Panama City was the latest destination for us to check out. And here’s what nobody tells you up front: this city does not fit neatly into any of the retirement abroad boxes you’ve probably been using.

👉 Watch the full video from Panama City here: LINK

It’s Not Cheap, and That’s Actually Important to Know

Let’s get this out of the way early, because cost of living is one of the first questions anyone researching a potential retirement destination asks.

Panama City, especially the historic Casco Viejo neighborhood, is not a budget relocation. We found ourselves spending roughly what we would in the United States on meals, snacks, and daily expenses. That’s a meaningful data point if your retirement plan is built around dramatically cutting your monthly overhead.

That said, Panama as a country is a different story from Panama City specifically. There are far more affordable options outside the capital. And Panama City sits cheaper than the U.S. national average in a general sense. But if you’re dreaming of slashing your cost of living in half by moving here, this particular city might recalibrate those expectations.

For a full breakdown of what things actually cost like rent, groceries, utilities, transportation, etc. download our free Panama City Cost of Living Snapshot below.

PANAMA CITY COST OF LIVING SNAPSHOT: LINK

The Dollar Thing Changes Everything

Here’s the practical reality that not everyone realizes: Panama uses the U.S. dollar. There are no currency exchanges to navigate, no watching the rate, no fumbling with unfamiliar bills at a restaurant.

You will get Balboas , Panamanian coins, as change. But your dollars are your dollars. Credit cards work nearly everywhere, especially in the tourist-heavy areas. We used ours without issue throughout the trip.

This is a genuinely underappreciated quality-of-life factor for anyone making the transition from the U.S. to living abroad. The financial adjustment curve is much gentler here than it would be in, say, Southeast Asia or much of Europe. That mental overhead is real, and Panama removes it entirely.

Two Cities in One, and Why That Matters for Retirement Planning

What caught us off guard was how dramatically different the two faces of Panama City are from each other.

Casco Viejo is exactly what it sounds like: 300-plus-year-old Spanish colonial architecture, narrow streets barely wide enough for one car, sidewalks that could generously be described as “character-building,” and the kind of preserved, wandering walkability that makes you want to linger over a coffee for two hours.

Across the water sits a booming modern skyline that looks like it could belong to Singapore or Dubai. Glass towers, financial institutions, and the infrastructure of a city that functions as the financial hub of Central America.

For retirement research purposes, that contrast matters. You’re not just choosing a country. You’re choosing which version of Panama City fits your lifestyle. The historic district is beautiful, immersive, and completely impractical for anyone with mobility considerations. The modern city offers the urban amenities and infrastructure you’d expect from a major financial center.

Neither one is better. They’re just different lives.

Safety, Policing, and the No-Military Thing

One question we always ask when researching a potential home base is: what does personal safety actually feel like on the ground?

Casco Viejo felt safe to us throughout our time there. The police presence was visible, particularly near the presidential palace, but not in an intimidating way. More like a calm, routine presence.

What surprised us was learning that Panama, along with Costa Rica, does not have a military. The country operates without a standing armed force. It’s a small detail, but it says something about the broader political culture and stability of the place. That’s the kind of context that belongs in any honest retirement destination conversation.

As with any major city, there are areas you’d use good judgment about visiting, particularly at night. But where we were, and in the parts of the modern city we explored, we felt completely comfortable.

The Panama Canal Is Genuinely Amazing.

We’ll be honest. Going in, the canal felt like something you’re supposed to do, a box to check. We were wrong.

The Miraflores Visitor Center includes a 45-minute IMAX experience narrated by Morgan Freeman, and the engineering and history behind the canal are genuinely fascinating. The original idea for the canal dates back to the 1500s, and the story of how it eventually got built, and what it meant for Panama’s national identity, is worth your time regardless of whether you’re considering moving here.

The Panama Canal is not peripheral to Panamanian identity. It is Panamanian identity. The economy runs on it. The pride in it is palpable. Understanding that context makes the country make more sense.

One Practical Recommendation We Wish We’d Had Earlier

We took an Uber from our hotel to the Panama Canal visitor center, which worked fine. What we discovered too late was that the hop-on hop-off bus tour, which runs about $30 for 24 hours (per ticket), includes a stop at the same location, plus 11 other stops across the city.

If you’re visiting for a few days and want to get oriented before committing to specific plans, that bus is an efficient, inexpensive way to understand the layout of the city and decide where you want to spend your time. Download the Uber app and WhatsApp before you arrive, keep some U.S. cash on hand for tips and smaller vendors, and you’ll find the daily logistics surprisingly smooth.

One more thing worth knowing before you book: this is not a beach town. The city sits on the water, the views are genuinely spectacular, but there is no beach to walk to. The nearest beach options require a bus or an Uber. If beach access is a dealbreaker for your retirement destination, that belongs in your research now.

Is Panama City on Our List?

It’s on the list, but probably not as our primary destination. The cost of living at the Panama City level doesn’t give us the margin we’re looking for, and the heat, we’re talking 90 degrees with humidity that feels like a Florida summer at full blast, is a meaningful lifestyle factor for day-to-day life. We would be fine in the heat though it is an adjustment from our current life in Chicago but some people will really hate that level of heat and humidity.

But Panama the country is still very much worth your research time. And if your retirement priorities lean toward financial-center access, English-friendly infrastructure, no military, no currency conversion, and a rich layered history, Panama City clears a lot of those bars.

If you’re still figuring out what your actual dealbreakers are, our free Dream Destination Worksheet walks you through 15 questions designed to move you past “this seems nice” and into a clear picture of what you actually need in a long-term home base.

Dream Destination Worksheet: LINK

Links Mentioned in This Article

• Panama City Cost of Living Snapshot — LINK

• Dream Destination Worksheet — LINK

• GenXit Bridge Fund Calculator — LINK

• Miraflores Visitor Center (Panama Canal) — LINK

Who We Are

Mike and MJ are the voices behind The GenXit Project, a resource for Gen X professionals exploring early retirement, financial independence, and life abroad. We cover international relocation, expat finance, and the real logistics of leaving it all behind (in the best way). Follow our journey on YouTube and the website as we turn “what if” into “what’s next.”

It’s the wrong question.

The better question is:

Because depending on where you choose to live, the answer changes everything. We’re talking about the difference between $100,000 lasting less than three years, or nearly twelve.

That gap is not a typo. It’s the difference between running out of money and buying yourself a full decade of freedom.

We’ve been tracking this for a while now. Part of our research as global nomads planning our own exit involves stress-testing destinations against real numbers, not brochure math. What we found when we mapped $100,000 against cost-of-living data across 13 countries wasn’t just interesting, it reframes the entire conversation about what “enough” actually means.

👉 Watch the full breakdown on YouTube: [link to video]

The US Baseline Tells the Whole Story

Here’s the number that anchors everything: in the United States, $100,000 lasts approximately 2.86 years.

That figure comes from Numbeo’s 2025 data. Average cost of living for a single person nationally runs about $2,918 a month when you factor in housing, food, transportation, and utilities. For couples, it’s higher. For anyone living in a major metro, significantly higher.

That’s not a crisis number. But it’s a reality check. It means that for a lot of Gen X households sitting on a solid but not massive savings balance, the domestic math simply doesn’t pencil out for early retirement.

What changes the equation isn’t earning more. It’s relocating the math entirely.

Why $100,000?

A quick word on the number itself before we go further.

We didn’t pick $100,000 because it’s the magic retirement target. We picked it because it’s a clean, round figure that represents someone who has been responsible with money but isn’t sitting on a fortune. Not broke, not wealthy. Just a person with a meaningful chunk of savings trying to figure out how far it actually goes.

A few things this analysis assumes, and you should know upfront.

This is a flat lump sum with no additional income. We’re not factoring in interest earned on the balance, investment returns, or any ongoing income. That’s a simplification, and a deliberate one, it keeps the comparison clean across all 13 countries.

It’s also based on one person. Add a partner and the monthly costs go up, though not always proportionally, rent on a one-bedroom doesn’t double just because two people are sleeping in it.

The most practical way to use this isn’t to match your exact situation to the math. It’s to use it as a planning lens. Say you’re in your late 50s and you know you’ll start drawing Social Security at 62. You don’t need $100,000 to last forever. You just need it to last four or five years, comfortably, while you wait for that income to kick in. In that case, Albania starts looking a lot more interesting than Panama. Portugal moves from “maybe someday” to “this is actually doable right now.”

Use this as a starting point to get your brain moving. The destination decision is more complex than any single number. But this one gives you a frame.

What the Data Actually Shows

Across the 13 countries we mapped, the range runs from 2.86 years (US) to 11.90 years (Vietnam). But the more useful insight isn’t the top and bottom of the list. It’s what happens in the middle.

Countries like Costa Rica (4.30 years), Panama (4.63 years), and Portugal (4.65 years) are popular for a reason: they’re close enough to familiar that the transition doesn’t feel like a leap. Costa Rica has direct flights from most US hubs, English in every expat pocket, and a mandatory healthcare enrollment system for residents that is genuinely solid. Panama runs on US dollars, which eliminates exchange rate anxiety entirely. Portugal gives you EU infrastructure, English in the cities, and a D7 visa that requires only about $1,100/month in passive income to qualify.

None of these are radical choices. They’re the first rung of the ladder.

The more compelling story starts further up the list.

🌏 We have put together a whole list of cost of living snapshots. This will give you good number to use in your research. Follow the link HERE

The Countries Most People Overlook

Albania shows up at 6.20 years and most people have never seriously considered it. They should. A one-bedroom apartment in Tirana runs $600–$700 a month. A couple lives comfortably in the capital for $1,200–$1,500. And US citizens can stay for a full year with nothing more than a passport stamp at the border. No visa application, no consulate visit, no 90-day shuffle.

