Sandy S. Says:
Hello, I was wondering if El Salvador is on your list to explore the retirement possibilities?
IL Lifestyle Editor Sean Keenan Says:
Hi Sandy,
I’m delighted that you’ve asked about El Salvador. I visited the country on a scouting trip back in September 2021, and was very impressed by much of what I found. In fact, of all the places I’ve traveled for International Living, I can truly say that El Salvador was my favorite.
First off, I have to say that it’s a destination for the more adventurous retiree. For one thing, it has no established expat hub to speak of.
While there are plenty of North Americans living in El Salvador, they are distributed throughout the country rather than in any single popular location such as you might find in Panama, Mexico, or Ecuador. For many, that’s a plus point—El Salvador’s existing expats love it that way, and the ones I spoke to all hoped that their undiscovered tropical hideaway stays a secret! To find the expats in El Salvador, this Facebook group is a good starting point.
Also, you may struggle to find people who speak much English, although it’s more common in areas where there is a tourist industry, such as the bigger beach towns.
Safety, too, is a potential issue. Although El Salvador has made enormous progress in recent years, it still posts some alarming statistics when you look at the hard data. Personally, I think the hard data is deceptive. Yes, El Salvador still has a high homicide rate, but the vast, overwhelming majority of those take place in a small section north of the capital city, San Salvador. They’re the result of a decades-long gang rivalry in the area which, much like turf wars in, say, Chicago or Los Angeles, is concentrated in a specific location. Simply avoid that location, and your chances of getting caught up in any dangerous activity is immediately reduced.
In my personal experience, El Salvador and its capital city were among the least threatening places I’ve been. My interactions with locals were friendly and entertaining, and as a foreigner, I was welcomed with curiosity rather than merely seen as a source of tourist dollars. In fact, tourism in El Salvador is in its infancy. There’s none of the hard-sell there that you might find in other parts of Central America. Which means that you get to enjoy a dramatic Pacific Ocean coastline, Spanish colonial villages, highland coffee plantations, plunging waterfalls, world-class surf, perfect tropical vistas…all without the crowds or the high prices.
What else? Well, it’s close. Less than three hours’ flying time from the U.S., with regular connections from its small, manageable, but modern international airport at San Salvador. Roads and highways are the best I’ve seen in Central America, and bus travel is exceptionally affordable. The dominant currency (there are two—bitcoin is legal tender in El Salvador) is the U.S. dollar, so prices are easy to understand. And prices—from basic restaurant lunches for $3 to ocean-view properties from $180,000) are astonishingly low.
I could go on, and on, and on. Perhaps the simplest thing to do is refer you to my feature article in last February’s issue of International Living magazine. You can find that here. And if you want an idea of what this undiscovered tropical paradise looks like, have a look at some short films I made there, such as this video on El Salvador’s surfing coast, or this look at the beautiful Tamanique Nature Park, or even this exploration of El Salvador’s favorite “Fiesta” town.
Happy travels!
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