Author Topic: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?  (Read 4918 times)

EconDiva

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Just curious...

For those of you who are from the US who are set on retiring outside of the country, where have you chosen to go?

-How soon are you planning to retire?
-Are you single or will you be doing it with a family?
-Will you maintain a residence in the US?  How often do you plan to come back to visit?
-Was COL the primary factor in choosing to retire abroad?  If not, what was?  What were some of the other motivating factors (i.e., healthcare costs, desire to travel to other international places close to where you will be moving abroad, etc.)?


Padonak

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #1 on: April 15, 2018, 10:22:37 AM »
Following

shadowmoss

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #2 on: April 15, 2018, 12:43:27 PM »
Following as well.  I lived for 2.5 years in Honduras and had no issues with any of the local people.  I am more inclined to move to Central America than I would have been before my stint working there (for a US company).  I'd like to see Asia sometime, and once I have no immediate family here I might even try living abroad for awhile to see how it goes.  My experience is that it is not like living in the US, but 'different' is not always 'worse'.

poetdereves

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #3 on: April 15, 2018, 04:09:07 PM »
I am going to answer for my family since I am not anywhere near retirement. Following in their footsteps doesn't seem too bad of an idea though.

Just curious...

For those of you who are from the US who are set on retiring outside of the country, where have you chosen to go?


Costa Rica

-How soon are you planning to retire?

Retirement will probably happen in the next 3-5 years, but they are currently living abroad and working remotely.

-Are you single or will you be doing it with a family?

Married couple with grown children that have moved out. Just a wife, husband, and two dogs.

-Will you maintain a residence in the US?  How often do you plan to come back to visit?

Currently no plans to maintain a residence in the US, but they did become South Dakota residents before moving away to avoid any state income taxes. They plan to travel back to the states quarterly once they are done with work. They travel more often than that now with work duties.

-Was COL the primary factor in choosing to retire abroad?  If not, what was?  What were some of the other motivating factors (i.e., healthcare costs, desire to travel to other international places close to where you will be moving abroad, etc.)?

Cost of living was not the primary factor, but a definite plus. Costa Rica is safe, easy to travel to and from, and COL is decent. There are cheaper Central American countries, but they do not offer the quality of life that Costa Rica offers. It is an extremely bio-diverse country with amazing, cheap healthcare and no military with civil problems like other Central American countries. Land and property is decently cheap. They have a home, guest house, full garden, and chickens on about an acre of property surrounded by 10 acres of coffee fields. They paid $180k and purchased it from another expat.

nancyjnelson

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #4 on: April 15, 2018, 05:10:02 PM »
For those of you who are from the US who are set on retiring outside of the country, where have you chosen to go?

I will start in Europe (I have friends in a couple of countries), then see where it takes me from there.  I do not have a permanent retirement spot picked out and plan to do a lot of traveling beforehand to check out different areas.  FWIW, traveling in Europe is awesome.  I lived in Mexico (one year), Colombia (one year), Venezuela (two years) and Nicaragua (two years), and the travel infrastructure was just not there.  During my assignment to Estonia, I was able to visit seven other European countries.

How soon are you planning to retire?

I retired in 2013.  I moved to a LCOL area in Wisconsin in order to get my youngest through high school but now I am an empty nester.


-Are you single or will you be doing it with a family?


I am single with two adult children, but I am still financially supporting the youngest.

-Will you maintain a residence in the US? 

No, I am selling my house this summer and putting all my stuff in storage.  I will change my legal residence from Wisconsin to Texas (where my oldest child lives) so that I'm not paying state income taxes while overseas.  Returning to live in the U.S. at some point is still a possibility.

How often do you plan to come back to visit?

Once a year, if needed.  Possibly more often - I have elderly parents.  I will be leaving this autumn, then my children will join me in Barcelona for Christmas.


-Was COL the primary factor in choosing to retire abroad?


No.

If not, what was?  What were some of the other motivating factors (i.e., healthcare costs, desire to travel to other international places close to where you will be moving abroad, etc.)?

I love living overseas, learning languages and seeing new cultures.  I spent 25 years as a Foreign Service officer, and moving from country to country was my idea of a dream job. 


MrThatsDifferent

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #5 on: April 16, 2018, 04:07:30 AM »
Europe, South America and Southeast Asia.

expatartist

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #6 on: April 16, 2018, 04:46:42 AM »
OP, are you planning to retire overseas as well?

Not sure exactly where I'll retire. I'd like to to split time between Hong Kong - where I live and work now - and Athens, where I have a studio. Residency may become complicated in one place, or not. Currencies may go haywire, if Greece leaves the Euro or the HK$ becomes pegged to the Chinese yuan vs the US$ as now.


I will be leaving this autumn, then my children will join me in Barcelona for Christmas.


