The Best Places to Retire Abroad in 2026—Ranked

Dreaming of spending your retirement sipping coffee on a Caribbean beach or wandering cobblestone streets in a quiet European town? You’re not alone. Moving overseas can mean lower living costs, solid healthcare, and tax breaks that make your savings stretch further. But with so many options, picking the right spot feels overwhelming.

That’s where International Living’s 2026 Retirement Index comes in. Now in its 35th year, this annual ranking uses reports from hundreds of correspondents living abroad to score countries in seven areas: housing, visas and benefits, cost of living, healthcare, development and governance, climate (the more varied, the higher the score), and an “affinity rating”—a measure of how easy it is for expats to build a social life and feel at home.

The goal? Find places where a couple can live comfortably on as little as $2,000 a month. The top 10 mix European cultural hubs with outdoor-friendly spots in Central and South America. And for the first time in six years, the number one spot has changed.

Here are the best retirement destinations for 2026—places worth considering long before you stop working.