Hi, I'm Angel. You're probably asking two things: where does my money go furthest, and can I legally stay there? These tools answer both with your own numbers. Start with your real monthly income, save the places that look good, then compare them side by side. What you type stays in your browser. I never see it.
Search every city
Tell it your budget, the month you'd love to be somewhere nice, how long you want to stay and how careful you want to be, and it lists every city that fits.
Search citiesWhere my Social Security goes furthest
Type in your monthly check and see every city it covers, what you'd have left over, and whether that check alone meets the retirement visa income.
Check my checkWhere you could settle
Wondering which countries would actually let you stay for good? Put in your income, savings and age, and you'll see the retirement visas you qualify for, with a simple checklist for each one.
Find my visa optionsKeep moving
Not ready to put down roots? Pick how long you'd like to stay in each place, and see where your US passport lets you stay that long, plus how to stretch it.
Plan long staysCompare your favorites
Found a few places you like? Tap Save on each one, then line them up side by side: what a month costs, rent, visas, weather, safety and flights home.
Start saving citiesWhat your dollars are worth
Pesos, baht, lek, dirhams and more, at today's rate, plus what $1,000 turns into in every country I cover.
Convert dollarsWill my money last?
The big question. Put in your savings and what you spend, and see how many years they cover, and how many more a cheaper place could give you.
Run the numbersLook up a term
Apostille, FBAR, IRMAA, fideicomiso? Here are 354 retire-abroad terms in plain English, each with a link to the guide that goes deeper.
Open the glossaryWhat health insurance costs
The question every retiree asks before moving. See what Medicare does abroad, what each kind of plan costs by age, and what joining a local system runs in 12 countries.
See health care costsHealth care abroad: what insurance costs and what you get
You want to know two things: will I be covered if something goes wrong, and what will it cost me each month? Here are the real price ranges for each kind of coverage, country by country, plus what's good and what's hard about each one. These are estimates for one person from published rates and insurer and broker pricing. Your quote depends on your age, health and where you live, so use these numbers to plan and get real quotes before you move.
Start here: Medicare mostly stays home
Original Medicare generally doesn't pay for care outside the US, apart from a few narrow emergency cases, according to Medicare.gov. Medigap Plans C, D, F, G, M and N add a foreign travel emergency benefit: 80% of emergency care after a $250 yearly deductible, only in the first 60 days of a trip, up to $50,000 for your lifetime. That helps on a vacation. It isn't a plan for living abroad.
Many people keep paying for Part B anyway ($202.90 a month in 2026). If you drop it and sign up again later, the late penalty adds 10% to your premium for each full year you went without, for as long as you have Part B. Keeping it means you're covered the day you come home. I go through that choice in does Medicare work overseas.
The four ways to cover yourself, and what they cost
| Kind of coverage | Who it fits | Typical cost for one person | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel medical or nomad insurance | Slow travelers moving every few weeks or months | About $145 per 4 weeks in your 50s and about $190 to $230 in your 60s (SafetyWing) | Covers emergencies, not checkups or ongoing care. SafetyWing stops selling at 69; some others go into the 70s with lower limits. |
| International expat plan | People who live abroad full time or split time between countries | About $320 to $750 a month at 55 to 64, and about $500 to $1,250 or more at 65 and up, without US coverage | The price climbs with age, many insurers stop taking new applicants somewhere between 60 and 74, and adding US coverage costs much more. |
| Local private plan | Residents settled in one country | About $100 to $350 a month in places like Panama, Portugal and Uruguay | Good value, but entry ages and pre-existing condition rules are strict, and the plan only works in that country. |
| Public system for residents | Legal residents in countries that let foreigners join | From free (Portugal, once you're registered) to about $70 to $110 a month in Mexico, Costa Rica and Ecuador | Waits can be long, it's in the local language, and some systems won't cover conditions you already have. |
Ranges come from published rates and from insurer and broker pricing (Cigna Global, Allianz and SafetyWing among them), converted to dollars at today's rate. Many retirees combine two: a public or local plan for everyday care plus an international plan or a savings cushion for something big.