Nancy, if you're in Barcelona December before Xmas, you're welcome to contact me if you'd like to meet for a coffee/something stronger, or visit the print studio where I'll be working - they've made prints with the 20th century's greatest artists and have some good examples there.

dude

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #7 on: April 16, 2018, 06:52:42 AM »
Have thought about retiring abroad, but there are too many reasons I'd miss the U.S., so the plan is to spend 3-6 months abroad, alternated with equal stints back home (initially, anyway). Top of my list is Costa Rica, Mexico, Greece, Thailand.

Brother Esau

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #8 on: April 16, 2018, 07:16:30 AM »
Portugal is on the top of our list. Just the DW and I. Will likely spend approximately half the year there and the other half back at our house the U.S. It's quite affordable there (well, at least it is now). Friendly people, old world charm and we have a bit of a family connection there.

Enough

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #9 on: April 16, 2018, 07:21:35 AM »
Portugal is on the top of our list. Just the DW and I. Will likely spend approximately half the year there and the other half back at our house the U.S. It's quite affordable there (well, at least it is now). Friendly people, old world charm and we have a bit of a family connection there.

Are you a dual citizen of an EU country? how do you plan to get around the 90-day visa?


Brother Esau

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #10 on: April 16, 2018, 07:39:27 AM »
Portugal is on the top of our list. Just the DW and I. Will likely spend approximately half the year there and the other half back at our house the U.S. It's quite affordable there (well, at least it is now). Friendly people, old world charm and we have a bit of a family connection there.

Are you a dual citizen of an EU country? how do you plan to get around the 90-day visa?

DW's parents are from Portugal. I believe that will get us citizenship.

EconDiva

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #11 on: April 16, 2018, 09:13:13 AM »
OP, are you planning to retire overseas as well?

I'm keeping it open as an option.  Primary motivating factors include healthcare costs and overall COL.  Also, I just love to travel; I currently work remotely at home but have not yet had the opportunity to leverage that into working abroad in other locations.  I would ideally start doing that at some point soon in my career so I can have a better idea of a place or places I'd prefer to retire to. 

I'm currently 39 and quite a ways from retirement.  On another note, my brother who is 34 plans to retire in 6 years in Thailand. 

EconDiva

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #12 on: April 16, 2018, 09:14:06 AM »
Have thought about retiring abroad, but there are too many reasons I'd miss the U.S., so the plan is to spend 3-6 months abroad, alternated with equal stints back home (initially, anyway). Top of my list is Costa Rica, Mexico, Greece, Thailand.

So you will plan to keep a primary residence in the U.S. then?

EconDiva

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #13 on: April 16, 2018, 09:23:42 AM »
Portugal is on the top of our list. Just the DW and I. Will likely spend approximately half the year there and the other half back at our house the U.S. It's quite affordable there (well, at least it is now). Friendly people, old world charm and we have a bit of a family connection there.

Beat me to mentioning Portugal.

Love it there and hope to plan another trip there this year to visit again.  Totally agree about the friendly people.  I hope it retains as much of as its charm for as long as possible...I predict prices to visit will increase sharply at some point sooner rather than later.

Basenji

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #14 on: April 16, 2018, 09:26:28 AM »
Where have you chosen to go? Not me, but relatives, Mexico
-How soon are you planning to retire? They have been retired there more than 10 years
-Are you single or will you be doing it with a family? They went as a couple after all the children moved out
-Will you maintain a residence in the US?  How often do you plan to come back to visit? They do not maintain a residence in the U.S., but they do retain a post office box in Texas and get U.S. mail via a service that gathers all the expat mail for their town from the P.O. boxes and transports the mail to the expats in their Mexican town. They come back 2x per year, to have specialist medical work done, see children, grandchildren, and friends.
-Was COL the primary factor in choosing to retire abroad?  Yes  What were some of the other motivating factors? They visited once pre-retirement and loved it. They live like kings compared to how they would live in the U.S. They do get some basic preventative inexpensive healthcare there, but for some reason feel more comfortable getting complex stuff done up north. I think they perceive it as higher quality--not sure if that is objectively true or not.
« Last Edit: April 16, 2018, 09:29:52 AM by Basenji »

6-Saturdays

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #15 on: April 16, 2018, 09:27:48 AM »
Retiring to Mexico in the Lake Chapala area

-How soon are you planning to retire?
Approx 18 months somewhat dependent on the stock market

-Are you single or will you be doing it with a family?
Wife and I + 2 cats no kids

-Will you maintain a residence in the US?  How often do you plan to come back to visit?
Will maintain mailing address in Texas for tax purposes, Will visit the U.S. 1-2 times per year most likely

