Author Topic: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?  (Read 4851 times)

CheapScholar

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Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« on: September 18, 2018, 09:33:26 AM »
https://moneywise.com/a/the-top-countries-retire-on-150000

This article caught my attention.  I’m not sure I buy the claim that 150K would be enough.  My guess is it would take at least 450K to retire in Croatia (100K to buy property and a 350K stash to spin off a comfortable 1K per month).

Has anyone else looked into Croatia or similar countries in southern or easten Europe?  I feel I could obtain Croatian citizenship through descent.  I’m half Croatian and have plenty of documentation.  I’ve visited before.  Great grandparents emigrated.  Although it’s eaiser if you have grandparents, I’ve heard from many in the diaspora that great grandparents are enough most of the time.

The thought that I could just go to my ancestral home and retire in two years is appealing.

« Last Edit: September 18, 2018, 10:09:23 AM by CheapScholar »

iris lily

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #1 on: September 18, 2018, 10:10:33 AM »
We went to Romania last fall. Loved it! Transylvania was so so so beautiful,and interesting with its medieval cities and castles and churches. Pretty topography. And, one of the places I had toyed with retireing in was Bulgaria because many years ago they showed a lot of love for America at a time when Europe wa showing their usual snobbiness. And they have seasons. The huge advantage for me would be proximity to the rest of Europe, just a train ride away.

Anyway.

Romania borders Bulgaria. So I poked around a little into costs of real estate in Romania.  A farmette in Transylvania costs  about $100,000-$150,000. This was a property that sat in a major road, as many of them do. It was an old house but modernized.  It had an acre or two, no more, in a rectangular strip behind the house, land was on a hill. Houses lined the road and land was behnd them.

I was never serious about this plan, but it was in my mind.

Later that year we bought a similar property in Hermann, MIssouri for $79,000. Our taxes and expenses are strwightforwars.i dont think I could stand the graft and payoff that would be necessary to live in Romania.

Still, there are lots of great things about that part of the world.



« Last Edit: September 18, 2018, 10:12:53 AM by iris lily »

Krolik

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2018, 01:04:36 PM »
There was a similiar discussion about retiring in Europe. You may find it interesting

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/us-citizens-planning-on-retiring-in-europe/?topicseen

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #3 on: September 19, 2018, 07:35:13 AM »
The quality of healthcare in the cheap European countries simply won’t be what it is in the US. And Serbo-Croatian doesn’t look easy to learn.

jeff2017

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #4 on: September 19, 2018, 08:19:41 AM »
We went to Romania last fall. Loved it! Transylvania was so so so beautiful,and interesting with its medieval cities and castles and churches. Pretty topography. And, one of the places I had toyed with retireing in was Bulgaria because many years ago they showed a lot of love for America at a time when Europe wa showing their usual snobbiness. And they have seasons. The huge advantage for me would be proximity to the rest of Europe, just a train ride away.

Anyway.

Romania borders Bulgaria. So I poked around a little into costs of real estate in Romania.  A farmette in Transylvania costs  about $100,000-$150,000. This was a property that sat in a major road, as many of them do. It was an old house but modernized.  It had an acre or two, no more, in a rectangular strip behind the house, land was on a hill. Houses lined the road and land was behnd them.

I was never serious about this plan, but it was in my mind.

Later that year we bought a similar property in Hermann, MIssouri for $79,000. Our taxes and expenses are strwightforwars.i dont think I could stand the graft and payoff that would be necessary to live in Romania.

Still, there are lots of great things about that part of the world.

Hermann is a fun little town. Like most visitors, I come to visit the wineries. Have a family friend that runs a B&B there and really enjoys it.

havregryn

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #5 on: September 19, 2018, 08:35:17 AM »
I am Croatian.
Recently this had gone quite viral in our media https://www.melissablixt.com/blog/our-negative-experience-of-croatia
This is a woman who is actually Croatian (something my cynical self immediately picked up on as there is no way in hell she would be able to talk to random strangers were she not) but seems to be trying to sell some kind of a Swedish expat vibe to the natives (no judgment there, I also tell people we're from Sweden as the rest of my family is and I hate the idea of having to single myself out as belonging to a place I have no particular attachment to just because I have their passport, but it is a bit funny to be doing it IN Croatia).

