Is Anyone Considering Moving to another Country for Retirement?

S

SeniorTooSoon

New Member
​I've recently started reading articles about moving to another country for retirement. I've heard a lot of them
have a lot lower cost of living. Many of them are quaint and have nice temperatures year round. Plus I am
rather tired of the way things are here in the United States nowadays. There is so much corruption, greed,
and not very much respect for Senior citizens. There are so many commercials and the mind set seems to be
what else can I buy or what cosmetic procedure should I have to look younger.

Anyway, I am kind of going off course here. Anyway, if you have thoughts of moving to another country or
know of anyone who has and can share that info with me, I would like to hear from you.
 

Welcome to the site.
No I can’t say I’ve ever seriously considered living anywhere else.
In fact, the older I get the more appreciative I am of where I currently live.
Downsizing might need happening but that’s for in the future.
My biggest current concern is purging and organizing.

I have heard of others moving to other countries who have been very happy though.
Any ideas so far where you’ve considered?
 

SeniorTooSoon said:
​ Anyway, if you have thoughts of moving to another country or
know of anyone who has and can share that info with me, I would like to hear from you.
Click to expand...

I’ve been to a few countries, most for months at a time

I like it here
I speak the language…usually

I’ve got friends from the US, now in Honduras

They’ve been there darn near 10 years
Wanna sell their place to me and move back
Mostly due to the medical situation

If you feel strongly in regard to actually moving, go there, rent, for several months

Please report back
 
Thanks RadishRose. Yes, I have been looking at the site you sent me. My roots are here too, and I really can't believe I
am considering it. The only thing that is holding me up is that I would be moving on my own. A lot of people move with
their husbands or boyfriends to other countries. I would feel a lot better moving there with a friend, at least.
 
Hi Keesha,

Yes, I've been reading a lot about people that have moved to other countries. I have been looking at Ecuador lately.
I've read that many countires have a much lower cost of living and some of them have quality medical care for a
lot less than what it cost here.
 
SeniorTooSoon said:
Hi Keesha,

Yes, I've been reading a lot about people that have moved to other countries. I have been looking at Ecuador lately.
I've read that many countires have a much lower cost of living and some of them have quality medical care for a
lot less than what it cost here.
Click to expand...

I know someone who sails a boat during the summer months in Canada and then heads to Thailand for the winter
He claims that the cost of living is so much cheaper. The stipulation is that you can’t purchase any land on ground level so you have to purchase condominiums or top floor houses. It works for him.
 
I don't know about permanently moving to another country, but we (husband and I) have thought about having some type of vacation or second home in another country when I retire. We are taking a cruise to the Bahamas this fall and will look at real estate there. The only places I have visited outside of the US is Cancun and Puerto Vallarta, so I really know nothing about what the real estate is like anywhere else.

My niece's in-laws moved to Costa Rica when they retired and owned a coffee plantation. As far as I know, they loved it. I'm not sure if they're still there or not.
 
Yes we bought a house in Coastal Southern Spain about 15 years ago..and we moved there, while still commuting back to London for work on a 2 week on 2 week of basis . Eventually the commuting got too much, so after some years we returned to the UK. We still have the house altho' it's up for sale now , and I took early retirement last year, but my O/H is still in his 50's so a while to go yet, god willing he keeps his health, but when he retires we'll be returning to Spain, but to a different part!!
 
SeniorTooSoon ... just my 2 cents, check and double check any place you would consider to relocate ... "the grass is always greener" concept.

When my husband was still living, he seriously entertained the idea of moving to Belize, and/or maybe a village in Mexico, a place mainly home to transplanted Americans at the time (can't remember the name of the town now).. probably isn't safe there anymore.

The talk of low-cost living in Belize, and what a great place for retired Americans, we had to travel there and check things out. Not good!
It turned out to be nothing like he read about. The laws for home ownership for retirees coming from the US were ridiculous.
Nothing was like it was promoted.

And today, being on my own w/o him, it would have been a nightmare! The good ole US seems just wonderful after checking out foreign lands.


 
Never been outside of the USA, except for Canada, although I have relatives by marriage in other countries. I've had friends that said they would retire in Mexico because of cheaper living conditions, they're still in the US. I was US born and raised, I've been retired for around ten years now and have no desire to move to another country.
 
