Rebecca C. Says:
I’d like to move somewhere that the climate could help with my chronic pain from failed spinal surgeries. Where could I go that would help with this and I could live on my Social Security of $2,400 a month?
IL Senior Editor Suzan Haskins Says:
Hi Rebecca,
Without knowing more about you and your medical and financial issues and your required type of climate, it is a bit difficult to give good advice. But I’ll assume you need a warm/temperate climate and to be close to excellent medical care.
In that case, I’ll recommend Costa Rica’s Central Valley. Some of Latin America’s best medical facilities are there and the climate is so temperate that you likely won’t need heat or air conditioning, which will well suit your budget range. Once you become a resident of Costa Rica, you’ll join the national health system, called Caja, and can get medical services that way. That said, the cost for Caja has gone up quite a bit thanks to new rules from the current government. It is believed that will revert to lower costs again in the future.
If you are looking for somewhere even warmer, you could go to a beach area of Costa Rica (the Playas de Coco area is close to good medical facilities in Liberia, for instance) or to Panama. Keep in mind, though, that if you need air conditioning, electricity in Latin America can be expensive.
In Panama, you might check out Boquete, at a higher elevation with a temperate climate, although the frequent rains might not suit your medical condition. Same goes for Cuenca, Ecuador. Your budget will go far there, but at an elevation of about 8,400 feet, it may feel too cold at times for you. All of these places I am recommending have good access to good medical facilities.
I’d suggest, as you do your research, you consider all those other things you require. For instance, how close to an international airport do you want to be? How close to the best medical facilities? Those are always in the larger cities. Will you have medical insurance or will you need to purchase that? Are you single or making the move with a partner? And what kind of living situation most appeals to you…beach, mountains, size of city, etc.
Fortunately, you have many very good options and we make it our mission to bring those options to you. We are just about to publish the 2023 International Living Global Retirement Index. We have published this for the last 32 years, every year, to help readers like you sort through your best options overseas. This year, we compare, contrast, rank, and rate by category the top 16 countries in the world for retirement abroad. We consider many factors, including healthcare, climate, and cost of living.
Watch your Daily Postcards and IL Issue Alerts for details of when the Index is released—alongside your January 2023 issue.
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