Before that, there was this, possibly more relevant to people with no ties to Croatia whatsoever
http://bbqboy.net/goodbye-croatia-love-you-but-you-really-suck-right-now/

Honestly, I can't imagine retiring in Croatia, so I would add an additional layer of unimaginability for someone who cannot speak the language spoken there. It is just not a nice place to live. It is a great place to visit, possibly for months at a time, but as a place of permanent residence it would only maybe work for someone who would be willing to spend a lot of money to make it work, which might clash with the whole idea of Mustachianism.

Croatia is not actually all that cheap. You can get cheaper property and groceries in France and Germany.

But I would agree that you could buy great healthcare for a fraction of the cost in the US. The public healthcare system sucks, but as a foreign retiree you wouldn't have access to it anyway. There are however many private medical clinics that cater to rich foreigners and they offer a high standard of care at prices that are cheap for the rest of Europe and laughable to the US.

Mrs.Piano

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #6 on: September 19, 2018, 02:22:10 PM »
I taught in Romania and met an American woman who had bought herself a condo and was living FI there.  Personally, I loved a lot about the country but was unsatisfied with the casual racism and anti-Semitism, and the very high rate of deaths in automobile accidents.  The general safety of the public seemed to be low on the priority list as well.  I also found that movable things (meat, prepared foods, gasoline) were no cheaper than in Western Europe.  So retirement there would not have worked out for us.  We chose to live in Canada instead.

havregryn

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #7 on: September 20, 2018, 01:12:28 AM »
Yes, this nicely sums up the problem with these countries. If you are used to living in a developed democracy, living in Croatia/Romania/Bulgaria et co will have you constantly cringe at casual racism, sexism, low level of safety (compared to Western Europe, for many parts of the US I imagine this would not stick out) and low efficacy of public institutions. And it is just not that cheap in the end. Mostly property, but even that is no cheaper than property in areas of the developed world that have comparable levels of modern infrastructure. Again, the only real perk for an American would be the healthcare as paying for everything out of pocket is probably still be cheaper than paying insurance premiums in the US. So I wouldnt exclude it if you don't have the option of Canada and Western Europe but definitely need to be aware that living in these places is not the same as going on a nice trip.

cerat0n1a

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #8 on: September 20, 2018, 02:45:26 AM »
My wife and kids are black. Never experienced any racism in Croatia (as a tourist) even well off the beaten track, people were very friendly & helpful even outside of those being paid to be so. I really can't say the same about visits to the US. Clearly the refugee crisis has affected attitudes in many places in southern, central and eastern Europe's. LOL that some Americans think the healthcare system is a reason to stay in the US.

I'd expect the issues in Croatia to be bureaucracy, corruption and the somewhat cavalier attitude to driving safety etc. Nowhere near as bad as Romania or Bulgaria though. Maybe also the fact that many smart, ambitious young people tend to up sticks to somewhere else in Europe too. If you didn't already have some cultural/family connection with Croatia, then France, Spain or Italy are likely to be much better choices.

CheapScholar

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #9 on: September 20, 2018, 11:00:06 AM »
Thanks for the replies so far.  As a Croatian-American, the comparisons to Bulgaria and Romania are interesting when talking about bureaucracy.  Part of me wants to think that Croatia can’t be “that bad” but then I think about the stories I’ve heard recently from others in the diaspora navigating the processes.  Some went well, while others just gave up in frustration.

As for the racism in Croatia, my impression (as a Croatian-American whose family left during irredenta) is that anti-immigration sentiments are often confused for racism.  I don’t think it’s “racist” per se for a Croatian person to say that Croatia should be reserved for the Croatian people (with the exception of tourism).  Just like it wouldn’t be racist for a Bulgarian or Romanian to say something similar.  I realize this would be considered racist in most parts of France and other Western European counties.  As an American I value the melting pot and diversity of America, but I hate when other countries are expected to welcome anyone and everyone.  But, I’m rather conservative.

