Mexico Earns World’s #1 Place to Retire in 2017 — InternationalLiving.com
Baltimore, MD (PRWEB) January 09, 2017 -- Mexico takes the top spot in InternationalLiving.com’s 2017 Global Retirement Index —the publication’s 26th annual ranking of the world’s best places to retire.
Mexico offers a diverse geography, with everything from white-sand beaches to high-mountain colonial cities, which means expats have a broad choice in locales. This country’s climate ranges from moist, tropical heat to dry desert and everything in between. It is rich in casual beach towns, vibrant Spanish-colonial cities, and small country villages.
And today, with the Mexican peso at historic lows against the U.S. dollar, for people shopping with greenbacks Mexico is more affordable than it has been in years. Expats report that it feels like Mexico is on sale.
Mexico always features among the top 10 destinations in the Index, and usually among the top five. It’s already home to more North American expats than any other country in the world. Well over a million U.S. and Canadian citizens are estimated to live in communities throughout Mexico, full- or part-time.
“Mexico really does offer a modest cost of living and a high quality of life,” says Glynna Prentice, International Living’s Mexico Editor. “A couple can live very comfortably on less than $2,000 a month, and you can understand how when healthcare costs run 25% to 50% less than those in the States, a housekeeper will clean for $5 an hour, a lunch special costs $7 for a full meal, and you can rent a two-bedroom condo a block off the beach in some communities for $575 a month.
“All those things are important. But they don't really explain Mexico’s appeal. Life here is easy and relaxed. People are friendly and welcoming, and their warmth is genuine. Music is everywhere, and colors are somehow more vivid here, smiles brighter.”
While Mexico wins the top spot, this year’s Index ranks the top 24 retirement destinations in the world in 10 categories, including: buying and renting property; benefits and discounts; visas and residence; cost of living; fitting in; entertainment and amenities; healthcare; healthy lifestyle; infrastructure; and climate.
For the past 26 years, InternationalLiving.com has used an extensive network of editors, correspondents, contributors, and contacts based around the world to amass the information, data, and insights used to prepare this Annual Global Retirement Index.
The key aim of the Index is to help retirees find locations where their dollar goes further— where they can get the best bang for buck in terms of real estate, cost of living, and overall quality of life.
The Index also assesses the quality of a country’s healthcare and infrastructure, the proficiency in English of the local population, and the size of existing expat communities, how healthy the lifestyle is, how easy it is to gain residence, and more.
When the scores in all 10 individual categories are added up, a total score is established for each country that yields the list of the overall best countries in the world for retirement. This year, Mexico came out on top.
An in-depth explanation of Mexico’s standing in the ranks of the 2017 Global Retirement Index, along with links to the complete 2017 InternationalLiving.com Global Retirement Index including the individual rankings in all 10 categories for the 24 countries included, can be found at:“Mexico: The World’s Best Retirement Haven 2017.”
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For information about InternationalLiving.com content republishing, source material or to book an interview with one of our experts, contact Associate Editor Carol Barron, 772-678-0287 (US), CBarron(at)InternationalLiving.com.
For 36 years, InternationalLiving.com has been the leading authority for anyone looking for global retirement or relocation opportunities. Through its monthly magazine and related e-letters, extensive website, podcasts, online bookstore, and events held around the world, InternationalLiving.com provides information and services to help its readers live better, travel farther, have more fun, save more money, and find better business opportunities when they expand their world beyond their own shores. InternationalLiving.com has more than 200 correspondents traveling the globe, investigating the best opportunities for travel, retirement, real estate, and investment.
Carol Barron, International Living, http://InternationalLiving.com, +1 (772) 678-0287, [email protected]
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