Live and Invest Overseas
The Best Places To Retire In 2025

FREE REPORT: THE BEST PLACES TO RETIRE IN 2025






    We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.
    • Home
    • Countries

      Top Destinations:

      Whether you’re looking for fun and sun, a peaceful retirement, or the chance to earn some extra income, you’ve got a real world of opportunity open to you… In short, we’ve done our best to narrow down your best options, but only you can decide the right country for you.

      • Spain
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • Colombia
      • Cyprus
      • Mexico
      • France
      • Montenegro
      • Browse All Countries

      Best For:

      • The Best Places To Retire
      • Health Care Abroad
      • Cost Of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Establishing Residency
      • Gun Laws In The World
      • English-Speaking Countries
      • Safest Places For Retirement
      • Best Places In Latin America
    • Budgets

      How Much Will It Cost You To Live Overseas?

      The only honest answer is, we have no idea. And neither does anyone else. The only one who can answer that question is you. Here’s the most important thing to understand about budgeting your new life overseas…

      Super Cheap

      • Chitré, Panama
      • Santa Marta, Colombia
      • Phuket, Thailand
      • Dumaguete, The Philippines

      Cheap

      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Kyrenia, Cyprus
      • Hua Hin, Thailand
      • The Algarve, Portugal

      Affordable

      • Valencia, Spain
      • Cascais, Portugal
      • Las Terrenas, The DR
      • Pisa, Italy
      • La Rochelle, France
      • Mazatlán, Mexico

      Luxury

      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Kotor, Montenegro
      • The Panama City Beaches
      • Paris, France
    • Resources

      Global Living

      • Living & Retiring Overseas
      • Raising A Family Abroad
      • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
      • Offshore & Diversification

      Making Money

      • International Real Estate
      • Banking
      • Employment
      • Investing

      Follow Us:

      • Meet Our Experts
    • Real Estate

      Join our Weekly Newsletter
      Overseas Property Alert

      Sign up for our weekly newsletter to receive expert insights on the best international real estate investment opportunities.






        We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

        Buying Real Estate For Cashflow

        • Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

        Explore Our Latest Posts

        • Learn how to invest and purchase property abroad…

        Go To The Overseas Property Alert Site

        • How To Become Independently Wealthy And Fund The Lifestyle Of Your Dreams
      • Conferences

        Upcoming Events

        • Explore Our Events Site

        International Property Summit

        Caribbean Virtual Conference

        Live and Invest In Spain Conference

        PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

        June 18-20, 2025

        VIRTUAL

        July 17-19, 2025

        Valencia, Spain

        Sep. 17-19, 2025

        LEARN MORE
        LEARN MORE
        PRE-REGISTER
        LEARN MORE
        PRE-REGISTER
        • MORE EVENTS

        Contact Our Events Team

        Toll-Free U.S. and Canada:
        1 (888) 627 8834
        From Outside North America:
        1 (443) 599 1221
        Working Hours
        Monday – Friday 08:00 am – 17:00 pm EST.

        Reach us with your questions by email at: events@liveandinvestoverseas.com

      • Store

        Unlock The World

        • Access Your Library

        Overseas Havens Reports

        • Expats' comprehensive destination guides

        Conference Kits

        • Hours of coverage  from our latests conferences

        Lahardan Books

        • Titles on living and investing around the world
        • Explore Our Store
        Your passport to a life well-lived abroad

        Services

        overseas living letter offers affordable retirement guidance
        The Simon Letter Wealth Protection Insights
        Global Property Advisor Global Investment Opportunities

        Our Customer Service team is here to assist with any questions or concerns CustomerService@LiveandInvestOverseas.com

      • My Library
      Live and Invest Overseas
      • Home
      • Countries

        Top Destinations:

        Whether you’re looking for fun and sun, a peaceful retirement, or the chance to earn some extra income, you’ve got a real world of opportunity open to you… In short, we’ve done our best to narrow down your best options, but only you can decide the right country for you.

        • Spain
        • Portugal
        • Panama
        • Belize
        • Colombia
        • Cyprus
        • Mexico
        • France
        • Montenegro
        • Browse All Countries

        Best For:

        • The Best Places To Retire
        • Health Care Abroad
        • Cost Of Living
        • Investing in Real Estate
        • Establishing Residency
        • Gun Laws In The World
        • English-Speaking Countries
        • Safest Places For Retirement
        • Best Places In Latin America
      • Budgets

        How Much Will It Cost You To Live Overseas?