That one-year visa-free entry is genuinely unusual. Most European countries cap Americans at 90 days within any 180-day Schengen window. Albania is not in Schengen. That distinction matters enormously for someone who wants to test-drive expat life without bureaucratic commitment.

The tradeoffs are real: no direct flights from the US, a meaningful language barrier outside Tirana, and infrastructure that’s still developing. But the country is an EU candidate, the coast is stunning, and the expat community is growing fast. For the person who wants Mediterranean Europe at a fraction of the cost, this is the answer the algorithm isn’t showing you.

Colombia at 8.64 years deserves its own conversation. Medellín in particular has undergone a transformation that most Americans haven’t caught up to yet. The city consistently ranks among the top expat destinations in South America, with world-class private healthcare, a spring-like climate year-round, and a pensionado visa that requires only about $1,350/month in passive income with no age requirement. The crime perception from the 1990s still lingers in American minds. The reality on the ground in major expat neighborhoods is dramatically different. Common sense still applies, as it does everywhere. But the safety narrative is decades out of date.

The Asia Numbers Are Genuinely Striking

If you’re open to Southeast Asia, the math shifts in ways that are hard to process at first.

Thailand hits 7.63 years. Malaysia hits 7.73. Philippines hits 10.67. Vietnam hits 11.90.

For Thailand and Malaysia, the lifestyle is legitimately comfortable, not budget-travel comfortable, but genuinely good. Chiang Mai or beach towns in Thailand run $1,200–$1,500 a month for a couple. Parts of Malaysia like Penang come in around $1,100. Private healthcare in both countries is excellent and costs a fraction of what you’d pay in the US.

The Philippines sits at nearly 11 years largely because the provincial cost of living pulls the average down significantly. The bigger expat hubs like Cebu still run $1,200–$1,500/month. The standout advantage for Americans is language: English is widely spoken across the country, making this the easiest linguistic transition of any Asian destination on this list.

Vietnam at nearly 12 years is in a category of its own. One-bedroom apartments in non-tourist cities run $300–$350 a month. Total monthly living for a couple can come in under $800 if you’re living locally rather than in an expat bubble. The COL is roughly 60–70% lower than the US.

The tradeoff with Vietnam is the visa situation, which is the most important thing to understand before you get excited about that number. There is no retirement visa. Most long-term residents use a 90-day e-visa renewed through periodic border runs, which is legal and common but not as secure as a formal residency pathway. Long-term options exist through investor or business visas, but they require investment and more complexity. Vietnam is the highest upside and the highest logistical commitment on this list. It rewards the adventurous and the prepared.

The Number Isn’t the Decision

Here’s what the data can’t tell you: which of these places you’ll actually want to wake up in.

The $100K lens is a starting filter, not a finish line. Fourteen years in a place you hate is worse than six years somewhere that fits. The real variables are harder to quantify: how much does the language barrier matter to you? Do you want EU healthcare infrastructure or are you comfortable with private insurance in Southeast Asia? Are you moving with a partner who has different dealbreakers? Is a path to permanent residency important, or are you comfortable with annual renewals?

These aren’t small questions, and they don’t have universal answers.

That’s exactly why we built our Dream Destination Worksheet, a 15-question diagnostic tool that helps you move past “vacation feels” and identify the Tier 1 dealbreakers that actually drive long-term happiness in a new home. Cost of living is one input. The worksheet makes sure it doesn’t crowd out everything else.

[Link to Dream Destination Worksheet here]

One More Thing Worth Knowing

The income requirements for retirement visas in most of these countries are built for people living on Social Security and pensions. The average US Social Security check in 2025 runs about $1,780 a month. That clears the threshold for Costa Rica, Panama, Portugal, Colombia, and the Philippines without additional income. If you’re also drawing from an IRA or investment account, the list opens up further.

The point: you don’t need to be wealthy to make this work. You need to be strategic about where you land.

That’s the whole argument this video makes, and it’s the argument we make every week as we plan our own exit.

Links Mentioned in This Article

• 👉 Watch the full episode: [link to video]

• 📋 Dream Destination Worksheet: [Link to resource here]

• 🧮 GenXit Bridge Fund Calculator: [Link to resource here]

• 🌏 Cost of Living Snapshots: [Link to Cost of Living Snapshots here]

Who We Are

Mike and MJ are the voices behind The GenXit Project, a resource for Gen X professionals exploring early retirement, financial independence, and life abroad. We cover international relocation, expat finance, and the real logistics of leaving it all behind (in the best way). Follow our journey on YouTube and the website as we turn “what if” into “what’s next.”

Work hard. Build savings. Climb. Defer the good stuff until later. And trust that the system we were handed would actually deliver on its end of the deal.

Then life interrupted the plan. And we started asking different questions.

This article is for anyone who has quietly wondered if the retirement they were promised is still worth waiting for, and whether there might be a smarter, more honest way to get there.

The finish line keeps moving

Here is something nobody talks about when you are in your thirties and just grinding away: the finish line is not fixed. The costs go up. The goalposts shift. And one day you look up and realize that the version of retirement you were working toward looks a lot less appealing than it did twenty years ago.

Forbes recently ran a piece that captured what a lot of us have been feeling. The New American Dream, the one that actually delivers on freedom, time, and a life worth living, may no longer be inside America’s borders for a growing number of people.

We did not need a magazine article to tell us that. We figured it out the hard way.

👉 Watch the full episode on YouTube: What If Leaving the US Is the Smartest Retirement Move?

When the abstract becomes very concrete

In 2020, MJ was diagnosed with cancer.

She went through eighteen months of treatments and surgery. And until that moment, it had been easy to tell ourselves that we were only fifty, that we were healthy, that there was plenty of time.

Cancer has a way of making the abstract very concrete, very fast. You stop talking about the future in vague terms. You start asking specific questions. What do we actually want? What are we actually waiting for?

MJ made it through. She is healthy. We are grateful for that every single day. But that experience cracked something open in both of us that never fully closed again.

A couple of years later, my father passed away. He was in his late seventies. And when I thought about my father’s life, and both of my grandfathers, all of whom passed between seventy-five and seventy-nine, something clicked.

Seventy-five sounds far away when you are fifty-six. On paper, there is still a lot of runway. But the last twenty years went fast. Really fast. And if the family pattern holds, the window between retirement and serious health decline might be ten to fifteen years. Ten to fifteen years after a lifetime of deferring the good stuff.

That is when the question changed. It stopped being “when can we retire?” and became “what are we actually waiting for?”

The American Dream is not broken. It just needs a new address.

The frustration we felt was not unique to us. It is everywhere right now.

Think about what it costs to actually live well in America today.

Housing has priced out a huge number of people who are doing everything right. They have good jobs. They save. And they still cannot get ahead in any major metro area.

Healthcare hits differently when you have sat in a hospital for eighteen months watching someone you love go through treatment. Americans spend more on healthcare than any other developed nation, and the outcomes do not always reflect that investment.

And then there is the pace of it all. The grind. The hustle culture. The idea that your value as a person is tied to how productive you are. Burnout is not a buzzword anymore. It is a public health issue.

Forbes put it plainly: people are not just frustrated that things cost more. They are frustrated because things cost more while the return on that investment, in healthcare, in housing, in daily quality of life, increasingly does not justify the price.

That is when people start looking up from the treadmill and asking: is there another way?

Lifestyle arbitrage: the concept that changes everything

Here is the term we want you to walk away knowing.

Lifestyle arbitrage.

Arbitrage is a financial concept. It means taking advantage of a price difference in two different markets. Buy low in one place, sell high in another.

Lifestyle arbitrage applies that same idea to how you live your life. It means earning income, or drawing from savings and retirement accounts, in a strong currency like US dollars, while living in a place where your dollar goes dramatically further. Where the cost of living is a fraction of what it is back home. Where healthcare is accessible and affordable. Where the pace is slower, the food is fresher, and the daily experience of being alive feels less like surviving and more like actually living.

This is not a new concept for the wealthy. Rich people have been doing versions of this for decades. Retirements in the south of France. Second homes in Costa Rica.

What is new is that it is becoming accessible to regular people. To people like us.

Remote work changed the math. If your income is not tied to a specific building in a specific city, your geography is suddenly negotiable. And when geography is negotiable, everything shifts.

What the numbers actually look like

We have done the research. Here is a grounded look at three destinations we cover in depth.

In Chiang Mai, Thailand, a couple can live extremely well — quality apartment, great food, solid healthcare — for somewhere between $2,000 and $3,000 a month. In Chicago, that same couple might spend that before rent is paid.

In Lisbon, Portugal, you can find yourself in a walkable, culturally rich European city for a fraction of what a comparable lifestyle would cost in San Francisco or New York.

In Panama City, Panama, you get modern infrastructure, a strong expat community, and government-backed retiree incentives that include significant tax advantages on foreign income.

That is lifestyle arbitrage in action. You are not giving up quality. In a lot of cases, you are upgrading it. You are just doing it somewhere that has not been priced into the stratosphere yet.

👉 Want to run your own numbers? Use our free Retirement Calculator at TheGenXitProject.com: The GenXit Retirement Engine

This is not running away

Whenever we talk about this publicly, someone says some version of: “So you’re just running away.”

We understand where that comes from. It sounds like giving up.

But Forbes made a distinction that landed for us. For a growing number of Americans, moving abroad has become less about escape and more about alignment.

Alignment. That word is exactly right.

What we are trying to align is simple. We want the time and energy we have left to match the life we actually want to be living. Not the life we were told to want. The actual one. The one where you have time to slow down in the morning. Where you are not choosing between healthcare and a vacation. Where dinner for two does not cost eighty dollars.

