Yes, I have a friend who retired to France about six years ago. She already owned a house there that she bought in the late 1980’s, and had a EU passport from Ireland because her grandfather was born there.

We have an old college friend who retired and moved to Panama. We don't know why. He's quite well-off so maybe taxes had something to do with it. He also owns property in Costa Rica. DH & I lived in the Netherlands for his job and we spent a lot of our free time in France when we were there. We've always dreamed of owning a home in France, but it won't happen at this point in our lives. Best to just vacation and rent for a few months once travel is safe and allowed again.

We purchased in the South of France a few years ago and know many expats. In retirement, we'll live part of the year there. I've lived as an expat in Switzerland (and DH two stints in England), and it indeed is very expensive. It is a high quality of life, however, and pretty easy to adapt. Many of the countries will welcome US retirees with visa programs that only require that you demonstrate minimum income.

My brother is getting ready to retire and after a dozen years living and traveling abroad thinks he wants to retire to Asia/Pacific. Possibly the Philippines but he quite likes Thailand. Inexpensive to live, and he could have a daily housekeeper. He'd love to live in Switzerland but it's way too expensive to consider, especially since he wants a housekeeper.

Certainly something we've talked about. I saw something the other day about why people are leaving Costa Rica. This popped up in my YouTube feed. In a nutshell, want to be closer to grandchildren, cost of living is higher than they anticipated, crime, aging.

Moving for retirement is different than moving for a job, school. Like Gooster mentioned, if you are not working and can demonstrate some assets. Some countries have language requirements, too.

I just talked to my friend's sister in Switzerland a couple of weeks ago. She was working on a grant and had some questions. She's lived there for quite awhile. Her kids are teens so at least that time. She is Canadian but married a German guy, so she speaks both French and German.

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After retiring from Corporate positions, a brother and sister-in-law spent 4 years teaching in Thailand thinking that they would retire there. They loved the people and the country but missed being close to family so they came back to the states.

i know someone who retired to Thailand. He did yearly visits there and before retiring bought a place there. however, he kept his house here in the states and spends time in both places. Thailand is his primary home.

I have friends who go back and forth to Ecuador. There is a large ex pat population in Ecuador. I know of someone who stayed 3 months just to do extensive dental work at very low cost compared to the US. Unlike Europe many Ecuadorians don't speak English. Those who do choose to live there full time say it is inexpensive to live, medical care is low cost or free, and the weather is great.

I'm curious why people choose retiring to another country.

We also know a couple who retired in Ecuador.

I think the biggest concern is health care. What would that look like for you in Switzerland?

I am amazed when people decide to retire in a third world country. As much as we love Costa Rica, and have visited for years, it would not be a good place for an American senior to retire. For many reasons.

Mtn mentioned in a previous thread the idea of renting first. If you possibly could I would do a three month minimum stay. You will get a good idea about your medical coverage there, what housing you can actually afford, what it will take to live comfortably.

Yes, living and vacationing in a place are totally different.

iIf you can afford to keep a place in the states.

ETA, h c b m, the biggest draw for most people is what you can get for the money. In some places you can afford not only nice accommodations but also a cook and daily hosekeeping.

Or simply that your money can stretch further.

I used to read a blog from a retired couple who calculated that they could sell their 4br California house and by then eliminating all the associated expenses (taxes, insurance, maintenance ...) they could live in a European vacation rental without pulling any more funds from their retirement accounts than they did living at home. So they did that for years, staying for a few months at a time in different countries. It may have gone beyond Europe, I’m not sure. They had a blast!

Edited to add: I just went back to my bookmarks to see if I could find a link to that blog. I haven't yet, but I did have this site bookmarked, which may be helpful to you. It's a site dedicated to Americans who want to retire abroad. International Living: Retirement Abroad

Another edit: I found an article about the couple: California Couple Sells the House and Retires Abroad and there is a link to the blog in the article. She has also written a book about her adventures, which I've just learned about, but will now read.

A third edit: Well, now I'm charging down a rabbit hole, 2katz4me, (thanks!), reading her blog, and then following links to others! Not such a bad way to spend the morning except that I'm SUPPOSED to be doing the floors....

Health care in Switzerland is excellent and the private plans are available -- and English language providers were available. There are also expat health plans available for any country, for a lower price than the comparable ACA policy. Other European countries like France and Portugal allow retirees to qualify for state health care (with a charge). People who retire early often save money on health care.

Ties to home are usually the issue for people. Some people integrate very well into their communities, while other places offer rich expat communities. The people who move are usually seeking new experiences, share common view points, and are open and welcoming. There are a number of FB groups and websites with expat communities, such as those linked above. In Switzerland, there was an entire social networking site dedicated to expats.

We know a couple who retired to Panama and one who retired to Ecuador. Both have been very happy with their choice. I agree that living there for several months before making the leap would be a great idea. If we ever relocate (within the US), we will do the same.

We have friends who are having an enormous house made for them in Portugal, on a hill overlooking the sea. Their motive seems to be the reduced cost of living (until recently, a "golden passport" was available to US citizens, and they qualified for that) and the ability to hire housekeepers, cooks, drivers, etc. (they got used to these perks when posted in Cote de Ivoire, India, and then Columbia). They are taking my friend's elderly parents to live with them. I am fascinated; none of them speaks the language, or has spent much time at all in Portugal. It seems like such a leap to me.

