More as an intellectual exercise (for now), if I were to keep my same lifestyle - however I define it - how do I determine if I could afford to live in, say, Switzerland, or say, Iceland.
There are various cost of living comparisons out there.
Here is one
Whether you agree with the basis on which they are derived is another question.
And of course you’ll also have to look at what you can earn in those countries. Assuming you get a visa that entitles you to work, will your employment qualification be recognised there so you can do the same job there that you currently do wherever it is you live now? And if you can do that same job, does it pay as well in your destination of choice? Or better?
Plus, you need to look into personal taxation in your home country and your intended destination.
Finally, you have to think about what goes into your lifestyle. We all need groceries and accommodation, but whether e.g. education costs in your intended destination matter to you depends on your personal and family circumstances. And you need to think about the non-financial elements of your lifestyle as well. If you like a culture-rich cosmopolitan urban experience then, um, Rejkavik may have less to offer than New York City.
interesting article from the BBC yesterday talking about Norway. Norwegians talk about how although the cost of living looks high, because they earn quite a lot, it’s not too bad for them.
Iceland is cool but it does get dark A LOT. otherwise, I’d steer clear of these “best places to live” surveys - you’ll end up with a Ford Edsel.
It isn’t easy; Singapore might look attractive with a very low crime rate and drug use, but it has a fairly oppressive regime to achieve that. Switzerland is not all that friendly and open to immigration, in fact positively unwelcoming unless you are independently wealthy (ie a rock star or F1 driver).
Many people emigrate from the UK to the Mediterranean for the lower cost of living and relaxed lifestyle. Of course the EU makes that easy but non EU citizens might have a harder time of it.
The answer to your question might be to make a short list and subscribe to the expat forums and newspapers for each country. That would give you a good idea of what they are all complaining about.
addenum: I read an article a while ago advocating Chile as a good place to retire to - may be worth a look.
As a French PhD currently employed in Switzerland (for the second time), I would say that Switzerland is very welcoming if you have an education (e.g. PhD or even better MD; or something in other branches). Getting Swiss citizenship is, indeed, not easy at all. But temporary work/residency permit are easy to obtain (if you find an employment) and obtaining a permanent residency permit is quite possible.
And the quality of life is very high. Especially if you like outdoors, classical culture, and good food.
You really need to find out if you’re eligible for study/residency in a country otherwise affordability is a moot point.
Experience in the skills/trades in demand and an ability to speak the local language is one way. As is having enough money to start a business. Third would be to possess skills that are less dependent on knowing the local language e.g. IT. You can also look to work for a foreign part of a multi-national. Or marry a local!
You also need to define that lifestyle you wish to maintain. Aspects might be impractical/difficult/illegal abroad. If you’re into guns, don’t come to the UK. You’d be better served living in France or Switzerland. Eastern Europe is still cheaper to live in than Western Europe. Don’t forget the little things. Could you happily eat the local diet? How much would it cost to buy things over the internet from your home country with customs and duties added on top?
I ended up in China teaching English after a long infatuation with the country and language after reading Jung Chang’s ‘Wild Swans’ (itself illegal on the mainland). Loved it, loved it, loved it!!! It wasn’t perfect- the electric sockets arched, we had flying massive cockroach beetle things to kill regularly in our apartments, and the noise of men preparing to spit had conditioned myself and my friends to brace and shiver before the inevitable…But there I had a large 2 bed apartment, nice regional city so I was a curiosity, an Irish pub and sausages on a stick. Illness was the only reason I came home early.
Research daily life, and the country’s recent history. Get a feel of the place and the people. Go visit on holiday first, if you can or ask friends who’ve been. Nowhere’s perfect and always have enough money to get home again in case of accident, death of a relative or plain homesickness. And trust your instincts
Otherwise, have tons of fun dreaming!
I should refine my question, I think. Presuming I can take my retirement income with me, where would be a good place to live? I would not be adding anything to the “welcoming” country, and that may be an impediment to immigration in some places. But I could pay for what I get. On the other hand, I couldn’t pay for government services through taxes, and that may be a problem.
Climate-wise:
- Scandinavia: gets cold and dark in the winter, but I think nice outdoors in the summer
- Middle/west (like here in Holland, UK, Ireland): not too cold or too hot, but not always pleasant outside (rain, clouds, a bit cool in fall/spring) and not much nature around
- South: there are some very nice places starting around France down the Mediterranean, but south/inland Spain can get very hot in the summer and somewhat cold in the winter
There are of course cultural differences but in the cities those aren’t huge. However, different places attract different levels/types of expats.
One tip: it really helps to get a start learning the language before you move. Every little bit helps those first weeks.
You may want to consider the healthcare situation. If you can get good coverage for cheap that is extremely helpful. Of course the way this works radically differs from country to country.
To be honest, as a retired person, likely to become a burden on the state at some point in the future, I don’t think that you would be permitted to become a resident of any EU country. We have a great many people from the poorer parts of the world who want to do just that, so the rules are pretty tight for stays longer than six months.
Not Europe, but I’ve heard good things about Ecuador recently. They use the US Dollar as their currency, so you’d have no currency risk. Additionally, I don’t think the crime is too bad, and prices are cheaper.
J.
In most developed countries, actually. The prospect of you spending your pension there is not that big a draw for them, whereas the prospect that, as a older person, your demand for medical, hospital and pharmaceutical services will be high and rising is a distinct disadvantage. You are not what they regard as an attractive immigrant.
They’re… not as unfriendly to non-immigrants, though, the really, really, really hard part is getting citizenship and even after you’ve had it for years you’ll always be an outsider. As a non-immigrant, many Swiss will make it clear that you’re an outsider and that therefore there are a bunch of times you should shut up and nod, but hey, 1/3 of the country’s workers are outsiders. In the words of a Swiss friend “our attitudes about outsiders are such that we’re more a row of small towns than a country”. I’ve worked there twice, both in the German part, a large city and a tiny town: the big town folk I mostly found about as friendly as sea urchins; those from the small town were much nicer but, because it was such a small town, working where I did kind of made me “one of ours”.
Non-immigrant migration there will be more difficult for an American than for other nationalities, but it’s doable.
CC, look South. Costa Rica is backwards in some ways, very well developed in others, an American retirement is likely to be large enough to qualify you for “immigrant on independent income” (in 2005 you needed 400 USD/month), many people speak at least “English for the tourist industry”, the USD is as used as the Colon or more and Miami is a hop and a skip away. I would avoid their public healthcare system (the wait times are nightmarish), but the private healthcare I got when I needed it was perfectly fine for rates that didn’t break my pocket (my insurance company back in Spain called me to make sure I hadn’t dropped any zeros in the claim). Quite a few other Latin American countries would be perfectly welcoming; check out their political history, climate, etc. Costa Ricans say that one of the reasons for their prosperity is that, while the weather can sometimes be horribly hot, they don’t get the natural disasters that plague many of their close neighbors.