Humans are living 20 years longer than they were in 1950, and more people are choosing to spend their later decades abroad.
Selling your home and leaving your friends and family behind to start a new life abroad is a big move that requires serious research before taking the plunge.
Monthly magazine and website International Living has released its annual Global Retirement Index, which evaluates the world’s top destinations for retirees across categories such as cost of living, healthcare, housing, visas, climate and ease of integration.
The new number one spot for 2026 is a sunny southern European country whose thousands of picturesque islands are a popular tourist attraction, but also have everything you need for permanent residence, according to International Living magazine.
“Greece’s rise to number one shows that the retirement landscape in Europe is changing,” says Jennifer Stevens, executive editor of International Living magazine. “For many years, Portugal and Spain have led the way, but recent visa changes and rising costs are causing retirees to look elsewhere. Greece now offers what many are looking for: a beautiful, welcoming and affordable European base with accessible living options and a lifestyle that feels enriching in every sense of the word.”
Here are the top 10 countries in the index for 2026. The index is based on recent data and input from International Living’s global network of over 200 professionals and expatriates.
Greece’s Golden Visa program, which grants residence permits to foreigners who invest at least 250,000 euros (about $290,000) in real estate, is one of the most accessible in Europe, International Living says. It also received high scores for climate, health care, and housing.
Patricia Mahan and Dan Matarazzo from the United States bought a two-bedroom house in the Cretan village of Kritsa in 2023 for $150,000. “We wanted to move by the ocean,” Mahan told CNN last year. “It’s in an affordable location.”
Other priorities that influenced their decision were that they “wanted to live in a village” but “needed to be close to amenities such as state-of-the-art medical facilities, a nearby airport, a weekly farmers’ market, a supermarket, and all kinds of stores for home needs.”
Panama is a top runner among all countries in the index’s visa/retirement benefits category. The company has been attracting American retirees for years, and its pensioner program offers great benefits, including 50% off entertainment, 30% off transportation, 25% off airfare, 15% off medical costs, and discounts on everything from electricity bills to dining out.
“Panama’s health care system is comparable to the United States in terms of quality, excluding price,” the International Index report states. “A hospitalization that costs $30,000 in Miami could cost $3,200 here, including a CT scan and medications.”
CNN Travel has chosen Panama as one of the best destinations to visit in 2024. He praised Panama City as the only capital in the world to have a rainforest within its city limits, and also highlighted the Old Town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The country is also home to more than a dozen national parks, including Vulcan Volcanoes National Park, Panama’s highest peak.
Costa Rica ranks first in the index’s climate category, making it a country that takes its environment seriously. According to International Living magazine, 25% of the country is protected rainforest and 99% of its electricity comes from renewable energy. “The country is also one of the few that has reversed deforestation and is now home to 10,000 species of plants and 850 species of birds,” the publication said.
Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula is one of only five “Blue Zones” in the world and is famous for the longevity of its residents. Kema Wardhopper, an American woman who is not yet of retirement age, moved with her family to Nicoya’s Pueblo Nuevo in 2018 after undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
“I think the health benefits of the Blue Zones don’t show up until later in life,” she told CNN in 2025. “But we’ve noticed that we’re feeling better when we’re here. Our heart health and lung health seem to be better.”
Portugal ranks second in the index after France in healthcare, and also scores highly in climate and development/governance.
The country has ended its Golden Visa program for residential real estate development, but other investment visas remain. International Living says that for most retirees interested in moving to this country, “a standard D7 ‘passive income’ visa is ideal; it requires proof of steady income rather than large investments (as little as $1,011 per month).”
Seattle woman Cynthia Wilson and her husband Craig Bjork were approved for a D7 visa and moved to Marinha Grande, a small town on the Silver Coast near the famous surfing beach of Nazaré, in 2022.
“I plan to return to the United States in an urn,” Wilson told CNN in 2024. “For Americans, it’s cheaper to live here unless you live in Lisbon or Porto or the Algarve. Those places are like trying to live in San Francisco or Manhattan.”
“One million Americans and Canadians already call Mexico home, making it the largest North American expatriate population on the planet,” says International Living.
