Portugal or Hickory NC... Costa Rica or Springfield MO

[Harpy Eagle]

5 Places in America To Retire That Are Just as Cheap as Mexico, Portugal and Costa Rica

You may know friends or family who've moved to places like Mexico, Portugal or Costa Rica to live more frugally after they retire. If you're looking to stay in the United States for your retirement,...

finance.yahoo.com

Not sure where to put this one, but this seemed as good a place as any.

As many of you know my wife and I plan to live outside the US when we retire in 2029. Panama is our top choice right now, but always keeping options open. We are not leaving due to cost of living, but we are taking that into account when we look at places.

Found this article interesting.

So, here are the 5 places they say are just as low in cost of living as Costa Rica or Portugal.

Youngstown, Ohio

Hickory, North Carolina

Springfield, Missouri

Brownsville, Texas

Huntington, West Virginia and Ashland, Kentucky-Ohio


I have to say if I had to choose between any of those and Panama or Costa Rica or Portugal, I am going with the latter group 100 times out of 100

 

[Polishprince]

Youngstown is a tremendous city, and the place of my birth.

What I like about it was the wide open spaces and easy parking.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Youngstown is a tremendous city, and the place of my birth.

What I like about it was the wide open spaces and easy parking.

That is a common trait in towns nobody wants to live in

 

[1srelluc]

Isn't Springfield, MO where they settled 20K Haitians?

Nevermind, that was Springfield, OH.

 

[odanny]

Youngstown is a tremendous city, and the place of my birth.

What I like about it was the wide open spaces and easy parking.

I heard Youngstown is a shithole.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Isn't Springfield, MO where they settled 20K Haitians?

Nevermind, that was Springfield, OH.

Even the Haitians do not want to go to Springfield Mo!

 

[ESay]

I am far from being an expert in Latin America, but from what I can understand, Costa Rica and Panama have one main flaw - they are small neutral countries with no armies and quite small security sector. If some shit happens - it is Latin America - some residential areas may become an easy target.

Out of those 3, Portugal is a more safe choice.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

I am far from being an expert in Latin America, but from what I can understand, Costa Rica and Panama have one main flaw - they are small neutral countries with no armies and quite small security sector. If some shit happens - it is Latin America - some residential areas may become an easy target.

Out of those 3, Portugal is a more safe choice.

I do not really worry too much about "if some shit happens" and do not really make decisions based up on such things. Unless the shit happened so fast we could not react we would just come back to the states if need be. We do not plan to buy a home again, as our plan is to be somewhat nomadic and not staying in any one place for more than a few years.

We have looked into Portugal and also Malta, but not sure we want to end up in Europe.

 

[ESay]

I do not really worry too much about "if some shit happens" and do not really make decisions based up on such things. Unless the shit happened so fast we could not react we would just come back to the states if need be. We do not plan to buy a home again, as our plan is to be somewhat nomadic and not staying in any one place for more than a few years.

We have looked into Portugal and also Malta, but not sure we want to end up in Europe.

Oh, if Panama and Costa Rica are just about for a few years without much money being invested there, then it is okay.

Malta? A tiny island (okay, islands) in the middle of the sea. What to do there longer than a couple of months? Why not Europe?

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Oh, if Panama and Costa Rica are just about for a few years without much money being invested there, then it is okay.

Malta? A tiny island (okay, islands) in the middle of the sea. What to do there longer than a couple of months? Why not Europe?

I do not plan to invest money in any of them.

Panama has a retiree visa geared towards Ex-pats. Discounts, perks and the only requirement is you cannot earn money in Panama. Panama is one of the countries where if you live there for at least 330 days you do not have to pay US income tax on your first 110k of income.

That is why we have discounted Malta, too one note. In Panama we could start off in Panama City and live the urban life, then move to the mountains and get out of the heat for a while and then move to the beach.

 

[ESay]

I do not plan to invest money in any of them.

Panama has a retiree visa geared towards Ex-pats. Discounts, perks and the only requirement is you cannot earn money in Panama. Panama is one of the countries where if you live there for at least 330 days you do not have to pay US income tax on your first 110k of income.

That is why we have discounted Malta, too one note. In Panama we could start off in Panama City and live the urban life, then move to the mountains and get out of the heat for a while and then move to the beach.

