Make Your Dream Retirement Abroad a Reality
Adventure, lower costs, affordable healthcare and a richer life can all be yours overseas — but you have to nail the practical details first.
For some people, the appeal of retiring abroad lies in the ability to live well for less than it would cost in the U.S. Others seek more affordable healthcare or a less divisive political climate. Still others, such as Karen Fifer Ferry, 68, and her husband, John, 74, are lured by love — not for each other (though the couple has that in abundance), but rather for the place they now call home.
For the Ferrys, that means Green Turtle Cay, a tiny island in the Bahamas boasting pristine beaches, crystal blue waters, picturesque clapboard houses and lush coral gardens.
The couple started vacationing there when their three children, now in their mid-thirties, were small. They kept going back, increasingly enamored of the island’s physical beauty and its warm, welcoming community of around 500 people — a place where, Cheers-style, everybody knows your name.
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The couple bought a cottage there in 2012, gave up their U.S. home in Providence in 2014 and worked largely remotely. They decided to retire in the Bahamas permanently after Karen left her job as a consultant to healthcare companies in 2018 and John, a pediatrician and executive recruiter for the healthcare industry, followed suit a year later.
Since they already owned property in the country, the path to becoming permanent residents was straightforward, requiring only additional references to attest to their character, documentation of sufficient financial assets to show they wouldn’t become a burden to the government, and an application fee.
Since then, the Ferrys’ overseas retirement has had plenty of ups and a few downs. In 2019, Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 storm, destroyed the couple’s island home; during the two years it took to rebuild, the Ferrys lived in a 17-foot trailer on their property.
Now they have a 1,400-square-foot cottage more than double the size of their old one on the narrow tip of the island, surrounded by water on three sides. Friends and family are constant visitors, and their days are full with dips in the ocean, long walks on the beach, volunteer work and plenty of porch time admiring the view. Their biggest expense is regular travel back to the States to visit their kids and four grandchildren.
It is an idyllic life, the couple say. "We were never really choosing to leave the United States," Karen says. "We just fell in love with this place."
A growing trend of retiring abroad
Like the Ferrys, more and more retirees are pursuing their version of a dream retirement in places that aren’t in the U.S. Although there are no hard data on their numbers, the trend is clear in the growing ranks of retired workers receiving Social Security benefits overseas: up 22% over the past 10 years.
Meanwhile, according to a 2025 Harris poll, more than one-third of Gen Xers and one-fourth of baby boomers have considered moving out of the U.S. Their top motivation was a lower cost of living abroad, followed by political dissatisfaction and a desire for a higher quality of life.
"It’s not that people who are considering retiring abroad don’t have the money to retire well in the United States, but more that they like the idea of being able to live better, to have an adventure and see their nest egg go further," says Jennifer Stevens, executive editor of International Living, which guides people to the best places to live and retire overseas.
Also fueling the trend: Many countries have made the route to retiring abroad easier in recent years, shifting from processes that required a large initial investment from foreigners looking to establish residency to pathways in which you can demonstrate that you have a certain minimum amount of guaranteed passive income — a stipulation often satisfied, depending on the country, by Social Security benefits alone.
Still, deciding whether to actually forge ahead and, if so, picking the right place and establishing a happy life there can be daunting.
Moving far from family and friends may feel lonely, especially if it’s to a place where you don’t speak the language. You may be hit with unanticipated costs or other snafus, and taxes and estate planning can be complicated.
For those who can make it work, though, retiring abroad really can be a dream come true, offering cultural adventure and a higher standard of living at a lower cost. Intrigued? Here’s what you need to know and, if you go, how to make the move a success.
Start with a wish list
Before Cynthia and Edd Staton made the leap to retire in a foreign country, they wrote down everything they hoped their ideal location would offer.
The year was 2010, and the couple was a casualty of the Great Recession. Both had been high earners living and working in Las Vegas — Edd in automotive services, Cynthia in luxury real estate. —and when those industries went bust, they lost their jobs and couldn’t find other work that paid enough to cover their bills. They were burning through savings and needed a big lifestyle change.
