In which countries can you just retire?

Most countries want you to have a job to be there. Are there any countries that you can go to just to retire?

Public Comments

1. yeah, there's one country lik tat, a little distance frm earth.. heaven.. ;-)
2. You can do whatever you want in the United States, as long as you're not harming others.
3. I think in the Philippines you can, but you have to line the pockets of certain officials. But you could practically live like a King/Queen over there. Many Americans retire/move there because it is so cheap, not to mention the beaches and tropical weather.
4. A lot of Central American countries are offering retirement programs at relatively low prices. For instance, you can retire in Panama at any age if you can prove an income of $900/month (say through a pension or an annuity) and have a clean police record. If you can't do that, a deposit in BNP (National Bank of Panama) of about $125,000 will also do the trick - that too yields about the same $900/mo. Belize, Costa Rica, and Honduras have similar programs with different levels of investing required. Some have age restrictions (45 and up). Some Caribbean islands also offer these programs, but cost about 5 times as much.
5. Thailand & the Philippines The average American can get by fine on Social Security, add a pension and you'd have a good lifestyle. Only problem is that Medicare does not pay for services so you'd have to be in good health or have the financial resources to pay out of pocket.
6. If you have enough money to support yourself without having to work, most countries in Europe that I know of don't care if you have a job or not... what they don't want is for you to come over and be a drain on their social security system, which is put in place for their own citizens ... sounds familiar? If you can purchase a house, and if your background checks are above reproach, and you can prove financial eligibility, you can live nearly anywhere in Europe anyway ... good luck!
7. Mexico has a lot of American retirees.