Well, what I can get from your posts you don't plan to emigrate from the States in the basic meaning of this word. You will just keep travelling around the world, the only difference from now - you won't have to stick to your current place. But after a while you will get back home.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Well, what I can get from your posts you don't plan to emigrate from the States in the basic meaning of this word. You will just keep travelling around the world, the only difference from now - you won't have to stick to your current place. But after a while you will get back home.

We may or may not come back, we will not close any doors. My dream would be to never live in the US again after 2029, but it would be stupid to say it will never happen.

If all goes according to plan our first 10 or so years will be in Panama, then we will see how things are going. I have been talking with a lot of Ex-Pats in Panama the last year and so far about maybe 30% of them own, the rest rent. When we move and sell our current home I figure we could put it in an account earning more money and we could use it to pay rent till at least close to when we were 80.

During those first 10 years we plan to travel a lot while we are still young enough to truly enjoy it. Who knows what we will find while doing so.

 

[ESay]

We may or may not come back, we will not close any doors. My dream would be to never live in the US again after 2029, but it would be stupid to say it will never happen.

If all goes according to plan our first 10 or so years will be in Panama, then we will see how things are going. I have been talking with a lot of Ex-Pats in Panama the last year and so far about maybe 30% of them own, the rest rent. When we move and sell our current home I figure we could put it in an account earning more money and we could use it to pay rent till at least close to when we were 80.

During those first 10 years we plan to travel a lot while we are still young enough to truly enjoy it. Who knows what we will find while doing so.

Yes, agree, no one can be sure now where one will be in 10 or so years. Though, it seems somewhat strange that you are so sceptical about the US, especially given it is a huge country with a lot of different places - with different social background, geography, prices and so on.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Though, it seems somewhat strange that you are so sceptical about the US, especially given it is a huge country with a lot of different places - with different social background, geography, prices and so on.

I have lived in the south, southwest and mid-west. Until I moved where we are 13 years ago I had never lived in one spot more than 5 years my entire life, and that was only once...most were shorter. I have been going some what stir crazy being here so long, but my wife and I's jobs are too good to leave this close to retiring. Thus we will ride it out and then satisfy our wanderlust.

The US is not the once country it once was, the political divisions are so strong I do not see them getting better in my lifetime.

I no longer feel a connection to this country or the people in it for the most part.

There is a growing number of Veterans that are becoming Ex-pats and many of them due to the same reasons, they cannot deal with the division in the country they spent their life serving.

I have spoken via FB, email and Facetime with a Vet who lives in the Dominican Republic, I was blown away to find out there are 25,000 vets living there. There are so many in Panama there is an active Veterans Service Org and the hospitals take TriCare.

Plus I spent 4.5 years of my youth living in Iran and 1/4 of my 20 years in the Marine Corps living in Japan.

 

[ESay]

I have lived in the south, southwest and mid-west. Until I moved where we are 13 years ago I had never lived in one spot more than 5 years my entire life, and that was only once...most were shorter. I have been going some what stir crazy being here so long, but my wife and I's jobs are too good to leave this close to retiring. Thus we will ride it out and then satisfy our wanderlust.

The US is not the once country it once was, the political divisions are so strong I do not see them getting better in my lifetime.

I no longer feel a connection to this country or the people in it for the most part.

There is a growing number of Veterans that are becoming Ex-pats and many of them due to the same reasons, they cannot deal with the division in the country they spent their life serving.

I have spoken via FB, email and Facetime with a Vet who lives in the Dominican Republic, I was blown away to find out there are 25,000 vets living there. There are so many in Panama there is an active Veterans Service Org and the hospitals take TriCare.

Plus I spent 4.5 years of my youth living in Iran and 1/4 of my 20 years in the Marine Corps living in Japan.

Well, good luck in all your intentions. I now understand why you prefer Panama. It is first and foremost an American veterans community there. You want to be among the like.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Well, good luck in all your intentions. I now understand why you prefer Panama. It is first and foremost an American veterans community there. You want to be among the like.

That is part of it. The other parts are it has a variety of climates and places to live, it is not just one note. Plus the people there, form my limited experience, are amazingly friendly and welcoming