Retiring abroad: the retirement routes compared

Not a ranking. The retirement and passive-income routes open to US, Canadian and UK citizens, laid out three ways: by income test, by living costs, and by how soon you can get permanent residence.

There is no single best country to retire to. The right one depends on what you have, what you need and what you care about most. So this guide does not rank countries. It lays out the retirement and passive-income routes in our routes table three ways, so you can sort them by your own priority:

1. The lowest income bar: what each route asks you to show.
2. The lowest living costs: what everyday life costs compared with home.
3. The path to permanent residence: how soon you could stop renewing.

Every figure on this page comes from our own data files, not from a new reading of each official site. The country pages hold each route’s official sources, the date we checked it and how sure we are of it.

How the figures were chosen

• Which routes. Every route in our table in the “Retire or live on savings” category that was open or changing when the table was last checked, on 28 October 2026. That is 39 routes in 29 countries. Closed and paused routes are left out.
• Who can use them. All 39 are open to US, Canadian and UK citizens, with one exception. Ireland’s independent means route is for US and Canadian citizens; UK citizens can already live in Ireland under the Common Travel Area.
• Which income figure. The first monthly or yearly income test the route states, for a single main applicant. Couples and families usually need more.
• Conversions. We convert at the World Bank’s 2025 average exchange rates, held in our cost of living data, and round to three significant figures. Today’s rates will differ, and so will the rate a consulate uses.
• Living costs. World Bank price levels for household spending in 2025, rent included. A level of 50 means the same basket of goods and services costs half as much as in the US, at market exchange rates. These are national averages. Cities cost more.

By income test

Sorted from the lowest monthly figure to the highest. Several countries tie their figure to a minimum wage or index, so it changes each year.

Eleven routes have no figure we can convert, so they are not in this table:

• No fixed figure. Germany, Switzerland, Cyprus, Uruguay’s legal residency and Malta’s Retirement Programme and Global Residence Programme ask for enough money to live on, without a published minimum.
• A deposit or property, not income. Malaysia’s MM2H, Indonesia’s second home visa and Monaco.
• No exchange rate in our data. Argentina’s retirement and rentista visas state their test in pesos, tied to a minimum wage that rises each month.

By living costs

Sorted from the cheapest price level to the most expensive. Each country with a route above appears once. Argentina and Monaco are missing because the World Bank data has no figure for them.

To read a row: if your spending at home is 100, the same life costs about the figure in your column. A US retiree spending USD 3,000 a month would need about USD 1,500 for the same basket in Panama. The cost of living calculator does this sum for your own budget and currency.

By path to permanent residence

Sorted from the shortest wait to the longest. “From the start” means the route grants permanent residence straight away. “None recorded” means our table records no path from that route: you would renew, or switch to another permit.

These 14 routes record no path to permanent residence or citizenship: Belize, Colombia’s rentista visa, Cyprus, Indonesia’s second home and Silver Hair visas, both Malaysian MM2H programmes, both Maltese programmes, New Zealand, the Philippines, both Thai routes (retirement and LTR) and the United Arab Emirates.

Citizenship periods are the general rules our table records. Many countries add language tests, time-abroad limits or rules about keeping your old passport. Check the country page before you plan on a second passport.

How to use the tables

1. Start with your money. Find the routes whose income test sits comfortably below what you receive. Leave room for exchange-rate swings and for yearly rises in wage-linked figures.
2. Check what life costs. Look up those countries in the living-costs table. A low income bar in an expensive country can still leave you short.
3. Decide how permanent you want it. If you want to stop renewing, favour routes with a short wait for permanent residence. If you want a long stay without commitment, routes with no path may suit you.
4. Read the route. Open each shortlisted route on its country page for insurance rules, family add-ons, fees and the official sources.

The visa route finder, filtered to “Retire or live on savings”, shows these routes for your passport. The visa cost calculator adds up the government fees.

What the tables leave out

• Tax. Living somewhere for about half the year usually makes you tax resident there, and your pension may be taxed. US citizens also stay liable for US tax wherever they live. Our guide to US taxes when you move abroad covers the US side.
• Health insurance. Most of these routes need private cover, and some set strict terms. Spain’s and Thailand’s are two examples.
• Work rules. Many retirement routes forbid any work, including remote work.
• Consulate differences. Mexico, Italy and others publish different figures at different consulates.
• Changes. Figures follow minimum wages, indexes and new laws. Each route on its country page shows when we last checked it.

For Thailand’s options in detail, read our Thailand retirement visa guide. For Spain and Portugal, read the non-lucrative visa and D7 guides.

This is general information, not legal, tax, financial or immigration advice. It compares routes on figures from our own data and does not say whether any route fits your circumstances. Confirm each requirement with the official source before you apply.