Retiring Abroad

Worksforme;:”Retiring to another country is something I have often thought about. But I just can't make the numbers work. My home and property is paid for as are my vehicles. Basically I have no debt. When I tally the insurance, utilities, taxes and maintenance costs I come up with an average of between $600 and $650 a month. So far I haven't found any country in the world where I can have a residence with all the amenities as mine does at a cost anywhere remotely close to what it costs me to be here..”

You’d sell your house and your vehicles and most of your other belongings. Put that money in some kind of an investment fund that gives you income. Then move to a place like Ecuador, Mexico, Thailand or Panama where your money would go a long way and the lifestyle would be less stressful. Another option: for the money you get for your house, you could probably buy or rent a much nicer rental place abroad and have money left over.

Think, too, whether you really need all of the material things you have.

International Living magazine has a lot of info about comparison costs of various countries that could be good places to retire to.

Learning something new as one ages is a good way to make friends, be interesting, expand one’s world, and keep one’s brain from deteriorating. I’ve been studying Spanish for several years even though learning languages is hard for me. I’m seeing progress even though I doubt i’ll ever be fluent.

Here’s a follow-up on my life in Mexico since post SM partner and I moved here from Florida last June.

Once we arrived here (after selling his house, my car and all of our belongings that didn’t fit into his SUV), it has been the easiest transition to a new area in my life, and as an adult, I lived in 8 states and DC). People here — gringos snd Mexicans are so wrlcomithst you can make friends by walking down the street or going to a restaurant.

We moved here because it has community theater in English. We met in community theater in Florida and wanted to continue pursuing that hobby. So far, we have performed together in a play here and have each performed in one additional production. We were supposed to perform in another play but that has been postponed due to the virus and quarantine.

I’ve taken a lot of Spanish classes and now can have casual conversations with the very patient and kind native speakers here.

I found a wonderful doctor who within minutes correctly diagnosed me with hypothyroidism. I’d had symptoms for at least 3 years including tiredness and significant hair loss but my US doctors missed the diagnosis. Incidentally, I paid about $25 US for my hour-long doctor’s visit! Doctors here go by their first name, eg, “Dr. Lupita,” and they take their time and even make house calls and drive patients to the hospital!

Instead of paying the at least $600 US a month insurance would cost me here (without covering preexisting conditions), I’m self insuring as are many expats. Quality of medical care is very good where I live. Throughout Mexico, prescription medications are much cheaper than in the US. A four-month supply of one of my meds costs about $60 here. In the US with insurance, it cost me $100-200. Without insurance, the generic was $600 a month!

We have a beautifully furnished 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment with patio, washer/dryer, dishwasher, filtered water, patio, Internet, and air conditioner for $850 US a month. Our electric bill is about $20 US a month.

Most of the expats here are interesting, friendly, fun, and independent. They are the type of people who chart their own lives. Many have lived in other countries and have been married multiple times. They view things like past marriages as lessons learned, not things to be ashamed of. They also are very active in arts, volunteer, and athletic groups.

Until the quarantine, we were seldom home because we both we’re more involved (typically separately) in so many outside activities. Quarantine is hard because we were used to doing so many things with other people but at least we are quarantined with Internet service and with someone we love!

When we decided to become expats, most of our friends either thought we were just fantasizing or they thought we were making a mistake. But our move has worked out for us. It has been thrilling to do something new like this in our senior years.

And, fwiw, none of this would have likely happened if 8 years ago I hadn’t decided to divorce my husband of 34 years. Life was too short for me to continue in a dead and sexless marriage. When I decided to divorce, I had no lover or prospective one. I just knew I’d be happier living alone than remaining with my refuser. That perspective opened my world.

Pps. When I worked in the university cinema there was a Mexican guy. He destroyed all the Mexican myths. He was smart, funny, interesting and a foodie. He disdained the Tex mex style of cooking and described longingly the various regional foods. He made Mexico come alive and stop being a tourist destination.

I'm on twitter a lot. I used to think the US was a that. Not anymore. Sadly, people from other devoped nations and some that are considered less developed have altered my opinion.

I'm not saying the US isn't the land of milk and honey for some. But it's not the greatest country in the world in many ways.

It pains me to say that. I don't know if I could ever leave here for good, but I know one thing-I'd definitely consider traveling to Mexico if I needed major dental work, for example.

We have talked about retiring in an ex pat community. Not sure where we have seen several that look nice and cheap living but should need a lot more investigation to actually go. I'm not sure how I feel about leaving my kids and grandson but in 13 years when I can my grandson will be in high school and my kids will be creeping up on 50 so I may be less reluctant at that time
I also watched that show on hgtv about moving to other countries.