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 Retirement/Living

          4 Easy And Established Expat Havens

          by Kathleen Peddicord
          Feb 25, 2024
          in Retirement/Living
          0 0
          Church of San Cristobal seen from a balcony at Mazamitla town in Jalisco, Mexico

          AdobeStock/JoseLuis

          A friend who relocated his family from the United States to France about the same time we moved from the States to Ireland once remarked…

          “You know, I think we’re doing this the hard way. Here in France, we’re scrambling to learn French so we can figure out what’s going on, because we’re always confused. We’re trying to make friends and to find a place for ourselves in a French country community where families have known each other for generations.

          “We don’t understand French cultural nuances yet, so we’re committing one faux pas after another. And we don’t have any other Americans around to commiserate with, no one to show us the ropes.

          “We’ve really jumped into the deep end of this living overseas thing.

          “And you have, too, in Ireland,” my friend continued.

          “You aren’t struggling with a new language [in fact, Lief and I would have argued that we were!], but you’re on your own in a foreign community.

          “You’re living and working and sending your children to school among the Irish. You’ve plopped yourself down and are trying to fit in among the local community.

          “It’d be a very different experience, I think,” my friend suggested, “to move as an expat into an expat community, a place like Lake Chapala, Mexico, for example, where you’d be surrounded by other people just like you, other people who’ve already done what you’re doing and who could offer a word of advice or support when you needed one.”

          Which is better? Assimilating into the local culture or becoming part of the American Dream abroad?

          In fact, it’s not a question of better… or of right or wrong.

          As with so many things to do with relocating yourself to another country, it’s a question of what you want.

          This is an entirely personal choice and one of the most important and fundamental ones you must make when planning for your new life overseas.

          Should you go local… or not?

          If you decide you’d like to take the idea of living overseas for a test spin by settling—at first or maybe long-term—in what would be very familiar surroundings, here are four top options…

          Start Your New Life Today, Overseas






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

            Ajijic, Mexico

            Ajijic and the area around Lake Chapala, Mexico, host the most organized, developed expat community in the world. The Lake Chapala Society reports about 20,000 American and Canadian residents in Chapala proper.

            The Mexican government, meantime, estimates that nearly 30,000 expats reside full-time in the state of Jalisco, the region where Lake Chapala sits.

            In other words, the path has been cut.

            Moving here, you could slide into a way of living not dramatically different from the life you left behind in the States.

            You wouldn’t have to worry about learning the local language if you didn’t want to. You wouldn’t have to work to make a place for yourself among the local community. You could connect with the big and welcoming community of nonlocals.

            You could wander into the restaurant down the street anytime and find English-speaking companionship, someone to complain to about the bureaucracy at the Department of Immigration or the challenges of studying to take a driving test in Spanish.

            Retiring to Ajijic, you could make a comfortable life for yourself in a place that’s exotic, beautiful, safe, and very affordable.

            Friends Akaisha and Billy have taken this path. They’ve been in Chapala for years, where they live comfortably on $50 per day, including housing, food, transportation, entertainment, and in-country travel. They eat well, play tennis, socialize, and travel comfortably.

            As they put it themselves, they want for nothing.

            Don’t misunderstand. Ajijic isn’t a retirement village. This isn’t Sun City South, at least not formally. This is a legitimate Mexican town that, over decades, has attracted such a volume of expat retirees that it offers the opportunity for a low-impact transition to a new life abroad.

            Boquete, Panama

            Boquete, Panama, is this country’s gringolandia. More than 10,000 foreigners call this colorful mountain town home at least part of the year.

            What’s the attraction?

            Beautiful setting, good climate, straightforward pensionado residency rules (for all Panama), yes, but mostly the draw in Boquete, as in Ajijic, is the established gringo community.

            This is a place to come to enjoy many of the benefits of being retired overseas without leaving behind too many of the comforts and conveniences of American suburban living.

            In one private gated residential community development I know in this region, for example, amenities include a golf course, stables, even a small central town created specifically for foreign residents. Construction, for both the shared amenities and the individual homes, is to U.S. standards, with U.S.-style finishes, fixtures, and fittings.

            In Boquete town itself, shops and services catering to the ever-growing foreign retiree population continue to open. In the U.S.-style restaurants serving American-style menus (featuring scrambled eggs for breakfast and cheeseburgers for lunch), you’ll hear all-English conversation at the tables around you and all-American music on the speakers.

            People you pass on the street greet you with a wave and a hi or a hello, assuming that’s how you’d like to be addressed and that you’ll reply in kind.

            Ambergris Caye, Belize

            For many, the retirement dream is all about the Caribbean, and nothing else will do. If your overseas retirement fantasies are similarly aquamarine and sandy, put Ambergris Caye at the top of your list. The diving and snorkeling, the color and clarity of the water, and the abundance and variety of sea life in this country are unparalleled. This is quintessential Caribbean.

            On Ambergris Caye, you’d live a simple and relaxed life by the water. There are but a handful of streets and very few cars on the island; people get around primarily by golf cart or their own two feet. At the same time, the established and growing expat community, one of the biggest in the Caribbean, continues to import services, products, and amenities to make life here more comfortable.

            The biggest and best known of the cayes offshore from mainland Belize has evolved over the past three decades into the home of the biggest American expat community in the Caribbean.

            Life on Ambergris is all about the sun, the sand, and the sea, and the U.S. and other expats and retirees who’ve chosen to base themselves here couldn’t be more welcoming of like-minded beach-loving expats who make their way to this island to join them.

            You could show up on Ambergris any given morning and have a dozen expat friends in time for happy hour that afternoon.

            Start Your New Life Today, Overseas






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

              Cayo, Belize

              Not interested in the beach life?

              Then head inland to Cayo, the heartland of Belize.

              An American friend living in Belize once told me, “A country never escapes its origins. The United States was founded by Puritans. Belize was founded by pirates.”

              Most people you meet in Belize have two common characteristics.

              They are hospitable, and they are fiercely independent.

              The average Belizean, including those who’ve adopted this country as their homeland, would choose to live in a humble home and off the land and sea rather than be beholden to someone.

              This country operates according to an old-school mentality that many of the world’s more developed nations seem to have forgotten.

              Belize is a nation of thinkers and doers, a country where you make your own way and where, while you’re doing it, no one, including the Belize government, is making any attempt to thwart your efforts. This is a poor country. The government doesn’t have enough money to get up to any real trouble.

              All of this is nowhere more apparent than in Cayo. Cayo is a land of and for pioneers, a place where residents, both local and expat, make their own way and mind their own business, while at the same time being willing always to lend a hand to a neighbor.

              San Ignacio, Cayo’s biggest town, is a kind of Mayberry in the rain forest where everyone knows everyone and life is simple, slow, and sweet.

              When you arrive in Cayo, it doesn’t take long for any other reality you’ve brought with you to fade. In this frontier land, your mind and your body are occupied with challenge and discovery from sunup until you fall exhausted into your bed each evening.

              All with the support of very like-minded company.

              Until next time,

              Kathleen Peddicord signature

              Kathleen Peddicord

              Founding Publisher, Overseas Opportunity Letter

              Tags: 'retire to the beach'americans abroadinternational retirementretirement havens for all
              Share97Tweet60
              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.

              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.