Warm,Low cost of living,No/Low taxes, inexpensive golf & water sports

[bpp]

Aren't permanent residence permits available in any of the countries discussed here? (Besides the US.) Not right off the bat, but as an eventual possibility, at least?

Bpp

The eventual problem is Health Care, after a certain age companies will not insure you or will only insure for short periods,a nd premiums can be excessive.

New Zealand is quaint oi visit, but after awhile it can be boring.

Australia, more people die of Croc attacks than sharks, more poisonous snakes than anywhere else in the world, spiders that attack and can kill you, plus you are isolated from the rest of the world, and also has highest incidence of skin cancer in the world.

Real Estate has gone crazy.

Spain and Portugal offer low cost living, great scenery, history and architecture galore, major drawback too many Brits and Germans.

[kat]

I hate the idea of golf, so haven't tried it, but..... here's my take on the other part...... Live in UPSTATE New York and rent a place down South for as long as you want to be away in the winter. NY doesn't mess with retirement savings. My property taxes are about $2800 now and were about $2500 thirteen years ago.

[MJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kat I hate the idea of golf, so haven't tried it, but..... here's my take on the other part...... Live in UPSTATE New York and rent a place down South for as long as you want to be away in the winter. NY doesn't mess with retirement savings. My property taxes are about $2800 now and were about $2500 thirteen years ago.

I had a summer house in the Catskills not far from Delaware county. I would close the house for 4 months during the winter. In the 1st few year, I got burglarized several times so, I was always concerned about buglaries and kept only inexpense furnishings. My house was on quiet country road with no houses nearby so the luxury of isolation was also a liability. Not the best way of enjoying a vacation home.

What part of NY is your house and do you live in town with close by neighbors.

MJ

[kat]

I'm in a lovely residential area of one of the Eastern upstate cities. I grew up in suburbia and won't ever stop appreciating how nearly everything in the city is an easy walk from home, on a sidewalk.....

I know what you mean about vacation home burglaries.... I worked as an ADA for a few years and one of my duties was handling the justice court in Renssalaerville......you know, more cows than people.... Burglary was a big problem in the isolated areas, where it was well known people were away....

From what I hear from senior NYers, renting for a few months in the South in the winter is a good option, but I'll probably never do it.

[bearkeley]

Not sure if anyone else has researched the Philippines or not...

My parents retired there and are living on $1k a month -- house, food, car, entertainment and 5 maids! It's definitely warm and with the low low cost of living, they are able to get a local insurance plan with a catastrophic plan in the US.

We're planning on looking into it as a possible ER destination....some security issues in certain places, not to mention the over population thing...but the beaches are supposed to be beautiful!

Suprised to see that no one's mentioned Costa Rica --- visited there recently and is definitely on our list....

[Slarty]

I live in Upstate New York in the Suburbs of Buffalo. It's the worst place for taxes that I have ever lived. Property taxes are over 3%! Sales tax is now 8.75%! :P I can't imagine why anyone would live here in retirement. Maybe the taxes are better in other parts of New York.

[73ss454]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slarty I live in Upstate New York in the Suburbs of Buffalo.* It's the worst place for taxes that I have ever lived.* Property taxes are over 3%!* Sales tax is now 8.75%!* *:P* I can't imagine why anyone would live here in retirement.* Maybe the taxes are better in other parts of New York.

Don't consider Nassau County Long Island, the taxes here could melt your credit cards.

[Jarhead*]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slarty I live in Upstate New York in the Suburbs of Buffalo.* It's the worst place for taxes that I have ever lived.* Property taxes are over 3%!* Sales tax is now 8.75%!* *:P* I can't imagine why anyone would live here in retirement.* Maybe the taxes are better in other parts of New York.

Slarty: My wife grew up in that area of New York. (Years ago).

Curious about your property tax.

You mention it is 3%. Is that 3% of the market value?

ie: $600,000 value home, taxes $18,000.?

Jarhead, who agrees with ReWahoo, that Texas is the best college football team in the country.

[kat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slarty I live in Upstate New York in the Suburbs of Buffalo. It's the worst place for taxes that I have ever lived. Property taxes are over 3%! Sales tax is now 8.75%! :P I can't imagine why anyone would live here in retirement. Maybe the taxes are better in other parts of New York.

Local property taxes vary a great deal around the state, depending on the tax base and other sources of revenue.

When she owned her house, my aunt owed ZERO in school taxes because of NY's STAR program. Can't get much better than that.