Mexico received high scores in the areas of visa/retirement benefits, development and governance. The International Living report states, “The highways are great, the internet is fast, and the infrastructure is modern. Add to that an incredibly low cost of living, top-notch healthcare, and easy access to housing.”
Janet Blazer is a New York native who moved to Mexico from California 20 years ago. “We arrived in Mazatlan. It sounds so corny, but it touched my heart,” she told CNN earlier this year. “It was really easy to meet people,” she says. “So I felt really welcomed and felt like I could do this too.”
Italy’s highest scoring category on this index was affinity ratings. Affinity ratings are based on ease of integration and what International Living magazine calls “gut feeling,” because it’s a decision that “involves the heart as well as the head.”
It also performed well in the healthcare sector, with a score of 89 out of 100, tied with Greece.
Doug and Leah Johnson from Massachusetts purchased and renovated a 14th-century apartment building in the town of Bassanello in Lazio, Italy. In 2019, it cost just 9,000 euros (just over $10,000).
“What’s amazing about Italy is that they really preserve old buildings. It’s not easy to demolish important structures,” Doug told CNN in 2023.
He also said the locals were very welcoming. “I think a lot of it is the novelty of Americans investing and loving their communities,” he says. “Sometimes I go to the store to buy a cappuccino or bread, but they won’t let me pay.”
International Living magazine praises France’s “renowned universal health care”, giving it a score of 97, the highest of any country on the index. But its fame abroad has earned it notoriety at home as well. French lawmakers are currently considering a proposal to abolish free healthcare for foreign pensioners and require them to pay a minimum premium.
Whatever the outcome, France is likely to remain a highly attractive destination for retirees due to its impressive combination of climate, culture and cuisine.
In December 2021, Mary Jane Wilkie left New York at the age of 79 and moved to Paris. She told CNN this year that it was the best decision she ever made.
“Ultimately, I realized that I didn’t want to say on my deathbed, ‘I always wanted to go to France, but I didn’t.’ Once you know what you don’t want to say on your deathbed, you know what to do with your life,” Wilkie said.
Healthcare (94) and familiarity ratings (90) were the categories in which Spain performed best, while cost of living (75) was slightly lower.
Regina and John Zdravic, an Indiana couple, moved to Spain in 2018 and ended up buying a house in Garcia, Catalonia, for 165,000 euros (about $184,000). They made this choice after hitting a stumbling block in their attempt to move to Italy.
The couple obtained non-income visas for Spain. This is a permit that allows non-EU nationals to reside in the country without working or engaging in professional activity.
Catalonia has its own public health system, which is available to all residents.
“John had to have back surgery and we didn’t pay a dime,” Regina told CNN in 2024. “If you go to the hospital and buy a prescription, you can use your spare change.”
Thailand
Thailand was one of the highest scoring destinations in the cost of living category, with only Vietnam and Sri Lanka scoring higher. It also performed well on climate, development and governance.
American Jim Dolan and his wife Som built a house in Som’s native Thailand after their property in the United States was flooded by a hurricane.
“Our financial situation was such that we couldn’t live the life we thought was our dream,” Jim told CNN in 2024. So we decided to take action at that point. ”
Jim was able to obtain a Thai marriage visa, and the couple subsequently purchased an “unseen” plot of land in Sam Roi Yot in Prachuap Khiri Khan province for about $50,000.
“It’s very quiet. It’s very peaceful. It’s very safe,” Jim said. “I feel safer here in Thailand than in any city I’ve lived in in the United States.”
Cost of living (94) and development and governance (90) are categories in which Malaysia scores well, but it scores relatively low in the proximity ranking (45).
“Malaysia is a country with a unique blend of modern infrastructure, cultural diversity and nature.
beauty. The affordable cost of living and the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) program make it popular among retirees seeking a warm tropical climate,” International Living said.
CNN Travel has selected Penang Island as one of its destinations in 2022. We admired Penang’s cuisine, a wide mix of traditional Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisine, as well as the historic buildings in the capital, George Town. Penang Hills is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, home to excellent hiking trails and more than 200 species of orchids.
