If you are ready to reinvent your life in a new location, Live and Invest Overseas has selected some prime areas you might want to consider.
Areas that welcome new arrivals, have a low cost of living and offer beauty and sometimes adventure can be found across the globe.
Some of the places that come to mind first, such as Spain, Portugal and France, are still good spots, according to Live and Invest Overseas, an online resource on overseas destinations. But some places that do not spring to mind at first also are welcoming places to build a life.
Following are the places, some unconventional, that are hospitable to Americans with reasonable costs of living. They are listed in reverse order with some of the reasons that Live and Invest Overseas says they make good destinations.
No. 10. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo
This laid-back and quiet city is one of the most pleasant places to live in Asia and is incredibly welcoming. A couple can live well here on $1,200 a month or less. Life revolves around the water and is lived outdoors. Island hopping to neighboring islands is easily done.
No. 9. Granada, Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a beautiful country with a troubled history that appeals to the romantic, the poet, the eco-traveler, the surfer and the bargain hunter. The cost of living, of real estate and of everything else is a steal. Geographically, Nicaragua is blessed, with two long coastlines and two big lakes, plus volcanoes, highlands, rain forest and rivers.
No. 8. Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona, in the northeast of Spain on the Mediterranean Sea, is a vibrant, colorful, proud city that combines the passion of the Spanish with the efficiency and organization of the Catalans. The opportunities for diversion, entertainment, and discovery are many.
No. 7. Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Playa del Carmen is a little beach town that sits about an hour south of Cancún on Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Playa is home to more than 10,000 foreigners, including Europeans, Americans, Canadians, Argentinians, Venezuelans and other nationals of all ages including 20- and 30-somethings, young families and retired couples. Playa is also a welcoming destination for the LGBT community.
No. 6. Chiang Mai, Thailand
Since the 1800s, the Thai city of Chiang Mai has been luring expats from the West with its incredibly low cost of living, great weather, rich history and distinct culture. The heart of Chiang Mai lies within its old city walls where ancient and modern Buddhist temples coexist with public and international schools, residential and commercial neighborhoods. The biggest advantage to life in Chiang Mai is its cost in general and of health care in particular. A couple can live here comfortably on as little as $1,100 per month, and you can see an English-speaking doctor for $20.
No. 5. Pau, France
France is a country of superlatives. World's best quality of life—best health care, best food, best art and fashion, most beautiful, most romantic—are here. Pau is a university town, with close to 12,000 university students living on and off campus, helping to keep it lively. This is a very friendly group of people with a wide range of backgrounds and interests always ready to welcome newcomers.
No. 4. Santa Familia, Belize
If you want to leave the troubles and the worries of our age behind, little Santa Familia village in Cayo, Belize, is calling your name. Life in Cayo is back to basics, simple and sweet. You know your neighbors, they know you, and you all look out for each other. Belize’s Cayo is a region of wide-open spaces, fresh air, warm sun and fertile land, making it our pick for the world’s best place to disconnect and unplug.
No. 3. Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
Las Terrenas is quintessential Caribbean with a French twist. The big and established community of French expats living in this white-sand beach town means fresh baguette, great restaurants, and kisses on both cheeks in greeting. Infrastructure is improving, establishing residency is easy, and the cost of living is one of the great bargains of today’s Caribbean.
No. 2. El Poblado, Colombia
This city is now at peace. Located in one corner of Medellín, El Poblado offers a comfortable, tranquil, idyllic way of life for a super affordable cost. At the current exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Colombian peso, the luxury-level cosmopolitan lifestyle available in El Poblado is an even greater bargain. Medellín is culture rich and Euro chic; its people well dressed, well mannered, and welcoming. Medellín’s heart, El Poblado, is our best pick for city living on a budget.
No. 1. Carvoeiro, Algarve, Portugal
Portugal is the best-kept secret of Old World Europe. For three years running, we have named its Algarve coast as the world’s best place to retire overseas, and it also takes the top spot for places to live before retirement. Coastal Carvoeiro, in particular, qualifies as perhaps the most appealing place on earth to call home if you want to live on the water in a modern world, as opposed to a developing world, setting.
It has take-your-breath-away views from Carvoeiro’s rocky coast, constant sunshine, near-perfect weather year-round, good food and wine, and lots of history.
Thanks to the current depressed value of the euro, the enviable coastal Continental lifestyle on offer in Carvoeiro is further reduced, and the cost of a rentable home or condo is irresistibly discounted.