I have heard it repeatedly, “How could you leave the safety of the United States for retirement?” My answer is usually, “how could we not?”
Living in another country is a save-your-retirement move that few people consider. Staying would have meant severe belt-tightening. After some research, we moved to Tronadora, Costa Rica and haven’t looked back. Since then we have moved to San Juan del Sur.
We had what some may call a unique situation with both of us suffering from chronic illnesses. Stacey had already stopped working due to disability and I was hanging onto my job by a thread. We knew we needed to do something.
After a lot of research, we realized we could easily afford living outside the US and never afford to live in the US. We spent a year getting ready to move, selling off all the useless things we had acquired. Rethinking what was truly important to us.
Although Costa Rica proved to be far too expensive for our budget, we found we can live very well here in Nicaragua and even put money into savings for travel and special treats.
One thing we did not do, that we tell everyone to do is that after researching as much as you can, go visit. If you travel the right way, a month in a third world country can cost less than just a couple of nights in a hotel.
The right way is to not stay in a hotel. Use Airbnb to book a stay. Most places overseas you can get a hefty discount for a one month stay. Even without a discount, most places will have significantly lower prices than a hotel in the US.
When we made our first visit to Nicaragua for 7 days, we chose to book a private room in a Nicaraguan house. Breakfast was provided and the advice and suggestions we received were invaluable in making our stay enjoyable. That family has become our best friends here in Nicaragua and we see them often.
Our room was $20 a night and included a huge Nicaraguan breakfast that we found delicious. That same Airbnb discounts 30% for a one month stay, it is not unheard of to find a 50% discount for a month.
A month will give you a better feeling about your intended new home country than a quick one-week visit. We have met a number of people who came here on vacation, went home and started packing and returned to live here.
We have a friend that lives here on a small social security check every month. There is a full kitchen available to him, but he chooses not to use it. Instead, he eats every meal out simply because it is so cheap. He rarely eats at restaurants along the beach, because they are the most expensive. He often chooses to go to small Nicaraguan eateries where a very filling dinner can be purchased of under $5 and breakfast usually breakfast is $2.50.
Keep in mind that San Juan del Sur is the most expensive place in Nicaragua. This town is a tourist destination, and the prices reflect that. There are much less expensive places all over the country.
Moving abroad may be the ultimate in using your brain in new ways. We’ve always been resourceful but when you put those skills to the test it’s amazing what you can achieve.
The most surprising thing about our move was how quickly we found ourselves thriving once we decided to fit in. We embraced the change and feel like it was a great decision.