[Honkie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bpp Aren't permanent residence permits available in any of the countries discussed here?* (Besides the US.)* Not right off the bat, but as an eventual possibility, at least? Bpp

Most places have some form of "permanent" residence status- conditions will vary from country to country. From my own experience/knowledge, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and the EU certainly have a process to acquire a "permanent" status prior to completing the conditions necessary to acquire citizenship, should one so desire.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bearkeley Not sure if anyone else has researched the Philippines or not... My parents retired there and are living on $1k a month -- house, food, car, entertainment and 5 maids!* * It's definitely warm and with the low low cost of living, they are able to get a local insurance plan with a catastrophic plan in the US. We're planning on looking into it as a possible ER destination....some security issues in certain places, not to mention the over population thing...but the beaches are supposed to be beautiful! Suprised to see that no one's mentioned Costa Rica --- visited there recently and is definitely on our list....

I know several people who have shifted residence to the Philippines - very cheap, nice weather and beaches BUT - rampant corruption, lots of domestic crime, particularly in the cities/metropolitan areas and local disputes/feuds have an alarming tendency to escalate to violence and shootings. Also, foreigners are not permitted to own real estate and the legal system is a complete shambles. Cebu is a lovely place for a vacation though.

Howard - you seem a bit alarmist in your comments on Australia - crocs and poisonous spiders and all. These hazards are largely inland and away from the cities/populated areas - bear in mind that overwhelming majority of the Australian population lives on or very near the coast, over 90% of the land, the outback, is not populated at all.

Cheers,

Honkie

[poyet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ben The Aus retirement visa requires one to be 55 years of age. The Thai one only 50 years of age. The Thai retirement visa is valid for 1 year if one applies at Thai embassy. The extensions are also for 1 year and for a single person all that is required is $20k in a Thai bank(you don't have to spend them - can be used for next renewal too). How much is needed in Aus?

Ben,

As you're not 50 you must be using a tourist visa, aren't you ?
Or any other option to stay year long there ?

[Slarty]

Jarhead,

Yes, the taxes in the suuburbs of Buffalo, NY are 3% of assessed home value, which is very close to market value. Keep in mind that real estate here has been appreciating at 0.7% during the recent real estate boom. The city of Buffalo and Erie County governments are bankrupt. State income taxes in NY are also high. Not a pretty picture. This state is just begging people to leave which is too bad. The fingerlakes region, the adirondacks region and the eastern upstate areas are very attractive.

honkie, if you are retiring, chances are it won't be into Sydney, Melbourne etc, prices there are not cheap.

Funnel Web spiders, they can be found anywhere, and snakes are a problem, mainly in smaller communities.

My Brother back packed for about 6 months in Oz, he loves the place, but then again, he thinks Montana is the nicest State in the US.

Costa Rica are raising the requirements for Retirement, a victim of success, now you must show $1,000 US Monthly income.

Retirees and Tourists account for 25% of CR's GDP.

I have been around the globe several times, for me, Southern Portugal and Spain best meet my expectations, less chance of having my safety compromised.

Phillipines, no thanks, things can turn on a dime, some people want Marcos style government.

[pbrane]

Regarding Australia..

A few years ago I took an on-line "points test" to see if I would qualify for immigration into Oz, and I flunked by quite a margin. My age seemed to be the biggest factor working against me (late 40's at the time).

Has anything changed since then? Of course, since the dollar has slipped, it's not quite as attractive anyway..

[yelnad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slarty I live in Upstate New York in the Suburbs of Buffalo. It's the worst place for taxes that I have ever lived. Property taxes are over 3%! Sales tax is now 8.75%! :P I can't imagine why anyone would live here in retirement. Maybe the taxes are better in other parts of New York.

You must live in Erie County. Damn local gov't there is terrible.

Edited to add I posted that before I read on. And yes, you do! What a fiasco.

pbrane,Australia has a special extended Visa for retirees, might be 5 years, maybe 10, not sure?

Australia, like a lot of other countries, will discriminate against Citizens from North America and europe, in favour of otther areas of the world.

i suspect being a US Citizen went against you.

Canadians are one of the most disadvantaged when applying to immigrate to the US, easier to get in if you are Russian or from Africa.

[boostah]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bearkeley Not sure if anyone else has researched the Philippines or not...

the philippines particularly Cebu for older retirees there is a visa in place for it aswell just google for the consulate also bali is a beautifull place, i wouldnt let the bombs throw you off that much there is also great expats sites for that.

News tonight, two people severely injured off the coast at Perth by Shark attacks.

[Brat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Howard News tonight, two people severely injured off the coast at Perth by Shark attacks.

Ah, and there have been at least one off the coast of Oregon. Could it be that overfishing is encouraging the sharks to find other prey?