Retire overseas an option
for living cheaply you should consider

Retire Overseas... you must be kidding; it's not that cheap; it's not safe; it's unhealthy; what if you get sick; it's too far from family; the language barrier; they hate Americans; you will be alone, there is no good shopping,etc.

Do the following objections to retiring overseas sound familiar? We had the same doubts when we took off in 1994.

What we discovered, and want to share with you is far from the above.

The decision to retire overseas is not for everyone, but an option you should at least explore for frugal retirement living.
1st step to retiring overseas...International Living Magazine subscribe to this monthly gem...I do.

We lived out of the US for 9 years, we did not find the above to be true. Let's examine these objections one by one.

To retire overseas and living cheap is not possible

If you want to live in Switzerland, Paris or London you are right, you will go broke very soon and frugal living is not possible. If you want information on living there you are on the wrong site. But there are many places to retire overseas where a couple can live well on $1,200 to $2,100 a month.

Be careful when you hear of folks doing it for less than $1,000 a month. Can it be done...yes people are doing it as we speak. Those that do certainly have a working knowledge of the local language. Do your research first.

We have done it for $1,200 to $2,100 a month, lived great, no "sacrificing" and so can you. These figures reflect including house/apartment rent and utilities we did not incur since we lived on our boat. Rent and utilities are easily had for $500 per month.

In Mexico, these figures also include domestic help, for those of you that would like to retire from housework.

Who could blame you, you will be happy so will the locals who need the money.

The experiences we had have given us the confidence that we can do it again very easily.

Some folks used an RV to find their perfect Mexican home.

We are going into greater detail for each country you might consider.

I am also making the assumption that since you are taking the trouble to relocate you will moving to a place with great weather. All the places we will discuss are spring like to warm, no cold weather.

See best places to retire for our favorites. Trust me it's cheap living overseas compared to anywhere in the USA.

For the best place to retire overseas, close to the US, we would pick...
For the country most eager to welcome you...
If you want Europe without the cost try...
For the cheapest country to retire...
For our 4 favorite countries for retirement
Retire to Colombia
Retiring to Costa Rica
Retiring in Belize
Retire in Argentina
Retiring to Nicaragua

If you retire overseas it isn't safe

In 9 years of living from Venezuela to the Virgin Islands we never felt unsafe, never were threatened, robbed, etc. As well all of our friends that we knew of had the same experiences...no problems.

There is no magic to living safely overseas other than common sense. The countries we lived in were much, much poorer than the US, but consequently afforded us very cheap living. We used the following guidelines if we were in a new city, you should too:

• Don’t wear jewelry
• Wear comfortable, non flashy clothing
• Wear a cheap plastic watch
• In the evening go with another couple to eat
• Don’t stay out late
• Wear fanny packs to keep valuables, no purses
• Be polite and smile...duh
• After sundown stay close to home
• Try hard not to act or look like a tourist

If you think about it these are common sense precautions you would take in an city in the US until you felt more comfortable in you new surroundings.

The proper attitude also goes a long way. In a foreign country, you are the guest, so act like one...this does not require you to be condescending or grovel, just use your manners and smile a lot. They want you to feel safe and spend money, why would they be otherwise?

It's not healthy to retire overseas

This myth about don't drink the water or "their" food is just that, a myth. In 9 years we ate street food from carts on bicycles, stands by the side of the road, food served out a window in a house, ate anything we wanted at their cafes and restaurants...and we never got sick.

Is the sanitation up to our standards, no, but as poor as they were in say, Venezuela they did the best they could. Your part is to use your common sense just like you would when you go to any public place. The USA does, as wonderful as home can be, not have a monopoly on cleanliness.

In the tropics at least you are breathing fresh air 24/7 and that has to count for something. Unless you have a car, that was always a problem on a boat, you do a good deal of walking and get your exercise that way.

Sorry, just because you retire overseas does not mean you are excused from the need for regular exercise or a proper diet for that matter.

