10 places to live on $2,000 per month

[senior citizen]

10 places to live on $2,000 a month.........

Most affordable places for U.S. citizens to retire.........:



Ecuador

Panama

Mexico

Nicaragua

Philippines

Thailand

Colombia

Malaysia

Costa Rica

Guatemala



Details for each country can be found on MSN news page.

Many of these countries have high crime and/or great poverty.

Some have intense heat and dense population/traffic....

[jnieman]

Anyone considering this should see the movie The Marigold Hotel! It's a hoot.

[thelegges]

Anyone considering this should see the movie The Marigold Hotel! It's a hoot.

i agree

[Villages PL]

Anyone considering this should see the movie The Marigold Hotel! It's a hoot.

Hoot? I thought the movie was somewhat interesting but a little depressing. Rather than encouraging travel it made me appreciate being home.

Is "under $2,000 per month" supposed to be a bargan?

[buggyone]

Add to the list of where to retire for under $2,000 per month:

LIVING IN A REFRIGERATOR CARTON UNDERNEATH THE FREEWAY.

[jebartle]

Has researched the country and is taking Spanish lessons....Selling all, will be there initially for 6 months and apply for Permanent resident Visa....He said that he will cut his living expenses in half....Will rent, not buy a car, will walk or take a taxi...A lot of up and down terrain...Sure hope they will both be safe....Concerned about Tom going without health insurance....You have to be 74 or younger in order to be eligable for health insurance which is approx. $100 a month and he missed that by 2 weeks...They are excited about new life style and will report to us about their new world...Planning on packing 8 suitcases between them (6 pieces of luggage free with Business class flight)...We are not so brave but wish him well..

[manaboutown]

My neighbors, a husband and wife I would judge to be in their 70's, live primarily in Costa Rica. They return to the US for major medical issues and go right back down when they are done. They are anglo midwesterners, not hispanics. Another anglo man in his middle sixties I know moved there and married a local woman. He is a bit wild and crazy and loves it down there. Another guy I know in his mid sixties spends winters in Thailand.

Although I enjoy spending time in foreign countries the USA is home to me. I miss it whenever I am out of the country for a few weeks. I do not think I could be happy moving to another country more or less permanently.

[Monkei]

Add to the list of where to retire for under $2,000 per month:

LIVING IN A REFRIGERATOR CARTON UNDERNEATH THE FREEWAY.

Or in a van down by the river

[Barefoot]

...Concerned about Tom going without health insurance....You have to be 74 or younger in order to be eligable for health insurance which is approx. $100 a month and he missed that by 2 weeks.

Please tell me Tom has some type of medical insurance. Yikes!

[Patty55]

I'll bet there are families living in Central Florida on less than $2000/mo.

[murray607]

I'll bet there are families living in Central Florida on less than $2000/mo.

It can be done, but it would be pretty tight, no money for luxuries. Not much travel and no golf!

[chuckinca]

Floridablanca, Colombia

Year-round monthly avg high 82
Year-round monthly avg low 62

Floridablanca, Santander - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floridablanca,_Santander)

.

[buggyone]

Please tell me Tom has some type of medical insurance. Yikes!

If he is living outside the USA, Tom would not be eligible for Medicare reimbursement. He could get VA reimbursement for a service connected disability (I believe) but not routine care.

Would he fly back to the USA whenever he needs medical care? Perchance, rethinking this moving to Equador at age 75 might be a good idea.

[CFrance]

I love going to visit other countries. Even have stayed as long as 6 months. I love coming back to the USA. It's home.

[DougB]

Newsflash! There are families living probably every city in the country on less than 2000 a month.