Maybe I’ll rethink this as an extended sabbatical (1 year) instead of actual retirement. 


tralfamadorian

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #10 on: September 20, 2018, 06:08:58 PM »
Before that, there was this, possibly more relevant to people with no ties to Croatia whatsoever
http://bbqboy.net/goodbye-croatia-love-you-but-you-really-suck-right-now/

Eh, I didn't get a whole lot of negatives about Croatia from this blog post. tl:dr- Blogger rents apartment; blogger and apartment manager (relative of owner) verbally agree to extend to a second year. A short time thereafter, before signing a new lease and within the legal period required to notify in that country, apartment owner passes away. Former manager, now owner, says, sorry, I have to pay a five figure property transfer tax and need to sell the apartment. Instead of looking for a new place, blogger decides to split Split.

I was expecting something along the lines of bureaucracy, crime, language difficulties, weather, healthcare, food, culture, etc. I'm not saying that I think that Croatia would be an issue on any of these fronts but when an expat lands in a new place, these categories seem to come up pretty frequency as a mismatch with expectations. Instead of I learned that Croatian have to pay a hefty inheritance transfer tax (sorry Croatians), that temporary residence permits are not a big deal, and that many apartments come furnished with owners okay with the renters subletting to airbnb.

Bee21

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #11 on: September 21, 2018, 04:24:44 PM »
Eastern Europe is racist, sexist, homophobic and mysoginist. The racism is probably historical. That part of the world has suffered a lot from intruders of different colour and religion  (the Tatars, the Turks), you might not realise but some of these countries gained their independence from the Ottoman empire as late as the 19th century. And they hate their neighbours (see the post Yugoslav bloodbath. That was shocking).

Eastern Europe is a great place to visit, we go there all the time, I have family in the region. But I am glad I don't have to live there. Healthcare is a major issue. Education is an other. Corruption is a fact of life. Pollution. It is not unsafe, but I wouldnt leave my bag unattended. The people are not that nice either( you notice the general ill will, rudeness, pettiness and jelousy if you speak the local language). They might open the door for the women and buy flowers for her birthday, but will treat her as unpaid domestic labour the rest of the time.

Croatia is beautiful, I have been there 4 times, will be back. It is a great holiday destination. Go and spend some time there, you will enjoy the summer.  As for Romania, the Guardian was running some good articles on the country lately, apparently there are around 3 mil Romanians living abround (population around 20mil). I guess they have a very good reason for leaving the country in drones. Apparently the emmigration from Bulgaria is not much better. And just read up how Hungary was treating the Syrian migrants and the status of their very large Roma population.

Depressing.

havregryn

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #12 on: September 22, 2018, 07:31:58 AM »
Bee's description is spot on.
I imagine this is pretty individual so maybe you would not be bothered by all the chauvinism, low productivity (truth is, a lot of people idealize this rather relaxed approach to work and service until they discover they can only get an important thing handled between 11:15 and 11:45 on Tuesdays and Thursdays and then only if the clerk is in a good mood) and the overall miserable quality of life (that to be honest comparing to Western Europe, if you are presently living somewhere in a poor area of Oklahoma etc it is probably not that much of a difference)  (but I would encourage you to consider that those of us who were native there fled for dear life while the enthousiasts usually base a lot of their excitement on the kind of articles you shared) , but I would also have some concerns about your proposed budget.
1000$ a month (and this is assuming you would manage to avoid paying Croatian tax on this, which, if you would be basing your residence on reclaimed citizenship, sounds like a stretch and probably only attainable via some legal gray zone) is not really a "comfortable" budget for Croatia. This is somewhere around the median income but don't forget you are talking about a poor country. Meaning that the median person leads a rather miserable existence when measuring by Western standards. I imagine median salary in Bangladesh would be much lower but no one would realistically come here and argue that just because there are people living in Bangladesh with 200$ a month it should be comfortable to retire on that. Croatia is obviously a less extreme example but I honestly think that retirement with 1000$ a month in Croatia would not be "comfortable". It would be doable but that's about it. Unless you are aiming for some kind of an off grid existence where you don't really want to travel/consume entertainment/socialize etc.
Also because I am assuming that by healthcare you don't expect to use the public system (even if you could get access as a citizen) but would see private doctors (that's what everyone with any kind of money does). All that is dirt cheap compared to the US, but questionably doable on a 1000$ per month budget.

