Top 5 Retirement Destinations for 2025: Expert Tips from Expats

Can you recommend a private health insurance company in Portugal?

Portugal homes are full of mold! Love the country, but cant live there. Lots of humidity and poor insulation.

Curious what criteria you use for this index. Aside from Costa Rica, lose quite a bit of respect and credibility for you guys when you have to countries like France and Mexico at the top. Those countries have become so corrupt and unstable politically. Not sure why any sane person would choose to live there instead of places like Uruguay, Switzerland, even hear good things about Vietnam and Singapore. Europe spiraling down the toilet.

Thanks for info. I am looking into my plans for this year. I appreciate the info ❤

Here’s your Portugal healthcare. Think twice before moving here.

This year, the government closed around 40 or more pediatric, obstetric, and emergency departments in public hospitals across the country. Many were permanently closed, some of the emergency rooms are now only open part time, some only accept certain types of patients. The hospitals that now have no pediatrics units are less likely to accept kids at emergency and can turn them away. This is due to money issues and major staff shortages.

Some of the private hospitals seem to be following suit, they are also having staffing shortages.

The staff shortages are due to the fact that 60% of the doctor / nursing workforce literally leaves Portugal every single year (those numbers are from the Order of Nurses, and they know exact numbers, because nurses must apply for their documents from them before they leave). Thats more than the number that graduates from university each year.
They leave due to poor pay, poor working conditions, and poor medical care.

The government has been aware of the staffing shortages and the leaving rate for many years, and has done nothing. Their only solution is to keep closing hospital departments and restricting services.

Since nothing has been done to address the actual shortages, its only going to get worse each year.

So BOTH private and public hospitals are suffering, if theres no staff, theres no staff.

very interesting to hear from locals, I find it still a bit tricky because you 'only' compare to the USA. For example Europe got very expensive. Comparing 'only' from NYC for example is not a the average of the rest of the world. I would like to hear more about ASIA, I was surprised it was not part of the top countries. ThaNk you for all the information!

Taxes? for your top countries. Especially for retirees on US Social Security with total retirement income in the $50,000 to $100,000 per year. We have to pay US taxes regardless, but are there additional taxes in these countries?