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

Things like this are to be considered too, I have bad luck. www.topten.ph...

a reply to: 727Sky

Another approach to retiring in comfort in the richer Western countries would be to consider becoming co-owners of property with good friends and/or family. At that stage of life, hopefully everyone has gained the wisdom and patience to work through any issues that may arise.

a reply to: 727Sky

#3. Mexico.........really?

I might have believed that at one time but not any more.

So you are looking to retire.. where oh where

Right here in my home ?
I already early retired at 56.
This time , I will try for 99

a reply to: 727Sky

That's all well and good, Thailands medical I would only use if I knew the right people to go to, many many people visit Thailand for what is now known as medical tourism and there are plenty of horror stories to go with it, anyhow it's your health and only you can decide how best to manage it.

The woman who cuts my hair has been hitting on me the last couple of times I've been in for a trim- she says she's looking for a partner to move back to her home country of Vietnam with. Her family has farmland property near a small village next to a huge jungle. I have a girlfriend, but the idea of getting away from Seattle is pretty tempting. I guess it would depend on how good the internet is over there! I couldn't handle 600ms latency.

a reply to: 727Sky

I prefer a place where there's a 90% chance I'll keep my head lol . Actually I just turned 50 and live in California my girl and I are looking to semi retire this year selling the house here in Cali and looking for something in the KY-TN-VA area just browsing whats available now it's just crazy compared to Cali we looked at one house that was 3 bed room 2 bath on 56 acres with a running stream and pond on it for $157,000.00 . We just plan on buying outward not having a mortgage makes going into retirement a whole lot easier !

Before planning too much on becoming an expat retiree, be sure to read your pension plan rules very carefully. Some pensions here in the states won't pay unless you maintain residency in the USA.

It can be easy to maintain residency if you plan ahead (it will require some travel), but be sure to PLAN AHEAD.

originally posted by: Gargoyle91
a reply to: 727Sky

I prefer a place where there's a 90% chance I'll keep my head lol . Actually I just turned 50 and live in California my girl and I are looking to semi retire this year selling the house here in Cali and looking for something in the KY-TN-VA area just browsing whats available now it's just crazy compared to Cali we looked at one house that was 3 bed room 2 bath on 56 acres with a running stream and pond on it for $157,000.00 . We just plan on buying outward not having a mortgage makes going into retirement a whole lot easier !

That was my kinda dream place too with enough land for a grass airstrip then I started looking at taxes...

I was paying 12,000 a year in taxes, insurance, and garbage collection just to keep my residence in the states ... The house was paid for.....Considering I was doing traveling and out of country for months at a time I started asking myself why am I paying 12,000 a year ? The electric bill when home or gone was another thing that pissed me off ...I think the gone bill which doubled after the smart meter was installed pissed me off more than anything.. My average electric bill in S.E. Asia even during the hottest months has never reached $100 but it can be darn close ....

I can live just about anyplace as long as I do not feel I am being ripped off...Asia is not for everyone that is for sure.. What attracted me was I am married to an Asian but she will live anyplace as long as we are together... She likes the states and my friends and golf; yep she is a golfer and has the trophies to prove it .. She is a bargain finding woman who I am lucky to have.. and when I asked her if she wanted to move full time back to Asia... it was up to me.. If I were married to an American girl I probably would not have moved here.

My American wife of 25 years had passed away because of breast cancer 10 years before I got serious with anyone. If my American wife were still alive I doubt I could have made the move as women are big on nest and family for the most part.. Oh and medical services in the states ... My dead wife's last medical bill was $265,000 (I did have great insurance) but still the states is the absolute last place I would go for anything medical..

Like the Philippines most countries you can not own property unless you are married to a local national.. Guys come to Asia fall in love and build their dream house to only get a divorce and as they are forced to leave the wife says thanks for the house.. That stuff happens anywhere but a little common sense can go a long way.. There are gold diggers in any country so buyer beware..stuff happens

If someone is a control freak making a move to a different country can be a big mistake..

"We did it different where I come from and it was better"! That kind of thinking is a waste of time as every country does many things different that may not sit well with a new arrival or even an old hand..

I know guys who have lived in a country for several years and can not even speak basic anything but their original native tongue... so the wife does all the talking for them.. It works for them but they really are missing out on so much fun and knowledge communicating with the locals, police, or government..

We’re gonna move back to East Timor, we liked it there. Great people beautiful country.

Tropics.

Plus we can always leave if again if it doesn’t suit. Darwin’s only about $200 away from Suai

a reply to: Montana

you are very right, make sure everything is in place if you live that long.. heck by the time social security that i paid since I was 16 will be 75 at this rate...

a reply to: 727Sky

I thought Spain was doing kind of bad right now. Id like to go to Barcelona...maybe,

originally posted by: Willtell
a reply to: 727Sky

I thought Spain was doing kind of bad right now. Id like to go to Barcelona...maybe,

Spain has great golf courses !! I have had friends who bought houses there a couple of years ago. Prices have dropped but they seem to spend several months in Spain every year.
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