On 6/22/2026 at 10:55 AM, NewGuy87 said:

am not a big Thai lover. In fact, I have a healthy amount of distain for them and their culture - so i aint just licking their asses - but I think their immigration is alright. Better than Western countries and the mess they are in.

So why did you go to Thailand?

4 hours ago, Rockyroad said:

So why did you go to Thailand?

I came here a couple of decades ago on an adventure around Asia.

12 hours ago, Off Piste said:

Uruguay seems like an option........................

It is a good higher cost option but do you really want to invest 100K USD there as a core residency visa requirement that you need to hold for 10 years?

Panama vs. Costa Rica.

This guy has a point that I noticed on my trip to Costa Rica.

It lacks strong flavor. It's on the boring side. Their food makes Filipino food look wonderful by comparison.

Another comment -- it seems to me that any expat destination that gets too many Americans ESPECIALLY Californians gets ruined sooner or later as far as price levels.

That applies to Costa Rica, Panama, and all the more popular with Americans places in Mexico.

2000 USD for rent! What a bargain! That would be 5000 USD back home!

But before the local value was well under 1000. Oh well!

So on top of everything, now in some places the locals who aren't landlords get very angry and rightfully so.

As far as seeing 1500 to 2500 USD monthly rent as a good deal for an expat destination, well 1500 is doable in a great many decent smaller markets in the USA so why retire abroad at all if it's the same or cheaper at home?

Obviously not the glamorous spots, but say a place like Cincinnati which is a city that has everything a city shoud have, 1500 even 1000 is no problem.

Edited June 24Jun 24 by Jingthing

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

It is a good higher cost option but do you really want to invest 100K USD there as a core residency visa requirement that you need to hold for 10 years?

If it could used as property investment, then yes, absolutely........he mentioned some real estate figure of his property, he seems to have done quite well (good timing probs).................Regardless, great video, succinct and informative................

17 minutes ago, Off Piste said:

If it could used as property investment, then yes, absolutely........he mentioned some real estate figure of his property, he seems to have done quite well (good timing probs).................Regardless, great video, succinct and informative................

Understood.

100K is not high for housing. You'd need to spend more for something good in desirable areas.

But I very much dislike that being an initial requirement for the visa.

In general it's a good idea to spend a good amount of time in any country before making a buying decision. Personally I don't want to ever buy real estate again anywhere but on the other hand the 100K can be used for investment purposes as well. Worth a look for many seeking higher quality, higher safety, and higher cost for South America.

I don't know the mechanics exactly, but the 100K would be easier for me to stomach if you could first get the visa based on income and agree to put the 100K in within a year's time.

Then if you weren't happy, you could just leave.

Also of course the 100K part "cover charge" filters out a lot of people who can't even do that. I don't blame them for doing that, but I still don't like it.

Edited June 24Jun 24 by Jingthing

OK, in my online wanderings, I happened upon two random options that are new to me. One might be a real find.

First of all -- Suriname.

Kind of a tiny Caribbean nation attached to South America.
Yes you can retire there.

A former Dutch colony perhaps of more interest to Dutch people.

They speak Dutch, a local language, and English.

Because of immigration history, you will find the local food includes Indonesian and Indian. OK, not for me but still interesting.

PERU

I've always liked Peru. I have been to Lima and could picture myself living in the Miraflores district. World class Peruvian food, vibrant gay nightlife, and more affordable than Chile though the big catch is the safety factor is not very good.

I'm aware of Arequipa in the south which is really great on paper but I've rejected it because of the ridiculously high elevation.

So for me it's only been about Lima and the possible deal killer is the very difficult retirement visa process. I've ruled out Peru before only because of that. I think safety could be managed by renting in a secure building and taking cabs at night, etc.

But found something new and interesting.

A "Chilean style" small sized city in the south of Peru.

Desert climate, mild weather, good safety, still all that great Peruvian food, a shopping and trade center (including Japan and China) as it's on the border of Chile (for a while it was part of Chile), 25 km. to the ocean, walkable in the central area best place probably to live in anyway, and drum roll wait f for it -- RIDICULOUSLY CHEAP. Yes you get Peruvian permanent residence quickly with the retirement visa but the national health care system is available but not considered feasible for expats. Best to get private health insurance if you can, not clear yet on retail private costs otherwise. Yes definitely on the much more boring side compared to Lima but you can't ignore the ridiculously cheap part. For example, a large one bedroom high quality apartment in a good central area for under 500 USD. Now we're talking.