Retiring abroad felt like a viable Plan B. "We wanted to feel like we were moving toward something instead of moving away from something," says Cynthia, 73. "For the first time in our lives, we sat down and really talked about what we wanted going forward."
The place they chose, the midsize city of Cuenca in Ecuador, checked all the boxes on their wish list. The cost of living was low, and the climate was mild.
It was close enough to the eastern coast of the U.S. that they could easily travel back to see their adult children, and it was in the same time zone, which made calling and video chatting easy. The healthcare system was decent, and the amenities were modern.
Sixteen years later, the Statons are still in Cuenca, living in a penthouse apartment with a large terrace overlooking a river. They eat out when they want, enjoy gym and yoga memberships and other creature comforts, and are planning a monthlong vacation in Italy this fall. And it’s all affordable on their monthly Social Security benefits alone.
"Most months, we have enough money left to put up to 20% in savings," says Edd, 77, who along with Cynthia now offers advice to other people interested in retiring abroad via a blog, articles, books and courses on their website.
Figuring out where in the world you might like to retire starts with the kind of self-reflection the Statons engaged in, experts say. "Ask yourself, if money were no object and you could define the retirement you want, what would your days look like, what are your non-negotiables, and what would you love to have but may not be essential?" Stevens says.
Besides obvious considerations such as your budget and healthcare needs, think about whether you’d feel most comfortable someplace with a large expat community, whether you’re open to learning another language, and what you want your surroundings to be like.
Maybe you prefer an area rich with history or to live near, say, museums and concert venues, great markets if you love to cook, or plenty of golf courses if you like to play.
Then, armed with answers, consult some lists of best places to retire overseas, such as those published by International Living, Global Citizen Solutions, Live and Invest Overseas and other organizations. You can use ChatGPT, Gemini or other artificial intelligence tools to search, too, plugging in your key factors to see what pops up.
The goal is to create a personalized shortlist of countries that meet your criteria and are worthy of further investigation. Says Stevens, "Dream big first, and then let the technicalities eliminate some of the places you might be thinking about."
Go for a trial run
Once you’ve narrowed the field, take a scouting trip — or, better yet, a few — to check out places that interest you. Try living like a local while you’re there. Rent an Airbnb instead of staying at a hotel. Shop at the grocery store and cook, rather than always eating at restaurants. Hang out with expats at the local pub to hear what they say about the place.
"People often make the mistake of thinking they want to retire somewhere they love to go on vacation," says Edd Staton. "The problem is that you go on vacation to get away from your life, not for it to become your life."
Be sure to visit in the off-season. "If you go to Spain or Italy in July, the weather is great, there are festivals and great food, and everyone’s having fun," says Alex Ingrim, CEO of Liberty Atlantic Advisors, which specializes in financial advice for Americans living abroad.
"Seeing what a place is like in January, when three-quarters of the restaurants are shut down, is the real test. You need to make sure it’s the right place for you year-round."
What you want to learn from this exercise: "You can get to a place and your heart just says no, even though logically, on paper, it should be the perfect place for you," says Stevens. "Or you visit a place that you thought you should eliminate, but you go just in case and think, Well, this is fabulous. This is the one."
Understand the rules of entry
Many foreign governments make it surprisingly easy and affordable for Americans to retire in their country, shifting in recent years from requiring large lump-sum investments to establish residency to simply asking for documentation that you have a certain minimum amount of guaranteed passive income from sources such as Social Security and pensions.
In many places, those minimums are quite modest, often easily covered by Social Security benefits alone. Global Citizen Solutions, an advisory firm for people planning to move overseas, found that 61% of the 44 countries it analyzed in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia require a minimum monthly income of 2,000 euros or less (around $2,325, at recent exchange rates), including Portugal, Panama and France.
Typically the visas are good for a year, then must be renewed annually. But nearly half offer longer residencies (Portugal’s visa is good for two years, as is Uruguay’s), and a few countries, including Panama, offer permanent residency from the outset.
