11 Places Not To Retire Overseas In 2014
In our 2014 Retire Overseas Index, out this week, we have rated and ranked the 21 best places to retire overseas right now. Some of the results may surprise you.
That is, some of the destinations we feature, including the destination that places number one overall, are not as widely publicized as others that we have chosen not to include.
Why have we omitted some of what are typically thought to be the most desirable overseas retirement havens from our Index? Why have some of 2013’s top destinations been cut from the list?
Some insights follow.
Note that this is not to say, in any case, that these would be “bad” places to live or retire; simply that they do not count among the world’s best today…
Why Not Loja Or Otavalo?
We chose to feature Cuenca in our Index over other, also-popular Ecuadorian choices. Why? First, the existing expat community. Although other towns in Ecuador have begun to attract foreigners, Cuenca is the hub for expat retirees in Ecuador.
We also like the city itself, prefer it over its competition. This is a colonial gem, an architecturally beautiful city with a great deal to offer by way of culture—opera, theater, museums, galleries…
Good luck finding this level of sophistication and infrastructure anywhere else in Ecuador outside Quito (which we also would not recommend as a place to live).
Why Not Boquete?
Boquete has long been heralded by many (starting, in fact, with us, more than 15 years ago) as one of the world’s top retirement havens. However, we decided not to include this Panamanian mountain town in our 2014 Index for two reasons.
First, the cost of living in Boquete continues to rise.
Second, you have other better choices elsewhere now, which we wanted to feature instead. We limit our Index to 21 destinations. This is an arbitrary restriction that forces some hard choices. The truth is, as more places worldwide become more appealing for the would-be retiree, other places, including some well-known, like Boquete, become less so. Boquete is still a great turn-key choice for overseas retirement, but we’d say it no longer belongs on a short list of the world’s top 21 choices.
One big draw of Boquete is its large and growing expat community. If the idea of retiring to a place where many others like you have already paved the way and stand ready to welcome you to their ranks, you have other more affordable choices, including Cuenca and Chiang Mai, for example, both of which offer super-cheap, high-quality lifestyles (and both of which are included in our Index this year).
Puerto Vallarta and Barcelona are two other expat-friendly options featured in our 2014 survey. The cost of living is higher in Puerto Vallarta and Barcelona than in Cuenca and Chiang Mai…and higher than in Boquete. However, the cost of living isn’t unreasonable for the quality of life available for purchase. The quaint mountain town of Boquete just can’t compete for lifestyle with chic, cosmopolitan Barcelona or Pacific oceanside Vallarta.
Why Not Uruguay?
Uruguay has gotten expensive, too expensive for the lifestyle on offer, and it’s likely to become more expensive still.
Uruguayans are used to the devaluation of their peso. They refer to appreciation as atraso cambiario, “the exchange rate is running late.” Because of this phenomenon, prices for many big-ticket items in Uruguay (including real estate, cars, and even high local salaries) are quoted in U.S. dollars.
Why Not Brazil?
High crime rates keep much of Brazil off our radar and out of our survey. That said, south from Ceara to Natal, you can enjoy super-cheap coastal buys in safety.
Further, the bureaucracy, red tape, and corruption at all levels involved with getting anything done in this country are significant downsides to life here. The country doesn’t make establishing residency easy and offers no retiree benefits program.
Also, Brazilians speak Portuguese, which, for most of us, is not as easy to muddle through as Spanish, French, or Italian.
Why Not Ajijic, Chapala, San Miguel de Allende, Or Merida?
Mexico offers many well-publicized options for the foreign retiree. Why did we choose Puerto Vallarta over the rest of the choices for our 2014 Retire Overseas Index? Because if offers the best option anywhere for the retiree looking for developed Pacific coastal living on a budget.
Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, and Ecuador all also offer Pacific coast options, but none is anywhere near as fully appointed as Puerto Vallarta, which offers marinas, country clubs, golf courses, shopping, and fine dining. Yet, you could retire here on a budget of as little as US$1,910 per month, which is more than an average budget for other countries with Pacific coastlines in our Index but a very reasonable amount given the lifestyle on offer.
Why Not New Zealand?
We like New Zealand as a part-time retirement spot, but we didn’t include it in our survey this year because it’s just not a realistic full-time option for the typical retiree. The truth is, New Zealand (like Australia) isn’t overly keen on the idea of foreign retirees and doesn’t make it easy for the retiree to establish residency. In fact, in most cases, it’s not possible.
Why Not Costa Rica?
About three decades ago, Costa Rica decided to make a business of the foreign retiree. The Costa Ricans invested in a formal and successful advertising campaign, targeting Americans primarily. Tens of thousands of would-be retirees from the States took up the invitation and relocated to this beautiful land of hills and rainforests.
The benefits Costa Rica offered retirees who became resident were terrific, including the original pensionado program against which others were measured for decades. In addition, way back when Costa Rica made a name for itself as a top retirement choice, the cost of everything from groceries and eating out to prime coastal property was super cheap. Fast forward a couple of decades, and, thanks to investors and speculators, Costa Rica wasn’t so cheap anymore, neither its cost of living nor its beachfront real estate. And, while prices had risen dramatically, the infrastructure hadn’t kept pace. Retirees were happy to overlook falling bridges and unpaved roads when prices were low. Harder to rationalize putting up with failing infrastructure in the face of appreciating costs.
Worse, after working so hard to woo American and European retirees, Costa Rica seemed to change its mind. The Costa Ricans didn’t eliminate their famous pensionado program; they simply eliminated most of the tax breaks it had promised, as part of a deficit-reduction austerity package. And they didn’t grandfather in existing pensionados. So those who’d chosen Costa Rica for the retiree benefits it offered were surprised and disappointed to find that those benefits existed no more. Now the Costa Rican government is considering a further pensionado program adjustment. They’re talking about increasing, maybe substantially, the minimum monthly income requirement to qualify. And, again, if the change is made, existing pensioandos won’t be grandfathered in. To renew your status, you’d have to qualify under the new requirements.
Kathleen Peddicord
Continue reading: Best Places For A Single Woman To Retire Overseas