Edited June 24Jun 24 by Jingthing

Peru health care info for expats:

www.peruvisas.com/blog/peru-healthcare-expats

Edited June 24Jun 24 by Jingthing

Guadalajara, Mexico

Permanent Resident Visa similar to LTR Wealthy Pensioner for stay longer than four years.

Costa Rica?

Umm.

Maybe not.

23 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

Guadalajara, Mexico

Permanent Resident Visa similar to LTR Wealthy Pensioner for stay longer than four years.

I like Guadalajara.
it's not the safest but it is a very stimulating place to live.

It's possible to get INSTANT permanent residence if you have the income (most don't) OR a fairly typical retirement account (large but not unusual).

Otherwise you do need to wait but it's not like the LTR.

The LTR is never permanent residence.

Once you get permanent residence in Mexico it is for life.

Mexico has so many interesting options.

I wouldn't even rule out Mexico City which has everything in a carefully selected not expat ridden neighborhood.

I had a look again at the Peru retirement visa.

It's perhaps the most difficult process for a retirement visa I've ever seen. If not, it's up there.

An additional complication for people who've been living in Thailand is the timing of police record reports. Do you need Thailand and Peru or also the home country? Each report needs to be apostilled and officially translated and sometimes apostilled again after translation. Then there is a time limit on how long they are good for. Then there is the fact that Thailand is not an apostille treaty country. Then there is thefact that the process is usually done while in Peru and then how do you deal with doing possibly repeated officialized documents from Thailand while so far away in Peru. Then there is for US social security you need a signed, officialized, and apostilled benefits document when they don't sign benefit letters. You might think well you can just pay a Peruvian lawyer a few thousand dollars to make the hassle go away but no, you can pay a lawyer but they can't make the hassle go away. Now consider that their financial requirement at 1000 USD a month is among the lowest in the world, so they're not really filtering out based on income or wealth. So it's fair to assume that they really want us. But then they make it so hard. I suppose it's about their bureaucratic culture which is common in Latin America but it seems crazy. If they made the process easy, they could probably attract 10 times the people.

Edited June 25Jun 25 by Jingthing

Me, I'd be a wandering man. Some months in the US, maybe spend some time in Saipan, PI and circle back to Thailand.

29 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Me, I'd be a wandering man. Some months in the US, maybe spend some time in Saipan, PI and circle back to Thailand.

Do you mean without any full time home base OR permanent slow travel?

For most keeping a full time US home base mixed with extensive travel would be prohibitively expensive.

Also if doing full time slow travel, most people would largely avoid the US for cost reasons.

It's OK if you're wealthy of course. Just don't understand what you're suggesting.

Edited June 25Jun 25 by Jingthing

If anyone is looking at Chile there is another interesting option.

The south central medium sized city of Concepcion and surrounding towns which has a lively culture as a university city.

12 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Do you mean without any full time home base OR permanent slow travel?

For most keeping a full time US home base mixed with extensive travel would be prohibitively expensive.

Also if doing full time slow travel, most people would largely avoid the US for cost reasons.

It's OK if you're wealthy of course. Just don't understand what you're suggesting.

I have a permanent US home base I've been maintaining for years. It's not easy but I do it. While it maybe tempting to sell out and retire in a new land I never sold out. I've always wanted to throw a tent and sleeping bag in the trunk and just drive the US.

We're all different creatures, with different interests. I'm sure there are many expats in Thailand who have too many pocessions to just pack a suitcase and leave. It must be so liberating to pack a few pictures and some clothes and just go some where new. PI and VN would probably be my first stops.

In the scheme of things Thailand is a great place for expats to spend their years. Where else can you rent a beach front condo for $250. mo, I don't have to travel more than 1 km to the beach, 7-11, lotus fresh, restaurants, expat bars, what's not to like.

OK, I'm still Chile curious.

The visa is significantly easier than Peru and it can be done all from Thailand.

Plus there are lawyers, etc. to make it even easier. I'm sure not cheap but maybe worth it.

I still don't understand the taxation as far as social security and withdrawals from IRA.

Your country might have a tax treaty with Chile. THe USA doesn't.

So that could be a deal breaker.

As far as health, it's probable to be able to get on the public system and even if paying private it's going to be cheaper outside Santiago.

Now I've found a city that could be better than Vina del Mar for my retirement purposes.

La Serena.

Why?

Smaller sized city 200K ish but still has most of what you need.

Seriously cheap rents.

Good choice of neighborhoods. Seaside, central downtown. More residential.

