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Belize, Panama, Mexico, And Beyond…
Kat Kalashian
In just a few days, we’ll be releasing our latest annual Overseas Retirement Index—this hugely anticipated report is the climax of everything we do all year long.
Dozens of contributors spend the entire year scouting, experiencing, comparing, and reporting on the best places in the world to retire, and we bring all of that to bear in this exclusive yearly publication.
And this year, for the first-time ever, we’re lifting the curtain on our process, giving you special access to the Index creators and allowing you to hear what we really think about the final rankings…
A few of us have been working together on putting together these indexes for nearly a decade now, and we have a lot to say about how it all goes down.
This year, we’ll get together for a live, on-air discussion to introduce you to the winners… and the losers… explaining their benefits and their faults, in a candid conversation that will reveal far more than we’re allowed to on paper.
During this interactive webinar, you’re invited to send us in your questions and feedback—be they arguments for or against our results—as we divulge the secrets to our methods.
Join us for free this Jan. 11, for this exclusive behind-the-scenes peek at who made cut and who got booted from this year’s list of superlative, affordable destinations for retirement overseas.
Meantime, here’s a taste of just a few of the countries that will be featured—sign up for the webinar to hear which cities in particular we’re touting for 2024…
Mexico is the most accessible country in the region from the United States and Canada and it offers lots of options and opportunity for the expat.
This is a big, extraordinarily diverse country with two long coasts, mountains, and colonial cities… not to mention Aztec and Mayan ruins, jungle, rain forest, rivers, and lakes.
Plus, being in North America, this country is home to many American franchises, from McDonald’s to Pet Depot and Walmart to Starbucks.
Almost anything you buy in the States is also available in Mexico, though ease of availability depends on your location (rural and remote areas offer fewer franchises and order fewer imports).
For all these reasons, Mexico is home to the biggest established population of American expats in the world.
Panama could arguably be called the world’s best offshore haven. There is no doubt that Panama has serious advantages for those looking for a country with a cheaper standard of living than the United States and Europe.
It’s also blessed with beautiful islands, ample coastline beaches, mountain retreats, and colonial towns.
Even before the Panama Canal was built, everyone wanted a piece of the golden pie. It was as if this little country’s growth was strangely predicted, pushing the Spanish, later the French, and then the Americans to dwell and build here.
It was the Canal, though, that really pushed Panama onto the global stage.
The country’s strategic geographic position, and the significance of the Panama Canal, mean this destination is an important point on the world map. In short, Panama’s economy has always been strong especially now due to the canal and the massive amounts of wealth that move through it (and earn Panama revenue).
Panama City is the banking and financial hub of the entire region. Here, you can expect every First World amenity you can imagine. Panama City is choc-a-block with U.S.-style shopping malls, mega-grocery stores, wine shops, sushi bars, five-star restaurants, nightclubs, casinos, art galleries, and 12-screen movie theaters showing first-run movies in English.
Wi-Fi is world-class, the water is drinkable straight from the tap, and utilities are relatively reliable. The doctors and many medical facilities are top-notch.
And once you get beyond the capital, Panama is a natural wonderland…
Panama could arguably be called the world’s best offshore haven. There is no doubt that Panama has serious advantages for those looking for a country with a cheaper standard of living than the United States and Europe.
Colombia lies where the Andes converge with the Pacific and the Caribbean, providing a dramatically beautiful country with two coasts and lots of geographic and cultural diversity along with strong regional identities. It’s considered the second most biodiverse country in the world after Brazil.
The search for land, water, gold, timber, and oil have led people from around the world to Belize since the Maya first settled in the region thousands of years ago. With its forests, coastlines, and rivers, it boasts an embarrassment of riches in life-sustaining natural resources. These resources once supported an agrarian population of nearly 500,000 Maya and continue to provide for a range of lifestyles.
The government is pro-business and foreigner-friendly, meaning outsized incentives for foreign retirees and investors, and the country offers more than a dozen visa options (including the Friendly Nations visa that grants work permits), making it easy to become a full-time resident if that’s something you’d like to do.
The search for land, water, gold, timber, and oil have led people from around the world to Belize since the Maya first settled in the region thousands of years ago. With its forests, coastlines, and rivers, it boasts an embarrassment of riches in life-sustaining natural resources. These resources once supported an agrarian population of nearly 500,000 Maya and continue to provide for a range of lifestyles.
