Moving Nationally or Internationally

[BIG_DADDY]

If you were going to move would you consider an international move ever? If you were going to pick another spot in the good old USA where would you like to be? For me I could see Austin in my not too distant future. If our country goes hard left I would have to look at the options at that time but I am going to start the process next year. I would love to look at Panama. I have seen several clients and friends move over the years. The most popular places have been Costa Rica, Philippines, Equador and Brazil but I know a lot of Brazilians. i can't forget Monaco for those with a lot of cash.

[scho63]

Originally Posted by tatorhog

If its domestic, I'm staying in rural KS. unzoned property, relatively cheap acreage, I can basically do whatever I want. I don't have the mountains or the ocean, but simply being able to build or do whatever I want easily offsets that.

If I'm moving internationally, I would try for Ascension Island. I looked into a few years back when going through my divorce. Its very remote, relatively unheard of, and stable.

Sounds like your a hermit, anti-social or the Unibomber.

You're not writing any manifesto's at this time are you?

[Mr. Wizard]

We much prefer Colorado springs to Denver, more to do, close to cripple creek, mountain ranges not so packed with tourists, etc...

[BWillie]

Know some poker people that live in Costa Rica and Medellin, Colombia. They love it. Cost of living especially. They can live off of 20k a year like we can 80k here. They tell me the locals are attracted to gringos. Not sure why.

[stumppy]

Originally Posted by tatorhog

If its domestic, I'm staying in rural KS. unzoned property, relatively cheap acreage, I can basically do whatever I want. I don't have the mountains or the ocean, but simply being able to build or do whatever I want easily offsets that.

If I'm moving internationally, I would try for Ascension Island. I looked into a few years back when going through my divorce. Its very remote, relatively unheard of, and stable.

Going out on a limb but I'll guess they don't have an extradition treaty with the USA.

[rydogg58]

It's funny this got bumped. I found out last week I'm getting transferred to the other side of the state for my job. It's been a huge pain in the ass trying to get everything lined up as far as finding a place to live and moving on a short notice. Hope to never move again.

[JD10367]

Originally Posted by old_geezer

I'm basically too old to move now but if I could I would love to live in Ireland. Second choice would be Australia.

I would love to give New Zealand a shot but, apparently, from everything I see on cable TV, literally everything in Australia is trying to kill you.

[HonestChieffan]

Ive lived in Champaign, IL; Chicago; Indy; Denver. and KC metro


Love rural Missouri close to KC. Easy to go anywhere and low cost of living with all the perks of KC

Would not go back to Denver on a bet to live. Colorado was fun and pretty but the front range traffic sucks totally. I did make a killing on a house there.

Loved the good of Chicago but thats all gone now and its a shithole top to bottom. Too bad, in the late 70s it was a great city.

Indy. Gawd no.

Would enjoy a winter place near the coast and seafood anywhere but Florida but the missus wont go along with that.

Been all over Europe and love vacationing there, Canada is awesome even if politically a disaster.

[PunkinDrublic]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Know some poker people that live in Costa Rica and Medellin, Colombia. They love it. Cost of living especially. They can live off of 20k a year like we can 80k here. They tell me the locals are attracted to gringos. Not sure why.

I’m either retiring to SE Asia or South America. You could easily retire to either for $300k. Both are hotspots for medical tourism so great health care is affordable. I’ve been to the Philippines and Thailand multiple times and talked to Retiree’s out there who love it. Also talked to people who retired in Cambodia and Vietnam who love the low cost of living. All of these places have big ex-pat communities so it’s not like you’re completely isolating yourself.

[Misplaced_Chiefs_Fan]

We'll be moving as soon as my wife reaches retirement eligibility. I've lived here in Maryland for 20+ years and have been ready to move for about 18 . . .

Looking to go south and west . . . Maybe Gulf Coast (Ala/Miss), Texas, or New Mexico (in the Albuquerque area).

If I had unlimited funds, I'd consider relocating to either Wales or Scotland.

[Kiimo]

Originally Posted by HonestChieffan

Been all over Europe and love vacationing there, Canada is awesome even if politically a disaster.