You DO NOT need a car (except in an outskirts area).

Central area very walkable even to a modern shopping mall.

Very nice weather. Not humid as near to the desert. Unlike Vina del Mar the ocean water while still chilly is swimmable in summer (think Santa Cruz, California).

Food scene? Well not sure. There are Chinese restaurants, not sure how good.

The local food features great fresh seafood and that's hard to mess up.

Plus of course the always promising Peruvian restaurants.

Not super exciting. On the boring calm side. But as you get older, it's that what you really want and need?

www.expatsworld.net/expats-in-chile/la-serena-expat-guide/

Living in La Serena offers expats a relaxed coastal lifestyle defined by sunshine, walkability, and a slower pace of life. Located in northern Chile along the Pacific Ocean, La Serena is one of the country’s oldest cities and is known for its colonial architecture, long beaches, and calm atmosphere. It does not compete with Chile’s major urban centers in terms of opportunity or scale, but it offers something different: consistency, affordability, and daily life without pressure.

Video in Portuguese but open it in youtube, turn on captions, and enable translation to English in settings.

Edited June 26Jun 26 by Jingthing

OK, I'm getting into the weeds of the US expat tax situation in Chile and finally found a very good source. But still very confusing.

There is a US-Chile tax treaty which is fairly recent.

A Closer Look at the United States- Republic of Chile Income Tax Treaty | San Francisco Tax Lawyers

www.sftaxcounsel.com/blog/a-closer-look-at-the-united-states-republic-of-chile-income-tax-treaty/

It seems fairly clear that US social security is only taxable in the U.S. (I think so anyway.)

Paragraph 3 deals with the taxation of social security benefits. This paragraph provides that social security or similar legislation will be taxable only to the Contracting State making the payment.

It seems very clear that withdrawals from ROTH Iras are not taxable in Chile.

Thus, for example, a distribution from certain individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”), such as U.S. “Roth IRA” to a resident of Chile would be exempt from tax in Chile to the same extent the distribution would be exempt from tax in the United States if it were distributed to a U.S. resident.

I'm very confused about the treatment of traditional IRA withdrawals. Maybe someone here understands what this means.

The same is true with respect to distributions from a traditional IRA to the extent that the distribution represents a return of non-deductible contributions. Similarly, if distributions from a traditional IRA were not subject to U.S. tax because they were “rolled over” to another IRA, then the distributions would be exempt from tax in Chile.

To add, the national health system is based on paying 7 percent of your taxable income.

But for example, if you said that social security is your income (IRA withdrawals vary from zero up), then fine but as it doesn't look like is SS is taxable income in Chile. I don't see how that would work.

Edited June 27Jun 27 by Jingthing

Came across a video about Panama.

They have a bunch of "discounts" for retirees.

From AI:

Edited June 27Jun 27 by save the frogs

Yes Panama is usually considered the best retirement visa offer in the world.

What a contrast to what Thailand offers.

But the visa and the country are not the same thing.

Is Panama the best country for you and possibly more importantly where exactly in Panama?

I've struggles with answering that taking into account my budget and desires/needs as it's a more expensive country.

Depending on many things that I don't know yet which could be total deal breakers, I'm starting to see La Serena Chile as at least a potential Plan A option. (Meaning it might even be good enough to leave Thailand for without being pushed out.) Just maybe of course.

I'm looking into practical details about whether it's possible to do the retirement visa application entirely from Thailand (or not). Complicated by the need for documents from both Thailand and home country (USA) which would be the case for any third country for a long term expat in Thailand.

I have confirmed that (weirdly) right now the time estimate for an application is a full year.

Then you must go to Chile to get the visa stamp within 90 days.

Beyond that if you spend 22 of the first 24 months in Chile, you are eligible to transition up to permanent residence. Otherwise, you'd need to renew the temporary first. Two years is pretty fast.

The only major weakness I can see for La Serena is a less than restaurant scene compared to Santiago and even Vine del Mar.

Plus as a smaller city there could be a need for more specialized medical care in Santiago which is not at all convenient (5 hour bus ride or fly).

Coincidentally and promising in a random way I checked out an online El Serena newspaper and on the front page were two stories of interest:

A major push to expand and improve English in public schools.

Announcement of a "Carnival of Diversity" partly sponsored by the city government celebrating the 20th anniversary of the first pride event there.

Not bad for a smaller provincial city.

In any case, I think La Serena is probably in the very early stages of being "discovered" by the international retire abroad marketing industry. It's nowhere near the point of being spoiled by a massive expat influx, so I see that as another postive thing.