I think a sabbatical would be a good idea. A year is long enough to actually get an impression of all the reasons why Croatia is Croatia and not Switzerland but short enough to have an easy way out if you feel it's not working.

CheapScholar

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #13 on: September 22, 2018, 08:46:06 AM »
havegryn, would you recommend any towns for a 9-12 month sabbatical where I could get the best value on a rental (and have a good cultural experience)?  I’ve been to Split and Dubrovnik- I found them very touristy.  Prefer the coast but open to other suggestions.  Also, not trying to be political or start a debate but Bee’s description of the motherland honestly doesn’t bother me (except for the trashing the environment stuff). 

iris lily

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #14 on: September 22, 2018, 10:54:33 AM »
We went to Romania last fall. Loved it! Transylvania was so so so beautiful,and interesting with its medieval cities and castles and churches. Pretty topography. And, one of the places I had toyed with retireing in was Bulgaria because many years ago they showed a lot of love for America at a time when Europe wa showing their usual snobbiness. And they have seasons. The huge advantage for me would be proximity to the rest of Europe, just a train ride away.

Anyway.

Romania borders Bulgaria. So I poked around a little into costs of real estate in Romania.  A farmette in Transylvania costs  about $100,000-$150,000. This was a property that sat in a major road, as many of them do. It was an old house but modernized.  It had an acre or two, no more, in a rectangular strip behind the house, land was on a hill. Houses lined the road and land was behnd them.

I was never serious about this plan, but it was in my mind.

Later that year we bought a similar property in Hermann, MIssouri for $79,000. Our taxes and expenses are strwightforwars.i dont think I could stand the graft and payoff that would be necessary to live in Romania.

Still, there are lots of great things about that part of the world.

Hermann is a fun little town. Like most visitors, I come to visit the wineries. Have a family friend that runs a B&B there and really enjoys it.

Yes thanks! It is our weekend house for now, and we may move there eventually. It is a lively place, not only for the touristy stuff, but they have deep historical roots that they treasure and there are many social institutions that support the culture and history.

havregryn

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #15 on: September 22, 2018, 12:39:12 PM »
havegryn, would you recommend any towns for a 9-12 month sabbatical where I could get the best value on a rental (and have a good cultural experience)?  I’ve been to Split and Dubrovnik- I found them very touristy.  Prefer the coast but open to other suggestions.  Also, not trying to be political or start a debate but Bee’s description of the motherland honestly doesn’t bother me (except for the trashing the environment stuff).

If you really wouldn't be bothered by the general third worldliness (everything Bee talks about) you definitely have more options but I'd still stick with "better" areas just in case.
9 or 12 months makes quite a difference because on the coast, it would probably be challenging and expensive to find a 12 month rental. Most people want to rent to tourists over summer and offer long term rentals only off season,.So being interested in a stay from September to May would probably make it easier and cheaper.
But, to explore Croatia over a year.  you would probably be best off making a base in Zagreb. The coastal areas are fairly "dead" off season and I feel it could be quite boring for an "outsider".
If you are expecting any kind of getting to know the locals, participating in some kind of events etc without speaking Croatian the only place I would ever dare recommending is Zagreb.
Also, Croatia is small and if you're coming without the need to work you can easily travel all over it several times.
Rent  in Zagreb is cheaper than on the coast but not substantially. Expect to need 300-500€ (euros, not dollars, I think for dollars it's about 15% more but I live such a eurocentric life that dollars are difficult for me even though I spend a lot of time on this forum) for a 1 bedroom, 500 to 700 for two bedroom and 700+ for more than that.  There could be cheaper properties but they would be in quite poor overall state. This is obviously not a lot comparing to HCOL areas of Europe/US but it is in my opinion rather expensive for the local standard of living. You can get cheaper rent for better places in MCOL and LCOL areas of Germany, France, Sweden etc. Hence my lack of enthousiasm for the notion of Croatia as a cheap retirement destination.