What's it like to live in a country that's politically a disaster? I can't wait to find out

[TripleThreat]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I really don't understand why the entire US population doesn't live in Colorado and southern California.

Northern California has a completely different range of people compared to LA. Having lived in both areas, I can tell you that nor cal seems more laid back and accepting than So cal. So cal very clicky, judgy, etc (imo)

[old_geezer]

Originally Posted by JD10367

I would love to give New Zealand a shot but, apparently, from everything I see on cable TV, literally everything in Australia is trying to kill you.

I spent my R&R in Australia while serving in Nam and the people were just incredibly friendly. That and the local wildlife were big hits with me. Of course I spent a lot of time at the nightclubs and nice restaurants so that probably influenced me a lot.

[frozenchief]

I’ve lived in Alaska for 20 years. Land is comparatively cheap, people leave you alone, everyone has guns, taxes are low and the fly fishing is incredible. Winters do get long and it’s a pain to fly Outside.

I haven’t thought about moving until the last few months when it seems this country is just imploding. If I moved, it would be out of this country. I would love to get a boat and just drift round the world. Living in Belize or Costa Rica would also be pretty cool. Low cost of living and good fishing.

[Rain Man]

Okay, I'll start posting the ranking of my 86 cites that are potential retirement destinations. As background, I looked at housing costs, cost of living, taxes, various climate issues, political leanings, population size, and my subjective scoring of the quality of housing choices available in the $400,000 to $500,000 price range.

Scoring is based on my family's preferences, which are:

1. Having to work fewer years before retirement is a plus.
2. We want lower humidity, but it doesn't help if it's lower than Denver's. It just hurts if it's higher.
3. We want an average amount of rain, not too much and not too little.
4. We want as little snow as possible (my wife's preference in particular)
5. We'd rather live in a place that is in the middle politically, but leaning left is better than leaning right. (Put on your dang masks if you want me to move there.)
6. We're looking at single-story homes whenever possible, since we'll plan to age in the home.
7. We want a place that has January lows of around 45 and July highs of 75. The further from that, the more points are deducted.
8. Housing quality scores are based on the size of home we can afford (up to an ideal size but not necessarily bigger), as well as my subjective view of how attractive the housing stock is.
9. I'd rather live in a larger city, primarily because we'll need more health care as we age, and we also like having more choice among restaurants, culture, parks, etc. However, anything about 200,000 is generally the same, so no bonus for being bigger beyond that.
10. The 86 cities are mostly places that I think would be interesting, but I also generally tried to get a city in most western states. I added a few cities in other regions that look interesting, or where I've heard the tax situation is friendly to retired people.

[Rain Man]

We'll start at the least desirable, Ranks #81 through #86. See the picture table for details. I'll put new rankings up daily as I find time, in groups of five.

Here are examples of the housing you get for your money.

Rank Score City/State House Example

81 54.81 Rochester MN https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-00233?view=qv
82 50.08 Frisco CO https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-58654?view=qv
83 34.00 Skagway AK https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-10786?view=qv
84 22.03 Paris France https://www.realtor.com/internationa...-120055543506/
85 8.37 Laguna Beach CA https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-14581?view=qv
86 0.00 New York NY https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-59607?view=qv


Conclusions:

You’ll see that Paris, Laguna Beach, and New York all sink to the bottom for the same reason: a combination of very high cost and very low housing grades. We’d have to add 6 or more years to our working life to afford them, and for the most part they would be very tiny homes of less than 700 sq ft. That’s a hard no.

Skagway is pretty affordable, and it’s in beautiful southeast Alaska, but it gets a ton of snow and we don’t want snow. The housing situation is also pretty so-so and it’s cold in the winter and not warm at all in the summer.

The delightful town of Frisco, Colorado, is better than Skagway in most respects, but still has the same general challenges and it would also be combined with a very small house for our money. Nope.

Rounding out the bottom group is Rochester, MN. It’s a pretty nice house, but not single-story. They get less snow than Denver, but are colder and more humid, and not more affordable once you consider taxes. Moving there wouldn't move toward our goals at all.