        The only honest answer is, we have no idea. And neither does anyone else. The only one who can answer that question is you. Here’s the most important thing to understand about budgeting your new life overseas…

        Super Cheap

        • Chitré, Panama
        • Santa Marta, Colombia
        • Phuket, Thailand
        • Dumaguete, The Philippines

        Cheap

        • Medellin, Colombia
        • Boquete, Panama
        • Kyrenia, Cyprus
        • Hua Hin, Thailand
        • The Algarve, Portugal

        Affordable

        • Valencia, Spain
        • Cascais, Portugal
        • Las Terrenas, The DR
        • Pisa, Italy
        • La Rochelle, France
        • Mazatlán, Mexico

        Luxury

        • Ambergris Caye, Belize
        • Kotor, Montenegro
        • The Panama City Beaches
        • Paris, France
      • Resources

        Global Living

        • Living & Retiring Overseas
        • Raising A Family Abroad
        • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
        • Offshore & Diversification

        Making Money

        • International Real Estate
        • Banking
        • Employment
        • Investing

        Follow Us:

        • Meet Our Experts
      • Real Estate

        Join our Weekly Newsletter
        Overseas Property Alert

        Sign up for our weekly newsletter to receive expert insights on the best international real estate investment opportunities.






          We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

          Buying Real Estate For Cashflow

          • Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

          Explore Our Latest Posts

          • Learn how to invest and purchase property abroad…

          Go To The Overseas Property Alert Site

          • How To Become Independently Wealthy And Fund The Lifestyle Of Your Dreams
        • Conferences

          Upcoming Events

          • Explore Our Events Site

          International Property Summit

          Caribbean Virtual Conference

          Live and Invest In Spain Conference

          PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

          June 18-20, 2025

          VIRTUAL

          July 17-19, 2025

          Valencia, Spain

          Sep. 17-19, 2025

          LEARN MORE
          LEARN MORE
          PRE-REGISTER
          LEARN MORE
          PRE-REGISTER
          • MORE EVENTS

          Contact Our Events Team

          Toll-Free U.S. and Canada:
          1 (888) 627 8834
          From Outside North America:
          1 (443) 599 1221
          Working Hours
          Monday – Friday 08:00 am – 17:00 pm EST.

          Reach us with your questions by email at: events@liveandinvestoverseas.com

        • Store

          Unlock The World

          • Access Your Library

          Overseas Havens Reports

          • Expats' comprehensive destination guides

          Conference Kits

          • Hours of coverage  from our latests conferences

          Lahardan Books

          • Titles on living and investing around the world
          • Explore Our Store
          Your passport to a life well-lived abroad

          Services

          overseas living letter offers affordable retirement guidance
          The Simon Letter Wealth Protection Insights
          Global Property Advisor Global Investment Opportunities

          Our Customer Service team is here to assist with any questions or concerns CustomerService@LiveandInvestOverseas.com

        • My Library
        Live and Invest Overseas
         Moving Out Of The U.S?

        THE 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE IN 2025

        the 10 best places to retire in 2025

        PLUS: A SPECIAL BONUS DESTINATION

        Simply sign up to receive the FREE daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we’ll immediately email you our editors’ latest research report… absolutely FREE






          We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

          Home Countries Colombia

          Reasons Why I Retired To Medellín In My Late 80s

          An 80-Something’s Take On Life In Colombia

          by Kenneth Dolbeare
          Feb 10, 2022
          in Colombia, Lifestyle
          0 0
          Metro system in Medellin, Colombia with buildings in the background

          Adobe Stock/Luis Echeverri Urrea

          To help me settle into this unfamiliar spot on the globe, I have invested in maps and tours. I’m trying to learn the local lore, histories, and, most of all, geography.

          So much is different from North America. For you, Medellín might begin and end with Pablo Escobar, but that’s myopic. Give Medellín and yourself a break. Apply a wider lens that introduces context and culture.

          My first insights into the heart and soul of Colombia was David Bushnell’s “The Making of Modern Colombia: A Nation in Spite of Itself.” This may be the only history of Colombia available in English, and, as it was published in 1993, it is definitely aging.

          Medellin City with the metro
          Medellín is full of both tranquility and bustle…

          Still, much of it reads as though it were written yesterday, and it is certainly describing the same country, with the same strengths and struggles, as today’s newspapers.

          Colombia faces unique challenges as a result of its distinct areas, climates, and physical barriers that must be crossed to travel among them.

          When you look closely at the geography of the place, it can seem a wonder that it has held together at all.

