Spain has been ranked the best country in Europe to retire to, and 9th best in the world by International Living magazine.
I’d never heard of International Living mag before, until I read in the Spanish press about this annual ranking of retirement destinations they publish. It seems the magazine is quite focused on a US audience, making destinations in Central and South America more interesting than they might be for a European audience.
I would argue there should be a personal safety category as I think many retirees want to feel safe where they live. I’m not sure how safe some of the countries they rank highly are. European countries tend to be much safer than American ones.
There is no consideration for corruption and lawlessness in the table. We were retired in Mexico, however the large amount of drug traffic , murder and judicial corruption makes this country and other central american countries, excluding Costa Rica, very dangerous places to live. Many expats in Spain have been victims of a corrupt property market, however cautious purchases with the aid of competent lawyers should enable investors to avoid the pitfalls.
It doesn’t appear that income and other taxes, apart from property taxes, are factored into this ranking. I think that would push Spain lower on the list.
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