I thought Uruguay is expensive?
If not it's worth looking into.
If not in your home country, then where do you plan to retire?
-
buffalofan
- Posts: 350
- Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2010 11:08 pm
Re: If not in your home country, then where do you plan to retire?
Regarding Mexico, Baja (except for Cabo) is appealing, but probably not as a full-time base. I would want to balance it out by also having a base with a little more going on. Mexico City is great, but the rents there for the neighborhoods I would want to be in are high for a retiree teacher (and insanely high when compared to the rest of Mexico). PV is popular but just too touristy for my taste. I have heard good things about Guadalajara & Guanajuato but have not yet visited these cities so hard to say if they would be suitable. Love Oaxaca city as a place to visit but I think it is just a little too small to live there - with that said you could live there very cheaply. I think coastal Oaxaca would also be worth checking out, but have not been there myself.
-
ILMathTeachr
- Posts: 26
- Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 11:38 pm
Re: If not in your home country, then where do you plan to retire?
buffalofan wrote:
I think coastal Oaxaca would also be worth checking
> out, but have not been there myself.
I honeymooned in Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo and enjoyed it very much 17 years ago, fwiw. (And yes, I checked the phone books while I was there; no Andy Dufresne nor Randall Stevens listed.Very disappointed. ;-) )
I think coastal Oaxaca would also be worth checking
> out, but have not been there myself.
I honeymooned in Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo and enjoyed it very much 17 years ago, fwiw. (And yes, I checked the phone books while I was there; no Andy Dufresne nor Randall Stevens listed.Very disappointed. ;-) )
Re: If not in your home country, then where do you plan to retire?
Portugal is one of the best countries to retire. The climate is mild, the cost of living is lower than in many Western countries, healthcare is excellent, and the lifestyle is relaxed and welcoming. Many retirees also appreciate the safety, friendly communities, and beautiful coastlines.
If you’re considering your retirement options, check out this guide on retiring in Portugal.
https://www.portugalresidencyadvisors.c ... -portugal/
If you’re considering your retirement options, check out this guide on retiring in Portugal.
https://www.portugalresidencyadvisors.c ... -portugal/
-
Heliotrope
- Posts: 1199
- Joined: Sun May 13, 2018 1:48 am
Re: If not in your home country, then where do you plan to retire?
Spain and Portugal are both great countries.
I wouldn't mind living in either Lisbon, Porto, Madrid, Sevilla or Valencia, or perhaps smaller cities like Coimbra, Zaragoza, Braga or Bilbao.
The Azores (Portuguese archipelago in the mid-Atlantic) also look amazing, although perhaps too remote for my liking.
I already speak Spanish, so Spain might be the easier choice of the two. Lisbon does look like the nicest city of the bunch, but all seem really great, with Valencia being the runner-up for the top spot.
But while both Spain and Portugal are now relatively easy countries to retire in, the quality of healthcare, COL and the ease of getting a visa might be very different by the time I retire. Also, the Summers in Spain (and I assume Portugal) are already brutally hot at times, and might be a lot harder to endure in a decade or two.
Even though I like to plan ahead, sadly I'll have to wait and see what the world looks like when I'm closer to retirement, but both Spain and Portugal are definitely countries I'll keep an eye on. It's really sad that neither countries has great international schools with a decent savings potential.
I wouldn't mind living in either Lisbon, Porto, Madrid, Sevilla or Valencia, or perhaps smaller cities like Coimbra, Zaragoza, Braga or Bilbao.
The Azores (Portuguese archipelago in the mid-Atlantic) also look amazing, although perhaps too remote for my liking.
I already speak Spanish, so Spain might be the easier choice of the two. Lisbon does look like the nicest city of the bunch, but all seem really great, with Valencia being the runner-up for the top spot.
But while both Spain and Portugal are now relatively easy countries to retire in, the quality of healthcare, COL and the ease of getting a visa might be very different by the time I retire. Also, the Summers in Spain (and I assume Portugal) are already brutally hot at times, and might be a lot harder to endure in a decade or two.
Even though I like to plan ahead, sadly I'll have to wait and see what the world looks like when I'm closer to retirement, but both Spain and Portugal are definitely countries I'll keep an eye on. It's really sad that neither countries has great international schools with a decent savings potential.
Re: If not in your home country, then where do you plan to retire?
Working overseas is a waste as you do not build state or social security benefits. I would rather work in the US and retire in Taiwan as they have the best medical system in the world.
-
Heliotrope
- Posts: 1199
- Joined: Sun May 13, 2018 1:48 am
Re: If not in your home country, then where do you plan to retire?
kfssbjj wrote:
> Working overseas is a waste as you do not build state or social security
> benefits. I would rather work in the US and retire in Taiwan as they have
> the best medical system in the world.
First of all, if you think teaching overseas is a waste, perhaps you joined the wrong forum?
And speaking for myself, the increased savings potential that working overseas has afforded me not only grants me a very comfortable lifestyle with lots of travel while working, but has also allowed me to build a sizeable investment account that will yield significantly more purchasing power in retirement than I would have had if I hadn't left.
I do agree that financially it's not the best move for every international teacher (many don't start saving for retirement until it's too late), but plenty of them make it work.
And of course money isn't the only reason why international teachers decide to go abroad. Some just want to escape domestic education, and some want to live abroad and experience different cultures.
Secondly, while Taiwan would be great country to spend retirement, it does not have a designated retirement/residence visa for retirees based solely on age and financial means, like (for example) Malaysia. This means you can’t just declare "I’m retired" and get a retirement visa to live in Taiwan indefinitely without fitting an existing visa category. Most foreign retirees in Taiwan are either married to a Taiwanese spouse or have an APRC after living in Taiwan (on a work or spousal visa) for 5 years.
You can instead do repeated tourist visas or visa-free entries, typically up to 90 days at a time. For this you'll have to leave and re-enter to reset the clock every three months, but this isn’t permanent residence, so it won't make you eligible for the Taiwanese national healthcare insurance.
> Working overseas is a waste as you do not build state or social security
> benefits. I would rather work in the US and retire in Taiwan as they have
> the best medical system in the world.
First of all, if you think teaching overseas is a waste, perhaps you joined the wrong forum?
And speaking for myself, the increased savings potential that working overseas has afforded me not only grants me a very comfortable lifestyle with lots of travel while working, but has also allowed me to build a sizeable investment account that will yield significantly more purchasing power in retirement than I would have had if I hadn't left.
I do agree that financially it's not the best move for every international teacher (many don't start saving for retirement until it's too late), but plenty of them make it work.
And of course money isn't the only reason why international teachers decide to go abroad. Some just want to escape domestic education, and some want to live abroad and experience different cultures.
Secondly, while Taiwan would be great country to spend retirement, it does not have a designated retirement/residence visa for retirees based solely on age and financial means, like (for example) Malaysia. This means you can’t just declare "I’m retired" and get a retirement visa to live in Taiwan indefinitely without fitting an existing visa category. Most foreign retirees in Taiwan are either married to a Taiwanese spouse or have an APRC after living in Taiwan (on a work or spousal visa) for 5 years.
You can instead do repeated tourist visas or visa-free entries, typically up to 90 days at a time. For this you'll have to leave and re-enter to reset the clock every three months, but this isn’t permanent residence, so it won't make you eligible for the Taiwanese national healthcare insurance.