          Medellín hosts one of the practical explanations for how Colombia is held together as one country—the nationally owned Satena Airlines. Based at the local (downtown) Olaya Herrera Airport, Satena has as part of its mission the task of calling at widely separated cities throughout Colombia in an effort to improve internal communications and transport. Profit is not the first priority. It is a quality system, nevertheless, with modern planes and excellent facilities.

          First impressions do linger. Although it’s almost two years later now, I can still feel the shock of my first impressions of Medellín.

          One was the volume and recklessness of traffic here. I knew from prior exposure to Latin American cities that this would be likely, but in Medellín it can be particularly striking for how it contrasts with the natural beauty of the setting.

          Medellín is a very green city that is also increasingly hustling and bustling. I haven’t seen this many construction cranes at work since Berlin after the wall came down.

          Yes, this contrast raises the prospect of air quality problems, and there are some signs in valley low spots. But, unlike many cities, Medellín has a firm and enforced program in place that effectively alternates car usage at key times of the week, and people abide by it, even at considerable inconvenience.

          I think this behavior supports my main point: Colombians have to be among the world’s kindest and most generous people.

          Start Your New Life Today, Overseas

          A world full of fun, adventure, and profit awaits! Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we'll send you a FREE report on the 10 Best Places To Retire In Style Overseas Today






            We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

            Let Me Give An Example From My Own Experience In Medellín…

            A park in Medellin with a lot of people
            This city has some of the world’s
            kindest and most generous people…

            I am in my late 80s, I walk with a cane, and my appearance screams “old gringo.” One day I was standing at a busy intersection while a torrent of motorcycles flashed by, followed by a steady stream of cars and trucks.

            I was seriously reviewing my options when a young woman stopped her car, jumped out, stopped the rest of the traffic, and proceeded to lead me across the street.

            Horns honked in her honor and in greeting to me. I waved my cane in appreciation, and normal chaos resumed in the street.

            This was not an isolated example. Old age or a cane will get you special places or service anywhere here, and I can tell you from my own experience that the combination is dynamite.

            But even old geezers have to try to help ourselves, particularly us foreigners. We are, after all, guests in some other folks’ country.

            Speaking Spanish Gives You A Leg Up In Medellín

            The best way I know is to make a real effort to learn Spanish and to use it whenever possible. It doesn’t have to be an expensive or academic exercise, unless that’s your style. You can pick up key words by asking or listening well, which is also a sign of respect. You will soon enough begin to recognize quirks of Colombian culture and practice that will make your life more comfortable.

            El Poblado, Medellin is a neighborhood with many apartment buildings
            No place is perfect… but Medellín sure
            seems like it’s trying harder than
            the rest of the world…

            For example, don’t expect regular timeliness or complete dependability. They are just not part of everyday life, no matter how good your friendship may be with an individual. Remember the Colombian mantra: Tranquilo…

            Most Colombians have a few words of English, and many have lived for some time in the United States, but that does not necessarily mean they have learned English or that English will work in an emergency. How you communicate will have to be worked out individually.

            One moment that is truly dangerous is when you and your new Colombian friend have discovered that you share a few words of English and a few words of Spanish, and you try to make arrangements with your newly shared skills. Unrecognized misunderstandings can lead to serious embarrassments or missed connections. Try a six-day trip with no clothes or overnight equipment. A costly language lesson.

            This is only to say that the single, absolutely indispensable ingredient of international travel and certainly of a move to a new country is a highly developed and flexible sense of humor…

            So armed, you will win every time.

            Kenneth Dolbeare
            Full-time Colombia Expat

            This article was first published in 2018 and has been recently updated.

            Tags: Colombiaexpats in colombialife in colombiaRetire in Colombiaretirees in colombiaseniors in colombia
            Share107Tweet66
            Kenneth Dolbeare

            Kenneth Dolbeare

            A depression child (born 1930) and too young for WWII, Ken made up for his absence by living the war’s geography and literature. Ken went to college determined to live and write even better than WWII-era authors, then used his degree to qualify for real higher education: four years of international travel as a U.S. Navy officer out of Newport, RI. Ken logged 5 continents and 22 countries on that cruise, learned that the United States, though the boss, was far from the whole world. He then went to graduate school and came out a teacher. His country count is now up to about a dozen, he’s had a lot of fun, and learned a lot—mostly that people have to educate themselves.

            Start Your New Life Overseas Today!
            Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we'll send you a FREE report on The 10 Best Places To Retire In 2025.

