Where can one retire where they could live a rather modest lifestyle

[raccoon]

if the retirement they have would put them at poverty level in the US? Somebody posted not long ago that you could live in India for $8000/yr. I'd like to hear more.

[ceile]

1. Try escapeartist.com

I used to get lots of info from them-over seas real estate and retirement stuff. I am no where near retirement, I just like to look.
http://www.escapeartist.com/

[malta blue]

2. dominican republic. nt

[madinmaryland]

15. Nice post, OxyRush!

:hide:

[malta blue]

17. hey - I'm a domini-rican

and my mom lives down there on 10k a year.

:hug:

[driver8]

3. I'm shooting for a double-wide trailer in Bakersfield...

My wife thinks I'm kidding!!

[Rambis]

4. used to be Costa Rica

houses have gone way up there- Portugal is cheap

[LanternWaste]

5. You can live very comfortably in El Centro

You can live very, very comfortably in El Centro (the townies section of Cancun in the Yucatan) for about $10,000/year. It's also one of the safest cities in all of Mexico (being one of *the* prime tourist spots for Europeans and Americans, the local police has a huge budget and the Federales are out and about in force most of the time).

I lived there for about a year and half, and to this day I've decided that's where I'm going to retire (well, Cancun or Appleton, Maine-- I know, the dichotomy between the two is amazing, huh?)

[mnhtnbb]

6. Panama has excellent benefits for retirees.

www.panamainfo.com

We already have our permanent resident visas for Panama and our immigration cards that give us discounts
on everything from domestic airfare to hotels to restaurants.

Prices have escalated in Panama in the last couple of years--some of it due to declining value
of dollar and some of it due to growth. The economy of Panama is booming due to the Canal
expansion and some other projects.

[mnhtnbb]

8. Belize is also another option: we rejected it due to risk from hurricanes

but you can live quite modestly there in a beautiful setting.

[ChoralScholar]

10. Does David Lee Roth ever come visit?

I mean, after all the money he's made singing about it, you'd think he'd stop by every once in a while.

[BrotherBuzz]

11. Good for you

My brother-in-laws will be retiring in Panama and Ecuador. It's interesting, and I enjoy listening to each sell their respective country. We may just be your neighbors in a few more years because I don't think I can't warm to the idea of living in a cold high elevation Ecuadorian rain forest that one BIL is so keen on. The Panama BIL has his sights on an island in the Pacific close to the mainland that has a decent colony of American exiles.

[mnhtnbb]

13. We're on the Azuero peninsula (Pacific coast).

[Phillycat]

7. Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia

[Courtesy Flush]

9. Stay in the US

I have friends in Texas who live at or below the poverty level, and they are the envy of nearly everyone. They drive older vehicles, live in an A-frame house they built themselves (you can even see the bay from their front porch), and own two sailboats (one they salvaged and remodeled, the other they built from scratch).

They can do this because they aren't materialistic. Plus they receive no food stamps, etc.

Another friend just retired and will be living on less than $18000 per year. He bought a little shack in a poorer neighborhood for $11000. He's not concerned about his future, as long as he keeps his financial priorities straight.

I live in a low-cost town, and our house is paid off and we have zero debt. I'm planning to take early retirement and live on a lot less than we currently make so we can enjoy our lives while we're young(-ish).

It can be done.

[distantearlywarning]

12. You could probably do it in a number of U.S. cities

Pittsburgh is currently one of them. Also a number of places in Texas and other southern states. Detroit and other areas in Michigan.

[femmocrat]

16. Housing in western PA is very reasonable.

The weather isn't so bad (we have been having mild winters). One disadvantage is that if you live out of the city, there is no public transportation. And winter heating bills are going way up.

We live about 40 miles out of Pittsburgh. It's perfect for us.

[Deja Q]

14. And it's. what, $25000 in the US. At $8k/yr, the prices for IT jobs is a goldmine.

:shrug: