Top 25 Gay Retirement Abroad

When you think about retiring, you think about the lifestyle you can afford on the budget you have. Given that your income will be less on a pension, you still want to have a certain level of living.

Here at Holiday Houseboys we have noticed that several guests want the services of a Holiday Houseboy, a gay friendly tour guide, to show them the different areas of a chosen city. To learn about what it is like to live there, the pros and cons. What I can tell you is that our Holiday Houseboys will be biased in that they tend to be locals who are proud of their country. They will however give you an honest opinion, and will tell you the good, the bad and the absolutely fabulous!

Requests of this type have mainly come from Americans, and destinations they have sought are San Jose in Costa Rica, Lisbon in Portugal, Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta in Mexico to name a few.Fortunately I have really good gay friendly guides in each of these palces who were able to help them.

List25’s Top 25

One company that produces informative information is called List25. They have a Top 25 countries where you can live in luxury on a budget. This may not exactly be the Top 25 Countries to retire to, but more an asessment where your money goes further. When evaluating the countries, parameters used included:

• 1. High quality of life
• 2. Affordable house prices
• 3. Access to low cost transport
• 4. Affordable health care

Here is the list by geographical region, with their ranking in brackets.

Retiring in Africa

Amongst the top 25, both Egypt (2) and South Africa (23) are listed. I agree on both of those. But I do remember seeing 4 lanes of traffic battling in 3 lanes of traffic in Cairo. And certainly South Africa is one of my favourite destinations. Consider going on the Spice Route, around the Paarl area, but in general the insecurity of the country and the politics there would be of concern. But stunning, absolutely.

Retiring in Asia

In Asia, the countries listed included China (14), Malaysia (9), Pakistan (1), the Philippines (3), Thailand (18), Vietnam (8). Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam are no surprises, but Pakistan as the No. 1 was a shocker. Surprised too that Sri Lanka was not listed.

Retiring in Central America

Here you have Belize (20), Costa Rica (19), Honduras (16), Mexico (11) and Nicaragua (7). Mexico was voted lately as the most welcoming country in the world. Certainly we have great guides for you in Costa Rica and Mexico.

Retiring in Europe

When it comes to Europe, apart from Greece (24), the other countries come from Eastern Europe. Namely Bulgaria (10), Czech Republic (25), Poland (21) and Serbia (12). It can still be said that many also look to Portugal and Spain as viable options, visas permitting.

Retiring in Oceania

One surprise to make the list was Papa New Guinea (5). Just a place I had never thought about before. As was Fiji (17).

Retiring in South Amercia

Retiring in South America comes in as a strong option with Bolivia (13), Chile (22), Colombia (4), Ecuador (15) and Peru (6) all taking their places in the top 25. Insecurity may the worry here as well.

Retired Active Guys Enjoying a HIke

Gay Retirement Abroad

For gay couples, needs may be different. You may want to go to a gay friendly country, or head for one of the gay hot spots where gay entertainment is prevalent. Popular destinations for this may include Palm Springs, Puerto Vallarta and Torremolinos. Places with plenty of sun and activity. Another consideration of course is can you retire to your desired country – is there a golden visa option and does that fit within budget and legality of same sex relationships. When thinking of gay retirement abroad, there are certainly more additional questions to ask.

Evaluating Countries To Retire To

In the countries mentioned, there is a level or poverty. And perhaps that is reason enough to understand how certain things are cheap. The exception being imported goods. Why your buck goes further so to speak. Nevertheless other factors to take into account that have not been listed. Above all there is security to consider, and in one way linked to that, is the level of corruption at all levels. Some shopkeepers may sell on product at one price to a foreigner, but cheaper to a local. Regardless where you wish to retire, choosing to book a Holiday Houseboy, your gay friendly tour guide, is a really good idea. That local insight knowledge will be invaluable to you to help you make your own assessments of gay retirement abroad.