            We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.
            Our Expertise Unlocks The World

            quick links

            • Best Places To Live
            • Best Places To Retire
            • Finding A Job Overseas
            • Real Estate

            LIOS Resources

            • New To LIOS
            • Ask An Expert
            • Media Center
            • Contact Us
            • FAQs
            the 10 best places to retire in 2025
            Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and get your FREE REPORT: The 10 Best Places To Retire Overseas In 2025






              We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

              As seen in

              US Media Logos

              © 2008 – Live and Invest Overseas™ – All Rights Reserved.

              About Us / Contact Us / Privacy Policy / Terms / Unsubscribe
              Facebook-f X-twitter Youtube Linkedin-in Instagram

              Welcome Back!

              Login to your account below

              Forgotten Password?

              Retrieve your password

              Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

              Log In

              Sign up to receive the FREE daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter and we’ll immediately email you our editors’ latest research report…

              BEST PLACES TO RETIRE 

              FREE REPORT:






                We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

                Sign up for FREE and learn how to live the good life on a modest budget, find bargain property, and more. Plus, check out our free report on the 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE.

                RETIRE OVERSEAS AND LIVE LIKE ROYALTY






                  We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.
                  HOME

                  Top Countries

                  • Spain
                  • Portugal
                  • Panama
                  • Belize
                  • Colombia
                  • Cyprus
                  • Mexico
                  • France
                  • Montenegro

                  Best For:

                  • Health Care Abroad
                  • Retirement Living
                  • Cost Of Living
                  • Investing in Real Estate
                  • Establishing Residency
                  • Gun Ownership
                  • English Speakers
                  • Safety
                  BROWSE ALL COUNTRIES

                  Budgets

                  How Much Will It Cost
                  To Live Overseas?

                  Super Cheap

                  • Chitré, Panama
                  • Santa Marta, Colombia
                  • Phuket, Thailand
                  • Dumaguete, The Philippines

                  Cheap

                  • Medellin, Colombia
                  • Boquete, Panama
                  • Kyrenia, Cyprus
                  • Hua Hin, Thailand
                  • The Algarve, Portugal

                  Affordable

                  • Valencia, Spain
                  • Cascais, Portugal
                  • Las Terrenas, The DR
                  • Pisa, Italy
                  • La Rochelle, France
                  • Mazatlán, Mexico

                  Luxury

                  • Ambergris Caye, Belize
                  • Kotor, Montenegro
                  • The Panama City Beaches
                  • Paris, France

                  Resources

                  Global Living

                  • Living & Retiring Overseas
                  • Raising A Family Abroad
                  • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
                  • Offshore & Diversification

                  Making Money

                  • International Real Estate
                  • Banking
                  • Employment
                  • Investing
                  Meet Our Experts

                  Real Estate

                  Overseas Property Alert 

                   

                  How To Become Independently Wealthy And Fund The Lifestyle Of Your Dreams

                  VISIT SITE

                  Buying Real Estate For Cashflow

                   

                  Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

                  READ MORE

                  Explore Our Latest Posts

                   

                  Learn how to invest and purchase property abroad…

                  EXPLORE

                  Conferences

                  INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY SUMMIT

                  PANAMA CITY, PANAMA June 18-20, 2025
                  LEARN MORE

                  CARIBBEAN VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

                  VIRTUAL July 17-19, 2025
                  LEARN MORE
                  PRE-REGISTER

                  Live and Invest In Spain Conference

                  Valencia, Spain Sep. 17-19, 2025
                  LEARN MORE
                  PRE-REGISTER
                  MORE EVENTS

                  Contact Our Events Team:

                  Toll-Free U.S. and Canada:
                  1 (888) 627 8834

                  From Outside North America:
                  1 (443) 599 1221

                  Working Hours
                  Monday – Friday 08:00 am – 17:00 pm EST.

                  Reach us with your questions by email at: events@liveandinvestoverseas.com

                  Store

                  Overseas Havens Reports

                  • Expats' comprehensive destination guides

                  Conference Kits

                  • Hours of coverage  from our latests conferences

                  Lahardan Books

                  • Titles on living and investing around the world

                  Services

                  • Overseas Living Letter: Affordable Retirement Guidance
                  • The Simon Letter: Wealth Protection Insights
                  • Global Property Advisor: Global Investment Opportunitites
                  VISIT OUR STORE

                  Free Report

                  THE 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE IN 2025

                  FREE REPORT: The 10 Best Places To retire in 2025

                  Sign up to receive the FREE daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter and we’ll immediately email you our editors’ latest research report…






                    We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

                    LIBRARY

                    Follow Us:

                    © 2008 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.