Well how about your diet overseas? For the most part we ate as good or better than at home. The primary reason was the fresh vegetables and fruits that were grown locally. Combine that with fresh fish, plentiful poultry and you are off to living a very healthy lifestyle.

Our 2 criteria for eating out

We had two criteria for eating out overseas, First,you (and any companions of course) must be the only non local customers, if you are with tourists you are paying too much: and secondly, the menu must be written in chalk, no menus.

If you follow these two laws faithfully you will be sure you are not paying too much and the food is fresh...if it's not written in chalk, they didn't catch any in the morning!

Retire overseas? What if you get sick?

Now for 9 years we never personally needed a doctor due to illness but other friends did so we speak from their experience. Now is the health care great in the USA, sure it's great, but it also very expensive.

Stop and think that people get sick everywhere, what do they do. Well in most cases they do the same thing we do, seek help.

In Venezuela when you are not feeling well you walk into a pharmacy, explain your symptoms and the pharmacist gives you the appropriate medicine. If he sees you are really sick then he or she would recommend seeing a doctor.

Another friend needed a CAT scan in Trinidad (which is certainly not a third world country), the charge was $150, vs $1500 in the US. When another friend had to go into the hospital for a week, his hospital bill was $56 a day for a private room including food. I am not making this up.

Our health care system in the US puts out a great product but there is a price attached to this great care.

For right now, 2009 this is reality... if you needed to see a doctor now in Mexico the office visit would be $30. You can buy medical insurance in Mexico for $360 a year...I pay that for one month in the USA, with a $10,000 yearly deductible.

We are currently living cheaply in the Phoenix area, for dental care we drive to Algodones a border town, close to Yuma, AZ. Cleaning by the doctor himself or herself is $30, a crown is $200 and the work is excellent. My wife used to work chairside for a US dentist and she knows good work when she sees it.

We recently took a friend whose Phoenix dentist told him he needed 3 crowns and he, the dentist, needed my friend to write him a check for $3600.

We went to Mexico, the dentist cleaned his teeth, the total charge was $30, said he didn't need any crowns then...the next year he went back and had one crown made...for $200. He is very happy with the dental work he received in Mexico, delighted about the money he saved.

We are not criticizing the care you get in the US, but it is a myth that it is the only place you can get good care. And the care you get overseas costs a lot less than it does here.

This will illustrate our faith in overseas medical care

My wife and I had excimer laser surgery performed on our eyes in Caracas, Venezuela in 1996. The pictures show us getting ready for surgery and the 2 doctors that performed our pre op tests and the surgery itself.

This was 2 years before this procedure was FDA approved in the US. In fact, many US eye surgeons were visiting this clinic for training in the procedure. We chose Dr Enrique Saurez to perform the operation because he had done it over 8,000 times previously. We considered it a plus he went to medical school at LSU.

We are very pleased with the results and haven't worn prescription glasses again. My pre operation vision wasn't real bad, only one eye was operated on, my wife had 20/400 vision, for her it was a minor miracle.

We relate this personal story because we trusted something very precious, our eyesight to a Venezuelan doctor that we had only heard about but never met. This is included in Frugal Retirement Living because our total bill was $1,050 US, $350 per eye.

Why was it so cheap...the surgeons fee was only $50 per eye. When you retire overseas I would not be at all concerned about the level of medical care you receive. We bet our eyesight on the previous statement

It's too far from family to retire overseas

If you stay in the Americas, and that's where our personal experience lies, you can be home in one day from most countries by plane. We have these ideas drummed into our head that only the US has modern airports. The rest of the Americas are far from third world.

The phones work, you can get and send email, you can Skype for free on your computer(with picture if you have a webcam) you can always find someone to speak English, etc.

You should not have any problem getting family to visit you...friends we didn't know we had would want to visit us...strange, it was always between New Years and Easter...imagine that.

If you retired overseas say to San Miguel Allende in Mexico, a top 10 pick in places to retire, you will have no shortage of visitors who will come away impressed at how smart you are to enjoy living cheap but very, very well on your social security check.

If I retire overseas there is a language barrier

What second language is most often taught in non US countries? In Costa Rica for instance the populace has a 95% literacy rate and almost all of the children can speak English better than you or I.