When MJ was going through treatment, we did not sit in that hospital and think about career milestones. We thought about experiences we had not had yet. Places we had not seen. Time we had not spent.

This is not pessimism. This is honesty. And it is the whole reason we created The GenXit Project.

Where we go from here

We are two years out from making this move ourselves. We do not have all the answers yet. That is the whole point of this channel and this platform.

We are doing the research in real time, country deep-dives, visa walkthroughs, cost-of-living breakdowns, healthcare comparisons, and the things nobody tells you before you go. And we are sharing everything we find.

If you want to go deeper on any of the countries we mentioned, the full country snapshot breakdowns, or the tools MJ and I have been building, head to our toolkit page here o the TheGenXitProject.com. Everything is there.

👉 Start with our free Country Guides: Cost of Living Snapshots

Links mentioned in this article

• Watch the full episode: Link to YouTube video here

• Free Retirement Calculator: Link to Retirement Calculator here

• Country Guides and Snapshots: Link to relevant GenXit Guide here

Who we are

Mike and MJ are the voices behind The GenXit Project, a resource for Gen X professionals exploring early retirement, financial independence, and life abroad. We cover international relocation, expat finance, and the real logistics of leaving it all behind (in the best way). Follow our journey on YouTube and the website as we turn “what if” into “what’s next.”

Which one do you need? How much money gets locked up? Do you need a lawyer? What happens if you leave the country for a week?

We’ve been asking the same questions. We’re two global nomads in our mid-50s, planning a real exit on a real timeline, and Thailand keeps landing near the top of our list for reasons that go well beyond the headlines. So we did the research, sat with the numbers, and broke down the four main long-stay visa options available to anyone 50 and over.

Here’s what we found, what we’re planning to use, and why.

▶ Watch the full episode on YouTube for our complete visa breakdown, including the specific bank rule that catches most people off guard: [Link to YouTube video]

Why Thailand Keeps Coming Up

Portugal gets the lifestyle press. Mexico has great food and close proximity to the US. But when you actually run the cost-of-living numbers, Thailand keeps landing near the top of serious relocation lists. And it’s not hard to understand why.

We’re not talking about a modest discount on your current lifestyle. We’re talking about a genuine upgrade for significantly less money. World-class hospitals. Infrastructure that works. A food culture that will ruin you for anywhere else. And a climate that makes the 9-month Chicago winter feel like a choice you actively made against yourself.

When I walked Bangkok for the first time, I expected overwhelming. What I found was a city that has its own rhythm. The markets run all night. Ancient temples sit in the middle of modern neighborhoods like they’ve always been there, because they have. The scale is real, the traffic is real, but so is the energy.

Chiang Mai is a different experience entirely. The Old City sits inside a moat, temples around every turn, street food that earns its reputation. Drive 20 minutes north and you’re standing at Doi Suthep looking out over the entire valley. Sunday nights, the Walking Street fills up with vendors and locals and long-term residents moving at a pace that Bangkok never really offers. It’s human-scaled. And that’s exactly what a lot of people in our situation are looking for.

The point is: Thailand isn’t a vibe. It’s a practical choice backed by real numbers. And if you’re serious about living there long term, you need to understand how to stay legally.

📊 We pulled the real numbers on Thailand — housing, food, utilities, healthcare, and safety, all benchmarked against U.S. averages. Download our free Thailand Destination Snapshots (National Average, Bangkok, and Chiang Mai) at TheGenXitProject.com: [Link to Thailand Destination Snapshots]

The Four Visa Options: A Plain-Language Overview

When you start researching long-term stays in Thailand, four names keep appearing. Here’s the honest overview before we go deeper.

Non-Immigrant O-A Retirement Visa (Non-O)

This is the standard. The majority of long-term retirees in Thailand use this one. You need to be at least 50, you can’t work while on it, and it renews annually. There are financial requirements, a bank seasoning rule, and a few procedural steps that matter. But it’s stable, it’s proven, and it’s the most accessible entry point for most Gen X early retirees.

Thailand Privilege Visa

This is the premium pay-upfront option. You’re buying a membership program, not applying for a visa in the traditional sense. No annual financial reporting, VIP airport treatment, concierge services. The fee ranges from roughly $20,000 USD for a five-year entry-level package up to a 20-year option at the top tier. That money doesn’t come back to you. It’s a convenience purchase, not a deposit.

Long-Term Resident Visa (LTR)

A 10-year renewable residency processed through Thailand’s Board of Investment. The passive income threshold for the Wealthy Pensioner category is $80,000 USD per year. There’s a path in at $40,000 per year with a $250,000 qualifying Thai investment. The income bar is high, and intentionally so. This is built for a specific tier of retiree.

Destination Thailand Visa (DTV)

This one launched in 2024 and it’s worth knowing if you’re not yet 50 or still generating remote income. Five-year multiple-entry visa, 180 days per entry, roughly $15,000 USD in savings required, plus proof of remote work from a non-Thai employer. It’s not a retirement visa. But for global nomads still in the wind-down phase of a US career, it’s a legitimate bridge.

Note: Exchange rates move. All USD figures in this article are approximations based on rates at time of writing. Always check the current Thai Baht rate when you’re actually doing the math on your own situation.

The Non-O Retirement Visa: What You Actually Need to Know

We’re spending the most time here because this is the one we’re personally planning around, and we think it fits the broadest range of people reading this.

The Basic Qualifications

You need to be at least 50. You cannot work in Thailand on this visa. Those two things are non-negotiable.

On the financial side, you have a few options:

• 800,000 Thai Baht in a Thai bank account (roughly $25,000 USD at current rates)

• 65,000 Thai Baht per month in pension or passive income (approximately $2,000 USD monthly)

• A combination of savings and income that together satisfy the threshold

The Seasoning Rule (This Is the Part Most People Miss)

This is what catches people off guard, and it’s the most important procedural detail in the entire Non-O process.

That 800,000 Baht needs to sit in your Thai bank account for a full three months before you apply for your annual extension. After your extension is approved, it stays at 800,000 Baht for three more months. After that window, it can drop, but it can never go below 400,000 Baht. Not by one Baht. Immigration checks. Some provinces require three months of seasoning before application instead of two, so verify the rules in your specific province.

The most important thing to understand: that money is still yours. It’s not a fee, it’s not a program buy-in, it’s not gone. If you leave Thailand permanently, you get it back. It’s proof of funds sitting in a local account, nothing more.

MJ’s first reaction when we hit this part of the research was: ‘So it just... sits there?’ Yes. And once you reframe it that way, it stops feeling like a barrier.

💡 Building toward that 800,000 Baht figure? Our Bridge Fund Calculator helps you map the exact savings timeline from your current income to your exit date. Get it free at TheGenXitProject.com [Link to Bridge Fund Calculator here]

How the Process Actually Works

You don’t just arrive in Thailand and apply. The process starts before you leave home. You get an initial 90-day Non-O visa from a Thai embassy or consulate in the US. That gets you into the country legally. Once you’re there, you open a Thai bank account and deposit your 800,000 Baht. You wait for the seasoning period. Then you go to your local immigration office and apply for your one-year retirement extension.

After that, it’s an annual renewal. Once you know the rhythm, it’s manageable.

Three Things That Consistently Trip People Up

• Bank documentation varies. Different Thai banks handle the seasoning period documentation slightly differently. Go to a bank where someone speaks English and can walk you through exactly what they need. Don’t assume they all work the same way.

• Re-entry permits are not optional. If you leave Thailand while your visa extension is active and you don’t have a re-entry permit in hand before you cross the border, your extension is cancelled the moment you leave. You’d start over. People take a quick trip to Vietnam or Cambodia without realizing this. Get the permit every single time.

• Insurance rules are evolving. There’s no mandatory health insurance requirement for Non-O renewals in most provinces as of this writing, but that has been changing. We recommend solid coverage regardless, not for the visa, but because it makes practical sense when you’re living abroad long term.

The Privilege Visa and LTR: Are They Worth It?

We said we’d cover all the options honestly, so here’s our genuine read on both.

The Thailand Privilege Visa makes sense for a specific type of person: someone who travels frequently, hates annual bureaucracy, and has the upfront cash to spend on convenience. The fast-track immigration lane and concierge assistance for government paperwork are real benefits. If you’re moving to Thailand and want to minimize the administrative overhead of staying legal, it’s a legitimate option. Just understand that the membership fee is gone the moment you pay it. You’re buying ease, not equity.

The LTR is a different conversation entirely. The $80,000 USD annual passive income requirement puts it out of reach for most Gen X early retirees who are still building toward financial independence. If you’re drawing that level of passive income from pensions, dividends, or rental properties, the tax advantages for overseas income are meaningful. But it’s built for a tier above where most of our audience is right now.

What If You’re Not 50 Yet?

A significant portion of the people we hear from are 46, 47, 48 years old. They’re doing the math, they’re planning the exit, and the Non-O retirement visa isn’t available to them for a few more years.

The Destination Thailand Visa is worth understanding for exactly this group. It was launched in 2024 partly as a formal alternative to the informal ‘visa run’ pattern that had become increasingly scrutinized by Thai immigration. More than two border runs a year can now trigger examination from immigration officials. The DTV gives you a legal, five-year multiple-entry option while you’re still working remotely or wrapping up a career.

The proof-of-remote-work requirement is real. A LinkedIn profile isn’t enough. You need documentation showing active income from a non-Thai employer. But for global nomads still in that transitional window, it’s a legitimate way to spend serious time in Thailand while you wait for the Non-O to open up.

How We’re Thinking About Our Own Exit

Here’s where we actually land after doing this research.

