In fact, the living is pretty good…and very affordable…more places than you might guess.
Last week, our correspondents introduced you to three of them, three countries I’d put at the top of any World’s Top Retirement and Lifestyle Havens List:
In Uruguay (“Retire In Style To The Switzerland Of South America”): “I’d been bouncing around Latin America for about a decade by the time I discovered Uruguay,” wrote David James. “After years living, traveling, and doing business in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and elsewhere in the region, what struck me about Uruguay was how orderly a place it is. Things work here. Traffic is controlled. Roads are paved. The streets are clean. I’d heard Uruguay referred to as the ‘Switzerland of South America’ but dismissed the idea as so much rhetoric. When I finally saw the place for myself, I realized there’s really something to the association...”
In Argentina (“An Adventure With Upside In Argentine Wine Country”): “For us,” explained Tom Phelan, “Argentina offers a way of life that’s increasingly difficult to find in 21st-century America…and, indeed, in most of the world’s developed nations. Argentines value family life and enjoy socializing with friends late into the evening. Sunday afternoons are reserved for the asado (barbecue). Dinner in Argentina is a slow affair, often starting as late as 10 p.m. and stretching over three hours…washed down by plenty of wine, of course. Nobody watches the clock. Time is tertiary to good food and company.
“We feel safe here in San Rafael. The city of 170,000 people (including a growing number of expat families) is a place where you can comfortably walk the streets, day or night, and where crime is practically non-existent…”
In Ecuador (“Escape to Vilcabamba”): “For me,” admitted Joe Simonetta, “the best part of Ecuador is the climate. In the mountains in this country, the weather is mild year-round, allowing for inside/outside living. No one uses heat or air conditioning. Nature has set the temperature just right. It’s warm (shirt-sleeve weather) and sunny during the day and chilly enough so that you want to sleep with a blanket at night. That’s the weather report every day…all year…”
You could live well…safe and comfortable…happy and healthy…in Uruguay for as little as $1,038 per month…in Argentina on as little as $1,290 a month…and in Ecuador, perhaps the world’s most affordable retirement haven right now, for as little as $660 per month.
I say again: You could live or retire well today, dear reader, even if your means are modest. Don’t believe anyone who suggests otherwise.
Kathleen Peddicord
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