5 Places To Enjoy A Sunny, Stress-Free Overseas Retirement In 2025
Moving to Valencia, Spain, can unlock a more exciting chapter of your life
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If you’re willing to look beyond the borders of the United States, a plethora of opportunities for safer, more affordable, more fulfilling overseas retirement lifestyles becomes available to you.
Where are the best places to launch a new life in 2025? Expats should seek countries that welcome them with open arms. Look for countries with user-friendly residency policies and residency permits that are easy to qualify for.
Expats should also “thin-slice” any country that they are considering to a specific town, city, or region within that country. Specificity is crucial when considering your options abroad.
Here’s a round-up of specific locations where expats can enjoy a stress-free, sunny retirement in 2025.
1. Valencia, Spain
Overseas Retirement In A Culturally Vibrant City With Mediterranean Beaches
- Estimated monthly cost of living for two: $2,363
Valencia is a sun-soaked city on Spain’s Mediterranean coast where U.S. retirees can enjoy a well-appointed lifestyle for less than what they’re currently spending.
With an estimated monthly budget of $2,363, life in Valencia costs 53% less than the mean average annual expenditure of Americans 65 and older, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Valencia is a shining example of how much more affordable life overseas can be for U.S. retirees, even in Europe.
Moving to Valencia is an opportunity to add more excitement to your life. This city offers endless things to see and do, including museums, gastronomy, sporting events, live opera and theater performances, concerts, and more. The Valencian Community has its own cultural identity, which it celebrates at colorful festivals like Las Fallas—a five-day celebration that involves massive sculptures, parades, and music.
Infrastructure in Valencia is strong and dependable. The public transportation system is so efficient and affordable that retirees can do away with the financial burden of a car when they move here. The city is also top-rated for health care, with modern facilities and highly trained medical professionals.
With a large expat community, it’s easy for new arrivals to connect with others after they arrive in Valencia. Although many among the expat community speak English, U.S. retirees should plan to learn some Spanish after they move here to improve their living experience.
To live in Valencia long-term, retirees can apply for the Non-Lucrative Visa. The main requirement is that you have enough passive income—about 2,400 euros ($2,460) per month—to support yourself. This gets you a one-year residence permit that you can extend.
2. Cascais, Portugal
Upscale Coastal Living Just 30 Minutes From Lisbon
- Estimated monthly cost of living for two: $3,523
- Health care ranking in the 2023 Legatum Prosperity Index: #40
- 2024 Global Peace Index ranking: #7
Cascais is an upscale coastal beauty found just 30 minutes from Lisbon, Portugal’s capital city. It has long been a sunny playground for Lisbon’s upper class. Now, it’s also a magnet for expats from around the world who seek a safe, well-appointed overseas lifestyle.
Cascais is on the Atlantic Coast, with golden beaches and cold ocean waters available from the city center. There’s a variety of beaches to choose from, from secluded coves with calm waters to active stretches with surfable waves. In town, you find a mix of Old-World ambiance—cobblestone streets and historical buildings—and modern amenities. Cascais is known for its trendy cafés and restaurants, as well as shopping, markets, festivals, and more.
Cascais is expensive relative to other destinations in Portugal, with an estimated monthly cost of living of $3,523 for an expat couple. But it’s still 30% more affordable than the mean cost of living for a couple aged 65 or older in the United States. Many expats choose to settle here in spite of the higher costs because they’re content with the high-level amenities and services, including excellent health care facilities.
Cascais is home to a diverse community of expats that stands out for being extremely welcoming. This is a place where U.S. retirees can settle in easily, meet people quickly, and speak mostly English. As one American expat in Cascais says, “One of the things I love most about living in Cascais is connection… The expat community in Cascais is probably one of the best in Portugal.”
To live in Portugal long-term, U.S. retirees can apply for the Passive Income Earner (D7) Visa. To qualify, you must show sufficient passive income—about $1,500 per month. This grants you a two-year residence permit that you can renew.
3. Medellín, Colombia
Euro-Chic Overseas Retirement In One Of The World’s Most Livable Cities
- Estimated monthly cost of living for two: $1,688
- Health care ranking in the 2023 Legatum Prosperity Index: #36
- 2024 Global Peace Index ranking: #146
Medellín is one of the best-appointed, most livable cities in the world, and it has a growing reputation among U.S. retirees and digital nomads.
It boasts an inexpensive, user-friendly public transportation system, abundant green spaces, and weather that meets most people’s definition of perfect. Forever at about 74 degrees Fahrenheit, Medellín is comfortable year-round. Residents rarely need to use air conditioning or heating, which helps them save on utilities.