Country by country
| Country | What residents can do | Rough monthly cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | Join IMSS voluntarily, or buy private | IMSS: about 20,000 to 22,000 pesos a year at 60 and up, roughly $90 to $100 a month | IMSS excludes a list of pre-existing conditions and resets its fees each year. A private doctor visit runs about 535 to 840 pesos ($30 to $45). |
| Costa Rica | Residents must join the Caja (CCSS) | A share of the income you declare, often about $70 to $110 for a retiree on a $1,000 pension | The rates are reset each January. Many people add private insurance for faster specialist visits. |
| Panama | Private local plans; pensionados get discounts on medical bills | About $100 to $350 for retirees | Retirees on a pensionado visa usually can't use the public system, so private coverage is the norm. |
| Colombia | Public EPS plan, or private prepaid plans (medicina prepagada) | EPS: 12.5% of your contribution base. Prepaid plans: about $130 to $430 at 55 to 65 | Check whether your visa type can join an EPS. A private doctor visit runs about $20 to $50, a specialist about $40 to $90. |
| Ecuador | Join IESS voluntarily, or buy private | IESS: 17.6% of declared income, at least about $85 | The minimum rises when Ecuador raises its basic wage. |
| Portugal | Public SNS once you're a resident, plus optional private plans | SNS: free or low cost. Private: about $55 to $335 depending on age | The D7 visa needs travel insurance with at least €30,000 of cover until your residence card arrives. |
| Spain | Private insurance for the visa; public buy-in later | Convenio especial after a year of residence: about €60 (about $67) under 65, €157 (about $176) at 65 and up | The non-lucrative visa needs a Spanish policy with no copays, no deductibles and no waiting periods. |
| Thailand | Private insurance only | Quote-based and steep with age | The O-A retirement visa asks for a policy with at least 3,000,000 baht (about $89,000) of inpatient cover. |
| Uruguay | Private mutualista membership, or the public ASSE system | Mutualista: about $90 to $250 | Small copays, around $5 for a doctor visit, on top of the monthly fee. |
| Philippines | PhilHealth for retirees on the SRRV visa, plus private plans | Check the current PhilHealth rate | The last published rate for foreign retirees is from 2017, so ask PhilHealth for today's premium. |
| Vietnam | Private only | International plans average about $380 | Local plans get hard to buy after 60 to 65, so most retirees use international coverage. |
| Malaysia | Private plans | Basic local plans about 100 to 500 ringgit | The MM2H visa asks for health insurance, and insurers may turn down older applicants. |
Peso, euro, baht and ringgit amounts converted at today's exchange rate. Public fees change every year, so check the official office before you sign up.
What's good about buying coverage abroad
- It costs a lot less. Public systems and local plans in many of these countries run about $100 to $350 a month or less, and a private doctor visit often costs $20 to $45 without insurance.
- Doctors are easy to see. In many of these countries you can book a private doctor or specialist within days and pay a few dozen dollars without insurance.
- You can mix and match. A cheap public or local plan covers everyday care, and a high-deductible international plan protects you from a really big bill.
- Some countries reward retirees. Panama's pensionado discounts and public systems open to residents in Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Portugal keep costs low for life.
What's hard about it
- Age limits. Many international insurers stop taking new members somewhere between 60 and 74, and travel plans like SafetyWing stop at 69. Buy before you need it.
- Prices rise with age. One major insurer's top plan costs about $604 a month at 55 to 64 and about $982 at 65 and up. Expect the bill to keep climbing.
- Conditions you already have. Plans may exclude them outright or for a waiting period, often two years. Mexico's IMSS won't cover a list of them. Spain is the exception: its visa policy can't exclude them.
- Emergency-only coverage isn't enough to live on. Travel plans pay very little for a flare-up of an old condition once you're 65 or older.
- How bills get paid. Ask whether the plan pays the hospital directly or you pay first and claim it back, and how much cash you'd need on hand.
- The rules keep changing. Costa Rica, Mexico and Ecuador reset their fees every year, and visa insurance rules change too.
How good is the care?
The short answer: in the big cities, very good, and often much easier to get than at home. Outside them, it varies a lot, so look at where the nearest good hospital is before you pick a town.
- Accredited hospitals. Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation is a good sign a hospital meets international standards. Thailand had 62 accredited facilities in mid-2024. Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama and the Philippines each have a handful, mostly in their capitals and big cities. You can look any hospital up on the JCI website.
- How people rate it. In Numbeo's crowd-sourced 2025 health care index, Thailand (77.5) and Spain (77.3) were both in the top ten worldwide. It's a survey of what residents think, not a medical study.
- Public versus private. Public systems usually cover a lot for very little but mean longer waits for specialists. In Colombia, for example, waits in the public plan often run several weeks while private clinics see you within days.
How I'd choose
- If you move every few weeks or months, a travel medical plan plus Medicare Part B kept up at home is the simplest setup.
- If you're settling in one country, see if residents can join the public system, then add a local or international plan for big bills.
- If you're over 60, apply for an international plan before you move. Age limits and health questions get harder every year.
- Check what your visa asks for first. Spain, Portugal, Thailand and Malaysia all have their own insurance rules.
Want to see which cities fit your budget once health care is in it? Every city in the city search already counts a basic health insurance line in its monthly cost.
Sources: Medicare.gov, the IMSS, Joint Commission International, Numbeo, and published insurer and broker pricing (Cigna Global, Allianz, SafetyWing, IMG), checked November 2026.