Where should I retire abroad? A quiz that weighs healthcare, cost and residency

Choosing where to retire abroad comes down to a few things the quiz scores directly: how good the healthcare is, what your pension or savings buy, how the country taxes income, the weather and how safe it feels. The quiz then checks whether your passport, savings and income clear a residency route in each of the 183 countries.

• Healthcare: What kind of healthcare do you expect? (Top-tier care, Solid public system). Scored from country-level health system figures. If you expect regular treatment, pick top-tier care and set it to matter most.
• Cost of living: What cost of living are you after? (Keep it affordable, Balance cost & quality, Pay for the right place). Country-level prices scaled for city size, so the same pension goes further in a smaller city than in the capital.
• Taxes: What's the most tax you'd accept? (Zero or very low tax, Low to medium tax, High tax is fine). A hard limit with no weight: a city in a country whose personal income tax tier sits above your limit is ruled out. The tier covers general income tax, so check how your own pension would be taxed there.
• Climate: How do you want the weather? (Warm & dry, Warm & tropical, Mild all year, Four seasons, Cold & crisp). Measured temperature and rainfall averages for each city, so two cities in one country can score very differently.
• Safety: How safe does it need to feel? (Very safe, Reasonably safe). Country-level safety figures. Pick very safe if you plan to live alone or walk everywhere.

The other questions (geography & region, urban density, language & culture, religion & tolerance, political climate, infrastructure & internet, proximity to home) still count, and you set how much each one matters. The distance question asks how far from home you want to be, which helps if family visits matter to you.

A visa that lets you stay for years matters more in retirement than a short tourist stay. The quiz asks which passport you hold, where you live now, and two rough bands: savings, from under $25k to over $1M, and monthly income, from under $1,500 to over $12k.

Where your passport gives you free movement, as an EU citizen has across the EU, the budget does not matter. Elsewhere we compare the bottom of each band with the cheapest self-funded income route and the cheapest investment route we track for the country. Clearing either one is enough. If you clear neither, the city's match drops, and it can move to a separate not-realistic list that names the income or investment the route asks for.

These are the 21 countries we rank whose cheapest self-funded income route is named for retirees or pensioners. Each figure is the monthly income one applicant must show, in the currency the rule sets it in, as checked between June 2026 and October 2026.

• Madagascar: Retiree long-stay visa, EUR 500 a month (about $582), as of June 2026
• Philippines: SRRV Classic for pensioners, USD 800 a month, as of June 2026
• Costa Rica: Pensionado, USD 1,000 a month, as of October 2026
• Nicaragua: Pensionado residency, USD 1,000 a month, as of June 2026
• Panama: Pensionado visa, USD 1,000 a month, as of October 2026
• Guatemala: Rentista or pensionado residency, USD 1,250 a month, as of June 2026
• Bahrain: Retired foreigner residence permit, BHD 500 a month (about $1,330), as of June 2026
• Dominican Republic: Pensionado residency, USD 1,500 a month, as of June 2026
• Indonesia: Retirement KITAS (E33F), USD 1,500 a month, as of June 2026
• Sri Lanka: My Dream Home retirement visa, USD 1,500 a month, as of June 2026
• Uruguay: Rentista or pensionado residency, USD 1,500 a month, as of June 2026
• Nepal: Residential visa for retirees, USD 1,667 a month, as of June 2026
• Thailand: Retirement visa (Non-Immigrant O), THB 65,000 a month (about $1,986), as of June 2026
• Belize: Qualified Retirement Program, USD 2,000 a month, as of June 2026
• Brazil: Retiree residence permit, USD 2,000 a month, as of June 2026
• Mauritius: Retired Non-Citizen permit, USD 2,000 a month, as of June 2026
• South Africa: Retired Person's Visa, ZAR 37,000 a month (about $2,271), as of June 2026
• Trinidad & Tobago: Retiree residency, USD 2,500 a month, as of June 2026
• United Arab Emirates: Retirement visa (5-year), AED 15,000 a month (about $4,084), as of June 2026
• Oman: Retiree residency permit, OMR 4,000 a month (about $10k), as of June 2026
• San Marino: Atypical residence for pensioners, EUR 10,000 a month (about $12k), as of June 2026

Some countries retirees often pick use a general self-funded visa instead, such as Portugal's D7 or Spain's non-lucrative visa, so they are not in this list. The visa income table lists every route we track next to the cost of living, with the full rule and source for each, and the Social Security table checks which of those routes the average US retired couple's benefit clears. Rules change, so confirm with the country's immigration authority before you apply.

Ranked with the same model as the quiz, run with a stated set of retiree answers:

• Best places to retire in the world
• Best places to retire abroad on a budget
• Best places to retire in Europe
• Best places to retire in Latin America

Taking the quiz is free, and so is seeing your #1 city. Full results for both of you are a one-time US$12 (€12 in Europe).

The full results show every ranked city with why it fits, living costs, climate, and the residency route for your passport and budget. You pay once, with no subscription.

Can I retire abroad on a pension alone? It depends on the country and the size of the pension. Among the countries we rank, 21 have a cheapest income route named for retirees or pensioners in our data, asking one applicant for $582 to $12k a month in income (checked between June 2026 and October 2026). The quiz compares your income band with each country's cheapest self-funded route, retiree or not.

Does the quiz ask my age? No. Several retirement routes in our data set a minimum age, such as 50 or 55, so read the rule for each route in the visa income table before you plan around it.

Does it price health insurance? No. Healthcare is scored on the quality of the country's health system. Insurance costs depend on your age and cover, so get quotes for the countries on your shortlist.

Can my partner answer too? Yes. When you finish, you can send a private link. Your partner answers the same questions without seeing yours, and both sets of answers are merged into one ranking.