The World’s Best Places to Retire in 2024

Silky breezes, the glint of sunlight on water, a pelican soaring above a wave… It’s November, and I’m walking along Tamarindo Beach, Costa Rica.

It’s the same beach that featured in Bruce Brown’s Endless Summer II, prompting a multitude of dreamers to ask themselves, “Why not?”

Surfers were the first expats to come to Tamarindo in droves. The waves in Costa Rica were just as good as the ones in California… and the cost of living was a quarter of Malibu’s.

But surfers were just the initial wave of North Americans to make their way south to this exquisite country. Expats have done the math, but more importantly than that, they’ve come down and made a connection with its sense of community, its geographical diversity, and the fact that here, expats needn’t compromise on the comforts of home.

It’s no wonder Costa Rica is the winner of 2024’s International Living Annual Global Retirement Index.

For this year’s Retirement Index, I’m visiting some of the most popular areas in the country—and talking to expats in each of them—to share what makes it the best place in the world to retire.

It’s not Costa Rica’s first time at the top of the list. North Americans have been moving here for decades, and not only to the beaches.

The Central Valley, where the capital city—San José—is located, is one of those rare niches where a combination of high altitude and low latitude means that each sunrise heralds spring-like temperatures in the mid-70s F. Rich volcanic soil, combined with tropical rainfall, makes for Eden-like forest and farmland. I flew over it on my way here, admiring the established expat retreats of Atenas, Grecia, and San Ramón tucked snugly into geological creases that looked like pinched linen.

Costa Rica is renowned for its practical, creative approach to national administration. Unlike its neighbors, it derives most of its revenue from tourism, and hence, goes to great lengths to preserve its attractiveness. Over 90% of its electricity comes from renewable sources, and 28% of its landmass is preserved national park. Another point of interest: the country has no standing army.

Less money spent on military means more spent on social goods. The country’s nationalized healthcare system ranks alongside the best in the world. Most expats will pay less than $100 a month for coverage—a price Americans only dream of—and it comes standard with long-term residency.

I talked with International Living’s Costa Rica Correspondent, Bekah Bottone, who lives in a gated community with a pool on the high ground above Tamarindo beach. That morning, she’d dropped her two kids off at their international school before teaching English online. She tells me about Taekwondo lessons, Wednesday night salsa at a beachside dance studio, and relaxing at the community pool.

“The idea of community is important here,” Bekah tells me. “We all spend a lot of time together. And it’s more laidback, it’s more… in nature.”

Costa Rica isn’t some distant outpost where the phone lines are sketchy, the power drops out for hours every day, and there’s a hefty tax on every purchase. These are common—and mostly outdated—perceptions about the region… In fact, quite the opposite is true.

Does it all come at rock-bottom prices? I’m going to put my hand on heart and say no, it doesn’t. Prices in Costa Rica are the highest in this part of Latin America. But, then, Costa Rica is the most developed country in the region, offering North American standards of healthcare, infrastructure, and administration that outperform most of its neighbors—for decidedly less than in North America.

“It’s definitely more affordable to live here than in the US,” says IL contributor John Michael Arthur. “I was getting irritated by the comments on expat Facebook groups claiming that it isn’t. So I did a deep dive into prices and filled out a spreadsheet. I compared like-for-like products, no cheating—no special offers or buy-one, get-one-free deals. I went into great detail, and what came out costing $800+ in the US cost closer to $600 here. It’s still a super good deal.”

Here in Tamarindo, things have changed a lot since the expats started rolling in. As recently as the 1990s, the town had no phone lines, electricity was unreliable, and the sole bar—Nogui’s—had cold beers only for as long as the Sunday ice delivery lasted (usually to Wednesday). Now, Nogui’s offers free Wi-Fi, credit card payments, an extensive cocktail menu… and cold beers all week.

There are luxury condos, waterfront villas, and seven-bedroom homes in the hills for northward of $7 million. Upscale restaurants, well-stocked supermarkets, and private medical practices have moved in to serve them. Yes, Costa Rica’s more expensive now—but you’re still getting bang for your buck!

Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast at Puerto Viejo

From Tamarindo, I clamber into a 10-seater Cessna and, after a plane change at San José, soon arrive at Puerto Viejo de Talamanca on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast.

Old-growth rainforest plunges to the water’s edge. Here, nature flaunts her finest fragrances: Tropical flower scents mingle with rich loam bass notes, brightened by the tang of sea spray.

Walking along Puerto Viejo to Playa Cocles—about two miles—brings you through mango trees and postcard-pretty coconut palms. Golden bays, coral reefs, and even black-sand beaches curl around Puerto Viejo. The backdrop to this gorgeous vista: tropical forest and steep inland mountains.

I hitch a ride with longtime International Living contributor, Mel Rhoden, on the back of her yellow moped. Mel lives in a simple, tico-style (local) home at nearby Playa Negra, but gives me a short tour of downtown Puerto Viejo—just nine blocks—which she frequents.

Afterward, we sit on a piece of driftwood that juts into the Caribbean Sea off Chino Beach, and talk about what makes this small town so special.

The answer: Jamaican workers came to the region to build a railroad in the early 20th century, and then stayed to form a tight-knit community. The result: an English-speaking tradition among the Jamaican-descendent population, and a distinctly old-fashioned small-town atmosphere. Passers-by on bicycles wave to each other and schoolkids jostle on the streets. By day three, I’m already waving to people I know by name, and swapping stories with the old-timers at the bus stop.