Other requirements typically include proof that you have health insurance and a place to stay once you enter the country.
Once you start the process, it commonly takes three to four months for a visa to be approved, but you should give yourself six months of leeway, said Adalberto Pucca, head of global mobility solutions at Global Citizen Solutions.
"It’s important to know the rules about obtaining residency, but the ease of the visa process shouldn’t be a high-ranking factor in your decision about where to move," Pucca says. "Go where you’ll be happiest."
Expect to live larger for less
No matter where you end up in the world, your living costs will likely be lower than what you’d pay to lead a similar lifestyle in the U.S., experts say. That’s typically true, they say, even in highly developed countries and with today’s weak dollar against the euro and other currencies.
How much lower, however, will differ dramatically depending on which country you choose and what town, city or region you settle in.
Retiring to Central or Latin America, for instance, will be substantially less expensive than retiring in Europe; within Europe, Greece will be easier on your budget than France, and within France, living in the countryside will be much cheaper than retiring in Paris.
You can compare living costs in various cities and countries at the website Numbeo. International Living also publishes typical budgets for retirees in the 22 countries it ranks. Your costs, though, may be very different from the "typical" budgets seen on best-places lists, depending on your preferred lifestyle.
"Maybe you will rent a house instead of an apartment. Maybe you like to eat out more often or go to higher-end restaurants. Maybe you prefer to take Ubers rather than use public transportation," says Pucca.
"It’s important to personalize your cost-of-living estimates, based on your own research and the prices you pay when you visit."
Line up healthcare in advance
Nearly four out of 10 Americans considering a move abroad cite the availability of better, more affordable healthcare as a top reason, the Harris poll found. The good news, experts say, is that healthcare is indeed less expensive in most other places in the world, though by how much differs sharply from country to country, as well as within countries among different cities, towns and regions — just as in the U.S.
The same is true for the quality of care. You’ll generally have access to first-rate treatment in most countries in Europe, with France, Portugal and Spain topping the list for best healthcare based on a combination of quality, access and affordability in International Living’s rankings. Panama also wins high marks, as does Costa Rica.
Though most countries have some form of government-subsidized health care, it can take time — typically from three months to two years — for newcomers to qualify.
So you’ll need private coverage from a national or international insurer to bridge the gap. International carriers include Cigna Global, Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Solutions and International Medical Group.
Even after qualifying for the public health system, many expat retirees retain private coverage for access to higher-quality medical facilities and shorter wait times.
One strategy to keep costs down is to opt for catastrophic coverage only and pay out of pocket for routine care, since the costs are typically low in many countries, says Hunter Schultz, a healthcare consultant for Expatsi, a company that helps Americans relocate abroad, and author of Expat Health Guide.
He notes, for example, that in Panama, where he lives as a U.S. expat, people pay about $30 for a primary care visit, and he recently paid $110 for an ultrasound of his shoulder — before the 20% senior discount he gets on medical expenses.
Schultz likens it to how Americans use auto insurance. "You wouldn’t put in a claim with your insurer for an oil change or new spark plugs. It’s just the big expenses, and that’s the way people often use health insurance in other countries," he says.
One additional expense you shouldn’t forgo: retaining Medicare coverage.
While your benefits won’t cover care in the country you move to, you’ll need them to help pay for any treatment you receive when you’re back in the U.S. for visits or if you need to seek treatment from a specialist here.
You’ll also need Medicare if you eventually come back to the States to live, as many retired expats end up doing. While you can re-enroll in Medicare after a lapse in coverage, you’ll be hit with a stiff lifetime penalty for doing so: 10% of the standard Part B premium for every 12 months when you could have had Part B but didn’t.
Manage taxes with care
International wealth managers routinely use two words to describe the tax situation that Americans who retire abroad face: It’s complicated.
