If you have spent most of your working years in a country where the climate isn’t as pleasant you might hope, or living costs are higher than you like, you may have been considering moving to another country once you have retired. The problem is: which country and which city? Well, if you ask expats who have experience on how is it like to live in other countries, their answer is the city of Valencia on Spain’s Mediterranean coast.
There are many ways to rank countries and cities for their living standard, such as collecting statistical data on apartment rental and food prices, safety, bureaucracy, infrastructure development, health care cost, or alternatively, asking people who actually have lived or are living in a city. The following ranking is based on a survey among expats who have lived in a destination.
The best places to retire (2025 ranking) according to the Live and Invest Overseas:
- Spain. The expats who considered the best countries recommend the city of Valencia as the best place to retire in Spain. Here is more information about the city.
- Portugal, Cascais. Our experience is that the south coast of Portugal, Algarve, attracts plenty o f retirees and also people who stay there for winter, escaping the period of cold weather in Central and Northern Europe.
- Colombia, Medellin.
- Greece, the island of Crete.
- Mexico, coastal town of Mazatlan.
- Italy, Pisa, a town in the heart of Tuscany.
- France, La Rochelle on the Atlantic coast.
- Belize, the island of Ambergris.
- Montenegro, Kotor Bay on the Adriatic coast.
- Northern Cyprus, Kyrenia on the Turkish side of the island.
7 out of top 10 best places to retire in this ranking are in Europe, and no cities in North America. Live and Invest Overseas is based in North America.