But, as said, if you would plan your stay to be entirely off season you could get good deals on the coast, so if you prefer the coast that is definitely something to consider.

If I had to go live in Croatia again for whatever (terrifying) reason I would consider Zagreb, Rijeka and Pula. Rijeka and Pula are on the coast. Zagreb is not.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #16 on: September 22, 2018, 01:36:38 PM »
We just came back from a trip in Poland, Gdansk. This city gave us a good impression and looked quite Western. I noticed the beer and food typically cost half of what we pay in Norway, which is a very expensive country. But normal goods like deodorant, razors, nice underwear, what we looked at in a shop, had normal prices. Public transport was really cheap and the train appeared modern and safe. Train station however can be improved a lot for eficiency. The city had lots of good bicycle lanes and the trains had much place to bring your bike omboard.

Now Poland is laying against Germany and is not/no longer as Eastern European as countries like Bulgaria and Romania. We did however notice that there were extremely few people with coloured skin, only an occasional tourist. In all other European countries I have visited, there is usually a large part of the population coloured.

Still, at all, I didn't get the impression that the country was cheap in general.

AnnaGrowsAMustache

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #17 on: September 23, 2018, 04:21:04 PM »
One big thing you should be considering is the availability of decent healthcare. It's all very well retiring to a cheap place - until you get bowel disease or need a hip replacement.

Cassie

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #18 on: September 23, 2018, 05:18:24 PM »
My DIL is from Poland and cities with 100k population are cheap with Kraków being more expensive. They still heat with coal in the winter so air is nasty in the winter. People who you don’t know are not very friendly.

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #19 on: September 23, 2018, 07:33:06 PM »
I’m having a hard time seeing what’s better for 1st-world MMMers about Eastern Europe than, say, Missouri. (I haven’t enjoyed my brief visits to Missouri.)

No disrespect to the people, I have Croatian ancestry myself, it just doesn’t sound like a great place to live cheap.

havregryn

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #20 on: September 24, 2018, 12:48:34 AM »
One big thing you should be considering is the availability of decent healthcare. It's all very well retiring to a cheap place - until you get bowel disease or need a hip replacement.

This I think is actually  a misconception, if there is anything retirement in Eastern Europe can give an American Mustachian, it is first world healthcare for a low price. When I say low, not low as in gonna work on a 1000$ per month budget but low compared to what you would be expected to pay in many places in the US even after insurance.
Croatia has two entirely parallel medical systems (pretty sure it's the same in all post-communist places), the free public system for the poor and the private system for the "rich".  The private system is completely Western European level and while prices are not something those of us insured in the Western European systems would have a reason to pay, I would argue that they would come across as budget prices for US citizens. I am basing that observation on the figures people throw here.
I believe this is hip replacement http://www.kvarnerhealth.com/services/medical-programme-of-complete-hip-endoprosthesis-implant
As you can see they have a Russian version of their website as they are catering to rich Russians. But these people can just as well go to Switzerland, so don't think these people can't compete in terms of service.
This is where the clinic is https://www.google.com/search?q=Opatija&client=firefox-b&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiwn9_EhNPdAhVKQcAKHQkxAxsQ_AUICigB&biw=1590&bih=785&dpr=1.2

An all inclusive price for this is cited to be around 7-8000$, with 10% off for cash. So, yeah, this extreme budget mentioned above is not gonna work, but I am guessing that for an American Mustachian with some ties to Croatia and medical issues to deal with without insurance, Croatia is a great option.
Hell, you can see from my comments that my opinion of Croatia borders on contempt and I'd go there for the private healthcare if it ever made sense for me to do so.
Like if we lived anywhere that is not Western Europe where equally decent healthcare systems are available to us for free.

AnnaGrowsAMustache

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #21 on: September 24, 2018, 03:49:49 AM »
One big thing you should be considering is the availability of decent healthcare. It's all very well retiring to a cheap place - until you get bowel disease or need a hip replacement.

