The move to quit overseas, whether full-time or part of this year, is not a minor situation. After all, there are many things you won’t learn about the place and its inhabitants, bureaucratic misery, and countless other idiosyncratics until you actually live your life.
We spoke with five people from across the United States who chose to retire overseas in Portugal, Japan, Morocco, Polynesia, France, and Mexico.
Bill Mauro, Portugal
61-year-old Bill Mauro and her husband Marcus Lawrence retired in Portugal in 2019 from Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, starting in Lisbon and eventually settled just south of Coimbra, home to the country’s fourth largest city and the oldest university. For the past 3.5 years they have lived and share in a 130-year-old stone house that they purchased and renovated. adventure On Instagram.
What I pay for living expenses: We own our home and car entirely. However, all other monthly expenses, including insurance, groceries, utilities, meals, entertainment, and more, amount to around $2,300 per month.
Sample expenditure:a milk (Espresso with milk) Our village costs from 1.20 to 1.50 euro (less than 2 USD)
What are the major advantages or disadvantages you discovered that you live in Portugal? Financially speaking, property taxes are very low here, paying about 15% of US private health insurance costs. The pace of life is slow, with many speaking English, beautiful beaches and medieval villages, and plenty of cultures and history to explore.
Among the disadvantages, learning Portuguese is challenging and gas is expensive.
Are there any unexpected hurdles? Buying our home in the mountains was a challenge. This included seven small lands that were not properly registered by the previous owner. So it took two years to organize the documents and receive our actions.
What about unexpected joys? We found the Portuguese people to be extremely kind and welcoming. Additionally, healthcare was top notch. Marcus spent 12 days in a public hospital due to complications related to AFIB (atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat) and was covered by 100% of the National Health Service.
Kurt Bell, Japan
Kurt Bell, 61, left Los Angeles in 2014 and is currently retiring and lives near Nishida Nishida Tomi Nishiyama in Japan. The Shizukawa River, located between Tokyo and Nagoya, is known for its surrounding rural and agricultural areas, where tea and wasabi plants are grown.
What I pay for living expenses: Our overall cost of living in Shizukawa is about 50-60% lower than what we spent in Los Angeles. The difference comes from several factors. Food is cheaper, healthcare costs are dramatically lower, utilities are more modest, and there are no mortgages or rents. Daily life here tends to be slimmer, quieter and less consumed. The home is about a third of what you paid in California, and healthcare is extremely dramatically cheaper and almost difficult to compare. For example, in the US, they paid about $1,400 a month for family health insurance. Here, for my wife and I (our daughter is now growing up and growing on our own), we pay about $35 a month, including medical, dentistry and prescriptions. That’s pretty amazing.
Sample expenditure: The lattes at the good cafe I live in typically run around 400-500 yen (about 3-3.50 USD).
What are the major advantages or disadvantages you discovered that you live in Japan? Shizuoka offers a quieter, more intentional pace of life (more than Los Angeles). It is located between the sea and the mountains, the streets are clean, the trains run on time, with deep cultural values placed on order, respect and community. It fits very well with our temperament. However, when coming from LA, shifts can sometimes feel tough. Urban diversity and spontaneity – creative friction, diverse foods, social energy – is not easy to replicate here. And of course, language remains a barrier even after years of study and immersion. Some things can be found to take time logistically and interpersonally.
Are there any unexpected hurdles? I didn’t think I needed to recalibrate my sense of identity. Moving here means letting go of not just the learning system, but also meaningful habits and roles in America. And while Japan is very welcoming, it takes effort and humility to navigate life as a permanent outsider. Even seemingly simple tasks can require amazing patience and quiet adaptation.
What about unexpected joys? The most surprising thing is how fulfilling your slower life is. I walk three times a day. I eat lunch with my wife every afternoon. I tend to have a small garden. These little routines became a quiet ritual that fixed my days. Here there is grace that promotes presence rather than productivity. Resignation in Japan was not a change in place, but a change in rhythm and value.
Patricia Rachidi, Morocco
Thirty years ago, after retiring from her gem manufacturing career, Patricia Rachidi (now 84) moved from Minnesota to Rabat, Morocco.
What I pay for living expenses: There is a three-storey house next to the beach in Rabat, the capital of Morocco. My property tax is $125 a year. My internet and phone cost $32 a month. There are over 500 free channels, YouTube, Netflix and The Works. All of this runs on Wi-Fi. I pay about $30 a month for water and electricity. I don’t need home insurance and don’t pay for the garbage pickup. I have a driver, a housekeeper and a gardener ($300 a month).
Sample expenditure: Baguettes at the bakery cost around 60 cents.
What are the major advantages or disadvantages you found to live in Morocco? Making friends is easy. Americans are welcome here, and most of all, you can retire very comfortably here (if you have) and earn a moderate and guaranteed income. But if you’re not resigned and you need to work, that’s not a good idea as wages are very low.
What about unexpected joys? Our forests are beautiful and beautiful, and so are the roads. But the best thing I’ve experienced here is the people. They are friendly, warm and helpful. They respect their elders, there are no nursing homes here, and the children are polite and well-disciplined in most families.
