The Best Towns and Cities to Retire in Southeast Asia
Known for its perfect beaches, low prices, and excellent scuba diving, Southeast Asia usually conjures up images of young globe-trotting backpackers and sultry nights spent at a beach bar.
Best Places
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.
Best Places Archives
Things To Do In Belfast, Northern Ireland
From stunning scenery, to fascinating history, and rich culture it is no wonder Northern Ireland has risen to prominence as a top travel destination. And Belfast, its largest city, is the perfect place to launch your discovery of this captivating region. Here are my favorite things to see and do in Belfast...
Things to Do in Vietnam
One of the reasons why Vietnam has become such a popular destination for tourism is that there is so much to do. Whether you’re exploring unspoiled, hidden beaches, trekking in remote mountains, taking photos of ancient Cham ruins, or simply relaxing at a bia hoi with the locals over a glass of fresh-brewed beer, Vietnam has...
Costa Rica’s Best Beach Towns Within Two Hours of San José
Costa Rica’s Central Pacific coast has a long history as a beach destination. Costa Ricans from the Central Valley (the mountainous interior region surrounding the capital, San José, where most of the population lives), have been coming to the area for vacation and beach getaways for decades. And North American and European visitors have been right there with them for many years, too. They’re drawn by several factors, many of which also attract expats to the area for long-term living…
Three Friendly, Vibrant Beach Retreats on Ecuador’s Pacific
Extremely affordable, warm all year, less than five hours’ flight time from the U.S.... we’ve been flying the Ecuador flag at International Living for decades. If you’ve been a subscriber for anything more than a few months, you’ll know that we rate the country high on our shortlist of locations worldwide...
Finding Connection and Community in Assisi
“My ex-husband told me that my heart was in Italy, and he was right,” says Cecilia Snyder, a former resident of Washington, D.C. and now a five-year resident of Assisi, the gem of Umbria and Italy. Cecilia went to Italy for business for the first time in 2000. “I was blown away...
A Photographer’s Happy Return to Old Saigon, to Stay
When he retired from a successful career as a professional photographer, he decided to make Vietnam his home, returning to Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC)—the city that had captured his heart and imagination all those years ago...
Exploring Chania: Peaceful, Sun-Soaked Bliss on Greece’s Largest Island
The island of Crete is one of Greece’s major highlights. It’s the biggest of all the Greek islands and one of the most fascinating, whether you’re inspired by nature, history, Greek food, or the beach-focused Mediterranean lifestyle. While exploring the charms of Crete, most visitors base themselves in one of three small cities along Crete’s northern coast: Chania, Rethymno, or Heraklion...
Things to Do in Mui Ne, Vietnam
Mui Ne is a small beach resort village along Vietnam’s south-central coast about halfway between Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang. The town consists of one main road lined with resorts, restaurants, bars, and shops that stretches about six miles along the beautiful, palm-lined South China Sea coast...
South America Travel: 1 Month Itinerary
South America is a mecca for travelers looking to experience different cultures, landscapes, outdoor adventures, and of course a variety of different cuisine. For my friend, Rachel, and I it had long been a dream to explore this land of contrast between ancient pre-Incan civilizations, Incan ruins, and Spanish colonization...