A couple in my neighborhood retired in Spain right before the 2016 election (maybe she knew something we didn't--LOL), but their they had a son or daughter and grandchild there. I only knew her through the neighborhood association board so I don't know how it has worked out. But they were going back and forth for awhile before the big move. Her house had a giant urban farm that she built up over the years, so it seemed incredible that she would leave that.

Portugal is high on great places to retire lists. I would like to visit both Spain and Portugal.

Why not give it a try? If you don't have any ties, why not?

Thanks for all the additional info - that will keep me busy for awhile. This wouldn’t happen anytime soon as long as DH still owns a business here. Likely won’t happen at all but it’s fun to investigate. We have no kids, our parents have passed, I have no immediate family remaining and DH isn’t terribly close to his. So family wouldn’t be something that would preclude us from going.

My neighbor retired to an island off the coast of Mexico. There is an expat community there, too. Inexpensive medical care, low cost of living, and she is all about the beach life.

I have a relative retired (very early) in Thailand out of necessity. This person has a number of health issues and no other real great options.

Aging and healthcare (I.e. good hospitals nearby) vs where in Europe we could go to reduce costs would be an issue. DH qualifies for Italian citizenship if we want to pay the money. But then we also would have to investigate tax implications of such a move.

So while I have a fantasy of living in Europe, I probably don’t have the means to do it in the way that would make me comfortable with the decision for the long run.

I wonder if one can find a consultant to help find the best options for your situation, to work through the health care, housing, taxation, and visa needs? I'm sure those are unique for everyone and it could be a maze to figure out and work through.

2katz4me, same situation here. No children, DH self employed, and we've told MIL that if we go somewhere, she has to come along.

I've browsed some Reddit forums at least to get started. Also, it would be really helpful if global travel can resume.

Healthcare would be a huge concern in many countries. One example: DH had a patient who had retired to Ecuador from 30 years of teaching, a very nice, educated American citizen who spoke Spanish. She was treated there for a tumor in her arm for about 18 months and finally flew back to the states at her daughters‘ entreaty. The cancer was inoperable by that time and her entire arm had to be amputated at the shoulder. It was a shocking case of medical blunders, negligence, incompetence and plain old lack of knowledge. After the operation she did not return to Ecuador.

Otoh, I would not hesitate to move to many European countries or Canada as their healthcare is as good or better than ours.

Oh my KSWL, what a story. My mother broke her arm in portugal while on trip with my sister and I, and she got excellent care for an incredibly low price.

The more I learn about Switzerland the more I like it. I figure if we sell our second home that would cover 20 years of rent - far longer than we‘d need. I think 10 years max. Much would depend on our health at the time DH sells his business and “retires”. Can’t wait to make a reconnaissance trip when we are beyond Covid which could be awhile.

So you aren't really thinking you'd retire there, you are thinking you want a second home there, in essence? Since you have a 10yr horizon and will keep a home here? That seems an easier decision by far.

That sounds a great approach: take a reconnaissance trip (we took trips all along the Med before we narrowed on a certain area). We are planning to split our time and perhaps take "majority years" in Europe. Some people also stay for a month to get used to the idea. Also research the visa situation (they have this fuzzy requirement on "ties"), taxes/treaties and health care. I believe there are consultants to help -- my move was paid by the company so everything was handled.

Do you have a preferred canton? Or region? The Swiss German speaking region? The French speaking? The Italian? You can also consider the areas of neighboring countries just across the border, for example, near Basel-Mulhouse or just outside Geneva.

I would want to keep one place in the US because I would expect we would come back here at some point - for health reasons perhaps or if one of us kicked the bucket the other would likely come back. I don't think we'd go back and forth much though like we would with a second home in the US. I have read about the "ties" situation which we don't have but can perhaps get by visiting "regularly". I'm not set on any particular area other than it being a smaller city - been looking at Lugano where rent seems a bit more reasonable than some other places. There are other smaller towns we've visited that I might prefer but probably better to be somewhere with more services. And I might rather be on the German side - closer proximity to our friends though I think it would be easier to learn Italian having learned some Spanish 100 years ago.

We have these two homes now with all this stuff. Just the thought of getting rid of one house full of stuff and living a simpler lifestyle is appealing. At the moment anyway - I may be temporarily crazy and will come to my senses. DH is a geographer by training and spent much of his career traveling (and living) internationally. Always the adventurer, he is of course intrigued.

I've not wanted to make a permanent move, but going for an extended visit 4-6 weeks) to Spain, Portugal or France has been on my wish list for retirement.

Hubs and I are contemplating moving to our northern neighbor Canada when I retire. Depends on how things go in the states. I'm curious if Canada would be OK with that. We wouldn't be competing for any Canadians' jobs . . .

Generally You can’t retire and live permanently in Canada unless you do so through one of their investment programs, which I think are only up a call in Vancouver and Quebec.

I have a dear friend who owns a beautiful home in Montreal (she's a US citizen); her son (who married a Canadian and has citizenship) is sponsoring her to move to Canada permanently. She currently splits her time between her homes in CA and the one in Montreal. Once the process is complete, she can live permanently in Canada, as I understand it.

Well, guess that is a bust. We would want to live in Ontario, which is our neighbor.

You can also invest there and get residency.

2katz, Lugano is so lovely. I was only ever there on business, of all things. It is a big center for wealth management. Seems a lot of Italian money ends up invested in Switzerland.