Here Are The Top 5 Places To Retire In The World & One’s Just Beside Us

Last Updated on 2022-10-04 , 9:25 am

Retirement’s like the best period of one’s life: you get to lepak at home whenever you want, go out whenever you want and do whatever you want. Shiok (although workaholics will say otherwise).

But there’s just one bad thing about retirement.

There’s no financial income.

Granted, you might be receiving an allowance from your children, loved ones, or the government, but it’s nowhere near the sum you were earning on a routine basis (unless your child is raking in $15,000 per month la).

With that in mind, you would naturally want to retire somewhere with minimal spending costs and optimal shiokness.

But where?

Don’t fret, for this is where International Living’s Annual Global Retirement Index comes into play.

(International Living is an organisation that assists people with retirement and relocation opportunities)

Ranking the top 24 retirement havens worldwide, based on 12 criteria such as cost of living, healthcare, entertainment, climate, and governance, the index’s got all your retirement concerns covered.

And the results for the 2018 version?

Malaysia comes in 5th on the list.

And Singapore’s nowhere to be seen.

Literally.

Standings

The exact rankings are as follows:

Malaysia sits in fifth place with a score of 87.7, less than four points behind first-placed Costa Rica.

Incidentally, it’s the only Asian country to make the top 10, chalking up high scores for the governance and renting categories.

According to International Living’s Malaysia correspondent Keith Hockton, Malaysia’s an “easy, English-speaking and First World” country to reside in. He stated that in “bang-for-buck” Malaysia, it’s possible for a couple to “live comfortably on US$1,500 (S$2,146) a month, or extravagantly on US$2,500 a month including rent”.

Additionally, it also topped the index’s entertainment and amenities category. This was largely attributed to its reputation as a food haven where local fare could cost as little as US$1.50 per meal.

Healthcare-wise, Mr Hockton compared a knee replacement procedure in Malaysia, which would cost around US$4,000, and a similar procedure in the United States, which would take up a whopping US$45,000 instead.

However, Malaysia was faulted in the benefits and discounts category.

Meanwhile, first-placed Costa Rica was lauded for its “low cost of living” and “natural beauty” as well as “affordable healthcare and real estate”.

According to International Living, “tens of thousands” of the United States and Canadian expats are already residing in Costa Rica either full- or part-time. In fact, a couple can rent a furnished two-bedroom home for just US$500 and spend US$25 for a week’s groceries, it said.

So Guys, You Know Where To Go

Although I’m kinda miffed that Singapore isn’t on the list. Can’t really be helped though, seeing how the Lion City is so darn expensive to reside in.

But if there’s any consolation, it would be that you don’t exactly have to travel far for a good retirement home.

After all, it’s just across the causeway.

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