The government is pro-business and foreigner-friendly, meaning outsized incentives for foreign retirees and investors, and the country offers more than a dozen visa options (including the Friendly Nations visa that grants work permits), making it easy to become a full-time resident if that’s something you’d like to do.
The search for land, water, gold, timber, and oil have led people from around the world to Belize since the Maya first settled in the region thousands of years ago. With its forests, coastlines, and rivers, it boasts an embarrassment of riches in life-sustaining natural resources. These resources once supported an agrarian population of nearly 500,000 Maya and continue to provide for a range of lifestyles.
Today, Belize is a safe, welcoming and unassuming country where the population values personal privacy, self-determination, and freedom. And it’s one of the quirkiest places we know…
Belize City’s roadways are built around a system of roundabouts (thanks to her British colonizers), but shops alongside them sell rice, beans, and tortillas still ground by hand.
Everyone you meet speaks English (it’s the country’s official language), but this belies the stories of their origins. The 350,000 people populating Belize today are descendants of migrants from Britain, yes, but also and more so the surrounding Central American countries. You’ve got Mexicans, Guatemalans, Hondurans, Nicaraguans mixing with current-day generations of the Maya who originally inhabited this land, the pirates who came later, the Mennonite farmers who began arriving on the scene in the 16th century, the British who ruled until 1981, and each other.
Belize is undeniably one of the best places in the world to hang your hat…
Only a 135-minute flight from the United States, Belize is a tax haven, an investment haven, and a premier retirement destination.
The search for land, water, gold, timber, and oil have led people from around the world to Belize since the Maya first settled in the region thousands of years ago. With its forests, coastlines, and rivers, it boasts an embarrassment of riches in life-sustaining natural resources. These resources once supported an agrarian population of nearly 500,000 Maya and continue to provide for a range of lifestyles.
Today, Belize is a safe, welcoming and unassuming country where the population values personal privacy, self-determination, and freedom. And it’s one of the quirkiest places we know…
Belize City’s roadways are built around a system of roundabouts (thanks to her British colonizers), but shops alongside them sell rice, beans, and tortillas still ground by hand.
Everyone you meet speaks English (it’s the country’s official language), but this belies the stories of their origins. The 350,000 people populating Belize today are descendants of migrants from Britain, yes, but also and more so the surrounding Central American countries. You’ve got Mexicans, Guatemalans, Hondurans, Nicaraguans mixing with current-day generations of the Maya who originally inhabited this land, the pirates who came later, the Mennonite farmers who began arriving on the scene in the 16th century, the British who ruled until 1981, and each other.
Belize is undeniably one of the best places in the world to hang your hat…
Only a 135-minute flight from the United States, Belize is a tax haven, an investment haven, and a premier retirement destination.
The search for land, water, gold, timber, and oil have led people from around the world to Belize since the Maya first settled in the region thousands of years ago. With its forests, coastlines, and rivers, it boasts an embarrassment of riches in life-sustaining natural resources. These resources once supported an agrarian population of nearly 500,000 Maya and continue to provide for a range of lifestyles.
Today, Belize is a safe, welcoming and unassuming country where the population values personal privacy, self-determination, and freedom. And it’s one of the quirkiest places we know…
Belize City’s roadways are built around a system of roundabouts (thanks to her British colonizers), but shops alongside them sell rice, beans, and tortillas still ground by hand.
Everyone you meet speaks English (it’s the country’s official language), but this belies the stories of their origins. The 350,000 people populating Belize today are descendants of migrants from Britain, yes, but also and more so the surrounding Central American countries. You’ve got Mexicans, Guatemalans, Hondurans, Nicaraguans mixing with current-day generations of the Maya who originally inhabited this land, the pirates who came later, the Mennonite farmers who began arriving on the scene in the 16th century, the British who ruled until 1981, and each other.
Belize is undeniably one of the best places in the world to hang your hat…
Only a 135-minute flight from the United States, Belize is a tax haven, an investment haven, and a premier retirement destination.
The search for land, water, gold, timber, and oil have led people from around the world to Belize since the Maya first settled in the region thousands of years ago. With its forests, coastlines, and rivers, it boasts an embarrassment of riches in life-sustaining natural resources. These resources once supported an agrarian population of nearly 500,000 Maya and continue to provide for a range of lifestyles.
Today, Belize is a safe, welcoming and unassuming country where the population values personal privacy, self-determination, and freedom. And it’s one of the quirkiest places we know…
Belize City’s roadways are built around a system of roundabouts (thanks to her British colonizers), but shops alongside them sell rice, beans, and tortillas still ground by hand.