Carol Fuller, Polynesia, France
Carol Fuller, 76, originally from Southern California, said he was “infected with Tahiti disease” by his parents who loved the island. She has been travelling regularly to Polynesia, France since 1985. Currently, she and her husband, Scooter, spend six months a year on the Rangiroa atoll in the Tuamotu Islands and the Rangiroa atoll at their home in Kona, Hawaii. She writes a memoir of her experience: Sand, Sea, Sky: My Love with Tahiti (Mascot Book, 2024).
What I pay for living expenses: My husband rides a Harley. I’m a surfer. We live simply because we love the simple joys of life. The cost of everyday items in Ranjiroa, such as food, gas, and basic household items, is quite comparable to the prices in Hawaii. A trip to a store for the basics of the atoll (food, drinks, toiletries) usually costs around $80. Lunch at a small local style cafe with grilled fish and vegetables can cost $35 per person. Our electricity bills are also about the same as what we pay in Hawaii. There are places where the prices are really high, like hardware stores. Simple items like spray paint, lumber, and WD-40 are outrageous. We usually spend around $80 on our daily lives when we’re in Rangiroa.
Sample expenditure: Rangiroa’s canned cola cans cost $4 and $25 for six packs of local Hinano beer.
What are the major advantages or disadvantages found to live in Rangiroa? It is incredible to experience endless beauty on a daily basis and meet other people living atoll life. It’s getting everyone closer. We learn from each other and help each other. The Polynesian people are wonderful. I began to learn to speak Tahitian in 1985, which helped us to assimilate a lot. My husband is a professional fisherman and his skills fit perfectly here. Among the disadvantages of living in remote areas, there is a lack of availability when it comes to fresh food, daily products and health services. Also, we can pass by in French, but not more fluent means we missed that much in social gatherings. I can say anything I need with Tahitian and cobblestone along with French and Tahitian combos, but I’m still stuck sometimes.
Are there any unexpected hurdles? When you live in an atoll environment, everything depends on the weather. That includes everything from loading the laundry and doing the laundry to the flight schedule when you wait for your medicine or urgently needed parts of your car or boat to arrive. The weather is much more unpredictable in the atoll, and the consequences are more severe. Our home is in a lagoon and opens wide all day to the elements, so we had to learn about the different winds and take notes to protect our boats, our homes and ourselves.
What about unexpected joys? Living in Tahiti was my childhood dream and it took me 40 years for it to come true. It’s great to know that two senior Americans can stand up to the never-ending challenges of atoll life. Many Americans can’t try this, not to mention the two seniors. The average life expectancy on an atoll is short because it’s a difficult life. It is now considered ancient in the 1970s. It was another joy to have our own fishing boat and learn to fish with my husband, the veteran charter captain of Kona. We spent many days here on our boat.
Lucinda Young, Mexico
Lucinda Young, 72, and his wife Shirley moved from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Merida, Merida and Merida in 2012 to retire, and San Miguel de Arende in 2022.
What I pay for living expenses: Even if you live in San Miguel, perhaps one of the most expensive places to retire in Mexico, our costs are 20-30% cheaper than what you would like to live in the US in San Miguel, and you can buy a very nice home for around $450,000. In any of the attractive and democratic East Coast states, I don’t think you can buy a home of comparable designs or amenities to make it closer.
Sample expenditure: A half-liter (17 fl oz) of milk costs between $1.50 and $3, while restaurant wine costs between $4 and $10, and you can get a decent wine bottle for around $12.
What are the major advantages or disadvantages you discovered living in Mexico? Tackling the Mexican banking system is boring. Mexican banking is incredibly bureaucratic, particularly due to its attempts to protect against money laundering. In the US, you will have to come and leave in 45 minutes on the relatively simple problem of being able to go to the bank and see the operations manager. Here, it may take two days and two visits, but each can take several hours. The whole of banking can be like a really big brain fry.
However, the advantages of living here are far outweighed the disadvantages.
Mexicans make it a priority to be in their family. It’s grandma’s birthday, so many flowers are dropped off and it takes an extra 30 minutes for lunch as it’s a coworker’s wedding anniversary. Relationships here permeate every aspect of life, and it is merely a source of joy.
The age of saints is celebrated, great days in history are celebrated, and they are celebrated with this kind of enormous vibrancy and deep investment.
Are there any unexpected hurdles? In many ways, Mexico is in the 21st century in terms of technology. But for example, what every foreigner has to deal with – you need to change your driver’s license, renew your driver’s license, and document state or federal taxes to buy or sell your car.
What about unexpected joys? Mexicans actually have beautiful ways to wait. They either sit and wait for the concert to begin, or they sit and wait for the queue to pass. And they sit with friends and family, they are never completely less comfortable and engaged with each other. They will never get bored, irritated or irritated. And that’s a great life lesson.
San Miguel has a lot to do. There are countless NGOs that have worked here for decades (with community programs and volunteer opportunities) with both Mexican citizens and foreigners participating. Whether you’re talking about volunteering, taking classes, learning to ride or taking tango lessons, it exists here. I volunteer in the Equine Therapy Program, a real mix of Mexicans and foreigners. So I will be able to do things that love and care about.