In almost any country or city you find yourselves in to enjoy frugal retirement living, you can find someone to speak English.

A personal story in Martinigue, I had always heard how rude the French were, etc. but I really wanted to get some good pate and cheese in a big grocery store. I smiled at the lady behind the counter, informed her I was American (like she didn't know by looking), excused myself that I spoke no French, and wanted to buy some good pate and cheese...I could not shut the lady up...I was stuffed on samples she insisted that I just had to try.

A little kindness goes along way when you retire overseas. Of course you don't have to retire to know that, do you?

Point being, if you try, you will be understood. Language should not be a barrier to living cheaply and to retire overseas. Having said that, if I were to retire to Mexico or Panama say tomorrow I would try to learn Spanish.

There are lots of schools you can attend. You can go the immersion route, where you go live for 2 to 4 weeks with a family that will only speak the native language until you leave. If that sounds a bit much or scares you there is always Rosetta Stone software that can do the job.

Don't let language be an obstacle for you to retire overseas. However, in Mexico for instance, if you do speak passable Spanish, you can really live cheap.

If you choose to be surrounded by other gringos, just be aware that those locales will be more expensive. Speaking Spanish, you can go anywhere you want and really live cheap.

Retire overseas? They hate Americans

This is just not true. Most every native is glad that you have chosen their country to visit or live in. They want and need your dollars that you spend. They want you to recommend their country to your friends, etc. What earthly reason do they have to hate Americans (or Canadians, sorry for excluding you from this myth)?

Having said that I can see why some local people think that way...we give them reason to hate us. In the islands and South America, I have observed cruise ship passengers and guests at high dollar resorts remind us of the term Ugly American . I know you are not this way or you would have stopped reading a long time ago.

By personal observation I have cringed at some of the rude behavior that some in those two groups have exhibited toward locals. It is like they have never left the US, they expect it to be done their way and quickly. The bad ones act as if they are entitled to the cruise or vacation at the Ritz and are oblivious to the fact they are not "home".

The locals, and the visiting frugal livers, have to laugh and wish them a safe journey.

If you retire overseas you will be alone

By some estimates there are currently 1,000,000 Americans and Canadians living in Mexico, one of the best places to retire , well over half that number are living there live year round. They are there for the weather and a great lifestyle that is obtainable for less than half what they would pay in the US.

So if you want to be surrounded by familiar faces there you go. If you want to be alone, or want a break from your countrymen and women, that is available as well, the choice is yours. So if you think you are going to really stand out if you retire overseas you won't.

A great way to see if living overseas is for you...is to take a vacation first, find information about getting good deals on Riviera Maya all inclusive vacations in Mexico.

If I retire overseas there won't be any good shopping

Check me on this, there are currently 98 Walmart stores and 31 Costco warehouses in Mexico alone. The availability of the products we are accustomed to in the US is more than available overseas. "Our" retailers will go wherever there is a market for them.

Are you running out of objections  to enjoy frugal retirement living?

Retire Overseas!!

Tell us why you chose the country you chose for retirement

There are many places to live outside the US to retire and to retire frugally. People need encouragement to take what is a big step for some. Help encourage them by sharing your story.

This is your chance to let us know why you think your country is the best.

Enter Your Title

Tell Us Your Story! [ ? ]

Close Help Entering your story is easy to do. Just type!... Your story will appear on a Web page exactly the way you enter it here. TIP: Since most people scan Web pages, include your best thoughts in your first paragraph.

Upload 1-4 Pictures or Graphics (optional) [ ? ]

Close Help Do you have a picture of your country to add? Great! Click the button and find it on your computer. Then select it.

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Click here to upload more images (optional)

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Author Information (optional)

To receive credit as the author, enter your information below.

Your Name	(first or full name)
Your Location	(ex. City, State, Country)

Submit Your Contribution

Check box to agree to these submission guidelines.

(You can preview and edit on the next page)

What Other Visitors Have Said About Retiring Overseas

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

---