Thread: Looking for a Place to Retire

Hi, all.

My wife and I live in the USA, will be retiring next year (I'll be 65 - she will be 63) and have just begun to consider leaving the country when we retire (nothing political, just looking for warm beaches, escaping the crowds and immersing ourselves in other cultures.)

We were initially attracted to Belize because they speak English (I flunked three languages in college and one in high school) but research has me concerned about health care, crime and an economy almost totally dependent on government deficit spending. We hare? ave now expanded our research to include Panama and Costa Rica.

Can anyone speak to my concerns regarding health care? My wife is the primkary concern. Nothing life threatening - just wearing out after 40 plus years as a nurse. She has had one knee replacement and will probably need another (the other knee) has arthritis etc. Is this something that we may have to go back to "the states" to take care of, or could it be done in Panama. BTW - I mean no disparagement to the health care professionals in Panama - just asking for opinions.

I look forward to learning a lot from this forum - thanks to all of you who have already shared your information and experiences.

---Jim B

Hi Jim,
Panama is very diverse geographically and may suit your needs. Panama has decent healthcare but if your wife has already had good results from an orthopod in the states I would say stick with what has worked. As a nurse she probably has contacts at the hospital or at least can participate in her care at a level most lay people cannot. Unless her Spanish is very good she may not be able to communicate as effectively with Panama healhcare personnel. As a health care professional myself I like the fact I can read my own medical record and review my own labwork in the chart. Your wife has an advantage she has earned and should use if at all possible.

Another country to consider is Ecuador. The following is excerpts from an International Living email. I suggest you look at the International Living website. They have good information on countries. They also send out free emails on information they want to promote.


• Perfect weather year-round
• A U.S.-dollar-based economy
• Top-notch medical care at one-fourth to one-tenth the costs of the U.S.
• Affordable private health insurance plans and a new free government health plan
• A retirement program that will save you thousands of dollars a year.
• The lowest cost of living we've found yet. (Expats report monthly expenses as low as $500!)
...and the world's lowest real estate prices

By the way, Ecuador's official currency is the U.S. dollar—so you needn't worry about complicated currency calculations or exchange risks

(Keep in mind, Ecuador is just a four-hour flight from the U.S.— less time than it takes to fly from New York to Los Angeles.)

This place exists. It's Ecuador. And it may just be the 'find of the century' for anyone who wants to live life like it's meant to be lived... fresh air, deliciously healthy food, the warmest, kindest, most generous people, and no lifestyle sacrifices. None.
Live in Comfort on Half
Your Social Security Check
The average U.S. Social Security check is about $1,153 a month. What if you could live...very comfortably...on half that? Lee and Peggy Carper do, in Cotacachi, Ecuador. And they don't scrimp. They eat out practically every meal, have someone who does their laundry and a maid who cleans their apartment twice a week.
Lee and Peggy's monthly expenses:
Rent $150
Food $250
Water $6
Electricity $13
Propane $7
Medications $50
Laundry $24
Housecleaning $40
Dog food $40
TOTAL: $580
Miscellaneous expenses rarely amount to more than $100 and include $2 haircuts, $2 manicures, $1.25 cigarettes, $7.30 cases of beer, 25-cent bus rides, and an occasional $10 doctor's visit. Figure it out. If they both draw Social Security, that's $1,700 left over every month for luxuries, emergencies, or the nest egg.
And John and Sue Curran in Vilcabamba, who own their home and don't pay rent, say their monthly expenses are even lower—less than $500 per month!

I know what you're thinking...it's too far, it's too 'foreign,' too 'third-world'... maybe you think it's unsafe or its government isn't trustworthy?
I've just returned from Ecuador and I know that none of those things are true.

For sure Ecuador is cheap to live. The downside it is a Socialist country whose Leader Correa is a strong ally of Venezuela and Bolivia. Some think he intends to follow the lead of Chavez. He has already expelled the American Embassy. The government is known to be very corrupt.

Here is a link on what is happening there. Ecuador's Correa lashes out at U.S. embassy for spying | Reuters
In Venezuela Chavez is nationalizing companies, private farms, and all private wealth he can find. I would not invest in a country whose leaders want to emulate Hugo Chavez. I have friends in Panama who fled Chavez and their story is heart wrenching.

I have traveled to Ecuador 10 years ago. Although I didn't come across any negative experiences there but to witness security guards with machine guns at a gas station is not a good sign.

Living under Socialism has it's drawbacks. For instance Socialized medicine with waiting lists for months and years are not a problem until you get sick. A former director of Socialized medicine in Britain died waiting 10 months for surgery. This what they call Karma, how many other people died under her Socialist watch. Here is the story.
Socialized Medicine Director Dies Waiting for Operation