Everyone you meet speaks English (it’s the country’s official language), but this belies the stories of their origins. The 350,000 people populating Belize today are descendants of migrants from Britain, yes, but also and more so the surrounding Central American countries. You’ve got Mexicans, Guatemalans, Hondurans, Nicaraguans mixing with current-day generations of the Maya who originally inhabited this land, the pirates who came later, the Mennonite farmers who began arriving on the scene in the 16th century, the British who ruled until 1981, and each other.
Belize is undeniably one of the best places in the world to hang your hat…
Only a 135-minute flight from the United States, Belize is a tax haven, an investment haven, and a premier retirement destination.
The search for land, water, gold, timber, and oil have led people from around the world to Belize since the Maya first settled in the region thousands of years ago. With its forests, coastlines, and rivers, it boasts an embarrassment of riches in life-sustaining natural resources. These resources once supported an agrarian population of nearly 500,000 Maya and continue to provide for a range of lifestyles.
Today, Belize is a safe, welcoming and unassuming country where the population values personal privacy, self-determination, and freedom. And it’s one of the quirkiest places we know…
Belize City’s roadways are built around a system of roundabouts (thanks to her British colonizers), but shops alongside them sell rice, beans, and tortillas still ground by hand.
Everyone you meet speaks English (it’s the country’s official language), but this belies the stories of their origins. The 350,000 people populating Belize today are descendants of migrants from Britain, yes, but also and more so the surrounding Central American countries. You’ve got Mexicans, Guatemalans, Hondurans, Nicaraguans mixing with current-day generations of the Maya who originally inhabited this land, the pirates who came later, the Mennonite farmers who began arriving on the scene in the 16th century, the British who ruled until 1981, and each other.
Belize is undeniably one of the best places in the world to hang your hat…
Only a 135-minute flight from the United States, Belize is a tax haven, an investment haven, and a premier retirement destination.
The search for land, water, gold, timber, and oil have led people from around the world to Belize since the Maya first settled in the region thousands of years ago. With its forests, coastlines, and rivers, it boasts an embarrassment of riches in life-sustaining natural resources. These resources once supported an agrarian population of nearly 500,000 Maya and continue to provide for a range of lifestyles.
Today, Belize is a safe, welcoming and unassuming country where the population values personal privacy, self-determination, and freedom. And it’s one of the quirkiest places we know…
Belize City’s roadways are built around a system of roundabouts (thanks to her British colonizers), but shops alongside them sell rice, beans, and tortillas still ground by hand.
Everyone you meet speaks English (it’s the country’s official language), but this belies the stories of their origins. The 350,000 people populating Belize today are descendants of migrants from Britain, yes, but also and more so the surrounding Central American countries. You’ve got Mexicans, Guatemalans, Hondurans, Nicaraguans mixing with current-day generations of the Maya who originally inhabited this land, the pirates who came later, the Mennonite farmers who began arriving on the scene in the 16th century, the British who ruled until 1981, and each other.
Belize is undeniably one of the best places in the world to hang your hat…
Only a 135-minute flight from the United States, Belize is a tax haven, an investment haven, and a premier retirement destination.
The search for land, water, gold, timber, and oil have led people from around the world to Belize since the Maya first settled in the region thousands of years ago. With its forests, coastlines, and rivers, it boasts an embarrassment of riches in life-sustaining natural resources. These resources once supported an agrarian population of nearly 500,000 Maya and continue to provide for a range of lifestyles.
Today, Belize is a safe, welcoming and unassuming country where the population values personal privacy, self-determination, and freedom. And it’s one of the quirkiest places we know…
Belize City’s roadways are built around a system of roundabouts (thanks to her British colonizers), but shops alongside them sell rice, beans, and tortillas still ground by hand.
Everyone you meet speaks English (it’s the country’s official language), but this belies the stories of their origins. The 350,000 people populating Belize today are descendants of migrants from Britain, yes, but also and more so the surrounding Central American countries. You’ve got Mexicans, Guatemalans, Hondurans, Nicaraguans mixing with current-day generations of the Maya who originally inhabited this land, the pirates who came later, the Mennonite farmers who began arriving on the scene in the 16th century, the British who ruled until 1981, and each other.
Belize is undeniably one of the best places in the world to hang your hat…
Only a 135-minute flight from the United States, Belize is a tax haven, an investment haven, and a premier retirement destination.
Kat Kalashian
Editor, LIOS Confidential
