I read an interesting article about how US retirees are becoming expats to secure a significantly lower cost of living, including healthcare, without compromising the quality of service. The Wall Street Journal reported that approximately 9 million non-military Americans live outside the US, according to the State Department. That’s increased considerably from its 1999 estimate of approximately 5 million.
I suspect that as baby-boomers glut the retirement market without enough income to maintain their standard of living at home, the numbers will skyrocket. A big consideration is that healthcare in expat venues can be significant lower. According to the article, there are some countries where the quality of life isn’t so bad, and healthcare is a relative bargain compared to costs stateside. For example, France is known for its excellent health care system and gets top marks, along with Ecuador and Malaysia, Thailand and Costa Rica. This is an interesting phenomena, and one that may deserve a bit more investigation for those getting ready to unplug from their day job.