We’re two years out from making a move. The Non-O makes sense for us because we’ll be well past the 50-year threshold, the 800,000 Baht deposit is manageable without it feeling like a cost we can’t recover, and the annual renewal process is a checklist, not a burden. The Privilege Visa is appealing on paper, but we’re not willing to write a $20,000 check for convenience when the Non-O gives us the same legal standing and we keep our money.

The LTR isn’t our path at this stage. The income threshold is built for a different financial situation.

What the Non-O gives us that nothing else does is stability. Legal residency. The ability to open a bank account, sign a lease, access the healthcare system, and build an actual life in Thailand year over year without a massive upfront fee and without a high income bar to clear. That’s the foundation we’re planning on.

The Short Version Before You Go

Here’s the summary for anyone scanning:

• Non-O Retirement Visa: The most accessible path for retirees 50+. Annual renewal, financial requirements, bank seasoning rule. Money stays yours.

• Thailand Privilege Visa: Premium upfront membership. Convenience over process. Fee is gone once paid.

• LTR Visa: High passive income threshold. Strong benefits for those who qualify.

• Destination Thailand Visa: For under-50 remote workers building toward their exit. Legal long-stay option while you wait for the Non-O to become available.

The visa process isn’t the obstacle it looks like from the outside. It’s a checklist. You’ve navigated a thirty-year career in a system that was never designed to let you leave early. Figuring out a bank seasoning window is not the hard part.

📋 Not sure Thailand is the right fit for your situation? Our free Dream Destination Worksheet walks you through the 15 questions that separate a vacation fantasy from a real relocation match. Get it at TheGenXitProject.com [Link to Dream Destination Worksheet here]

Links Mentioned in This Article

Watch the Full Episode: Thailand Visa Breakdown on YouTube

Free Resource: Bridge Fund Calculator — Map your savings timeline to your exit date

Free Resource: Dream Destination Worksheet — Score and compare your top relocation candidates

Cost of Living Snapshots -

• Thailand National Average

• Bangkok

• Chiang Mai

Who We Are

Mike & MJ are the voices behind The GenXit Project, a resource for Gen X professionals exploring early retirement, financial independence, and life abroad. We cover international relocation, expat finance, and the real logistics of leaving it all behind (in the best way). Follow our journey on YouTube and the website as we turn “what if” into “what’s next.”

We started where most people do: cost of living, weather, whether we could afford a decent apartment without draining a savings account we’d spent decades building. Safety felt like a given. Something you checked once and moved on from.

Then we pulled up the 2025 Global Peace Index.

The United States ranks 128th out of 163 countries. That number stopped us cold, not because it was entirely surprising, but because seeing it ranked and measured alongside places we’d always mentally filed under “risky” changed something about how we were framing this whole decision. We weren’t just choosing where we wanted to live. We were choosing how much stability we actually wanted to build our next chapter on.

That shift in framing is what this article is about.

The Question We Started Asking Differently

Most retirement abroad content leads with beaches and low rent. And look, those things matter. We’re not pretending they don’t. But once you’ve sat with the peace index data for a while, you start asking a different question. Not just “can we afford this place” but “what kind of world are we actually moving into?”

The Global Peace Index is published annually by the Institute for Economics and Peace and covers 163 countries across 23 indicators: geopolitical stability, internal conflict levels, militarization, societal safety. It’s not a vibe. It’s a composite measurement, and it gave us a framework for comparing countries that went deeper than cost-of-living spreadsheets.

We built a short list of destinations that scored dramatically higher than the U.S., had real visa pathways for American retirees, and offered a cost of living our retirement income could actually work with. Five countries made that list. Here’s what we found, and what surprised us along the way.

👉 Watch the full episode on YouTube where we break down every country, share our honest personal reactions, and get into the visa details that most retirement content glosses over.

The Country That Made Us Rethink “Affordable”

Costa Rica — GPI Rank: 54th

Costa Rica came up early in our research and kept coming up. It’s ranked 74 spots above the United States on the peace index, and there’s a specific historical detail that we kept returning to: in 1948, Costa Rica abolished its military and wrote that decision into its Constitution. The money went into education and healthcare instead. For a couple thinking seriously about where to plant roots for the next few decades, that kind of institutional signal feels different than a good climate ranking.

The practical picture is solid. The Pensionado visa requires $1,000 per month in guaranteed lifetime income, Social Security qualifies, and one application covers a spouse and dependents under 25. There’s no minimum age. Overall cost of living runs about 33% lower than the U.S. average with rent running roughly 53% lower.

Where it gets interesting is the gap between Costa Rica as it’s marketed and Costa Rica as it actually exists. The beach corridors, the surf towns, the resort areas in Guanacaste have crept toward U.S. pricing in popular pockets. The interior, the Central Valley, and communities off the tourist track are a genuinely different experience in both cost and character. The 33% figure is a country average. Where you land inside Costa Rica matters as much as the decision to go there.

We’re also keeping an eye on Panama as a parallel option. It ranks 84th on the peace index, still well above the U.S., uses the U.S. dollar, and has one of the most generous Pensionado programs in the region. We have a trip booked and will report back.

The One That Respects You Enough to Be Honest About Cost

Uruguay — GPI Rank: 48th

Uruguay is 80 spots above the United States on the peace index and has the most stable democratic institutions in South America. It’s also the most expensive country on this list, and we’d rather tell you that upfront than bury it.

The Switzerland of South America comparison gets used a lot, and it holds up in the ways that matter: rule of law, political consistency, a functional public infrastructure. Montevideo regularly ranks among the most livable cities in the hemisphere. None of that comes at Southeast Asia prices, and the relocation content that leaves that part out is doing you a disservice.

Cost of living runs about 22% lower than the U.S. average with rent roughly 62% lower. The Rentista residency program works from stable passive income, and based on what actually gets approved, $1,500 per month appears to be the realistic floor. Social Security, pension, dividends, and rental income from property back home all qualify.

One thing we spent real time on: if the tax residency designation is part of your plan, which comes with meaningful financial benefits, there’s typically a $100,000 investment in Uruguayan real estate or securities plus 60 days of physical presence per year involved in that conversation. Worth knowing before you plan around it.

The honest thing we’d tell a friend considering Uruguay is this: Spanish is not optional outside Montevideo. The capital has an English-speaking professional class. The rest of the country is Spanish, full stop. That’s not a dealbreaker, but it needs to be part of the plan rather than an afterthought.

If the Southern Cone lifestyle appeals but Uruguay’s price point is a stretch, Argentina ranks 46th on the peace index with a much lower cost of living and a large international community. The tradeoff is real economic volatility that deserves serious research before you commit.

The One Nobody Is Talking About

Mauritius — GPI Rank: 26th

Mauritius has been the most peaceful country in Africa for 18 consecutive years. It almost never shows up in Gen X retirement conversations, and that gap between the data and the visibility is something we’ve been thinking about.

Cost of living runs roughly 53% lower than the U.S. average including rent. English is an official language. The private healthcare system is modern and there’s no language barrier in medical or legal settings. The Retirement Permit requires a $2,000 monthly transfer into a Mauritian bank account, a minimum age of 50, and as of 2025, at least 180 days per year in the country. That residency requirement is being enforced. This is a real relocation commitment, not a part-time arrangement.

We want to be straight about two things. First, Mauritius imports a significant share of its food and energy, which creates a supply chain dependency that matters if long-term global stability is part of how you’re thinking about this decision. Second, and this is something Mike has been honest about in the episode: island living has a specific psychological profile. Small geography, finite variety, a pace that some people find genuinely restorative and others find gradually suffocating after the first year or two. That’s a real conversation worth having with yourself before you fall in love with the data.

If the peaceful, remote profile appeals but the geographic isolation doesn’t, New Zealand ranks 3rd in the world on the peace index. English-speaking, politically stable, geographically insulated. Getting a retirement visa there as an American is not straightforward, but if you qualify, it belongs on your list.

The One With the Best Data and the Most Fine Print

Malaysia — GPI Rank: 13th

Top 15 in the entire world. Cost of living roughly 50% lower than the U.S. average. Rent running about 76% lower. A one-bedroom in central Kuala Lumpur runs around $350 to $400 per month. World-class private healthcare at a fraction of what Americans pay. English widely spoken.

The long-stay program is called MM2H, Malaysia My Second Home, and here is where we’re going to be more thorough than most content on this topic, because the comment sections on the videos that skim the details are full of people who felt misled.

MM2H is not an income-based visa. The Silver tier, the entry-level option, requires a fixed deposit of approximately $150,000 USD in a Malaysian bank plus a property purchase of at least 600,000 Malaysian Ringgit, roughly $127,000 USD today. That’s a combined commitment of around $277,000 before living expenses, plus a 90-day annual stay requirement and mandatory applications through a licensed agent.

There is a lower-barrier option worth knowing before you count Malaysia out. The SEZ category, built around the Forest City development in Johor near Singapore, requires a deposit of $65,000, or $32,000 if you’re over 50. It’s location-restricted to that specific development zone, so it’s not flexible, but it’s a real entry point if the standard MM2H capital requirement puts it out of reach right now.

This program has also revised its rules multiple times. Treat everything here as a starting point and verify current requirements before making any decisions.

Thailand remains our personal parallel to consider if Southeast Asia appeals but MM2H capital requirements are out of reach. It ranks 86th on the peace index, still well above the U.S., with comparable private healthcare quality. The retirement visa requires 800,000 Thai Baht in a Thai bank account, roughly $22,000, and a minimum age of 50. If we’re being transparent, Thailand is the destination that keeps coming back up in our own research. It’s not confirmed, but it hasn’t left the list.

The One That Lives Up to the Hype, With Caveats

Portugal — GPI Rank: 7th

We’re ranked 128th. Portugal is 7th.

