Hi, I'm brand new to E-R. We'll be empty nesters in 2018 and anticipate retiring, downsizing and moving from our home in Virginia sometime after then. I'm originally from Sonoma County and desperately miss my dry CA summers without mosquitos, chiggers or AC. As much as I'd love to move back there, housing prices are crazy to the point where it just doesn't make economic sense until/unless the bubble pops.
Having said that, I would love to compile a list of suitable domestic or intl retirement destinations that have a Mediterranean climate and a low or moderate COL. I would prefer being within 30 miles of the coast so a far inland climate (with hotter summers) wouldn't be my first choice.
Looking forward to your responses!
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This thread will give you some of my general thoughts on 'where to retire' duckcalldan.
http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f29/where-to-retire-to-80354.html
Regarding your specific situation, the first thing I would do is consider where you CAN try living. I list of 100 places other people like or think you might like, is useless if you can't legally live there.
Nor does 'low or moderate COL' mean anything. It is always best to be specific when possible. What YOU consider low or moderate may not be what I consider low or moderate after all. Saying what kind of monthly budget including rent you want to live on is far better and far more likely to get you responses that meet your needs budget wise.
People love to suggest places THEY like. The more specific criteria you provide, the more you force them to only suggest a place that fits YOUR criteria, not THEIR preferences.
So, if you wrote, what place with a Med climate; where a US citizen can live legally; on a budget of $20k per year including rent, can you suggest? People cannot (or at least shouldn't) suggest places for which they do not know the answer to ALL of your criteria.
Some of the places that have already been suggested to you would fail my personal criteria for example in regard to crime. One rule of thumb I use when looking at countries/places is. do the houses all have bars on the windows? If they do, it's off the list. That pretty much describes S. Africa for example. COL is irrelevant if you feel you need bars on your windows to be safe in my opinion.
As it is, based on what you have written, I do not know where to suggest to you as worth looking at. The only real criteria you have given is a somewhat loose 'Med climate'. That covers a broad band that circles the globe. The more relevant criteria you provide, the more relevant suggestions can be.