That’s true no matter where in the world you choose to retire. The reason: The U.S. is one of only two countries in the world (Eritrea, in Africa, is the other) that tax people based on citizenship, not residency. "Uncle Sam is your most loyal travel companion," says Peter Sengelmann, director of Creative Planning International, an international wealth management firm. "He will follow you wherever you go."
In practice, that means you have to file tax returns and report income and follow the tax rules in both the U.S. and your place of residence abroad, although you won’t necessarily owe taxes in both countries.
The U.S. has treaties with more than 60 countries to prevent the same income from being taxed twice — or to at least lessen the sting.
Critically, the rules about what income is taxed and at what rate differ from country to country, with some places more friendly to retirees than others. Most countries in Europe, for instance, tax all of your income no matter where you earned it.
Others, including several in Latin America and Southeast Asia, only tax income earned in that country. Some, such as Costa Rica, Panama and Uruguay, typically exempt foreign pensions and annuities entirely, while others, such as Greece and some places in Italy, tax them at a low flat rate. Some countries treat distributions from Roth accounts (which are funded with post-tax money but provide tax-free withdrawals in the U.S.) as taxable income.
Some have much higher tax rates than in the U.S., and the higher rates start at lower income levels. In Italy, for instance, the top rate is 43% and kicks in at 50,000 euros (around $58,000 at recent exchange rates).
"It makes your head spin," says Sengelmann. That’s why experts urge U.S. retirees living abroad to work with a pro who is well versed in international tax law or, at a minimum, how U.S. rules work in tandem with those of the country you want to live in.
The nonprofit American Citizens Abroad has directories of international tax preparation and financial services providers; you can also tap expat networks on Facebook or other social media platforms for recommendations.
A pro can help you take steps proactively to limit negative tax consequences. For instance, if you’re moving to a country with a high tax rate, you might want to take some distributions from tax-advantaged retirement accounts before you leave so you’ll pay taxes on that income at lower U.S. rates.
Or you might avoid doing a Roth conversion if you’re thinking about moving to a country that taxes withdrawals from those accounts.
"Don’t let the tax tail wag the dog," Sengelmann says. "Go where you think you’ll be happy, and an adviser can help you figure out the rest."
Get your expat finances in order
As with taxes, managing the rest of your financial life when you retire abroad takes a lot more thought and at least a little bit more maneuvering than if you were dealing with the rules of one country only.
For instance, you’ll probably want to maintain bank accounts in the U.S. and in your country of residence to make it easier to pay for things in both places and maintain access to spending money that isn’t subject to currency fluctuations and conversion fees.
That’s especially true if you’ll be traveling back and forth to visit or access healthcare in the U.S. or if there’s a chance you might move back one day. (Hint: there’s always a chance.)
That means you’ll need to maintain a U.S. address, which you must also have to keep Medicare coverage. You can use a family member’s address or set up a virtual mailbox, which provides a physical address to receive mail.
Then the service scans the contents digitally and sends them to you or forwards packages. Providers include iPostal1 (plans start at $9.99 a month) and Virtual Post Mail ($20 a month).
If you’re collecting Social Security, you can continue to receive benefits through direct deposit at your U.S. bank or have benefits sent to your bank overseas. Either way, you’ll need to inform Social Security of your move, as well as fill out a questionnaire the agency will send to you every two years to confirm your address and status. The same U.S. tax rules apply.
The thorniest issue: estate planning. Some countries levy an inheritance tax, for instance, and exemptions are often much lower than the federal estate tax exemption in the U.S. Then, too, many countries, including most in Europe and some in Latin America and the Caribbean, follow so-called forced heirship rules governing the disposition of assets.
"You don’t necessarily get to choose who inherits what; it’s dictated by law and cannot be overwritten by a will," says Ingrim at Liberty Atlantic. "There are strategies you can use to bypass forced heirship laws, but it takes advance planning."
Even jointly held assets may be vulnerable to different rules of succession, and often the assets won’t automatically pass to a surviving spouse but rather will be tied up for a while — years, in some cases — as an estate goes through probate.
For that reason, Ingrim recommends that couples living abroad split some assets to hold in individual accounts so each spouse is assured access to funds as needed.
Find — and keep — your people
A study published last year in the journal Psychology and Aging found that people who retire abroad risk feeling lonelier than older retirees who stay in their native country.
Based on a survey of about 5,000 Dutch people aged 66 to 90 living in 40 countries, the researchers found that the expats reported higher levels of social isolation and, among those who lost touch with family and friends back home, greater emotional loneliness as well.
After 16 years living in Ecuador and seeing many expat retirees come and go, it’s a phenomenon the Statons are familiar with. "It can be hard to feel like you’re an outsider and always will be," says Edd. "Some people get tired of feeling they don’t fit in."
One workaround for the social isolation that many expat retirees experience: Move with or near people you know, so you have a small established community from the outset. And, experts recommend, aim to live like a local, not a tourist, interacting with residents and immersing yourself in the language, customs and culture of your new home.
That’s the approach that Marion Sharp and Noel Blyler took when they moved to Loches, in France’s Loire Valley, last year.
Sharp, 67, who had worked in nonprofit fund-raising, and Blyler, 66, a former high school college counselor, had visited close friends who had a second home in the area several times over the years. Sharp and Blyler loved it and had talked about maybe buying a second home themselves or even retiring there one day.
When the friends invited the couple to share their house and all retire there together, Sharp and Blyler took the leap.
"This is a dream more than 50 years in the making," says Sharp, who has loved France since she first traveled there when she was 16.
Obtaining a visa was easy, Blyler says, requiring only that they show they had a place to live, health insurance and a minimum level of guaranteed income, which was covered by their Social Security benefits.
Harder but fun, they say, has been learning to speak conversational French. They recently purchased a place of their own near their friends, and they are deeply engaged with the history, architecture, art and beauty of their adopted home.
"I think of it as un coin de paradis, a corner of paradise," Blyler says. Sharp, who says that friends from the U.S. are frequent visitors, adds, "There’s a different attitude toward enjoying life here. Experiencing another culture is part of the adventure."
Be ready for hassles and hiccups
Adjusting to that different culture is frequently cited by experts and expats alike as the most challenging part of retiring overseas. Learning a new language and adapting to a different pace and norms can be tough, but it’s often smaller irritants that stick out to people who have made the move.
Hunter Schultz recalls his chagrin when he first moved to Panama and couldn’t find his beloved Pepperidge Farm cookies on grocery shelves.
Karen Fifer Ferry says she often brings back cooking ingredients from her visits to the U.S. because they can’t be found in Bahamian stores, and she admits the laid-back pace can be frustrating — it took twice as long to rebuild their home after Hurricane Dorian as the initial estimate.
Ingrim says American clients are often surprised to find that many European homes don’t have dishwashers and that the furniture they shipped from their 2,500-square-foot house in the U.S. doesn’t fit in the 1,000-square-foot apartment they live in now.
Stevens of International Living recommends tapping into the expat community in your new home via social media and in-person gatherings to help solve common problems. "They can make your landing so much softer," she says. "They’ve already figured out a plumber that’s good, which vet speaks English and how you pay your utility bill."
Perhaps the most helpful thing you can do, says Stevens, is adjust your own attitude.
"When you retire abroad, there are inevitably going to be difficulties. The bureaucracy will be hard to navigate, and there will be confusion, especially if you don’t speak the language," she says. "To enjoy this new life, it really does help to think of it as a grand adventure, that it will be fun to try new foods, have new experiences and learn a new culture."
It has also helped, Ferry says, to remember that the decision to retire abroad is reversible. Circumstances change and so do people.
The Statons agree. "When people ask us if we’ll live in Ecuador forever, we say we have no idea how long forever is," says Cynthia. "What’s important is not to let worry over ‘forever’ stop you from making a move that could be perfect for you right now."
Note: This item first appeared in Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine, a monthly, trustworthy source of advice and guidance. Subscribe to help you make more money and keep more of the money you make here.
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