Best Places In The World To Retire

The healthcare in Portugal was a sensitive issue for us for many years because until we joined the European Union we were an undeveloped country. We came from the two world wars then we went through a dictatorship then there was a revolution and the Communists took over and that made our country even poorer. As a result, Portugal’s medical facilities were not top of the line 30 years ago. But then we joined the European Union and as we joined the European Union, there are certain...

The healthcare in Portugal was a sensitive issue for us for many years because until we joined the European Union we were an undeveloped country. We came from the two world wars then we went through a dictatorship then there was a revolution and the Communists took over and that made our country even poorer. As a result, Portugal’s medical facilities were not top of the line 30 years ago. But then we joined the European Union and as we joined the European Union, there are certain rules with which we had to comply, and the quality of our medical systems was one of them. At that moment, there were two or three really famous Portuguese businessmen who invested heavily in medical facilities and systems, so today, and for the past 10 years, we are at the same level as any other civilized European country. So we have very good medical facilities at the moment.  We are on par with France, Great Britain, etc.
 
There was a trend 10 years ago when there was a big boom in the construction of private hospitals.  In the last 10 years, the Social Democratic Party took over, and one of their measures was to develop the public medical system, so they built all these new hospitals and clinics. I come from a middle-high class family and I use the public medical system. I compared the public and private system because I have private medical insurance and I have a public hospital near by and I use both. I didn’t used to go to the public system because of it having bad reputation in the old days. But the other day, I had a problem with my son and I took him to the public hospital and I was impressed because I got better service than at the private hospital. I don’t know if it was a coincidence but the hospital was brand new with a very quick reply. I went in and out in an hour and sometimes that doesn’t happen in hospitals around the world. So I am very, very impressed with our public medical system at the moment.  

 

(View of Hospital São José from Castelo de São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal, pictured.)

If you’re shopping in the larger supermarkets in Panama, you can probably expect to pay roughly what you would pay in the US or a Canadian supermarket. You’re not going to see much price difference.
 
Where the savings for food in Panama really comes in is if you, for example, love seafood and cooking like I do.  I go to the seafood market here in Panama City where you can get beautiful, fresh seafood of all types for a very, very low amount. They’ve...

If you’re shopping in the larger supermarkets in Panama, you can probably expect to pay roughly what you would pay in the US or a Canadian supermarket. You’re not going to see much price difference.
 
Where the savings for food in Panama really comes in is if you, for example, love seafood and cooking like I do.  I go to the seafood market here in Panama City where you can get beautiful, fresh seafood of all types for a very, very low amount. They’ve also got a fruit and vegetable market, where you can purchase fruits and vegetables for a fraction for what you would pay at a supermarket. 
 
As a result, the more adventurous people and those who enjoy going to the local markets can find great savings. For example, I can get fresh sea bass for $2.25 a pound. 
 
I love to cook with jumbo shrimp (and when I say “jumbo shrimp,” it’s about the size of your hand), which at the seafood market costs about $7.50 a pound. If you want to get a normal sized shrimp as opposed to jumbo shrimp, you can get that for $3.50 a pound.
 
If you go to the local markets to purchase fruits and vegetables, you can buy mangoes for 30 cents a pound; extremely cheap. I personally like organic fruits and vegetables.  There’s an organic food delivery service here in Panama City that will deliver once a week a huge box of a variety of fruits and vegetables, for which you pay $30.  A similar sized box in Toronto, for example, would cost me about $80.  

 

(Fish monger at a seafood market in Panama City, Panama, pictured.)

To rent a decent one bedroom apartment in San Juan del Sur perhaps with a view of the ocean and 2 – 3 blocks from the ocean would cost $500 / month. 
 
Beer in San Juan del Sur is $1.  You can get a nice meal (i.e., a lobster dinner) for $10, and you can eat a lot cheaper than that if you choose to.
  
To give you an example of the price of a house in San Juan del Sur, I just sold a relatively smaller 3-bedroom 3-bathroom house that’s going to...

To rent a decent one bedroom apartment in San Juan del Sur perhaps with a view of the ocean and 2 – 3 blocks from the ocean would cost $500 / month. 
 
Beer in San Juan del Sur is $1.  You can get a nice meal (i.e., a lobster dinner) for $10, and you can eat a lot cheaper than that if you choose to.
  
To give you an example of the price of a house in San Juan del Sur, I just sold a relatively smaller 3-bedroom 3-bathroom house that’s going to be built with a small terrace and a pool, on a small lot with a view of the ocean (although not on the ocean) for $250,000. 

My understanding is that, for some states such as California, you can file as a non-resident and be eligible for an exclusion from state income taxes as well. Some states allow the exclusion, and some states don’t, so you need to check the law in your particular state.