As for retirees trying to decide where to go, Portugal has established a retirement program that allows expatriates residency in the country if they are able to prove a monthly combined income of €1,200 (~$1,350/month USD). The diversity and beauty of Europe have many people considering the move – and ultimately the commencement of retirement planning. Note: When it comes to pensions, taxes and asset protection, the laws and rules are complicated. Alcohol is cheap, and so is public transport. When you become a tax resident in Spain, your pension income is taxed in Spain (not the UK) at Spanish income tax rates, under the double taxation agreement between Spain and the UK. We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. Additionally, the healthcare system in France is excellent, and all foreigners have access to French healthcare after three months of residence, according to Expatica.com. Transport, petrol and basic utilities are cheaper, and so is alcohol – even imported. You’ll enjoy diversity with a high quality of life and stability that only Germany can deliver. Other factors, such as good health care system in Portugal and low crime rates, are other reasons why Porgutal has continued to be on the rise for expatriates retiring abroad. You can usually expect a reimbursement in the region of 70 percent for visiting a doctor, dentist or specialist, around 80 percent of hospital costs and up to 100 percent of prescribed medications. Property prices, as always, depend on locations. A two-bedroom apartment in St Paul’s Bay (another popular, but not as upmarket, location) will cost around £140,000. Our review is based on the following criteria: These are the finalists we think Britons should be looking at. When it comes to taxes, the advantages of retiring to Germany are not so pronounced. If you are planning to buy your own home in Spain, the average price per square metre is about €4,978 (£4,470), even when expensive cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao are thrown into the mix. In the US, unprecedented numbers of seniors are pushing past the once typical retirement age of 65 and working until about 72. Your UK state pension will be frozen at its current rate upon first payment, with no increases linked to inflation. Easy access to the US is also a selling point — it is about three hours from Miami by plane. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. Plus, Expatistan.com says Prague is around 40 percent cheaper than Dallas in both housing and overall cost of living; healthcare is also very affordable. Switzerland. On average, the cost of living in Cyprus is 31 percent lower than in the UK. Galway tops our list for Ireland due to its close setting to the striking Cliffs of Moher, quaint streets lined with pubs, and the advantage of having several nearby hospitals, supermarkets, and shops. If you advance your language skills beyond simple shopping terms, the rewards will be immense – you’ll gain respect, build local friendships more readily and are much more likely to be accepted as a full member of the local community. The same is true of property prices. The cost-of-living category addressed minutiae like the cost of a liter of milk and a movie ticket, while the healthcare category covered the costs of medical procedures, common medications, and ease of access, as well as quality. Certain medicines are also available under the national health system at a discounted rate. Offering spectacular, historic churches, scenic beach towns, and regional wine, Portugal is packed with sights and activities to keep retirees busy. Just like with Germany, there is a QROPS solution available when you retire to Italy. On average, France is just seven percent cheaper than the UK, so there’s no great gain here. While many choose to stay in their current city, or head down to sunny Florida, an increasing number of Americans are retiring abroad (approximately 400,000 current retirees, according to the Social Security Administration). US News & World Report ranked this country second in terms of its quality of life in its best countries of 2020 list. There are international airports all over the country: Lisbon, Faro and Porto have regular connections to major cities worldwide. France, Greece and Andorra all scored equally to vie as contenders for our fifth place. Here are the best places to retire in the world on a budget. Transfer your pension pot to Gibraltar QROPS. There’s no social security agreement between the UK and Bulgaria. The fact that Malta is so popular with expats and retirees, especially Britons, doesn’t come as a surprise considering the country’s beautiful climate, its historic connections with the UK and its proximity to the continent. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. To buy a property in Tuscany, for example, will cost you on average €2,300 (£2,060) per square metre. Portuguese is a difficult language to learn, though. In 2015 Malta topped the Telegraph’s list of the 10 best countries for Britons to retire abroad. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. The ranking takes several factors into consideration, including the cost of healthcare, the cost of living, the process of obtaining a visa and owning property, the access to entertainment, and the ease of assimilation. Nancy Kiernan was initially drawn to Colombia because it is so biodiverse. Ireland is not the cheapest place to retire (Dublin is roughly 23 percent more expensive than Dallas), but it helps make up for this in terms of livability, thanks to friendly residents, easy-to-navigate infrastructure, and lots to keep busy — especially for golfers. Munich, for example, named the most livable city in the world by Forbes (and justly so), is very expensive with an average price for a square metre in the centre reaching over €10,000. Hospitalisation, however, can make bills mount up fast. There’s no doubt that any region of Italy offers stunning landscapes, rich history, and mouth-watering cuisine, but some are less tourist-filled and pricey than others. John Powell, once a purchasing agent in New York, moved to Hanoi in 2014. "And it's quite easy to fit in.". Both private and public healthcare is available, with the former being a relatively low-cost option for avoiding long queues at doctor’s offices. The rest of the medical fees have to be covered by the patient. There is a big British expat community in Spain which means that, although you will definitely benefit from learning Spanish, there is no huge driver to become proficient or to learn it as soon as possible. However, many expats choose to have private health cover to avoid long waiting periods and ensure that the specialists they see speak good English.