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    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

    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

    Live and Invest In Spain Conference

    Offshore Wealth Summit

    Greece Workshop

    VALENCIA, SPAIN

    Sep. 17-19, 2025

    PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

    Oct. 15-17, 2025

    VIRTUAL

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  • 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

    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

    Live and Invest In Spain Conference

    Offshore Wealth Summit

    Greece Workshop

    VALENCIA, SPAIN

    Sep. 17-19, 2025

    PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

    Oct. 15-17, 2025

    VIRTUAL

    Nov. 13, 2025

    Learn More About This Event
    Learn More About This Event
    PRE-REGISTER
    Learn More About This Event
    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
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THE 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE IN 2025

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Home Lifestyle

Peaceful Overseas Escapes

Tranquility, Stability, And Elbow Room

by Kathleen Peddicord
Mar 20, 2024
in Lifestyle
0 0
Camara de Lobos in Madeira island, Portugal

AdobeStock/AlenKadr

With election madness ramping up, even a cursory glance at the headlines serves as a reminder of how volatile and divisive U.S. politics have become.

Add to that a string of global crises and conflicts, and the desire to somehow escape from the chaos becomes easily understandable.

I’ve long been on a mission to identify the best places for North Americans to move to outside their home borders.

Of course, each location I recommend will, like anywhere, have its upsides and downsides, and depending on individual preferences and priorities—for example health care, cost of living, language spoken—will make more sense for some than others.

Take my husband and me, for example. We divide our time between France and Panama.

In France, Paris is home. We have family there, adore the food, culture, and walkability… the architecture, parks, and chateaux… and look forward to every chance we get to spend time in the City of Light.

In Panama, our head office is in bustling Panama City but our home and escape from the world lies a few hours west, on the coast of the country’s Azuero Peninsula. A former cattle ranch, today this 425-acre site, named Los Islotes, is where we’re building a unique community of likeminded souls who value privacy, security, freedom, independence, and elbow room.

Los Islotes is one of the safest havens imaginable in today’s world. It offers ocean views, tranquility, and stability, as well as every creature comfort. For those looking for their own slice of paradise such as we’ve found on Panama’s Sunset Coast, here are a few solid options…

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Belize

I first drew my readers’ attention to the many charms of Belize in 1987. Back then, it was pretty rough around the edges and primarily attracted scuba divers, sport anglers, and free spirits.

A year later, in 1988, “60 Minutes” correspondent Morley Safer traveled the Belize River in a small wooden boat and declared, “The good news from Belize is… no news from Belize.”

The sentiment stuck and still holds true all these years later. Nothing much happens in this sleepy Caribbean nation—and that’s just the way the folks here like it.

Today, at Live And Invest Overseas, Belize is our number-one retirement haven in the Caribbean, attracting people from all walks of life.

It offers white-sand beaches, azure waters, swaying palms, a low cost of living, investment opportunities, and a welcoming English-speaking community.

It’s a tiny country—about the size of Massachusetts—with a small population of just over 400,000.

On a global scale, it attracts little attention… which, in today’s world, is a big plus.

It remains the perfect place to escape the world’s troubles, and for Americans, that peace of mind can be accessed in as little as two hours flying time from Miami.

It’s easy for new arrivals to settle in here—the country’s Qualified Retirement Program (QRP) visa is available to people as young as 45 and offers a host of tax advantages.

This country is a peaceful, eco-tourist retreat, home to more than 540 species of birds, 4,000 species of flowering plants, and 700 species of trees. Nearly 40% of Belize is protected as parkland and nature preserves.

The weather is warm year-round. Daytime temperatures linger between 80 F and 90 F. Nighttime temperatures in summer are in the high 70s F, dropping into the low 70s F in the winter.

With its English language, common law tradition, private property rights, and abundant natural attractions, it’s easy to see why people from North America feel so at home in Belize.

Related read: The Best Places To Retire In The World

Madeira

The Madeira archipelago lies some 600 miles southwest of mainland Europe in the North Atlantic Ocean. Culturally and politically, Madeira is very much part of Portugal, but it feels a world away. Indeed, its lush vegetation and dramatic landscape puts you in mind of Hawaii more so than Europe.