Not really. I feel I am too old and set in my ways to considering moving to another country, where I would have to learn their culture and ways. I have been asked if I would move to a warmer climate in the US. I considered it briefly, and when my husband was alive we had talked about moving to West Virginia, as he had lived there for a couple years and liked it.
But now that I am alone, and older I am just as happy to stay where I am.
 
I had next door neighbors that retired last year, sold their house and moved to Portugal. I believe they're living in a multi unit complex, which isn't my cup of tea. We weren't that friendly, so I can't give you more details. I noticed that Portugal is on the top ten list of places to live abroad that RR posted.

As for us, I think we're staying put in the US for retirement, most likely Maine or NH to start.
 
I thought about it but I'm too old.

I know people who have moved to Panama and plenty who spend 6 months in the winter in the Southern U.S. or Mexico.

I understand there are plenty of Americans who live in Mexico.
 
doat said:
Look at all the people trying to get into the USA and those who are here. Tells you something, Go somewhere else?
Click to expand...

People fleeing their home countries because of civil unrest and poor living conditions aren't really a good comparison to retirees from the US or any 1st world country. How many of those people trying to get into the US are retirees looking to live out their golden years? Probably very few. There are plenty of safe and enjoyable places for retirees to live other than the US, it all depends on what a person is looking for.
 
SeniorTooSoon said:
​I've recently started reading articles about moving to another country for retirement. I've heard a lot of them
have a lot lower cost of living. Many of them are quaint and have nice temperatures year round. Plus I am
rather tired of the way things are here in the United States nowadays. There is so much corruption, greed,
and not very much respect for Senior citizens. There are so many commercials and the mind set seems to be
what else can I buy or what cosmetic procedure should I have to look younger.

Anyway, I am kind of going off course here. Anyway, if you have thoughts of moving to another country or
know of anyone who has and can share that info with me, I would like to hear from you.
Click to expand...

IMO if you want to be happy you shouldn't go because of the things that you don't like about the United States you should go because of the things that you really love about the place that you are going to.

I daydreamed about moving or taking snowbird extended stay vacations but at this point, it seems like more trouble for me than it would be worth.

I also found in my simple research that it was only inexpensive to live in many of these places if you lived like a native and in many cases that would not be acceptable to me.

Good luck with your adventures!
 
Aunt Bea said:
IMO if you want to be happy you shouldn't go because of the things that you don't like about the United States you should go because of the things that you really love about the place that you are going to.

I daydreamed about moving or taking snowbird extended stay vacations but at this point, it seems like more trouble for me than it would be worth.

I also found in my simple research that it was only inexpensive to live in many of these places if you lived like a native and in many cases that would not be acceptable to me.

Good luck with your adventures!
Click to expand...

This is a very good answer imo.
 
I personally know two couples who moved to Mexico. They both moved back. One moved back because they needed better medical care than was available there, and they also found that Mexico wasn't the most senior-friendly place to live in general. The other couple moved back because they did not feel safe if they left the area where a lot of Americans were clustered. Also they say that the idea of living more cheaply there is only really true if you are prepared to give up many things you are used to or pay much more for them. They also worried a lot about the safety of the water.
 
Nope. So you're tired of the greed and corruption? And you think it will be better where? Here's the thing about places with a much lower cost of living than the US. There are reasons for that -- lack of infrastructure, lack of education, lack of medical facilities. At the time of my life when I will begin to need more medical care, I don't want to move someplace where the medical care may be sketchy. We knew a man who retired to Bali because of the cost of living and because he loved it there. Build a house, started a new life, and then got cancer. Medical care is pretty iffy there, so he went to Thailand for treatment. It was not a happy ending. I've heard that Belize was a retirement Mecca for Americans. Stopped there on a cruise last summer. Sure, they speak English, but the phrase "grinding poverty" came to mind. I would imagine Americans must live in compounds, because what I saw was pretty ramshackle. No, thank you.
 
JimW said:
People fleeing their home countries because of civil unrest and poor living conditions aren't really a good comparison to retirees from the US or any 1st world country. How many of those people trying to get into the US are retirees looking to live out their golden years? Probably very few. There are plenty of safe and enjoyable places for retirees to live other than the US, it all depends on what a person is looking for.
Click to expand...

Name three.
 

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