[BarryRX]

There are 43 million people in the US or about 15% of our population that live in poverty. The poverty line for a family of 4 is 23,550 dollars, which is just about 2000 dollars a month. So, don't imagine how one could squeeze in a round of golf at that level, try to imagine clothing and feeding a couple of kids at that income.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I lived in the Phiippines for a year. It's definitely doable for $2000 a month. In fact you can have a very nice lifestyle there on $2,000 month. It just wasn't for me. I wanted to be closer to my family.
BTW, everyone in the Philippines speaks English. Some not so well, but you can get by pretty much every where except when the police stop you for some phony violation trying to extort 300 pesos from you. They'll keep saying, "no English, No English" until they want you to know something then they'll tell you in English but when you reply, they'll go back to "No English, no English."

If little things like that don't bother you, you'll love it there.

[LynnDeb]

My daughter in law in Orlando was born and raised in Ecuador...She tells me her country got quite expensive now. I've never been there yet, she goes every yr to visit

[justjim]

I'll bet there are families living in Central Florida on less than $2000/mo.

I know you are right.

[buggyone]

"Originally Posted by Patty55 View Post
I'll bet there are families living in Central Florida on less than $2000/mo."
"I know you are right."

_________________

...and those families living in Central Florida on less than $2000 per month are relying on SNAP (food stamps), food pantries, and free breakfasts at schools. Is this the quality of life that is expected?

[senior citizen]

Anyone considering this should see the movie The Marigold Hotel! It's a hoot.


Yes, definitely. We enjoyed that movie about a year ago......set in India.

We have several dear friends who were born in India but chose to raise their families here in the U.S.

[jebartle]

Tom will have NO health insurance....I'm very concerned needless to say!

[Monkei]

How long, if at all, do u have to live in some of these countries to get national healthcare, do u have to renounce your citizenship here?

[BS Beef]

My question: Even if you could live comfortably on $2,000/month in those countries.....are there any of them on that list you would even consider moving to? (sorry in advance to the English teachers out there for ending my sentence w/ "to")

Costa Rica is the only one on that list that is even close for me. Although there are plenty of positives, just too many negative for a permanent place to live for me.

[Lbmb24101]

Living in some of these countries is risky politically speaking
Costa Rica is nice and stable, but not all these regions enjoy estability.
I for one, will stay put in the good old USA.
After mom and dad sacrificed to get us 3 girls out of a Communst regime (Cuba) in the 1960's, it would be insane for me at least, to live anywhere else.
Travel?
See other cultures? Wonderful.
Live there....no way.
My best high school girlfriend married a Venezuelan , gave Venezuela a shot in the 1990's, started to raise their family there, but when things started to get dicey, they left.
I know Venezuela is NOT on the lst the OP quoted, but this story makes my point, about political stability.

[buggyone]

Costa Rica is a stable country for government. It does have lots of earthquakes, though.

Also, if you have visited, you probably noticed almost all the homes have barred windows as well as barbed wire topped fences or walls with broken glass on top.

May be cheaper living, but I sure prefer The Villages!

[Monkei]

I was told you could live like a king on military retirement in the Philippines which is why I served with so many Filipinos. But they also told me you would just about have to live in a compound to be safe.

[beekman]

...and when you are SICK where do you go? Good luck!

[OldManTime]

Patty 55, you are right on, I am one.

[OCsun]

My mother lived on $1,500 a month until she passed away a few years ago. She even had a small mortgage which she took out to make some needed repairs on her house. If something unexpected came up which would cost more then she had in her little savings account, I would gladly pick up the tab - but she hated it. She was very proud of the fact that she could manage her money and live on her own. What a great gal!

[chuckinca]

Ditto

My mom lived in TV's historic area until about 5 years ago. Owned her house and car, had medical from Ford Motor retirement and usually saved a few hundred dollars each month from her $1500 monthly income.

.

[rubicon]

What's the fuss a person can live like a millionaire on his retirement pension in The Villages.

[Villages PL]

What's the fuss a person can live like a millionaire on his retirement pension in The Villages.

I agree. I payed cash for my house and car. Taxes, insurance, heating and air conditioning are my biggest expenses and probably come to no more than about $3,500. That being the case, how could I possibly spend $2,000 per month? I could spend a lot more money if I thought spending more would equate to being happier, but I just don't see it that way.