Every year global statistics and data are gathered to rank the best retirement destinations in the year. The winner in 2017 has consistently ranked in the top 10 retirement destinations on the planet for the past 14 years. It certainly has a lot to offer, but so do the others on the list:
Most popular retirement destinations for expats
10. Malta
Malta is a desirable retirement destination, especially for UK expats. Great weather, glorious beaches and a strong economy with a reasonable cost of living, together with excellent healthcare, places this country at the number 10 position.
9. Portugal
Portugal is renowned for its low cost of living and value in real estate. The climate is generally pleasant and you have plenty of beaches to choose from if you’re after some sun. If you love your wine and seafood, you won’t be disappointed.
9. Nicaragua
During the past ten years, Nicaragua has blossomed into a wonderful place to retire, where expats enjoy an easy lifestyle, a good standard of living– and even the opportunity to run thriving businesses.
7. Spain
Spain is a favourite holiday and retirement destination. It’s a place where many Europeans have second homes and it also attracts lots of visitors from the USA who enjoy the sunny weather, glorious beaches and equally good food and wine. Filled with history, an excellent infrastructure and a low cost of living (where a couple can live comfortably on about USD $2 200), it certainly has plenty to offer.
6. Malaysia
Malaysia is renowned for its idyllic islands, its rich, diverse culture and wonderful food. Here you will find world-class shopping in Kuala Lumpur and Penang and four UNESCO world heritage sites – the Lenggong Valley, the Gunung Mulu National Park, Kinabalu Park and the cities of George Town and Malacca.
5. Colombia
Colombia is attracting a lot of expat attention due to its excellent healthcare, temperate climate and rich culture. Located on the northern tip of South America, it borders both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea and has a wonderfully lush countryside featuring green plantations, beautiful beaches and picturesque towns.
4. Costa Rica
Costa Rica has been a hot favourite with retiring expats for over 30 years. A safe, stable and happy country with no army, it welcomes foreigners who quickly embrace its relaxed, stress-free lifestyle.
3. Ecuador
Ecuador’s unique position on the equator means you can alternate your climate by just moving up and down its mountainous terrain. Offering good healthcare at very reasonable prices and a great standard of living with many retiree benefits, it promises a fantastic lifestyle on less than USD $1 500 a month.
2. Panama
Panama offers an easy pace of life that is very attractive to expat retirees. Its strategic location means it draws expats from a wide variety of nations and the locals have a very welcoming attitude to foreigners. Panama also offers excellent retirement benefits – and foreigners can easily obtain residence to access these.
1. Mexico
Yes, the winner is magical Mexico with its wonderful culture and the first-world lifestyle it offers its retired expats. Many seasoned expats, who used to favour other places mentioned on this list, are now moving to Mexico where they can live well on as little as USD$ 1200 a month. The weak peso means many retirees can make their retirement funds go further as they enjoy a great lifestyle and excellent healthcare.
Don’t wait for retirement to start your adventures
With so many expats moving overseas, one of our top services is retirement annuity transfers. With this service, we assist South Africans living overseas turn their retirement annuity policies into cash and we then transfer the funds to their new home. The good news is that this can happen even before you turn 55 and the funds can be used for any purpose – whether you want to use them for adventurous travel or save a nest egg for later use.
With thousands of clients in over 105 countries, we’re widely recognised as South Africa’s leading financial migration brand and have assisted expats with retirement annuity transfers and many other migration services. In everything we do, we are proud to have a 100% success rate.
If you thinking of retiring abroad and need any advice about your financial emigration, contact us today and we’ll help you on the path to financial freedom in your new home.
[contact-form-7 id=”6581″ title=”_Blog post (call me)”]