The largest and most populated island in the archipelago is Madeira, known as “the island of eternal spring” because of its pleasant year-round weather.

This innovative and forward-thinking island offers a variety of residency options, including a digital nomad visa. Thanks to its healthy tourism trade you won’t have much trouble getting by in English and it’s one of the safest places in the world to live. The health care and education systems are impressive, too.

As it’s officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira, it has its own government and administrative powers which means bureaucratic matters can be handled more efficiently than on the mainland.

Plus, it’s investor-friendly. The island is home to the Madeira International Business Centre (MIBC), a free-trade zone with investor incentives that include a reduced corporate income tax rate of 5%, certain exemptions on withholding tax and capital gains for MIBC entities, and more.

The high quality of life on offer and world away feel make Madeira a perfect escape for those seeking a drama-free haven in Europe.

Uruguay

Uruguay is the most democratic country in Latin America… and the wealthiest. Home to a population of just 3.5 million, it’s pro-business and full of rich, fertile farmland. A true safe haven.

Sandwiched between two South American goliaths (Argentina and Brazil), it doesn’t make world headlines much.

It reminds me in many ways of the American Midwest. A farming powerhouse. Vast open spaces. Strong communities. Safe and stable. The one likeness the two don’t share is climate. In Uruguay, summer temperatures hover in the 70s F and in winter they rarely drop below 52ºF.

And the benefits don’t stop there. The path to residency is straightforward. The financial system is solid. The infrastructure, impressive.

Add to that, Uruguay has jurisdictional taxation—a huge benefit for expats as it means you’re not taxed on any income from outside the country. There’s no capital gains tax, no inheritance tax, and property taxes are low—budget around $1,500 per year in property taxes on a two-bed apartment in the capital, Montevideo.

Until next time,

Kathleen Peddicord signature

Kathleen Peddicord

Founding Publisher, Overseas Opportunity Letter

Tags: 'Expats Overseas'Places to Retire Abroad
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Kathleen Peddicord

Kathleen Peddicord

Kathleen Peddicord has reported on opportunities for Americans to live, retire, and do business overseas for 40 years. She has traveled to more than 75 countries, invested in real estate in 24, established businesses in 7, renovated and built properties in 6, and educated her children in 5.

Kathleen has moved children, staff, enterprises, household goods, and pets from the east coast of the United States to Waterford, Ireland, then to Paris, France, and finally to Panama City, Panama, where she has based her Live And Invest Overseas business. Peddicord and her husband, Lief Simon, now divide their time between Panama and Paris.

Peddicord was a partner with Agora Publishing’s International Living group for 23 years. She opened, staffed, and operated International Living publishing and real estate marketing offices in Waterford, Ireland; Panama City, Panama; Granada, Nicaragua; Roatan, Honduras; San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Quito, Ecuador; and Paris, France. Peddicord launched Live And Invest Overseas group in 2008 and has built it into a successful multimillion-dollar business. Today, she shares her firsthand experience of expat life with more than 500,000 readers of her publications, including Overseas Opportunity Letter and Overseas Living Letter.

Kathleen has been featured often in The New York Times, MSNBC, AARP, CNN, Bloomberg, CNBC, and more and writes monthly about expat matters, international real estate, and offshore diversification for Forbes and U.S. News.

Kathleen has written several books including the memoirs “At Home In Ireland” and “At Home At Los Islotes” and her latest title “At Home Abroad,” all published by Lahardan Books. Her best-selling "How To Retire Overseas: Everything You Need To Know To Live Well (For Less) Abroad” was published by Penguin Random House in 2018 and her “Buying Real Estate Overseas For Cash Flow (And A Better Life)” was published by Wiley in August 2020.

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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 

 

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Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

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Explore Our Latest Posts

 

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Learn More About This Event

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VIRTUAL Nov. 13, 2025
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Contact Our Events Team:

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From Outside North America:
1 (443) 599 1221

Working Hours
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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
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THE 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE IN 2025

FREE REPORT: The 10 Best Places To retire in 2025

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