To quote a line from the popular Game of Thrones: “Winter is coming.” The days are getting shorter, the temperatures are dropping, snow boots and warm coats will soon find their way out of the closet.
But what if you could escape the winter? What if you could find a place where you can sip cocktails at a beach bar as the sun blazes overhead and warm turquoise waters lap at your feet? A tropical retirement is often seen as a privilege of the rich, alone. Not so. When you know where to go, you can enjoy year-round sunshine—or, indeed, whatever climate suits your tastes—for a lot less than you’ll spend at home.
In this month’s cover story (you can read it here), we investigate three warm-weather retirement havens that offer true Caribbean living, but at a low cost. Of his life on the island of Roatán, expat Kendall Beymer says; “I have lived throughout the Caribbean, and Roatán clearly provides the best overall value for my money.” IL Roving Latin America Editor Jason Holland says of the Dominican Republic: “On the north coast, you can get a furnished, walk-to-the-beach, two-bedroom condo, in a good location for $400 and up.” And on Mexico’s tiny Isla Mujeres, IL Mexico Correspondent Don Murray says, “Expats can enjoy an affordable island retirement in casual, Caribbean comfort.”
While the northern hemisphere prepares for freezing conditions, countries in the southern hemisphere are gearing up for summer. On the tranquil outskirts of cosmopolitan Medellin, Colombia (where temperatures are a comfortable 75 F year-round), Nancy Kiernan has been checking out the price of real estate in the city’s charming pueblos, small communities outside the metropolis. “The value you get for your money, whether buying or renting, is notable,” says Nancy. “A five-bedroom house in one of these towns is on the market for just $122,000.” Read Nancy’s full report.
Also in the southern hemisphere, Walter Rhein lives in the Peruvian capital of Lima, where a couple can live comfortably on $2,000 to $3,000 a month. And there’s no dealing with extreme weather. Walters says, “The climate is mild year-round, not like norther Wisconsin, where you’re dealing with 30 below.”
Panama offers similar perks—warm beaches, cooler highlands, and not a snowflake anywhere. Cliff and Yvonne Bullis moved there in 2016. “We were looking for a place that has no heat, no snow, and is affordable,” Yvonne says. They found all that in the country’s Chiriqui province. Read their story here.
This winter, you really can ditch the ice scraper and colossal heating bills. This month, we’ll point you to all sorts of good-value spots where it’s possible—and for less than it would cost to stay put.
With serious chill looming in the northern hemisphere, why not escape to someplace where you don’t have to worry about putting on that winter coat? Sure, you may miss a White Christmas (and snow storms and freezing rain, too). But you could switch things up and hit the beach, or a thriving metropolis, or choose a bustling (and artsy) port city, instead. And the beauty of a move down south is that you’ll miss winter entirely...
At the age of 52, my parents had lived their entire lives in only two states: Massachusetts, where they were born, and Maine, where they’d moved in their 20s. At 22, a newly minted college graduate, I moved to Virginia. That was the third state that I would call home. My trajectory was not unusual: Child grows up, attends college out of state, graduates, and relocates for new opportunities...
In the U.S. today, a “real” retirement is slipping out of the hands of millions of Americans. But look overseas, and your options expand. If you know where to look, you can make your dreams a reality for pennies on the dollar. And at the same time, you can protect your portfolio and position yourself for gains…all outside the U.S. or Canada...
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