Portugal has become the consensus answer in early retirement circles, and popularity has done what it always does: Lisbon and Porto have gotten more expensive, the tax program that once made Portugal unusually attractive for foreign retirees has ended for new applicants, and the destination now requires sharper research than it would have three years ago. None of that makes it the wrong answer. It means the version of Portugal that works for you is more location-specific than it used to be.

The D7 Passive Income Visa is still one of the cleanest retirement pathways we’ve found anywhere. The income threshold sits at €920 per month for 2026, roughly $1,100, covering the main applicant. A spouse adds 50% to the requirement. No investment required. Social Security, pension, dividends, and rental income all qualify. After five years of legal residency you can apply for permanent residency. After that, Portuguese citizenship, an EU passport, and visa-free access to the entire Schengen Area.

Healthcare for legal residents is low-cost. GP visits carry co-pays of roughly €2 to €5. Private health insurance runs around $30 to $90 per month depending on coverage. Compare that to the average American paying around $600 per month for basic marketplace insurance without subsidies.

The Alentejo region, smaller cities, and the interior still offer genuinely affordable living. The 32% below U.S. average figure is a country average. Lisbon isn’t that. Where inside Portugal you settle now matters more than the country-level decision.

Spain is the adjacent option we’d point toward for anyone who finds Portugal too picked over. It ranks 25th on the peace index, similar climate, comparable culture, its own long-stay visa options for passive income earners. We spent time in the Canary Islands and came away genuinely impressed. It’s not a consolation prize.

What We’d Actually Tell You to Do With This

Don’t try to evaluate all five at once. That’s how people spend two years in the research phase and never book the trip.

Pick the one or two that fit your actual life, your language comfort level, your capital picture, and what an ordinary weekday looks like in that place. Then go see it. Nothing in a spreadsheet or a YouTube video replaces being there.

If you’re still working out which direction to even point yourself, the Dream Destination Worksheet was built for exactly this stage. It’s a 15-question diagnostic that helps you move past “I love that place” and surface the real deal breakers that lead to long-term happiness in a new home. [Download it here →]

And if the bigger question is when you can actually leave, the Bridge Fund Calculator maps the gap between where you are today and your real Freedom Date so you’re working toward a target instead of a vague someday. [Get the calculator here →]

👉 Watch the full episode on YouTube for the complete breakdown, including the visa details and our unfiltered take on each destination.

Links Mentioned in This Article

• Global Peace Index 2025: visionofhumanity.org

• Cost of Living Data: Numbeo.com

• Dream Destination Worksheet: [Link to GenXit Guide here]

• Bridge Fund Calculator: [Link to GenXit Guide here]

Who We Are

Mike & MJ are the voices behind The GenXit Project, a resource for Gen X professionals exploring early retirement, financial independence, and life abroad. We cover international relocation, expat finance, and the real logistics of leaving it all behind (in the best way). Follow our journey on YouTube and the website as we turn “what if” into “what’s next.”

👉 Watch the full episode: The Freedom Score Deep Dive on YouTube

You see a life where your biggest stressor is choosing which local cafe has the best espresso. We call this the “Vacation High.” It is that feeling of possibility that comes when you realize your hard-earned savings could buy you a much larger, more vibrant life abroad.

But as MJ and I have learned through the GenXit Project, a pretty view is only one piece of the puzzle. When you are planning an international relocation, you are moving more than your luggage. You are moving your legal rights, your safety, and your peace of mind. That is why we need to talk about a metric most lists ignore: The Freedom Score.

What Is the Freedom Index?

The Freedom Index is an annual report published by Freedom House, a nonpartisan organization that has been tracking global liberty since 1941. They score every country on a scale of 0 to 100 based on two main categories: Political Rights and Civil Liberties.

As global nomads, we use this as a “health check” for a potential home. It isn’t just about politics. It is about the practicalities of daily life.

• Rule of Law: Can you trust the local courts if you have a property dispute?

• Personal Autonomy: Can you travel freely and own a business?

• Expression: Is it safe to share your life and opinions on social media?

A number without context is just a number. But when you are looking at early retirement abroad, this number becomes your framework for risk.

The Baseline: Where Does the US Rank?

To make sense of the world, we have to look at the environment we are leaving behind. In the 2026 Freedom Index, the United States scores an 81 out of 100.

That 81 is our baseline. It means there are roughly 69 countries that score the same or higher than the US. Some of these are the “usual suspects”, cold, expensive northern European countries like Finland (a perfect 100) or Norway (99). They are incredible, but they often don’t align with the low cost of living goals most of us have for retirement.

The real magic happens when we find the “Sweet Spot”, countries that offer high freedom scores, great weather, and a financial “breathing room” that the US simply can’t match.

The Americas: Proximity vs. Liberty

Many of us look to the Americas first because of the flight times and timezone alignment with family back home. But the freedom scores here vary wildly.

Mexico: The Expat Paradox (Score: 58)

Mexico is the most popular destination for American expats, yet it scores a 58 (Partly Free). The report cites concerns over press freedom and cartel influence in certain regions.

The Expat Reality: Does this mean you shouldn’t move to San Miguel de Allende? Not necessarily. Over a million Americans live happy, safe lives in Mexico. The score tells us to be geographically selective. Your experience in an established expat hub will feel very different from the aggregate score of the entire country.

Panama: The Stable Giant (Score: 82)

Panama actually scores one point higher than the US. For a country with the world-famous Pensionado Visa, this is a huge green flag. It offers a dollarized economy, modern infrastructure, and a high level of personal autonomy. It is one of the most reliable international relocation bets on the map.

Costa Rica: The Pura Vida Leader (Score: 91)

Costa Rica is the overachiever of the region, scoring ten points higher than the US. They abolished their military decades ago and put that money into healthcare and education. As a result, it is a stable, peaceful democracy that consistently attracts those looking for a “Blue Zone” lifestyle.

Link to GenXit Toolkit: Dream Destination Worksheet

Not sure if Mexico or Costa Rica is the right fit? Use our 15-question diagnostic tool to move past “vacation feels” and identify the Tier 1 dealbreakers that lead to long-term happiness in a new home.

The European Dream: High Liberty, High Lifestyle

Europe is where we see some of the highest freedom scores paired with the history and culture many Gen Xers crave.

Portugal: The Safe Haven (Score: 96)

Portugal is the top scorer of our European picks. Scoring a 96, it offers a level of safety and civil liberty that is hard to beat globally. When you combine that with the D7 Passive Income Visa, you have a pathway to residency in a country that is stable, welcoming, and deeply respectful of individual rights.

Spain: The 300-Day Sun Strategy (Score: 91)

Spain ties with Costa Rica at 91. It is a mature democracy with world-class healthcare and a Non-Lucrative Visa that makes it very accessible for those with social security or pension income. From a freedom perspective, Spain is a total green light.

Greece: The Rising Star (Score: 85)

Greece has recently topped several “Best Places to Retire” lists, and its freedom score of 85 backs up the hype. It is a stable, functioning democracy where your rights as a resident are protected, all while offering a Mediterranean lifestyle that is surprisingly affordable.

The Asian Adventure: Navigating the Not-Free

Asia offers some of the most dramatic lifestyle upgrades for your dollar, but the freedom scores require a more nuanced conversation.

Thailand: The Great Contrast (Score: 33)

Thailand scores a 33 (Not Free). For many, this is a shock because the “Land of Smiles” feels so welcoming. The score is driven by strict laws regarding the monarchy and restrictions on political expression.

The Expat Reality: In daily life, you likely won’t “feel” oppressed. The healthcare is world-class and the people are incredibly kind. However, you must understand that “freedom of speech” has different boundaries there. Interestingly, Thailand recently legalized same-sex marriage, showing that social progress can happen even when political scores are low.

Malaysia (53) and The Philippines (58)

Both land in the Partly Free category. Malaysia offers incredible infrastructure and English proficiency, while the Philippines offers a deep personal connection and affordability. In both cases, the freedom concerns are usually concentrated in political or journalistic circles—areas most retired global nomads aren’t active in.

Why “Running the Math” Isn’t Enough

We know you want to make sure the money works. We’ve done that work, too. But moving abroad is about more than geographic arbitrage. It is about finding a place where you can relax.

If you are constantly worried about the stability of the local government or the safety of your property, you aren’t really retired, you are just stressed in a different language. We use these scores to ensure that the “Freedom Date” we are working toward is actually a date with true freedom.

Link to The GenXit Bridge Fund Calculator

Ready to find your exit date? Use our practical tracking tool to measure the gap between today and your move. Visualize your savings growth so you can pinpoint your projected “Freedom Date.”

The Expat Safety Check

For many of us, especially women traveling or moving solo, safety is the primary concern. MJ often points out that a country’s Freedom Score often correlates with how women are treated in public spaces and in the legal system.

A high score in “Personal Autonomy” usually means a safer environment for solo travelers. It means better lighting, more reliable public transit, and a society that respects personal boundaries.

Link to GenXit Toolkit: The Solo Woman’s Travel Guide

Confidence is the best safety gear. MJ has compiled the essential safety and lifestyle habits for solo female travelers to help you navigate the world on your own terms.

Final Thoughts: Look Beyond the Beach

The Freedom Index is a tool, not a rule. A low score doesn’t mean you should cross a country off your list, but it does mean you need to do more homework.

Before you fall in love with a villa or a sunset, ask yourself:

1. Does this country’s “Rules of the Road” align with my lifestyle?

2. Am I comfortable with the trade-offs I’m making for a lower cost of living?

3. Is the “vibe” backed up by the data?

We are on this journey with you, researching the countries, testing the visas, and finding the truth behind the glossy brochures. The world is waiting, and it is more accessible—and freer—than you might think.

