9. Faro, Portugal
If European life is more to your liking, you might want to look in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. It’s popular with tourists and expats, for good reason. The climate offers year-round sunshine and the leisure opportunities are plentiful, whether you like the beach, birdwatching, golf, tennis or drinking wine. There are some relatively affordable independent living communities that cater to seniors. These offer the safety net of onsite support, medical assistance and concierge services. Portugal’s universal health care system is reputable, and it’s safety record is impressive. There are also some good tax breaks for resident foreign retirees worth looking into.
10. Cartegena, Colombia
Don’t have a knee-jerk rejection of this one. Despite its pervasive reputation as a dangerous place, Colombia is actually a beautiful country that has really cleaned up over the last two decades. The seaside town of Cartegena, in particular, is a lively, liveable city that may surprise you with its comfortable array of amenities. You can eat, drink and live well here, and not want for anything. Most goods cost half what they do up north, and local produce is cheap and plentiful. Your retirement budget will go twice as far here than back home. Cartagena has first-class health facilities, hospitals, clinics and doctors of every specialty, many of them trained in North America or Europe. Dental work costs 80% less than in the US and comprehensive health insurance is peanuts. Your neighbors back home may raise their eyebrows when you tell them you’re retiring to Cartegena, but you’ll be too busy living the good life to care.
So which of these affordable places to retire abroad tempt you?