Puerto Viejo feels more like a Caribbean island than an actual Caribbean island. I put that down to its lack of tourists. It’s a forgotten corner of Costa Rica where family-run restaurants serve up smoked pork chops, rice and beans cooked in coconut milk, and rondón soup (a whatever-we’ve-got fish stew).

Mel cites the Jamaican community as one of the reasons she feels comfortable here. As a Black woman originally from Los Angeles, she feels more accepted and embraced by the community she now lives in. “I feel a sense of peace here that I did not feel in the US, I don’t need to talk about what it is to be a Black person living in the US,” she says. “Here, I feel so much more peaceful. I get to live my purpose.”

Along with a healthy, conscious lifestyle and lower stress, thanks to the slower pace of life and community atmosphere, it’s a package that fits her perfectly. “Life couldn’t get any better than this.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by Bruce Cromartie, a retired accounting consultant who I met for tacos at La Chilanga restaurant, just west of the village. “I’m trying to slow down,” he says. “Just enjoy life, reset to zero, forget everything and enjoy myself.”

Bruce has been here since 2018. A go-getting business owner during his career, he was used to a high-pace, high-pressure environment in the US. Costa Rica, though, has allowed him to relax.

That’s all relative, mind you. Even as a retiree, Bruce dabbles. (Right now, he’s project-managing an accommodation development on a 16,000-square-foot lot he bought in 2021. It’s 700 yards in from the beach, and cost just $80,000.)

Bruce, who moved to Costa Rica as a type-1 diabetic, has now lost 20 lbs, thanks to a more natural diet and an active lifestyle. He walks five miles on the beach each morning, and his overall health has improved markedly. Even if he does need to use his insulin pump again, a three-month supply—from the same insulin brand as he used in the States—costs him just $50. In North Carolina, it was $500.

Thanksgiving in the Orosi Valley

“I tell people,” says John Michael Arthur, “only in Costa Rica can you be at the top of a volcano, an hour later in the cloud forest, an hour later in a pineapple plantation, an hour later on the beach, an hour later by a mountain stream. Costa Rica’s been an expat hotspot for four decades. It’s going strong… and there’s a reason for that.”

John Michael and I are picking flowers on the IL contributor’s highland farm in the Orosi valley east of San José. Generally, temperatures stay in the 70s F here year-round.

“The highest I’ve ever recorded was around 85 F, but that was for just part of the day, and was an exception,” he tells me.

We amble along the gravel pathways of his property, take footbridges over streams, and snip orchids from between banana plants, and papaya trees.

The flowers we’re collecting will decorate the Thanksgiving lunch he’s cooking the following day. He’ll gather some of the lunch’s ingredients from the greenhouse where he grows fruits, vegetables, and herbs for the table. An exacting cook, John Michael is an expert on ingredients, as well as what they cost here in Costa Rica.

Ultimately, it’s not the affordability that keeps him in Costa Rica. Proximity to the US (just two-and-a-half hours to Florida), quality healthcare (John Michael’s a doctor himself), and good weather are all enticing, too. But it’s the community that seals the deal. The Costa Ricans, Europeans, and North Americans who will arrive for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving lunch epitomize just that.

“The people are so kind. You have all this tropical nature and all the animals, and the great climate,” says John Michael, “but it would all be for naught if it weren’t for the fact that the Costa Ricans are so welcoming, and such lovely people.”

To learn more about why Costa Rica’s our No. 1 retirement destination, take a look at our free report, where we deep-dive into the country’s wide offerings for expats. And don’t miss the inaugural International Real Estate Index while you’re at it.

The Runners-Up

#2 Portugal—Europe’s Old-World Idyll

Leader of last year’s index, and still a fan favorite among International Living subscribers, Portugal slips by a hair to second place in 2024.

Two main factors account for that downgrade: an increase in the cost of housing (mostly in Lisbon and Porto, the two largest cities) and the uncertainty surrounding long-term visa categories.

That aside, sleepy Old World Portugal is still a wonderful expat location. This is a country of centuries-old vineyards, cobblestone streets that lead to farmers’ markets, and cafés where you can nurse a glass of wine for an afternoon. It’s European-style opulence on a Central American budget.

IL contributor Terry Coles says that she and her husband enjoy the low costs of Portugal. “We can enjoy a meal at a variety of restaurants for $11.50 or less, including drinks. We have private health insurance for $265 a month for the two of us. To keep fit, we joined a large gym that comes with an assortment of classes and ongoing dietary and fitness counseling for just $66 a month for two. This is half of what we used to pay in the US.”

#3 Mexico—Options, Options, and So Close to Home

Retirement options blossom just south of the Rio Grande. Mexico offers plenty of advantages, but the most obvious is that it’s in North America.

Having the grandkids come to stay, keeping in touch with old friends—it’s barely harder than if you’d stayed where you were. Heck, you can even drive there from the US.

English is widely spoken in expat centers and vacation destinations, and US foods, products, sports, and movies are popular and widely available.

In historical highland cities, you’ll find world-class cultural attractions among colonial architecture, some of which date back to 16th-century Spanish settlement. And the old-world grandeur of Valladolid or Mérida in the Yucatán is as opulent as any European capital.

San Miguel de Allende was a popular option for ex-servicemen studying fine art in the years following World War II. The G.I. Bill, which made that cultural interchange possible, is partly responsible for San Miguel’s longstanding reputation as an artsy expat hub.

Whatever your tastes, you’ll find something to entertain you in Mexico. As veteran IL contributor Jason Holland puts it, “On the coasts, you can have fun in the sun 365 days a year. Head inland and you have a different experience—the focus is on the arts of all kinds, with music festivals, art galleries, theater, independent cinema, and more.”