Press enter to see results or esc to cancel.

What are the top expat retirement spots for 2022?

Did you know that your pension and/or retirement savings can go a longer way abroad than it does in your home country? There might also be other benefits like warm weather, delicious food, and a thriving retirement community to be a part of. It’s no wonder that many retirees are in awe of the expat lifestyle in their golden ages and move abroad to the likes of Mexico, Portugal, Thailand, and more. While there’s no objective ‘best place to live after retirement’, this Pacific Prime Latin America article explores some of the top expat retirement spots in 2022 from a North American perspective. 

Individual health insurance blog

Planning for retirement abroad 

Sipping coconuts on the beach sounds like a great retirement plan, but is it one that’s practical for you? Before you pack your bags and head to your dream destination, it’s important to set retirement goals (i.e. what kind of lifestyle are you after?), have a financial plan (i.e. how are you going to fund this?), and research into factors like healthcare, safety, and more (i.e. are there any challenges to consider?). The sooner you start planning for retirement abroad, the easier it’ll be to turn your dream into reality. 

Choosing a country

If you don’t know where to live after retirement and are open to exploring possibilities, you can consider the ones on the ‘Live and Invest Overseas’ index. As a resource for people who want to live, retire, and invest overseas, the index comes up with the top 15 expat retirement spots (plus the monthly budget needed to live there) using indicators like living, costs, health care, entertainment, recreation, English proficiency, expat community, infrastructure, access to North America, environmental factors, crime, real estate restrictions, residency, and taxes. 

Top 15 expat retirement spots

Unsurprisingly, about a third of the countries on the index are in the Latin American region – a region that is a consistently popular retirement destination for expats

  1. Comporta, Portugal – Monthly budget is USD $2,935
  2. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – Monthly budget is USD $1,820
  3. Cayo, Belize – Monthly budget is USD $1,588
  4. Northern Cyprus – Monthly budget is USD $1,180
  5. Paris, France – Monthly budget is USD $4,202
  6. County Clare, Ireland – Monthly budget is USD $2,360
  7. Città Sant’Angelo, Italy – Monthly budget is USD $1,804
  8. Salinas, Ecuador – Monthly budget is USD $1,893
  9. Phuket, Thailand – Monthly budget is USD $1,190
  10. Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic – Monthly budget is USD $1,420
  11. Santa Marta, Colombia – Monthly budget is USD $1,398
  12. Kotor, Montenegro – Monthly budget is USD $1,755
  13. Tierras Altas, Panama – Monthly budget is USD $ $2,749
  14. Istria, Croatia – Monthly budget is USD $2,110
  15. Ubud, Indonesia – Monthly budget is USD $953

Healthcare for retirees 

Health problems are likely to spring up the older we get. That’s why the cost of healthcare and access to healthcare is such an important consideration for expat retirees, and one that almost all retirement indexes look into. As a global health insurance brokerage in Latin America, healthcare in the region (including Mexico) is right up our alley. Rest assured, we can guide you through everything you need to know to be in control of your finances and health as you age. 

Secure retiree health insurance via Pacific Prime Latin America today!

In addition to guiding you through the healthcare systems, we also help you secure private health insurance so that you can avoid overcrowded facilities and any language barrier in the public healthcare system and benefit from world-class healthcare and comfortable amenities in the private healthcare system. 

Our highly-trained insurance advisors can help you source the best retiree health insurance plans in the region and match them to your needs and budget, as well as provide heaps of support and assistance along the way. 

Contact us today to get started!

Get an Insurance quote banner

Senior Content Creator at Pacific Prime Latin America
Suphanida is a Senior Content Creator at Pacific Prime, an award-winning global health insurance and employee benefits specialist.

With over 5 years of experience in the field, Suphanida spends the majority of her day synthesizing complex pieces of insurance-related information and translating this into easy-to-understand, engaging, and effective content across a variety of media such as articles, infographics, whitepapers, videos, and more.

Suphanida is also responsible for planning and publishing three whitepapers released annually by Pacific Prime: The State of Health Insurance Report, The Cost of Health Insurance Report, and The Global Employee Benefits Trends Report. Additionally, she handles the LinkedIn profiles of Pacific Prime’s Founder and CEO, as well as Global HR Lead.

Suphanida’s strengths lie in her strong research and analytical skills, which she has gained from her BA in Politics from the University of Warwick and Erasmus Mundus Joint MA in Journalism from Aarhus University and City, University of London.

Being of Thai-Indian origin and having lived, studied, and worked in Thailand, the UK, and Denmark, Suphanida also has a unique, multicultural perspective that helps her understand the struggles of expats and globetrotters.

Outside of work, she enjoys traveling to new places and immersing herself in different cultures.
Suphanida Thakral