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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.

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      • Safest Places For Retirement
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      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
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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

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

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

        • Store

          Unlock The World

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          Overseas Havens Reports

          • Expats' comprehensive destination guides

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          • 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

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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.

          Start Your New Life Today, Overseas






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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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                  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
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                  Overseas Property Alert 

                   

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                  Contact Our Events Team:

                  Toll-Free U.S. and Canada:
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                  From Outside North America:
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                  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
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                  THE 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE IN 2025

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