This city has a special energy that emanates from its fun-loving, friendly locals who are known as Paisas. They celebrate local culture at annual festivals and turn out by the thousands for sports events and concerts. The list of things to do in Medellín is near endless, with museums, theater, orchestra, live music, shopping, nightclubs, art, fine dining, and more.
Medellín offers a high quality of life that comes at a low cost for U.S. retirees. The estimated monthly cost of living for an expat couple is $1,688, which is 66% less than the mean average annual expenditure of Americans 65 and older. The low cost of living is accentuated by the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Colombian peso, which is currently working in the dollar-holder’s favor.
The low costs apply to health care, which is among the best in all of Latin America. Medellín is home to top-tier hospitals, like the JCI-accredited Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe and IQ InterQuirófanos SA. Quality is so high and costs are so low that it has growing acclaim as a medical tourism destination.
Colombia welcomes expats with open arms, offering several paths to residency that are easy for the average American retiree to qualify for. To qualify for the Pensionado Visa, for example, retirees need to prove that they receive a monthly pension of at least three times Colombia’s minimum monthly wage (about $983 per month in 2025). This gets you a one- to three-year residence permit that is renewable.
4. Crete, Greece
A Historically Rich Mediterranean Island In The Sun
- Estimated monthly cost of living for two: $1,873
- Health care ranking in the 2023 Legatum Prosperity Index: #41
- 2024 Global Peace Index ranking: #40
Crete offers the best of the Mediterranean—abundant sunshine, sparkling ocean vistas, rugged landscapes, and delicious local cuisine that’s so healthy, it could help you lose weight and potentially extend your lifespan.
Crete is Greece’s biggest and most populous island, and it provides a range of lifestyle options, from cosmopolitan environments like Heraklion and Chania to rustic mountain villages to total isolation in remote areas that are surrounded by olive groves.
It boasts remarkable geography that includes snow-capped, skiable mountains, pink-sand beaches, stunning cliffs, and some of Europe’s longest and deepest gorges. The island is so big and diverse that it’s relatively easy to keep island fever at bay.
Crete has long sat at the geographic crossroads of major civilizations, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. Its historical roots go deep, and remnants of its rich history is found scattered across the island. Chania, on the northwest coast, is a microcosm of its rich history, with evidence of the Romans, the Byzantines, the Venetians, the Ottomans, and the Egyptians—every culture and civilization that touched Crete over time.
Chania’s old town is a labyrinth of homes, museums, boutiques, restaurants, bars, and ancient churches, partly encircled by the ancient city walls. It’s incredibly atmospheric, and it’s no surprise that it’s a hot spot among expats from around the world. As many as 18,000 expats live on the island of Crete.
Mediterranean island living comes at a discount in Crete. With an estimated monthly budget of just $1,873, an expat couple can live well here. This is 63% less than the mean average annual expenditure of Americans 65 and older in the U.S.
To live in Greece long-term, many retirees use the Financially Independent Person Permit. To qualify, the main requirement is showing that you receive enough income to support yourself. The threshold is set at 3,500 euros ($3,585) per month. This residency permit is available for two years and is renewable.
5. Mazatlán, Mexico
Overseas Retirement Where Beach Living Meets Spanish-Colonial Charm
- Estimated monthly cost of living for two: $2,069
- Health care ranking in the 2023 Legatum Prosperity Index: #71
- 2024 Global Peace Index ranking: #138
One of the best places to live on Mexico’s Pacific Coast is Mazatlán, a city of about 500,000 people that offers an affordable cost of living at just over $2,000 per month. Older Americans could spend about 59% less in Mazatlán compared to the U.S.
Mazatlán is also more affordable than its resort town counterparts along Mexico’s Pacific and Caribbean coasts. Everything from the cost of a meal to the cost of real estate comes at a discount in Mazatlán relative to Puerto Vallarta, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum.
Mazatlán has several miles of contiguous, sandy beach with swimmable waters. The beach is lined by a long boardwalk known as the Malecón that’s a hub of activity, with people out exercising and walking their dogs along it at any given time. This city has a more authentic feel than other resort towns, and though it has a sizeable expat community, the presence of foreigners does not overwhelm it.
One of Mazatlán’s most appealing attributes is its sprawling historic center—the Centro Histórico. It too is a labyrinth of cobblestone backstreets that contain charming Spanish-colonial architecture and lively plazas. This is one of the city’s best places to go for a high-end meal on the town, drinks, or live music. It’s a vibrant, lively place to spend time.
If overseas retirement in Mexico sounds appealing and you’d like to live here long-term, you can apply for temporary residency by showing that you receive $4,295 per month in income or $71,375 in savings. The threshold is relatively high relative to other countries in Latin America and Europe. Some expats never apply for residency at all and simply live in Mexico on a tourist visa for 180 days at a time.