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For over 30 years, International Living has searched around the world for retirement destinations that are right for you. We have explored all manner of dream locales, assessing how well they can provide for all your retirement needs—including cost of living, retiree benefits, climate, healthcare, and much more. The result is a comprehensive resource of essential information to help you find your dream retirement overseas.
The Best Places to Retire in 2023
Where can you find the best quality of life in the world…the best places to live…the best climate…the healthiest places to live…the cheapest? Which countries make it into the lists as the perfect destinations for your retirement…and why? We have all the answers.
From bustling beach towns to small fishing communities, stunning stretches of sand to lush rainforests teeming with life, there’s a huge variety of choice on offer for expats. In all of the destinations we speak about, you can enjoy a relaxed lifestyle, with established expat communities, friendly, welcoming natives, good healthcare, and an ideal climate.
Each destination is desirable in its own way, but they all offer something increasingly hard to come by at home: A good quality of life for a reasonable price.
What are you waiting for? Go ahead and dive into our selection of articles to learn more about the best places in the world to retire.
With more than a million expats estimated to live there, Mexico is far and away the most popular destination for North Americans looking to move abroad. But—with so many places to choose from—where in Mexico should you move? It’s a very large country, after all...
France has all the ingredients that we at International Living look for in a retirement destination: a good climate, unspoiled countryside, top-notch culture, excellent healthcare, colorful traditions and history, and, of course, the glitter and sophistication of Paris...
When planning your retirement overseas, many factors come into play. Low costs, affordable real estate, and high-quality healthcare are some of the main concerns…but what about being able to mix well with the community or make friends with the locals?
Castles...There’s just something magical about them—about their beauty, their strength, the ancient history we can all imagine within their walls. For me, they’re one of the big draws of Europe and one of the reasons I keep taking trains to small Swiss towns and cycling along back roads in the French countryside and hiking up Croatian hills to tumbledown ruins...
Europe has so much to offer a potential expat…great food, a diverse choice of cultures, the stunning countryside where life is quiet and relaxed and the buzz of the rat race seems a million miles away, awe-inspiring mountains for skiing, and soft, sandy beaches for wiling away summer days…
The Makarska Riviera has been a magnet for sun and fun-seekers for generations. This rocky coastline in southeastern Europe has a fantastic mix of beaches, hiking trails, and historical sites. If you’re thinking about visiting or living along this stretch of coast in Croatia...
For millennia, the Iberian Peninsula has been a coveted destination, with everyone from the Phoenicians and the Romans to the Visigoths and the Moors leaving their mark on this southwestern slice of Europe. Today, millions of visitors flock to Spain and Portugal...
Comparative in size to the state of West Virginia, Costa Rica is a small country—but it packs a big punch when it comes to the variety of things to do. Specifically, things that nature lovers and adventure seekers go ecstatic for.
Central America is a popular choice for retirement for many North Americans. This is not surprising when you consider the great qualities the region has to offer. First off there are the practical aspects, such as its proximity to North America, and its similar range of time zones.
South America fits the bill for many expats when it comes to looking for the perfect retirement haven. In many countries in the region, you’ll enjoy a relaxed lifestyle, established expat communities, friendly, welcoming natives, good healthcare, and an ideal climate..