Links Mentioned in This Article

• 👉 Watch the full episode: The Freedom Score Deep Dive on YouTube

• Freedom House: The Freedom House 2026 Report

• The Dream Destination Worksheet: Link to GenXit Toolkit: Dream Destination Worksheet

• The Bridge Fund Calculator: Link to The GenXit Bridge Fund Calculator

• The Solo Woman’s Travel Guide: Link to GenXit Toolkit: The Solo Woman’s Travel Guide

Who We Are Mike & MJ are the voices behind The GenXit Project, a resource for Gen X’rs exploring early retirement, financial independence, and life abroad. We cover international relocation, expat finance, and the real logistics of leaving it all behind (in the best way). Follow our journey on YouTube and and the website as we turn “what if” into “what’s next.”

For the first time since the Great Depression, more people left the United States than moved into it. Not people who were forced out. Not people who were deported. American citizens, ordinary people with ordinary lives, who looked at their options and chose somewhere else.

We’ve been living this conversation for years now. And when the Wall Street Journal published a data-backed investigation spanning more than fifty countries, it confirmed what a lot of us have quietly known: the life you actually want may be more available somewhere else than it is at home.

Here’s what the data shows, what it means, and why it matters if you’re seriously thinking about what comes next.

The Number That Stopped Us Cold

The Brookings Institution estimates the U.S. lost a net 150,000 people in 2025. That number will likely grow in 2026.

To understand why that’s significant, consider this: when Gallup asked Americans during the 2008 recession how many wanted to permanently leave the country, the answer was one in ten. Last year, during no recession, the answer was one in five. That number doubled in less than two decades.

Forty percent of American women between the ages of fifteen and forty-four said they’d like to permanently move overseas if they could. That’s a larger percentage than sub-Saharan Africans who say the same, a region the world typically associates with economic desperation.

These aren’t fringe numbers. This is a measurable, documented shift in how Americans feel about where they live.

👉 Watch the full breakdown on YouTube: [Link to episode]

Who Is Actually Leaving

Here’s the part that surprises most people: it’s not who you’d expect.

For years, the image of the American abroad was young, credentialed, a little adventurous. The laptop-and-Bali crowd. One relocation company founder, herself a 54-year-old Alabama native who moved to Yucatán in 2024, put it plainly: “Previously, the Americans leaving were super-adventurous and well-credentialed. Now they’re ordinary people, like me.”

The WSJ profiled Kelly McCoy, 45, from Buffalo, New York. She was making $80,000 a year as an insurance analyst and struggling to keep up. She moved to Albania in 2024 to take advantage of a special visa that allows Americans to live and work there with no tax on foreign income for a year. She broke her arm shortly after arriving. She went to the local hospital, got treated, and wandered the halls afterward confused, because nobody came to charge her.

She has since helped fifteen Americans on Social Security or disability make the same move. Her assessment: you can live comfortably in Albania on $1,000 a month.

Then there’s Chris Ford, 41, who works remotely for a Dallas real estate investment firm from Berlin, where he coaches a kids’ baseball league. He told the Journal: “The wages are higher in the U.S. but the quality of life is higher in Europe.”

That sentence is the whole conversation.

If You’re Still Figuring Out Where You’d Even Go

That’s exactly where most people get stuck. Not “should I leave” but “where would I even start?”

We built the GenXit Dream Destination Worksheet for this moment. It’s a 15-question diagnostic tool designed to move you past “vacation feels” and help you identify the dealbreakers that actually determine long-term happiness in a new home, things like healthcare quality, visa ease, walkability, and what it really means to move with a partner.

[Link to GenXit Dream Destination Worksheet]

The Geography of the Exit

The WSJ analyzed data from more than fifty countries. The pattern is consistent and undeniable.

In nearly every one of the European Union’s twenty-seven member states, the number of Americans arriving to live and work is at an all-time record.

Portugal has seen its American population jump more than 500% since the pandemic, and grow another 36% in 2024 alone. Americans now represent 58% of all foreign home buyers there. House prices in some historical districts have doubled in five years.

Ireland welcomed 10,000 Americans in 2025. Double what came the year before.

Last year, more Americans moved to Germany than Germans moved to America. The flow reversed.

Spain and the Netherlands have nearly doubled their American resident populations in the past decade. There’s a square in Madrid that locals have nicknamed “Plaza U.S.A.”

France is one we’ve been paying close attention to, and MJ just came back from Paris.

She went over President’s Day weekend, stayed in Le Marais, and spent four days keeping both eyes open. Not as a tourist. As a global nomad asking the question that actually matters: could we afford to live here?

The honest answer? Paris and Chicago landed in roughly the same cost ballpark. A mid-range dinner for two runs about $83 in Paris versus $100 in Chicago. A one-bedroom in the city center comes in around $1,596 a month versus $2,469 in Chicago. Those numbers sound promising until you realize that for geographic arbitrage to work for us, retiring at 57, living off savings before Social Security or retirement accounts kick in, a destination needs to meaningfully stretch our bridge fund dollars. Paris doesn’t do that. It matches what we’re already spending. It doesn’t beat it.

MJ put it simply: “You’re not moving to Paris to save money. You’re moving there for a specific lifestyle.”

She loved it. She’d go back in a heartbeat. But it didn’t make the top five.

On friction, getting an apartment, navigating bureaucracy, the language barrier day in and day out, she put Paris at a seven or eight out of ten. Doable. But not easy. And the walkability is real, with one caveat she wanted to flag for anyone whose knees have opinions: some of the deeper metro stations are a serious stair climb. She got lapped by a couple in their 70s. She’s still not over it.

The full Paris episode is worth watching if France is on your list.

👉 [Watch: Is Paris Worth It for Early Retirement? What MJ Actually Found]

In Norway, a country Trump has mentioned in rallies as a source of desirable immigrants, the number of natural-born Americans living there now exceeds the number of Norwegian-born residents living in the U.S. The direction of that flow reversed too.

The WSJ’s analysis of just fifteen countries identified at least 180,000 Americans who moved to those countries in 2025 alone. The real number is almost certainly much higher.

What’s Actually Driving This

The Journal describes the motivations of people leaving as “a tangle of economic incentives, lifestyle preferences, and disenchantment with the trajectory of America.”

Cost of living is the most obvious thread. Healthcare abroad versus healthcare in the U.S. is not a close comparison in most developed countries. Housing in major American cities has priced out an entire generation. Childcare. Student debt. The general feeling that no matter how hard you work, you’re running in place.

But there’s something underneath the economics.

A father named Chris moved his family to Berlin because he didn’t want his five-year-old doing active shooter drills in kindergarten. A family in Lisbon relocated after their son’s school had its second active shooter scare. A Texan fintech specialist in Madrid discovered that by canceling his American health insurance plan and buying European private coverage instead, he saved enough to afford tuition at one of the capital’s elite schools.

These are not people who ran the numbers on a spreadsheet and made a cold calculation. These are people who hit a threshold and decided something had to change.

If You’re Still Figuring Out the Money Side

The financial piece of international relocation is where most people stall. Not because they can’t do it, but because they don’t know how close they actually are.

The GenXit Bridge Fund Calculator was built to answer that question directly. It helps you visualize the gap between today and your exit date, tracking debt elimination and savings growth so you can pinpoint your actual projected Freedom Date.

[Link to GenXit Bridge Fund Calculator]

The Students, the Retirees, and the Long Game

One signal the WSJ highlights that suggests this isn’t a passing moment: education.

More than 100,000 American students are currently enrolled abroad for more affordable university degrees. The number of Americans obtaining a degree in Europe has doubled since 2011, rising 14% last year in the U.K. alone. Of the twelve American students the Journal spoke to, studying across Spain, Scotland, and England, only one planned to return to the U.S.

When students build networks, careers, and relationships overseas, mobility becomes generational.

Renunciations of U.S. citizenship jumped 48% in 2024. The U.S. government now has a months-long backlog of Americans asking to formally renounce. Americans are applying for British citizenship at the highest rate since records began in 2004. Irish passport applications from Americans hit nearly 40,000 in 2025.

These are not the actions of people who are experimenting. These are the actions of people who have decided.

What This Means for People Like Us

The Journal ends their piece with a genuine question: are these emigrants a credit to American strength, people empowered by American salaries to go live well somewhere else? Or do they represent something else, a loss of faith, a vote against the direction the country is heading?

We think it’s neither one nor the other cleanly. For most people it’s both, tangled together in ways that are hard to separate.

We’re not leaving because we hate where we come from. That part isn’t simple, and anyone who tells you it is isn’t being honest with you. But we’re also clear-eyed about what we see. The cost of healthcare in retirement in the United States is a genuine financial threat. The cost of housing in desirable areas has made a comfortable retirement much harder to achieve than it was for our parents’ generation.

And when you look at what your dollar actually buys in Lisbon, or Valencia, or the Algarve, and compare that to what it buys at home, the conversation changes.

A Temple University researcher named Caitlin Joyce, who has spent years studying this migration trend, said it plainly in her Journal interview: “Americans move abroad and find they like life better abroad.”

At the end of her interview, she asked the reporter, based in Europe, what it was like living over there.

Because she was thinking about moving too.

The Option Has Always Existed. Now It’s Accessible.

What’s changed isn’t that life abroad is possible. It’s that it has become practical for ordinary people, not just the adventurous or the wealthy.

The infrastructure exists. The visa pathways are real. The communities of Americans who have already made the move are large enough that you won’t be starting from zero. And the data now confirms what a lot of us have felt for a while: this is not a fringe idea. This is a direction that millions of people are moving in, for reasons that make complete sense.

The only question is where you are in that conversation.