The iconic symbol of La Serena, El Faro (Lighthouse).

Edited June 28Jun 28 by Jingthing

On 6/25/2026 at 5:17 PM, EVENKEEL said:

Me, I'd be a wandering man. Some months in the US, maybe spend some time in Saipan, PI and circle back to Thailand.

Do you mean without any full time home base OR permanent slow travel?

For most keeping a full time US home base mixed with extensive travel would be prohibitively expensive.

Also if doing full time slow travel, most people would largely avoid the US for cost reasons.

It's OK if you're wealthy of course. Just don't understand what you're suggesting.

Edited Thursday at 05:50 PM by Jingthing

Three abodes in different countries or at least two + a short holiday in a third place would be nice for tax avoidance purposes.

I'm casually gathering more information about Chile.

I really do think Chile is a fantastic option for many people but I'm not so sure if'm one of those people.

Some items of interest --

It seems that La Serena is more expensive than Vina del Mar. That surprised me. Of course that's a generality and there are very expensive areas of Vina. Vina is looking better even with the too cold ocean. Because its close enough to Santiago so its similar to the proximity of Pattaya to Bangkok which I like a lot. There is the surrounding wine country which adds to the just like Northern California vibe and it's next door to Valparaiso which is the "bohemian" city of Chile, with its hills can be compared to Sam Franciso but not ruined by the tech bros.

Chile recently had an election and my oh my they elected the first far right wing leader since the days of Pinochet (installed by you guessed it the CIA). This guy is really something. His father was a literal German Nazi officer, he worked for Pinochet in his youth, and his family's money comes from sausages. His policies are very anti gay and he's proposing building moats and walls on the borders. I actually like his pro free market economics philosophy though. From an expat POV, he's clearly not demonizing people coming legally on retirement visas. However, there is concenrn that because he's beefing up immigration enforcement that retired expats doing renewals may come under strict scrutiny. I think there is probably at least one renewal needed before permanent residence. So while of course Chile's politics is the business of Chileans, living in a country run by a Trump lover doesn't sound great. His slogan -- Make Chile a Great Country. (Not again, which is funny.)

Still haven't confirmed the tax situation for social security.

Overall I guess it's fair to see I'm having more doubts about Chile as a Plan A country.

I think alot of it comes down to money. If your income is about 4K USD a month, I would give it serious consideration.

Edited July 4Jul 4 by Jingthing

On 6/27/2026 at 5:19 PM, save the frogs said:

Came across a video about Panama.

They have a bunch of "discounts" for retirees.

From AI:

Thailand offers

90% discount on massages

80% discount on Thai food

Free walking

9 hours ago, Jingthing said:

I'm casually gathering more information about Chile.

I really do think Chile is a fantastic option for many people but I'm not so sure if'm one of those people.

Some items of interest --

It seems that La Serena is more expensive than Vina del Mar. That surprised me. Of course that's a generality and there are very expensive areas of Vina. Vina is looking better even with the too cold ocean. Because its close enough to Santiago so its similar to the proximity of Pattaya to Bangkok which I like a lot. There is the surrounding wine country which adds to the just like Northern California vibe and it's next door to Valparaiso which is the "bohemian" city of Chile, with its hills can be compared to Sam Franciso but not ruined by the tech bros.

Chile recently had an election and my oh my they elected the first far right wing leader since the days of Pinochet (installed by you guessed it the CIA). This guy is really something. His father was a literal German Nazi officer, he worked for Pinochet in his youth, and his family's money comes from sausages. His policies are very anti gay and he's proposing building moats and walls on the borders. I actually like his pro free market economics philosophy though. From an expat POV, he's clearly not demonizing people coming legally on retirement visas. However, there is concenrn that because he's beefing up immigration enforcement that retired expats doing renewals may come under strict scrutiny. I think there is probably at least one renewal needed before permanent residence. So while of course Chile's politics is the business of Chileans, living in a country run by a Trump lover doesn't sound great. His slogan -- Make Chile a Great Country. (Not again, which is funny.)

Still haven't confirmed the tax situation for social security.

Overall I guess it's fair to see I'm having more doubts about Chile as a Plan A country.

I think alot of it comes down to money. If your income is about 4K USD a month, I would give it serious consideration.

You start this topic every 3 months. Chile is half a world away.

1 hour ago, Rockyroad said:

You start this topic every 3 months. Chile is half a world away.

Even if that was true which it isn't, so what?