This I think is actually  a misconception, if there is anything retirement in Eastern Europe can give an American Mustachian, it is first world healthcare for a low price. When I say low, not low as in gonna work on a 1000$ per month budget but low compared to what you would be expected to pay in many places in the US even after insurance.
Croatia has two entirely parallel medical systems (pretty sure it's the same in all post-communist places), the free public system for the poor and the private system for the "rich".  The private system is completely Western European level and while prices are not something those of us insured in the Western European systems would have a reason to pay, I would argue that they would come across as budget prices for US citizens. I am basing that observation on the figures people throw here.
I believe this is hip replacement http://www.kvarnerhealth.com/services/medical-programme-of-complete-hip-endoprosthesis-implant
As you can see they have a Russian version of their website as they are catering to rich Russians. But these people can just as well go to Switzerland, so don't think these people can't compete in terms of service.
This is where the clinic is https://www.google.com/search?q=Opatija&client=firefox-b&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiwn9_EhNPdAhVKQcAKHQkxAxsQ_AUICigB&biw=1590&bih=785&dpr=1.2

An all inclusive price for this is cited to be around 7-8000$, with 10% off for cash. So, yeah, this extreme budget mentioned above is not gonna work, but I am guessing that for an American Mustachian with some ties to Croatia and medical issues to deal with without insurance, Croatia is a great option.
Hell, you can see from my comments that my opinion of Croatia borders on contempt and I'd go there for the private healthcare if it ever made sense for me to do so.
Like if we lived anywhere that is not Western Europe where equally decent healthcare systems are available to us for free.

It's not about price in 'poor' places; it's about availability. How long do you have to wait for said hip replacement? Surgeons can make a better living in other places, so they tend to be few and far between in poorer countries. You can have all the private health care you like but if you have to wait years for the biopsy or surgery, you might want to consider living elsewhere. In a lot of places, there just aren't the resources to treat in a timely fashion.

havregryn

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #22 on: September 24, 2018, 04:26:57 AM »
But that's the whole point. There is no waiting in the private clinics. That's their whole purpose and business model. These doctors there are wealthy, they have no reason to go anywhere (did you look at the pics, I'd also wanna live there if I was a millionare doctor). I think you are forgetting that in poor countries the rich people generally live way more lavishly than rich people in the West. That is especially true of post communist nouveau riches. But the whole point as that because the COL in the country as a whole remains relatively low they can afford to charge these prices (the nurses and secretaries in this clinic are earning 1000 bucks a month tops). 8000 dollars for a hip replacement is unattainable to 98% of Croatian population in the age bracket that would need this. But that is still cheap for US customers I imagine.

havregryn

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #23 on: September 24, 2018, 04:33:10 AM »
Also, there are major difference between ex socialist countries vs other general third world misery as socialism did in fact make education rather available to most people. The standard of it is generally quite high. As everywhere, most people going into a profession such as a surgeon are coming from wealthy backgrounds. Doctors in Croatia are not as wealthy as doctors in the US but their lives are generally far from some third worldly misery that would make them likely to wanna start over in a place where they would struggle with languages and qualification recognition. A doctor working in this clinic probably owns a seaside villa in the place I linked and earns about 10 times the country median. They're doing just fine.

CheapScholar

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #24 on: September 24, 2018, 04:07:26 PM »
I just wanna hang by the beach, drink wine, watch the national soccer team play, and live in an apartment carved into an ancient stone fortress.

Why do you have to ruin the dreams of the diaspora with this hip replacement talk?

havregryn

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #25 on: September 25, 2018, 07:44:24 AM »
Just increase your budget and you can do it, don't worry.
On a 1000$ per month budget you'd end up noticing too much of the bad stuff people mentioned. On a 2000$+ you can totally have your dream, no doubts about it.

Krolik

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Re: Has anyone researched retiring in Croatia (or similar countries)?
« Reply #26 on: September 25, 2018, 11:51:45 AM »
Havregryn is spot on about health system in post communist countries. The quality of 'private' medical care is on the same level as in Western Europe / US. There is no wait time, doctors speak English (their patients are very often from out of country) but you pay full price for all the services. For American standards it is considered 'cheap', for local standards very expensive.