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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
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    • Health Care Abroad
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    • English-Speaking Countries
    • Safest Places For Retirement
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  • 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
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    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing

    Follow Us:

    • Meet Our Experts
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    Buying Real Estate For Cashflow

    • Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

    Explore Our Latest Posts

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    • How To Become Independently Wealthy And Fund The Lifestyle Of Your Dreams
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  • 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 Retirement/Living

4 Countries That Don’t Make Sense For A Retirement Abroad

by Kathleen Peddicord
Feb 05, 2025
in Retirement/Living
0 0
Cable car, Wellington, New Zealand, retirement abroad

AdobeStock/Martin

As a growing number of Americans consider an overseas move, more and more “best of” lists covering destinations abroad pop up online—but they can be misleading…

Typically, they feature countries where it’s very difficult for the average American to get residency.

In some cases, the residency requirements are so onerous that it’s practically impossible for retirees to set up life there.

Residency is often glossed over entirely, although it may be the determining factor in your ability to live in another country. Residency pertains to your legal right to live there long-term, so unless you’re satisfied with the 30- to 90-day stay that a tourist visa usually allows, obtaining residency should be a priority.

Here’s an overview of countries that feature in many “best of” lists right now that don’t make sense for retirees because of their residency policies.

Canada

Canada came in sixth in Business Insider’s “The 10 best foreign countries for a comfortable retirement” and eighth on Global Citizen Solutions’ “Best Countries for Americans to Retire in 2024.”

It’s understandable that Canada would feature so prominently on these lists. It’s close to the U.S. and it’s familiar, with a mostly English-speaking population and a lot of cultural crossover. However, assuming that you’re not moving to Canada for work, you’re not seeking refugee status, and you don’t have family ties to Canada, it can be difficult to obtain residency.

Canada does not have a retiree-specific visa, nor does it have an “independent means” type visa, whereby residency is obtained by proving financial solvency (in other words, showing that you have enough income to support yourself and won’t become a drain on public resources).

The majority of the visa options that Canada offers are available to skilled workers in specific fields. For example, British Columbia offers skills-based immigration to people with backgrounds in health care, construction, and technology.

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These visas are designed to fill specific job vacancies, so they assume that applicants will continue to work after relocating to Canada. There is no residency option for straight-up retirement in Canada.

New Zealand

New Zealand holds a reputation for incredible landscapes, great healthcare, and friendly people. It’s a highly sought-after destination and featured far and wide on current “best of” lists, including Business Insider’s list of best countries for a comfortable retirement, Global Citizen Solutions’ list of the best places to retire in 2024, and Natixis 2024 Global Retirement Index.

But you need to have considerable wealth to establish residency in New Zealand (again, assuming that you don’t have family ties to the country and you aren’t seeking refugee or employment status).

If your intention is to retire in New Zealand, the easiest residence permit to qualify for is likely the Active Investor Plus Visa. This assumes that you’re a high-net-worth individual, however. To qualify, you must have NZD$15 million (about $8.5 million) to invest in New Zealand for four years.

This visa allows you to stay in New Zealand indefinitely, but the required investment amount is beyond the average retiree’s budget. It’s about 141 times the mean average annual expenditure of Americans 65 and older, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Singapore

Singapore came 29th on U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of the best places for a comfortable retirement. The island nation is highly rated for quality of life, coming first among Asian cities in Mercer’s Quality of Living City Ranking in 2024. It has excellent infrastructure and healthcare, and it’s extremely safe and well appointed.

However, if you don’t have family in Singapore and aren’t applying to work or study, the hurdles you have to jump over to get residency are remarkably high. The island has high population density and seems reluctant to hand out Singaporean residency and citizenship.

For U.S. retirees without family ties or aspirations to work in Singapore, the Global Investor Programme is likely the most direct route to residency. It’s aimed at high-net-worth individuals and requires a substantial business track record to qualify.

There are different options to qualify for permanent residency under the program. The Family Office Principals requires five years of entrepreneurial, investment, or management track record and net investible assets of at least S$200 million (about $147 million). Needless to say, this option isn’t accessible to the average U.S. retiree.

Australia

An English-speaking land of beautiful beaches with a high standard of living, Australia is a desirable country for tourists and expats. It comes in fourth place in CNBC Travel’s survey showing where Americans would like to move, and it also comes in fourth in Business Insider’s 10 best foreign countries for a comfortable retirement.

But Australia no longer offers a retirement visa, and it has reduced the number of investment-based visas it previously offered. To retire in Australia, Americans would likely have to seek residency through the Business Innovation and Investment Program.

The Investor Stream allows you to stay in Australia for up to five years, but you must be nominated by a state or territory to invest AUD$2.5 million (about $1.5 million). You must also have net business, investment, and personal assets of at least AUD$2.5 million and score at least 65 on the points test, which assesses your age, education level, and financial assets, among other factors. The average American is unlikely to meet these requirements.

Until next time,

Kathleen Peddicord signature

Kathleen Peddicord

Founding Publisher, Overseas Oportunity Letter

Tags: ' Residency Overseas''how to retire overseas'AustraliaCanadaMove abroadNew ZealandRetiring To Singapore
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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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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
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Reach us with your questions by email at: events@liveandinvestoverseas.com

Store

Overseas Havens Reports

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  • Hours of coverage  from our latests conferences

Lahardan Books

  • Titles on living and investing around the world

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