Back to the topic, yes Chile is ridiculously far away from Thailand.

That's a fact.

But it's not a deal breaker.

Why?

Well for Americans coming from the east coast Chile is "only" an addiational approximately 2700 km further away and many Americans are making that trip back annually or even much more often.

Chile is a nation where you CAN apply for their retirement visa completely from Thailand so you don't even have to visit Chile before doing that. If approved you have over eight months to finish out any business in Thailand before going to Chile. From Bangkok you could break up your trip to Chile into two parts by stopping off for a holiday in Melbourne. So it can be only ONE trip from Thailand and then done. It would be stupid to reject Chile only based on distance.

Here is the profile of what I think would be an ideal fit for retirement in Chile.

I don't fit this profile except for the earthquake part.

A younger retiree with no preexisting medical conditions.

Then you can join Chile's excellent medical system and pay a private add on fee, be easily accepted, and not have any restrictions.

Speak Spanish or be 100 percent confident that you'll have the ability to reach functional (not tourism level) Spanish fairly quickly. Know thyself. By a certain age if you're honest you already know if you're crap at languages or not. Spanish at a functional level is not as "easy" as many people think, especially Chilean Spanish (they talk unusually fast and their dialect is useless outside of Chile).

Have an income of at least 3000 USD per month, the more the better.

Think costs levels like in Southern Europe, not in Southeast Asia.

Not be a lover of spicy or Asian food.

Outside of living in Santiago, be an outdoor adventure enthusiast.

Want to own a car in Chile. While there are many good places in Chile where you don't need a car, not having a car there rules out living in many other good places..

Not phobic about earthquakes.

'

Edited July 5Jul 5 by Jingthing

13 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Even if that was true which it isn't, so what?

Back to the topic, yes Chile is ridiculously far away from Thailand.

That's a fact.

But it's not a deal breaker.

Why?

Well for Americans coming from the east coast Chile is "only" an addiational approximately 2700 km further away and many Americans are making that trip back annually or even much more often.

Chile is a nation where you CAN apply for their retirement visa completely from Thailand so you don't even have to visit Chile before doing that. If approved you have over eight months to finish out any business in Thailand before going to Chile. From Bangkok you could break up your trip to Chile into two parts by stopping off for a holiday in Melbourne. So it can be only ONE trip from Thailand and then done. It would be stupid to reject Chile only based on distance.

Here is the profile of what I think would be an ideal fit for retirement in Chile.

I don't fit this profile except for the earthquake part.

A younger retiree with no preexisting medical conditions.

Then you can join Chile's excellent medical system and pay a private add on fee, be easily accepted, and not have any restrictions.

Speak Spanish or be 100 percent confident that you'll have the ability to reach functional (not tourism level) Spanish fairly quickly. Know thyself. By a certain age if you're honest you already know if you're crap at languages or not. Spanish at a functional level is not as "easy" as many people think, especially Chilean Spanish (they talk unusually fast and their dialect is useless outside of Chile).

Have an income of at least 3000 USD per month, the more the better.

Think costs levels like in Southern Europe, not in Southeast Asia.

Not be a lover of spicy or Asian food.

Outside of living in Santiago, be an outdoor adventure enthusiast.

Want to own a car in Chile. While there are many good places in Chile where you don't need a car, not having a car there rules out living in many other good places..

Not phobic about earthquakes.

'

I am thinking more about overall safety when choosing a country, and honestly most South American countries would not be high on my list for individual freedom and long-term stability.

That said, Chile has impressed me with how it turned around from dictatorship and internal violence into a promising country. The downside is that Chile sits on the Ring of Fire, with earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and other natural disaster risks.

Uruguay also makes me curious, because it seems to offer a good balance of freedom, political stability, safety, temperate climate, and a long coastline, without many of the natural disasters that affect other parts of the continent.

For you, Uruguay is actually one of the easier countries to consider.

As a Norwegian, you can enter visa-free for up to 90 days as a tourist. If you decide to stay, you can apply for residency rather than having to leave first.

For retirement/residency, the general requirements are:

• Proof of a stable pension or other regular income (many guides cite around US$1,500/month as a practical benchmark).

• Clean criminal record.

• Health documentation and identity documents.

• Demonstrate an intention to reside in Uruguay.

Given what I know about your priorities—safety, political stability, coastline, individual freedom, and avoiding major natural disasters—Uruguay is one of the strongest retirement candidates in South America. It isn’t as inexpensive as Thailand, but it aligns well with many of the qualities you’ve said matter most.