Links Mentioned in This Article

• 📰 Full WSJ Article, “Americans Are Leaving the U.S. in Record Numbers” by Drew Hinshaw and Joe Parkinson (Feb. 25, 2026)

• 📋 GenXit Dream Destination Worksheet, [Link]

• 📊 GenXit Bridge Fund Calculator, [Link]

• 🎬 Watch the Full Episode on YouTube, [Link]

  Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

  Who We Are Mike & MJ are the voices behind The GenXit Project, a resource for Gen X professionals exploring early retirement, financial independence, and life abroad. We cover international relocation, expat finance, and the real logistics of leaving it all behind (in the best way). Follow our journey on YouTube and Substack as we turn "what if" into "what's next."

There’s a version of your future where you wake up in a centuries-old apartment, grab a fresh baguette from the corner bakery, and walk to a cafe along the Seine for your morning coffee. For a lot of us, that version has a name: Paris.

But here’s the question we actually had to ask ourselves: is Paris meaningfully cheaper than where we already live? Because if it’s not, if moving abroad doesn’t actually stretch our bridge fund further, then the dream needs a harder look.

We sent MJ over President’s Day weekend to find out. She traveled solo, stayed in Le Marais, and spent four days keeping both eyes open, not just as a tourist, but as a global nomad asking real questions about real life in Paris.

Here’s what she found.

Paris vs. Chicago: The Cost of Living Reality Check

We use Chicago as our baseline because that’s where we live now. So when we pulled up the Numbeo comparison between Paris and Chicago, the headline number stopped us cold.

According to Numbeo, the overall cost of living in Chicago, including rent, runs about 7% higher than Paris. Strip out rent and Chicago is actually about 5% cheaper for day-to-day expenses. But that rent gap is where it gets interesting: Chicago rents run roughly 35% higher than Paris overall.

Here’s what that looks like in real numbers:

• A mid-range dinner for two (three courses, no drinks): $83 in Paris vs. $100 in Chicago

• A cappuccino: basically the same, $5.19 in Paris, $5.56 in Chicago

• Monthly utilities for a typical apartment: $273 in Paris vs. $166 in Chicago, Paris runs noticeably higher here

• Mobile phone plan: $17/month in Paris vs. $71 in Chicago, this one genuinely surprised us

• Broadband internet: $34/month in Paris vs. $67 in Chicago, another Paris win

• A one-bedroom apartment in the city center: $1,596 in Paris vs. $2,469 in Chicago

So what’s the honest takeaway? Paris and Chicago are in roughly the same cost ballpark. You’re not moving to Paris to save money, you’re moving there for a specific lifestyle. And for us, that’s the problem.

We’re planning to retire at 57, which means we’ll be living on savings and investment returns for several years before Social Security or retirement accounts become accessible without penalty. Every destination on our list needs to meaningfully stretch those bridge fund dollars, not just match what we’re already spending. Paris doesn’t do that. For geographic arbitrage, we need to look elsewhere.

Solo Female Travel in Paris: How Safe Does It Actually Feel?

This question comes up constantly in our community, and it deserves a straight answer.

MJ rated Paris roughly a two out of ten on a safety concern scale, with one being the safest. Her take: treat it like any major city, because it is one. The same instincts that keep you comfortable in Chicago or New York work just fine here.

For context, Numbeo’s current data puts Paris’s crime index at 58 out of 100, moderate for a major European city, roughly on par with Manchester and London. It’s not alarming, but it’s not Zurich either.

The most practical moment of MJ’s trip came one evening when her phone couldn’t connect and she couldn’t order an Uber after watching the sunset near the Louvre. She was about a mile and a half from the hotel, it was getting dark, and she made a simple call: cross to the side of the street with the restaurants and cafes, where the outdoor seating, the lights, and the people created a natural buffer. She walked with purpose, didn’t look lost, and made it back without a single uncomfortable moment.

That instinct, stick to well-lit, populated areas and walk like you belong, is one of the core principles in our Solo Woman’s Travel Guide.

[LINK TO SOLO WOMAN’S GUIDE TO SAFETY HERE]

One more tip worth repeating: at Charles de Gaulle, skip the guys roaming the arrivals hall offering rides. Walk past them and go straight to the official taxi stand. Uber works seamlessly in Paris, and G7 is the local licensed alternative worth having on your phone.

Walkability: Yes, But It’s a Different Kind of Walk

Walkability was one of our non-negotiables when we built out our destination criteria. After moving from Florida to Chicago, we realized how much we love not needing a car, and we’re not going back.

Paris scores extremely high for walkability. MJ was staying in Le Marais, a neighborhood with real residential density, locals, kids, morning routines, not just tourists. You can absolutely live there without a car.

But the rhythm of daily life is genuinely different from what we’re used to in the U.S. Forget the one-stop grocery run. In Paris, you go to the bread shop for bread, the cheese shop for cheese, the wine store for wine, the farmers market for produce. Each stop is its own small errand. It’s charming on vacation. Day in and day out, it’s a lifestyle adjustment that deserves a real conversation before you commit.

The metro more than compensates for distance, there were roughly four stops within five blocks of where MJ was staying. One practical note: some of the deeper metro stations require a serious stair climb. There’s one in particular where MJ was lapped by a couple in their 70s. Worth flagging for anyone whose knees have opinions about stairs.

Bottom line: no car required. But you do need to make peace with a more intentional, neighborhood-based way of living.

The Friction Factor

We talk about friction a lot because it quietly shapes your happiness more than any famous landmark will.

On a scale of one to ten, where one is “moving to another U.S. state” and ten is complete chaos, MJ put Paris at a seven or eight. The language barrier is real. French bureaucracy for finding an apartment, setting up utilities, or navigating residency paperwork is famously challenging. There are long-term American expats in Paris who will tell you that even after years of living there, the administrative side of French life never fully stops being its own ongoing project.

That’s not a reason to cross Paris off the list. It is a reason to factor it into your planning.

If you want a clean framework for evaluating friction, safety, walkability, and cost across every country you’re considering, our Destination Worksheet is a good place to start.

[Link to Dream Destination Worksheet here]

The Moment That Made It All Worth It

We asked MJ if there was a moment over the weekend where she just felt the joy of being a global nomad.

She was walking two blocks off the main road when she spotted a crowd gathering at Pont Neuf just as the sun was setting, everyone there to catch the Eiffel Tower in the fading light. She had that same feeling again on Sunday, walking near the Louvre when the Tower’s lights suddenly switched on and the spotlight started sweeping.

She wasn’t at the base of it fighting the crowds. She was just... there. In Paris. Watching it.

Those moments are why we do this.

So Does Paris Make Our Top Five?

With some sadness, no.

The cost of living is close enough to Chicago that it doesn’t give our bridge fund any meaningful breathing room. The bureaucratic friction for establishing residency is significant. And the language barrier adds a layer of complexity that other destinations on our list handle more gently.

That said, wherever we eventually land, Paris will be a short flight away. MJ made peace with that.

Quick Tips for Anyone Heading to Paris Solo

Plan the trip and buy the ticket, don’t wait for the perfect moment. Pick your top three must-see experiences and consider the trip a win if you hit them. Everything else is a bonus and a reason to come back.

Set your service expectations before you arrive. French cafe culture isn’t slow or rude, it’s just different. They won’t rush you out, and they won’t hover either. Ask for the check when you’re ready. That’s all it takes.

Walk like you belong. Keep moving, keep your head up, and stay on the well-lit side of the street after dark.

🗺️ GenXit Country Snapshot: France (Paris)

Our standardized scorecard for every country we scout. Same criteria, every time, so you can compare.

Links Mentioned in This Article

• Solo Woman’s Travel Guide: HERE

• Dream Destination Worksheet: HERE

• Bridge Fund Calculator: HERE

• Watch the full Paris episode on YouTube: HERE

• Join our email list for country-by-country updates:

  Subscribe now

We are a Gen X couple on a two-year mission to pay off our debts, build our bridge fund, and retire internationally at 57. Follow along as we scout ten countries and figure out where we’re actually going to land.

The short answer is yes. But the confusion is real, and the myths are everywhere. Some people believe leaving the country automatically cuts off their retirement income. Others think there’s mountains of paperwork or bureaucratic nightmares waiting for them. We’ve even heard folks say they’d lose everything they’ve paid into the system for decades.

None of that is true. But the details matter, and that’s exactly what we’re unpacking today.

The Basic Truth About Social Security and International Living

If you’re an American citizen receiving Social Security retirement or disability benefits, you can continue collecting those payments while living in most countries around the world. The Social Security Administration doesn’t penalize you for choosing to spend your retirement years in Mexico, Portugal, Thailand, or dozens of other destinations that global nomads call home.

This applies whether you’re 62 and just starting to collect early retirement benefits, you’ve hit full retirement age, or you’re receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). The rules remain consistent: if you qualified for benefits while living in the United States, those benefits travel with you.

👉 Watch the full episode to see us walk through the Social Security Administration’s screening tool in real time.

The Two Countries Where It Won’t Work

Here’s where reality gets a bit more complicated. There are exactly two countries where the United States will not send Social Security payments: Cuba and North Korea.

We realize this probably doesn’t affect most readers, but we can imagine specific scenarios where it matters. Perhaps you left Cuba after Castro’s rise to power, became a U.S. citizen, built a life here, and now want to return to the country where you were born. We get it. Family ties run deep, and the desire to spend your final years in familiar places is powerful.

But if you move back to Cuba, your Social Security payments will stop. The Social Security Administration will hold those funds, and you can collect all the back payments once you return to the U.S. or move to an acceptable country. The money isn’t gone, but you can’t access it while living there.

The same applies to North Korea, though we’re guessing that’s even less common among our community.

