LOOKS LIKE IT'S TIME....8 countries where $200,000 in retirement savings will last 30 years.

I do a lot of walking with no problems. I don't have a car, since it's so easy and cheap to just take a taxi. Rush hour traffic sucks and they drive like maniacs, but it's not anywhere near as bad as traffic in a lot of US cities I've lived in.

I haven't been back to the USA in over 10 years, so I have no clue what rents are like there now. Plus it varies so much from state to state. It's true that rents in Panama City are not cheap, but I wouldn't say they're expensive either. The place I'm renting is nice and in a great neighborhood, and it costs me the same amount that a comparable place cost me to rent in California 30-years ago.

Medical care here is really inexpensive compared to the USA. A person can easily go out of pocket. Medication is much cheaper here too, and a prescription is not necessary for most meds.

As for having no civil rights, it seems to me like that has become the case for Americans living in the USA. The things I read about that are happening back home really grieve me.

Being from south florida I can't imagine wanting to go to a worst off third world country. Sell your shit condo, they're pretty cheap here, buy some land in a rural spot a little north. GTFO Dade or broward. Buy a triplex there and rent it out. It will more than pay for your new 5br with in ground pool with guest house in Arkansas. Dude I know just picked one up for 36k. And yeah he says I'm out, already got a job at the local college. Fuck that place youre at maybe, but then again fuck you and later. There are plenty of places here, in AMERICA, that you can live that are cheaper than where you are probably at. Ocean algae a few counties away? Give me a break. Will that affect your canal dock? First world problems causing an exodus to third world. Give me a break. Plenty of cheap spots on the outside of lake Okeechobee. Ex Pat if you want for whatever bullshit, but I would prefer you actually be a pat.

According to Blowhorn the rich are fleeing to Chile msinly.
Maybe thats the place to go?

Uruguay is good.

A place like Punta del Este is wonderful. Totally First World. Safe with all conveniences.

Uruguay has very little corruption, if none.

It is not cheap but nothing like the prices we know in our countries (EU and US). All depends what kind of living standard you are looking for.

There's also Argentina but living there in places like Rosario, Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Santa Fe or Mendoza? I like Buenos Aires. I have visited there a number of times living like a local and using public transport.

Argentina has a lot of immigration from the poorer parts of South America. There is some crime. Also they are very political. There are gigantic protests at times and violence and there is crime.

that was one of the reasons i started this thread to get peoples feed back and it has been informative.

interesting..

Chile is on the list.

What's wrong with rural America?
It's way safer than Central/South America.
Colonial time is over, stay in your country.

believe me nobody is scoffing at you, least of all me.

don't think this hasn't been in the back of my mind because it has.

i agree with you 100% but hopefully we will have more than just two years.

i need five but i know that seems like a stretch.

you say that like i don't know WTF is goin on down there.

Venezuela would be the LAST place on earth i would consider.

Belize . . . the island Ambergris Caye. I was there last year and there was nothing I didn't love about the place. There is much crime in Belize City so you'd want to avoid it. But a fifteen minute flight over the water and you're on this PRISTINE island, friendly locals and expats, it's not crowded, no cars allowed just golf carts. Beautiful clear water and snorkeling around the reef is spectacular.

I got sick there and had to go to the local hospital. I had two doctors see me, hooked me up to a nebulizer, gave me antibiotics - chest infection - I was SO sick.

All for free. When I asked how much - they said nothing but there is a donation box if you like.

Only a two and a half hour flight from Houston. So you can get back quickly if you need to.

:SunandMoon:

Gonna have to check this out. I might still be a loner at that point in life, but...

funny but i had a feeling you had been there sloane.

sounds absolutely incredible.

i like the idea of a 'donation box'...

but what?

don't leave us in suspense pool.

tell us.

Here is the link to House Hunters International.
You can see what people are buying all over the world.

[link to www.hgtv.com]

excellent...

thank you kindly.

I have sailed the world several times....IMHO....Costa Rica is where the wife and I felt most comfortable....honestly....part of me wanted to say it was terrible....just so it could maybe stay that way for the folks that live there now

Being from south florida I can't imagine -

exactly. you are stuck in your narrow mindset, you CANT imagine anything different than your narrow opinion. Odds are you have experienced few other countries and cultures.

And why would YOU PREFER someone actually be a "pat" ? There are reasons people expat. Enjoy the sinking ship, Ahoy!!

Look up Ajijic Mexico. Perfect weather, full of expats, and you don't even have to learn Spanish.

Nice thread. Planning on Costa Rica myself.

I'm moving so I can play online poker for a living again on Pokerstars. Amazing I have to leave the USA to play a fucking game called TEXAS holdem. The USA is gone.

Can an America deposit money in a Chilean bank there? If so, which bank is good? Is it easy to buy property there? How do you set up residency.

Also, what about Paraguay? I hear its easy to move there.

sad isn't it?


good questions and hopefully someone will be along that can answer these question for us.

I've heard though that if you own a home there and leave for a few months (I think you have to leave the country every 6 months for a day or something) your house will be empty when you come back

You won't be able to handle it here… so don't even bother!

who is this statement directed at mr costa rica?

Here's my list, based on 3 simple conditions:

1) It must be safe to walk around at night for old people. This tells you how much people respect the law, and how well it is enforced.

2) It must not be heavily-influenced by the USA. This puts places like Australia and New Zealand (and many countries in South and Central America) out of the running

3) It must be relatively free of certain political ideologues. You know which one I'm talking about. What will the country look like in 25 years, demographically? Is math on your side?

From these three conditions we're left with the following countries:

-South Korea
-Japan

(Yes, you could retire in Japan for that amount and live comfortably. You can rent a newly-renovated 500 square foot apartment in a large city for about $400 a month.)

We may also add:

-Chile
-China
-Uruguay

In times of peril, how are your neighbors going to react? What will the cities look like?

Do you really need to "bring your gun" or be in a place where you don't have to use it?

By the way. It is relatively easy for a native English speaker with a degree to get a job teaching English in the first two countries, also. You'd earn more than enough to pay for all of your expenses in either country, and have a visa to boot.

Girls outside of the USA have far, far lower expectations and very different priorities. I'm Caucasian, fair skin, blond, light eyes but have talked extensively with those from other countries. For example in Russia the saying goes, "A man needs only to look better than a monkey." With serious alcoholism so prevalent along with physical violence many poverty stricken girls abroad only seek a man who is very kind to them. They may have few economic alternatives and would rather have one man they can trust. It's a young woman's responsibility to help support her elderly relatives.

I can't wai to move to one of those countries where somebody will happily murder me for my money.

learn to speak Spanish at [link to www.duolingo.com (secure)]

100% free

I decided early on to retire overseas. I thought it would be Boquete, Panama. I studied Spanish. But, now I am here in Korea.

Health insurance is top rate and inexpensive. You really can just pay out of pocket, it is that cheap. I go straight to a specialist, no referral, an ear nose throat doctor. I had an ear infection. The visit and medicine was 20 dollars. That was the cost of my deductible in the USA.

Stealing bikes is the worst crime that I am aware of. I go every where without the worry of crime. This may not be so true for women. There may be a problem with sex crime against women.

It is not a police state like the USA. The old people are the real police. The police are just there to look pretty. Just, do not yell back if an old person is scolding you. Try to sneak away.

And the public transportation means you can do away with that expensive car.