9 minutes ago, Hummin said:

I am thinking more about overall safety when choosing a country, and honestly most South American countries would not be high on my list for individual freedom and long-term stability.

That said, Chile has impressed me with how it turned around from dictatorship and internal violence into a promising country. The downside is that Chile sits on the Ring of Fire, with earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and other natural disaster risks.

Uruguay also makes me curious, because it seems to offer a good balance of freedom, political stability, safety, temperate climate, and a long coastline, without many of the natural disasters that affect other parts of the continent.

For you, Uruguay is actually one of the easier countries to consider.

As a Norwegian, you can enter visa-free for up to 90 days as a tourist. If you decide to stay, you can apply for residency rather than having to leave first.

For retirement/residency, the general requirements are:

• Proof of a stable pension or other regular income (many guides cite around US$1,500/month as a practical benchmark).

• Clean criminal record.

• Health documentation and identity documents.

• Demonstrate an intention to reside in Uruguay.

Given what I know about your priorities—safety, political stability, coastline, individual freedom, and avoiding major natural disasters—Uruguay is one of the strongest retirement candidates in South America. It isn’t as inexpensive as Thailand, but it aligns well with many of the qualities you’ve said matter most.

9 minutes ago, Hummin said:

I am thinking more about overall safety when choosing a country, and honestly most South American countries would not be high on my list for individual freedom and long-term stability.

That said, Chile has impressed me with how it turned around from dictatorship and internal violence into a promising country. The downside is that Chile sits on the Ring of Fire, with earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and other natural disaster risks.

Uruguay also makes me curious, because it seems to offer a good balance of freedom, political stability, safety, temperate climate, and a long coastline, without many of the natural disasters that affect other parts of the continent.

For you, Uruguay is actually one of the easier countries to consider.

As a Norwegian, you can enter visa-free for up to 90 days as a tourist. If you decide to stay, you can apply for residency rather than having to leave first.

For retirement/residency, the general requirements are:

• Proof of a stable pension or other regular income (many guides cite around US$1,500/month as a practical benchmark).

• Clean criminal record.

• Health documentation and identity documents.

• Demonstrate an intention to reside in Uruguay.

Given what I know about your priorities—safety, political stability, coastline, individual freedom, and avoiding major natural disasters—Uruguay is one of the strongest retirement candidates in South America. It isn’t as inexpensive as Thailand, but it aligns well with many of the qualities you’ve said matter most.

Chile is a first world country rated by the US state department at the same level of safety as France and Germany.

Yes, Uruguay is even safer.

Personally, I have rejected Uruguay because of both the high cost of living and primarily because it's required to invest 100K USD in the country for ten years on top of the income requirement for the retirement visa.

I'm not willing to do that.

I had gotten a bit excited about Chile because it appeared to have potential to be a Plan A rather than a PLan B option But I'm realizing that it just isn't that for me, but it could be for others who are a better fit.

My Plan B options remain which assumes I do want to stay in Thailand as long as possible --

Philippines particularly IloIlo City at the top

Mexico where the "problem" is picking the right city but there appear to be numerous good options.

Panama which seems so good on paper but I'm still not seeing a great location there for my purposes so probably not. You don't move to a country. You move to a specific place in a country.

Last resort type places, perhaps for temporary stays in a pinch

Cambodia

USA

Edited July 5Jul 5 by Jingthing

5 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Chile is a first world country rated by the US state department at the same level of safety as France and Germany.

Yes, Uruguay is even safer.

Personally, I have rejected Uruguay because of both the high cost of living and primarily because it's required to invest 100K USD in the country for ten years on to p of the income requirement for the retirement visa.

I'm not willing to do that.

Many invest 100k usd in Thailand with little safety in return, and in Uruguay at least you are in control of your assets ?

6 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Many invest 100k usd in Thailand with little safety in return, and in Uruguay at least you are in control of your assets ?

6 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Many invest 100k usd in Thailand with little safety in return, and in Uruguay at least you are in control of your assets ?

6 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Many invest 100k usd in Thailand with little safety in return, and in Uruguay at least you are in control of your assets ?

Well you make a very good point there!

I'm included in that if you count my condo plus the 800K baht account for the visa.

However looking at real estate. 100K USD in Uruguay wouldn't get anything decent in a place you'd want to live there.

A technical detail about that is that I assume (but don't know for sure) that you need to put in the 100K (into something, not just a bank account) BEFORE doing the application.

So then if you're not accepted, you have a problem.

Edited July 5Jul 5 by Jingthing