places to retire cheaply

I

investor2009

Went to a party yesterday with a bunch of great people of traditional retirement age and met one who lives in Sanua (Bali) for $12k a year. (rent) and this sparks my interest (sure beats workin to pay the Aussie bills)
only thing is: you can't take dogs to Bali. .

We've decided to take a break at the end of this year. Like, a mini retirement break and also see some of the world.

Is this dog thing pretty standard in most countries? Just gathering ideas
 
It would most likely be a quarantine issue.

As for retirement locations oversesas, theres plenty. South East Asia, South America, Eastern Europe are all fairly popular places currently. You have a lot of things to consider such as political stability, local culture, legal requirements, taxation, currency risks when making any move.

Otherwise you can just be a global nomad, but this isn't very suitable for couples with furry friends.
 
Thanks guys

Thinking more about it, this is whete my money goes at present while working


United petrol
Various lunch shops
Car repairs and maintenance
Groceries
MVR
LPG
Various banks for property loans
Power and water
Various strata agencies
Various insurance agencies
Local councils (rates)

Gettin a bit sick of this property investing stuff. It's been 10 years now they're old and crusty and costing money here n there. Time to trade em in and bank what I intended

Then we can get all those monkeys off our backs (except for lunches and food) but also replace some with airfares and travel. Although these benefit us instead
 
You could always try South Korea. They love dogs there.

For me, there's a lot of countries in South America where I'd be happy to spend some time in retirement- I can speak a little of the language, and my wife would be a great translator.

There's places in south East Asia which would be good as well.

Having had two daughters travel Latin America extensively, the connectivity is so good. There's not the isolation there once was. Even ten years ago I wouldn't have really considered it.
 
How old is your dog? I've got an 11 year old terrier and a 10 year old lab. Both are very active and fit, you wouldn't think they're old dogs at all. Realistically though I don't expect either will still be around in 5 years. :(
 
How about Pulau Tioman :confused:

An island once rated by Time Magazine as one of the world's ten most beautiful islands.

There's Also...

Malaysia
check out "Malaysia My Second Home"

Thailand
( Has a growing reputation for first class medical facilities might be fuelling its draw as the most popular South East Asian retirement destination. Many of the doctors hold U.S, UK or Canadian medical board certifications, Many dentists are trained in England, the U.S. or Australia)
Check out Multiple entry visa

Indonesia
(Singapore is an easy first stop if you want an Indonesian visa)
Bali Rentals

Philippines
(27,000 foreign retirees from 107 countries have chosen, and lived in the Philippines through the Special Resident Retiree?s Visa (SRRV) of the Philippine Retirement Authority)
PRA

You'll find lots of blog's of retiree's doing similar

I spoke to a couple of miners who shared accommodation in Bali, they work back to back on the mines, so one is always at the Bali home whilst the other is working, they employ a maid/cook plus her hubby who does the gardens etc and they love the lifestyle (Note- no wives or kids)
 
I know a guy who lives in Pattaya on AUD$12,000 pa. He has been there about 5 years now and all he does is work on his body and look in the mirror. He never wants to leave.

Pattaya is full of foreigners so it pretty expensive. If you were willing to go up country Thailand then you could live for half of this. You could rent a big house for about $100 per month. If you live close to the Lao boarder it is easy to go out and come back with a fresh visa - though there can be problems after doing it several times - Cambodia is not far either and now Myanmar is opening up too.

BTW the internet in NE THailand is better than Australia. I was using voip phone through my mobile last time I was there and was very clear.

It is even cheaper to live in Cambodia.

Japan is also very cheap. Aussies get 3 month visas on arrival. Excellent medical facilities too. You could rent a studio apartment in Osaka for $500 per month. Eating out at a restaurant from $4.

Retire early, and do the things you always wanted to do - you can always come back to Australia every 6 months. You could do half retirement. Or try full retirement for a few years and then come back here if it doesn't work out.

Also consider living in the countryside of Australia - cheap housing.
 
The problem with Thailand is you can't trust anyone. Don't be fooled into thinking they're peaceful Buddhists. They are always robbing and killing tourists as well as each other. You only have to look at their politics to see how childish they are. Along with the high risk of getting assaulted and having your property stolen, it's also difficult to stay there long term because they make foreigners do visa runs all the time.

Most long term expats are now leaving Thailand and moving to the Philippines where the locals are more genuine and honest. It's possible to stay there for 2 years without leaving the country by continually extending your visa. Everyone also speaks English (unlikeThailand) and the women also make more faithful partners. Being such a Catholic nation probably helps with their law abiding nature.
 
dex said:
Being such a Catholic nation probably helps with their law abiding nature.
Click to expand...
Ha ha ha ... most of the most violent countries on earth are majority Catholic (Central and parts of South America). Murder rate in Philippines is a bit higher than Thailand.
Contrary to popular belief a lot of the lowest murder rates are in Muslim countries.
 
Indonesia - Jakarta is very cheap and a great place to live. I think it is cheaper than Thailand, closer to Australia and although 3rd world has 1st world facilities. Easier language to learn that Thai too.
 
investor2009 said:
Went to a party yesterday with a bunch of great people of traditional retirement age and met one who lives in Sanua (Bali) for $12k a year. (rent) and this sparks my interest (sure beats workin to pay the Aussie bills)
only thing is: you can't take dogs to Bali. .

We've decided to take a break at the end of this year. Like, a mini retirement break and also see some of the world.

Is this dog thing pretty standard in most countries? Just gathering ideas
Click to expand...

There is a growing market for people retiring overseas. Some of the things to be wary of are:

- losing residency status and access to medicare in Australia
- having to buy health insurance in the new country
- some countries have retirement visas which have conditions where you need to employ local people to look after your villa/house

If it's a dual nation idea, it can work out quite well as you'd live here long enough to maintain medicare etc and just need travel insurance for the time away or health insurance there.
 
wategos said:
Ha ha ha ... most of the most violent countries on earth are majority Catholic (Central and parts of South America). Murder rate in Philippines is a bit higher than Thailand.
Contrary to popular belief a lot of the lowest murder rates are in Muslim countries.
Click to expand...

Agree that religion causes most wars but my point was there's more violence and robberies directed towards foreigners in Thailand vs Philippines. Thais don't believe in God which probably contributes a lot to their dishonesty and skewed moral compass. Filipinos on the other hand are a strong Catholic nation so they have a stronger sense of guilt than Thais.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
Please kick my tyres.....
2 3
Replies
45
Views
8K
HiEquity
H
The Y-man
The Investor2009 Interview
Replies
1
Views
12K
The Y-man
The Y-man
S
Journey so far - $75k salary (average), 5 years, 10 properties
2 3 4
Replies
66
Views
24K
Simon L
S
C
Cash Converters are nation's fastest growing retailer
Replies
10
Views
2K
Aaron Sice
Aaron Sice
kathryn d
This summer (Canada) has been a nightmare
2
Replies
28
Views
4K
kathryn d
kathryn d
Back
Top