we are thinking of buying a retiring home abroad what country would be best and why?

we are in our 50's and are thinking of retireing abraord but not sure where? we are looking at italy next year but as yet we are open minded thankyou for your time. to the ranting person i put OPEN MINDED!!!!!!!

Public Comments

1. well the obviously place is Spain, the quality of life is better, it is slightly cheaper and sunny, but it is not as easy as people theink. My parents went out about 10 years ago and love it, but it is more complicated than people think in terms of health care pensions etc. Italy wonderful but they not as geared up for our retired population. Personally, I want ot geta camper and travel the world!
2. italy france or spain but not in the popular resorts somewhere quite maybe have a vine yard and make ur own wine , lovely good luck
3. it all depends on what you can afford some countries are cheaper than others and which country you think you can settle into do your research well and travel over and have a look and then decide which is best for you me and my wife are moving to Spain we think it is best for us we have friends that are moving to Portugal they think it is best for them do your research well. i wish u all the best and good luck for the future
4. I don't know where you're from but I love it here in Australia and would recommend it to anyone especially for retirement. You can find a climate for all tastes, Tropical, dry or seasonal. If you like tropical or hotter climates Western Australia or Queensland would suit you, especially the Sunshine Coast of Queensland or just outside Tweed Heads in NSW. If you enjoy a cooler, slower environment then Tasmania is definitely better. Other than Australia, the Northern Island of New Zealand would be my next pick. Happy retirement!!!
5. Check out the Lake Como area north of Milan. It's a beautiful, fascinating area with a major city about an hour to the south. When we were over there this past summer, I heard that it was economically depressed (no idea about the details) so it's possible that property values are relatively lower.
6. Spain is the most popular location for retirement home purchases in Europe and there are many reasons for this: - The infrastructure is good i.e. there are cheap flights from lots of UK airports for going back to visit relatives or for people to visit you. - The roads are pretty good and safe. Most of the time you can explore areas without encountering lots of traffic - There are lots of areas where there is a range of services for English speaking people. This is useful or not depending on whether you plan to learn to speak another language fluently. In Spain you can get your banking docs in English/English speaking solicitors etc. so it is very easy - In the South of Spain you get on average 360 days of sunshine a year. - The lifestyle is more relaxed. - Your pounds go a longer way.
7. Why do people ask these questions and not give ENOUGH information for anyone to try to answer them? What languages do you speak. What type of 'retiring' (retirement, perhaps?) home are you looking for. What are your likes and dislikes... there are so many VARIABLES... what may seem great to me, you would hate... Next time you ask a purely subjective question like this, please at LEAST give enough information for someone to hazard an answer.
8. Cyprus is wonderful!! Good standard of living, fairly cheap to live here; my council tax on my two bedroomed house is just £60.00 per year, my Electricity works out at between £10-£15.00 per month, my water rates are even less. Car tax for the year on my Focus is £34.00 per year. Pertol is getting expensive at the moment, but I beleive thats pretty much the same problem everywhere, though its still well under U.K. prices. Sunshine for at least 340 days of the year, and Christmas is wonderful here. We live in the South East of the island, in a small village, but we are only a short drive from Larnaca, Agia Napa, Protaras, and Paralimni, and just over an hours drive from the Capitol, Lefkosia ( Nicosia). We have a good standard of healthcare too. House prices are rising fast though ; we paid £43.000 for our house,three years ago, and that included furniture, but the same houses now are around £100.000, and this doesn't include the furniture. Obviously, apartments are slightly cheaper. It's well worth a look though! EDIT; Have a look at www.buysellcyprus.com