How to Find the Best Retirement Places

Your options for retirement places are almost limitless, and the real challenge is finding that specific place that you’ll eventually wind up calling home. Of course, there is a lot to consider before you move and the endless selection of great destinations doesn’t make the process any easier.


Deciding Where to Retire

It’s important that you be honest with yourself and your spouse what things matter to you and then rank them in order of importance.


For example if climate is your number one concern then that will weigh heavily on where you should spend your time looking and researching.

retirement places
If you look at Mexico for example you can find almost perfectly stable year round temperatures in the central areas of the country, but if you live along the coast then you will need to deal with sweltering heat and humidity.

However, if living near the beach and enjoying the ocean is one of your most important factors then you might be willing to sacrifice the heat and humidity because you get so much enjoyment from the ocean.
After you have decided what things are most important to you’ll have made a big step in narrowing down the list of potential retirement places, but that list may still be quite daunting.


Other Factors to Consider when Choosing Retirement Places

Here’s a list of some of the most important factors to consider to get you started:

  • Weather – This is a big one and don’t forget to check out seasonal weather patterns because what may be a tropical paradise in one part of the year could suffer from endless rain during another season.
  • Natural Disasters – Limiting your exposure to earthquakes, hurricanes and floods would be a very good idea!
  • Retirement Requirements – What documentation and requirements do you need to meet to get retiree status in your desired country?
  • Cost of Living – How much do you need to live?
  • Health Care – What’s the national health care like, and then when you finally select an exact city or town to retire to, what is the medical situation like for that specific area?
  • Foreign Language – Can you get by with English, or will you need to learn the local language?
  • Foreign Community – is there a group of expats that you can join and make friends with? This can be a double edged sword for some because when you are part of an expat community settlement it will be a lot harder to meet the local people and learn more about your new host country. Trust me on this one – I’ve been there, and there are certainly benefits to both situations.


  • Crime – Feeling safe is really important to most people. The good news is that most foreign destinations are no more dangerous (though the news may try to tell us otherwise) than what we face everyday at home.
  • Culture – Have you always had a love for Asian or Latin culture? Or perhaps you’ve always wondered about your ancestors and where they came from. This may be a perfect opportunity to learn and live in these cultures.
  • retirement placesInfrastructure – What will your access to roads, electricity, internet etc be like? This is a real big one because poor infrastructure can really put a damper on your lifestyle. Consider which things are most important to you and what things you can do without. For me personally I don’t mind poor roads, but I need my quality internet! This is one of the most important factors as I’ve been narrowing down my own list of the best retirement places.
  • Food – If you love Italian food, why not look into living there and enjoying the authentic variety each and every day straight from the source? Not all countries however have such amazing variety as Italy, so do your homework and make sure that if food is really important to your enjoyment of life that you choose a destination that will enrich your time there even more.
  • Travel – How far is your desired retirement country from your friends and family? Generally speaking, the closer you are to home, the better. Living on a remote beach in Thailand sounds nice, but if there’s an emergency in the family you run the risk of not being able to return home in time.


Additional Retirement Places Articles and Info:

The Best Retirement State – Finding the best retirement state will take a little digging, but here are some interesting facts and recommendations for you to consider when you are making your choice.

What You Should Know About Retirement UK – Retirement UK explains what you need to consider as an American wishing to retire here. It’s entirely possible, you just need to make sure to keep in mind some of the key things listed here.

The Best Places to Retire in Florida – The best places to retire in Florida provides a list of 10 possible retirement places in Florida and why they are advantageous for most retirees.

Retire Abroad Guidelines and Expectations – Before you retire abroad it is important to understand the advantages to living in another country and how that will affect your lifestyle. Learn how to evaluate few of the most important factors like taxes, climate, culture, adventure, and food.

Why Retire in Panama – Wanting to retire in Panama? This is one of the best destinations world wide with some of the best benefits for retirees. You should be really considering this country as a great place to live if it’s not already on your list.
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3 Best Cities to Retire to Worldwide – The best three cities to retire in the world is what you will learn all about in this article. Find out why these places are so desirable.

Best Retirement Locations in the USA – Check out this list of some of the best places to retire in America. Going abroad is exciting, but there’s also a lot of great places close to home that are worth considering.

How to Retire on a Cruise Ship – For those of you that love to travel, but can’t really settle on one place that you want to spend a long period of time, retiring on a cruise ship just might be the perfect solution for you!

What’s it Like to Retire in Canada? – The people who retire in Canada are different than their neighbors across the border in America. Generally people are less anxious about retirement because of a few subtle, but important difference.

Where to Retire Cheap – this mega list of retirement places sill get you started looking around the globe and give you a good perspective of how the different areas differ from each other – don’t miss this great list!

Great Retirement Places – Here’s a mega list of some of the greatest places in the world to retire in each of the different great retirement countries in the world. Check it out and dare to dream!

Top 5 Retirement Locations – What are the top 5 places in the world to live and retire? Click and find out!

AZ Retirement Destinations – AZ retirement is a wonderful place to be, making it one of the most popular destination for retirees. Find out a little bit more about this magical state and what makes it so appealing to retirees.

Best Retirement Places inside and Outside America – If you’re not sure where to start looking for a new retirement home this list is a good place to start and can give you a starting point that you can compare.

Cheapest Places to Retire – While dashing off to a cheap destination sounds like simple way to stretch your retirement dollars, there’s a few key things that you should keep in mind. Cheap doesn’t always mean it’s the best fit for you, so do your homework and choose your retirement destination with your eyes wide open!

Want to Retire Overseas? – What things do you need to be thinking about before you make the jump abroad? Don’t worry – it seems a lot scarier than it actually is. The hardest part is just making up your mind on where to go and then making the decision that you are going to go and live your dream!

Take a Look at the Best Retirement Communities – Learn about the different types of housing and options that you have available to you when you are considering a retirement community.

Which Countries make the Best Retire Places? – You don’t have to look any further than list list of the best retirement countries in the world.

The Best Places to Retire In – This list of the best places to retire in are the best places a retiree could relocate to with info on how much money they need to live there, safety for any expats who live there and also the best climates.

Reasons to Retire to Canada – Retire to Canada and experience the many positive things you can have and expect from this country during your retirement.

Retire to Philippines – What to Expect – This article walks you through into one of Asia’s beautiful retirement countries and gives you some insights about what positive things you can expect from the Philippines if you retire here.

Where are Affordable Places to Retire in California? – The affordable places to retire in California talks about three most suitable retirement places inside California when it comes to considering your retirement budget.


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8 Responses to “How to Find the Best Retirement Places”

  1. Paul says:

    Is it possible to retire in places like Panama or a similar place with US$1 mil in financial assets for someone who is 50 years old, healthy with no debt?

    • Mitch says:

      Hi Paul,

      I think it’s more than possible based on the research that I’ve done. One of the important things to consider is how favorable Panama is to retirees, as well as having very low taxes. I’m personally leaning towards panama these days, and I have far less of a nest egg built up, although I think I’ll only be semi-retiring.

      To me – Panama looks really good as does Belize. I’m planning a trip to look more into Panama and Costa Rica (again) this summer, and was in Belize last October. Belize is fantastic and also has a very nice tax situation. I hope this helps you out some. I need to get off my butt and organize the research I’ve been doing here! Let me know if you decide to take the plunge!

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