As an expat who has been away from my home country for long enough that I don't really have a place to call home.

Now I am thinking of place where I would like to live and also where I would like to retire.

Anyone else in a similar situation? What are your shortlist countries (ignoring visa considerations etc.)? What are your criteria?

For me, I would like:

- Warm/mild climate
- Ideally a tax system that does not tax foreign income/assets
- Good healthcare
- Low cost of living
- Good food

For me, one Hong Kong may be a possibility, and hits a lot of the requirements except that the climate is hot and humid in the summer months.

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Are they still looking for volunteers for a manned mission to Mars?

I doubt anyone under the age of 50 is ever going to be able to retire...

Are you asking where we would like to retire to? Or where we would like you to retire to???

I like Hong Kong and if I retired there, I might want to spend the summers in Europe to avoid the summer weather and give my lungs a break from the pollution.

Rental prices in HK are sky-high, unless you get a house in the sticks. That might be nice for a retiree however.

What about New Zealand? My one son lives there - and loves it .... the climate, scenery, people, sea and beaches.

i will retire where ever my son lives because he promised we could live in his basement

Well, I can't ignore visa considerations; no sense in dreaming about whiling away my sunset years in countries where we have no chance of a settlement visa.

Switzerland is out due to costs, lack of services available, and based on my recent pretty in-depth research into eldercare here I would also rule it out due to health care.

The only realistic option right now is to return to the US. I had always thought somewhere on Lakes Michigan or Superior - but am getting kind of interested in the Vermont bits of Lake Champlain as well.

If visa considerations magically disappeared, I could see myself back in Hong Kong or China, the two countries where I've been the happiest. On the other hand, I know all too well that 'you can't go home again' - the HK and China of the early 90s that I knew and loved no longer exists - so probably best to leave those good memories intact.

Retirement rating out of 10 for Hong Kong:
- Warm/mild climate ... 5 (as you've already noted)
- Ideally a tax system that does not tax foreign income/assets ... 8 (at the moment; I doubt the SAR status is forever ...)
- Good healthcare ... 6 (if you can afford it)
- Low cost of living ... 2 (depends whether you want to live like a local or like a retiree)
- Good food ... 9 (subjective, of course, but you can get whatever you want in HK)

There must a dozen or more candidates in the Caribbean.

What about live fast, die young?

As you say, summer in Europe (or elsewhere) may have to feature in the plan. Perhaps a place in Spain or Portugal for the summer?

I would opt for a house in the sticks. With accommodation sorted, I expect living in HK is very cheap.

+1 for this suggestion. We like beaches with warm water most of the year, and English-speaking is best for us. Another big consideration is distance from family. NZ sounds lovely, but only for a visit (for us).

We would love to retire right where we are, here in Baden, but realise that we would feel much more secure financially back in the UK, we still have a house there, and family too.
As Meloncollie pointed out, healthcare is important, and again I would feel happier when I am older in the UK with our good old NHS, which I have contributed to by way of taxes for over 25 years.
So, we aim to live here for a couple of years or so after hubby retires in October, and albeit reluctantly, return home while we still physically can!

Italy?
Portugal?
Spain?
Morocco?
Dorset?
US?
Belize?

happy hurricane season- it's no joke over there
plus, people don't love u.s retirees with gated houses and lot's of stuff in most of those places.

florida seems to be a popular destination for retirees. activities galore for golden oldies so that could be fun.

Interesting post.... try this.

where there's a will, there's a way

Have you considered:

1) You aren't exactly close to death yet
2) A brave soul may make an honest man of you
2a) Said BS may prefer cooler climes?
2b) Said BS may want to live where he/she grew up?
3) Said BS may agree to spawning with you - and hence:
3a) You may wish to retire near your spawn
3b) You may wish to retire near your grand-spawn

Figuring out where to retire should take a distant back seat to
"What the f*** will my next 25 years be?"

I have recently been to Hong Kong and loved the city. So much so that I would move there... but now that I am (relatively) young, not when I retire: After two days walking around did I cough a lot because of the damn pollution. The city is hyperactive and I am not sure if I need that when I am in my 70s. I know that my dad right now would not like it for more than a couple of days...

- Warm/mild climate
- Ideally a tax system that does not tax foreign income/assets
- Good healthcare
- Low cost of living
- Good food

Except of the low cost of living does Singapore tick those boxes for you (but it is still cheaper than HK...). Northern Thailand is full of retired Japanese during the mild winters there... so I bet there is good health care available and the costs are still lower than HK or SG.

Honestly speaking: In the last 30 years did Asia change a lot and while nobody can predict the future is it pretty apparent that it will continue to drastically change - so it is pretty impossible right now to foresee which country is a good place to retire once I get to that age. Probably will by then some of the countries that are not that developed yet have caught up. The Phillipines are one tenth of the costs of HK so even a person on a normal Swiss pension could have a very nice life there. I'd bet that by then Myanmar is a clean and safe tourist destination (and I love their food)... so: who knows?

Too many speed cameras.