-Was COL the primary factor in choosing to retire abroad?  If not, what was?  What were some of the other motivating factors (i.e., healthcare costs, desire to travel to other international places close to where you will be moving abroad, etc.)?
COL was not the primary factor but it was part of the equation, also great weather, affordable healthcare, desire to experience another culture, ability to use a LCOL area as a home base for other travel, easy access to an international airport (Guadalajara Airport only 45min away), some familiar comforts of home (i.e. the U.S.) while still in a place that is not the U.S., larger expat retirement population so other people that will have time to hang out during the day (although most of the other retirees will be older than me and my wife, most of them are very active seniors, so I really need to work on my tennis game to not get embarrassed on the courts :)   

Brother Esau

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #16 on: April 16, 2018, 09:48:37 AM »
Portugal is on the top of our list. Just the DW and I. Will likely spend approximately half the year there and the other half back at our house the U.S. It's quite affordable there (well, at least it is now). Friendly people, old world charm and we have a bit of a family connection there.

Beat me to mentioning Portugal.

Love it there and hope to plan another trip there this year to visit again.  Totally agree about the friendly people.  I hope it retains as much of as its charm for as long as possible...I predict prices to visit will increase sharply at some point sooner rather than later.

That is our concern as well. We visited last year and it's definitely gaining in popularity.

dougules

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #17 on: April 16, 2018, 10:31:12 AM »
Has anybody considered Mexico City?  Realistically we will probably stay in the US, but I really enjoy cities and can't afford the ones in the US.  I also enjoy traveling in Latin America, but I don't know if that would extend to living there or if DH would really like it long-term. 

EconDiva

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #18 on: April 16, 2018, 11:00:22 AM »
Has anybody considered Mexico City?  Realistically we will probably stay in the US, but I really enjoy cities and can't afford the ones in the US.  I also enjoy traveling in Latin America, but I don't know if that would extend to living there or if DH would really like it long-term.

I've visited once and would visit again but didn't get a "I would so love to live here" vibe while I was there.  And I like larger cities.  Maybe others can chime in about this. 

tarheeldan

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #19 on: April 16, 2018, 11:13:47 AM »
Has anybody considered Mexico City?  Realistically we will probably stay in the US, but I really enjoy cities and can't afford the ones in the US.  I also enjoy traveling in Latin America, but I don't know if that would extend to living there or if DH would really like it long-term.

I have, and will probably live there for a while during FIRE. I grew up in Texcoco, and am a Mexican citizen by birth and speak the language so that makes it pretty attractive. Also the weather, food, and cost of living.

Eric

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #20 on: April 16, 2018, 12:38:50 PM »
For those of you who are from the US who are set on retiring outside of the country, where have you chosen to go?
I haven't decided yet.  I'm planning on spending a decade or more living in all of the places attempting to figure it out.

-How soon are you planning to retire?
-Are you single or will you be doing it with a family?

Next year.  My wife and I.  We have no kids.

-Will you maintain a residence in the US?  How often do you plan to come back to visit?

I will maintain a resident address for mailing and tax purposes, but not a physical residence.  No clue on the frequency of visiting.  Somewhere in the neighborhood of once a year probably.  Maybe more often depending on the health of our parents. 

-Was COL the primary factor in choosing to retire abroad?  If not, what was?  What were some of the other motivating factors (i.e., healthcare costs, desire to travel to other international places close to where you will be moving abroad, etc.)?

The primary factor is adventure and fun.  The COL definitely helps, but coming from the SF Bay Area, I could lower my COL significantly even while staying in the US.

PDXTabs

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #21 on: April 16, 2018, 01:41:52 PM »
I want to retire to southern Europe. For immigration reasons (as well as weather), Portugal looks the most attractive.

How soon are you planning to retire?

The earliest I could retire would be 2029.

Are you single or will you be doing it with a family?

My romantic partner would join me abroad, my youngest child will be 21 and can decide to join me or not.

Will you maintain a residence in the US?  How often do you plan to come back to visit?

Only if it makes financial sense. I can come back and visit friends and family without a residence. I imagine that I might return (from 8 times-zones away) maybe once a year?

Was COL the primary factor in choosing to retire abroad?  If not, what was?  What were some of the other motivating factors (i.e., healthcare costs, desire to travel to other international places close to where you will be moving abroad, etc.)?

COL, especially as it refers to healthcare and public transit are huge drivers for me, but not the only drivers. The ability to travel to other places nearby, as well as a basic level of public services (clean water, public transit, internet, etc) are also very important to me.
« Last Edit: April 17, 2018, 08:46:47 AM by PDXTabs »

Letj

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Re: For those Americans retiring outside of the US...where are you going?
« Reply #22 on: April 16, 2018, 05:48:14 PM »
I am planning on living overseas for at least half of the year. I am not sure where yet but Portugal, Mexico  and Costa Rica are top of the list. It’s not so much for cost of living but what I consider a greater level of community and a much more relaxed lifestyle.