• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Future Expats

Create an Untethered Life Overseas

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • About
    • Big Fat Disclaimer
    • Privacy Policy
  • Portable Careers
    • Blogging
      • Blogging for Expats WordPress Tutorials
    • Life Coaching
    • Photography
    • Teaching
    • Websites
    • Writing
  • Prepping the Move
    • Countdown
    • Narrowing Your Country/City Search
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Australia/New Zealand
      • Central America
      • Europe
      • North America
      • Region
      • South America
    • Visas and Residency
    • Quality of Life
    • Learning the Language
    • Health Care
    • Technology
  • Panama
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Hire Me!
    • Expat Resources: Prepping the Move
    • Expat Resources: Portable Careers
    • Expat Resources: Technology
    • Book and Movie Reviews
You are here: Home / Prepping the Move / Narrowing Your Country/City Search / Why This is the Best Overseas Retirement Index I’ve Seen. . .

Why This is the Best Overseas Retirement Index I’ve Seen. . .

September 16, 2017 by FutureExpat

Why This is the Best Overseas Retirement Index I’ve Seen. . .

Every year, respected publications publish their “best of” indexes for living overseas.

This year, Live & Invest Overseas has done a phenomenal job. The index is robust, at more than 300 pages, and it zeros in, not on countries, but on specific cities and towns.

Best of all, this resource is free for you if you subscribe to their magazine. (By itself, the Overseas Retirement Index costs $47 — and if you’re seriously planning an overseas move, totally worth it!)

Note that “overseas retirement index” may be a little misleading. . . These recommendations are very helpful for retirees. They’re equally helpful for anyone with a portable career who wants to live abroad, so if you’re not yet retired, mentally substitute the word “living” for “retirement.”

Let’s take a look at why I think this year’s index is so terrific.

#1. It Breaks Out Results According to What’s Important to You

Are you looking for a tropical beach?

There are sections devoted to the best types of places to live:

  • Beach / Island destinations
  • City
  • Small town
  • Highland
  • Historical
  • “The best of the rest,” including best LGBTQ, best for single women, best for kids, best for millennials, and best to find romance

This structure makes it super easy for you to find what you’re looking for.

#2. Recommendations are Graded

If you don't want to deal with the aftermath of a hurricane, like this, pay attention to the climate information.

Grades are based on important factors, with clear explanations for how each grade was arrived at. They include:

  • Cost of living
  • Climate
  • Health care
  • Entertainment
  • Recreation
  • English spoken
  • Expat community
  • Infrastructure, including important things like:
    • internet
    • electricity
    • domestic access (roads, public transportation)
    • international access (airports, direct flights to US and Canada)
  • Environment, including pollution, drinking water, litter, etc.
  • Crime
  • Affordability of real estate
  • Real estate restrictions
  • Residency
  • Taxes

#3. “Best of” Specified for Each Region

You’ll find the best beach and island communities in Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Ditto for the best small towns, cities, etc. So if you already know you want to enjoy the Old World, for example, you can skip directly to the European choices.

#4. Best of the Best

Finally, you’ll find the best overall picks for each region.

These include a monthly budget breakdown in the local currency, with the total translated into US dollars. It also includes a summary of the grades awarded.

This page is suitable for printing so you can take it with you and study it!

This series of tables makes it very easy to directly compare several locations of interest.

#5. Even More Information

As if that all weren’t enough, you’ll also find helpful information about some of the most vexing questions, like

  • How to move your pets overseas (I’ve done it, and it’s a very detailed and time-sensitive process)
  • How to get mail abroad
  • Smartphone apps to install before you go
  • Best golf courses where you’re going
  • Best fishing spots

There’s even a corruption index, so you know in advance where you’re mostly likely to be asked for a bribe if you’re the subject of a traffic stop.

There are lots more extras, too, including graphics that show clearly the differences in internet speeds, or climates, in the various recommended locations.

I’ve been reading these “best of” indexes for years, and this one is the most thorough and interesting of any I’ve seen. Hats off to the staff of Live & Invest Overseas for producing such a great resource.

Subscribe to the Magazine

Some of these links may be affiliate links. That means, if you click and place an order, I receive a small commission. It helps me keep this site running. Thanks.


Other articles you might enjoy:

  • What Are the Best Countries to Retire in 2017?
  • Mid-2017 Cost of Living Update
  • How to Travel the World (and Not Pay Rent!)

Filed Under: Narrowing Your Country/City Search, Prepping the Move Tagged With: best city, best country, best places

Primary Sidebar

Visit Panama

Panama Relocation Tours

VPN Services

Best VPN for TravelersBest VPN for Travelers

Sale on .COM Domains!

KINGCOM domain salepixel

More Posts

House in Las Tablas, Panama

In Search of the Elusive Rental Casa in Las Tablas, Panama

7 Planning Steps Bridget Jones Can Teach Future Expats

Free E-book: Untether Yourself

Teach English in Asia to Finance Your Life Overseas

do you suffer from expat guilt?

The Flip Side of Expat Guilt

Countdown! Week 5 Already!

Top Expat Blogs – How Cool is That?

Here's a new award. . . We've just been named to the Top Expat Blogs list at Ranked Blogs! If you like us, click the link and vote us up! we're one of the top expat blogs at Ranked Blogs! Future Expats was recently awarded a spot in the Top 100 Expat Blogs.

Follow Me

  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 Future Expats Forum
Proudly running on a Genesis Theme by StudioPress