Ecuador: The Best Country in the World to Retire in 2015
Ecuador takes top spot in InternationalLiving.com’s Annual Global Retirement Index—now in its 24th year. The Index is compiled after months of research and with the assistance of a large team of expats and experts around the world. Data is collated and numbers are crunched to identify the very best retirement destinations in the world.
The Index combines real-world insights about climate, health care, cost of living, and much more to draw up a comprehensive list of the best retirement destinations on the planet. Twenty-five countries made it on to the list this year with Ecuador receiving the highest score.
Two Index categories where Ecuador excels most are Real Estate and Climate—receiving a perfect score of 100 in both, though the country earns high scores across the board.
“In the opinion of many expats, Ecuador is the world’s best retirement destination because it is beautiful, friendly, has a perfect climate, and is inexpensive. These four reasons can go a long way toward making your retirement a pleasure,” says senior editor at InternationalLiving.com, Dan Prescher, who has lived in Ecuador for the past five years.
Ecuador offers attractive benefits for retirees. Those 65 or older are entitled to all sorts of special treatment—free medical care and drugs from county hospitals; half-price bus transportation anywhere in the country; half-price tickets to movies, plus sporting and cultural events; discounted airfare; a free land-line telephone; and a refund of 12% IVA (value-added) tax up to $250 per month.
As well as these special benefits, the cost of living is low. A couple can live well in Ecuador on $1,400 a month, including rent.
Many expats report that one of the best things about Ecuador is the weather. The country is directly on the equator, which means it gets practically the same amount of sunlight each day of the year. Ecuador has warm, tropical beaches and cool, temperate highlands 365 days a year. Utility costs are low because in many parts of the country neither heating nor air conditioning is needed.
Ecuador’s diversity also adds massive appeal. Retirees can choose to live at the beach, in a colonial city or in a quaint village in the Andes. And there are expat communities throughout the country, making it easy to integrate.
“Ecuador is not a consumer backwater…it has well-stocked supermarkets, for example. The health care in Ecuador is world class, and compared to the U.S., it is remarkably inexpensive,” Prescher reports.