Eight More Countries With Special Arrangements

Beyond those two, there are eight additional countries where the Social Security Administration can’t send payments through normal channels: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Notice a pattern? These are all former Soviet republics with complicated banking relationships with the United States.

The good news is that “can’t send payments through normal channels” doesn’t mean “can’t send payments at all.” It means you’ll need to contact the Social Security Administration directly and work out special arrangements on a case-by-case basis. We don’t know exactly what those arrangements look like because they vary depending on your specific situation, but the option exists.

So out of every country on the planet, only ten present any complications at all. That’s pretty manageable.

How You’ll Actually Get Your Money

Understanding the rules is one thing. Figuring out the practical logistics of accessing your monthly payment in another country is another.

We’ve seen global nomads use two main approaches, and both work perfectly well.

Keep Your U.S. Bank Account

Many people maintain their existing U.S. bank account and use an ATM card to withdraw cash overseas. This is simpler than it sounds. Walk up to an ATM in Mexico City, Bangkok, or Lisbon, insert your card, and pull out local currency.

Your Social Security payment still gets deposited in U.S. dollars. When you withdraw funds, the bank handles the exchange rate automatically. If you’re receiving $1,500 per month and you’re in Mexico, you’ll pull out roughly 30,000 pesos based on current exchange rates. In Thailand, that same amount becomes about 50,000 baht.

One thing to watch: ATM fees add up fast when you’re relying on this method for regular access to cash. International ATM withdrawals often trigger fees from both the foreign bank and your U.S. bank. Over the course of a year, those $3 and $5 charges become real money.

The solution? Look for U.S. banks that reimburse international ATM fees. Charles Schwab is one name that comes up frequently in global nomad circles, though we’re not specifically endorsing them. Just do your homework and find a bank that won’t nickel-and-dime you every time you need cash.

Open a Local Bank Account

The other option is opening a bank account in your new country and having Social Security deposit your payment directly there. The United States has international direct deposit agreements with most countries, so this process is more straightforward than you might expect.

How you open a foreign bank account varies wildly depending on where you land. Some countries make it incredibly easy. Others require residency permits, proof of address, or multiple in-person visits. We can’t give you a universal answer because every country handles banking differently.

But once you’ve got that account set up, the Social Security Administration can send your monthly payment straight there. No ATM fees, no exchange rate surprises, no maintaining ties to a U.S. bank if you’d prefer a clean break.

The Questionnaire Nobody Tells You About

Here’s something that catches people off guard: the Social Security Administration will send you a questionnaire every year or two after you move abroad.

This isn’t an audit or an interrogation. They’re simply confirming that your situation hasn’t changed in ways that affect your eligibility. Did you get married or divorced? Did you start working overseas? Did you move to a different country? Have you, unfortunately, passed away, and is someone else trying to collect your benefits?

These are basic check-ins to make sure the information they have on file still matches reality. Answer honestly, return it promptly, and your payments continue without interruption. Ignore it, and you’re creating unnecessary problems for yourself.

What About Social Security Disability?

If you’re currently receiving Social Security Disability Insurance, the same rules apply. You can collect those payments while living overseas, and the Social Security Administration will continue depositing funds as long as you remain disabled according to their criteria.

Just like in the United States, if your medical condition improves to the point where you’re no longer considered disabled, your payments may stop. But that’s true whether you’re living in Des Moines or Medellín.

The one thing we want to emphasize: everything we’re discussing assumes you already qualify for these benefits. Moving overseas doesn’t magically make you eligible for Social Security if you weren’t eligible before. Get that sorted first, then worry about where you’ll spend your retirement.

Supplemental Security Income Is Different

Here’s where things get tricky for some people: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) does not follow you overseas.

SSI is different from Social Security retirement and disability. It’s designed for people with extremely limited income and resources, and the program operates under different rules. The Social Security Administration will not continue SSI payments if you move outside the United States, and those benefits will stop within about 30 days of your departure.

The reasoning makes sense when you understand the program’s intent. SSI is meant to be temporary support while you work toward financial stability, typically through employment. Since most countries restrict or prohibit foreigners from working, the program doesn’t extend internationally.

If SSI is your primary income source, moving abroad probably isn’t viable under current rules. But if you’re receiving regular Social Security retirement or disability benefits, you’re in much better shape.

Non-Citizens Can Collect Too

We’d be remiss if we didn’t address this: you don’t have to be a U.S. citizen to collect Social Security while living overseas.

The rules get more nuanced depending on your citizenship, how long you lived and worked in the United States, and how you originally qualified for benefits. We can’t cover every possible scenario because there are simply too many variables.

But non-citizens absolutely can and do collect Social Security retirement benefits. We’ve known people who worked in the U.S. for years, earned their 40 credits, qualified for benefits, and then returned to their home countries to retire. The checks kept coming.

If this describes your situation, your best move is contacting the Social Security Administration directly to walk through your specific circumstances. They deal with these cases constantly and can give you accurate guidance based on your exact details.

How to Check Your Specific Situation

The Social Security Administration offers a simple online screening tool that answers the question definitively: can you collect benefits in the country where you want to live?

It takes about two minutes to complete. You’ll answer four or five basic questions about your citizenship status, what type of benefits you receive, and which country you’re considering. The tool then tells you exactly whether your payments will continue.

We walked through this tool step-by-step in the video version of this article, showing you exactly what to expect. Whether you’re a U.S. citizen planning to retire in Mexico or a non-citizen returning to the Philippines, the tool gives you a clear yes or no answer with no ambiguity.

Check your eligibility using the Social Security Administration’s payment abroad screening tool

The Bottom Line for Global Nomads

For the overwhelming majority of Americans receiving Social Security retirement or disability benefits, moving overseas doesn’t interrupt your income. The myths about losing everything or facing bureaucratic nightmares just don’t hold up against reality.

Ten countries out of nearly 200 present any complications at all. Two prohibit payments entirely. Eight require special arrangements but don’t make it impossible. Everywhere else works smoothly with either direct deposit to a foreign bank or ATM withdrawals from your U.S. account.

We’ve watched people agonize over this decision, convinced they’d have to choose between their dream of living abroad and their financial security. That’s a false choice. You’ve paid into Social Security your entire working life. Those benefits are yours whether you spend retirement in Phoenix or Puerto Vallarta.

The real question isn’t whether you can collect Social Security abroad. It’s whether the life you’ll build overseas is worth making the move. And that’s a question only you can answer.

Links Mentioned in This Article

Social Security Administration Payment Abroad Screening Tool
Check whether you can receive Social Security benefits in your intended country of residence
https://www.ssa.gov/international/payments_outsideUS.html

Social Security Administration International Programs
Complete information about receiving benefits outside the United States
https://www.ssa.gov/international/

We are building our relocation plan the hard way. We are testing countries, walking neighborhoods, tracking costs, and facing real health scares. Today we share the five deal breakers that guide every decision we make as global nomads. If a destination fails one of these, we walk away. No matter how beautiful or popular the place looks online.

👉 Watch the full episode

Start With Reality, Not Fantasy

Many people begin with a map and a dream. Beach. Cheap rent. Warm weather. Freedom. Then reality shows up. Healthcare. Visas. Safety. Taxes. Access to family. These shape daily life far more than scenery.

We built a simple system to stay grounded. Our Dream Destination Worksheet breaks your thinking into three groups:

• Five deal breakers you must have

• Five nice to have features

• Five bonus factors

This forces clarity. You stop chasing perfect places and start choosing compatible ones.

Deal Breaker One: Cost of Living That Matches Your Plan

You cannot outrun math forever. Lifestyle matters more than spreadsheets, but your numbers must support your life.

We love Paris. We love New York. We also know early retirement without Social Security changes the equation. If your income comes from savings and investments, every dollar counts. A city that drains your runway shortens your freedom.

Cost of living is personal. One couple lives well on $2,500 a month. Another needs $6,000. Neither is wrong. What matters is alignment between your spending and your long term plan.

We track four core categories:

• Housing and utilities

• Healthcare and insurance

• Daily living and food

• Travel and lifestyle

Many global nomads reduce costs by 30 to 60 percent compared to major US cities. Thailand, Mexico, Portugal, and parts of Eastern Europe often provide high quality living at lower costs. But cheap alone is not enough. Cheap with healthcare, safety, and stability matters.

If you want to test your numbers, our Bridge Fund Calculator shows how long your savings support your relocation plan and what monthly budget works best for your timeline.

Deal Breaker Two: Healthcare You Trust and Can Afford

Nothing clarifies priorities like a health scare.

We once planned a relocation scouting trip. Two days before departure, cancer entered the conversation. Plans paused. Reality stepped in. Healthcare moved from “important” to non negotiable.

As global nomads in our 50s, we evaluate healthcare on three levels:

1. Quality equal to or better than what we trust today

2. Affordable without destroying our retirement plan

3. Access to specialists and emergency care

Many countries surprise people. In Bangkok, a full annual physical with labs and specialists can cost around $300 out of pocket. No insurance. Clean facilities. Modern equipment. Short wait times.

Healthcare abroad often combines lower cost with strong outcomes. Countries like Thailand, Spain, Portugal, and Costa Rica rank highly for medical tourism and expat care. Still, each country differs. Catastrophic insurance, prescription access, and hospital quality must be verified before you commit.

We always ask one question: If something serious happens, would we feel safe here?

Deal Breaker Three: Safety and Personal Freedom

Safety is not abstract. It is daily life.

We want to walk at night. Travel alone. Live without fear or restrictions. Safety shapes freedom, especially for solo travelers and women.

We evaluate safety in layers:

• Personal safety and crime rates

• Political stability and rule of law

• Infrastructure reliability

• Comfort moving independently

A place can feel beautiful yet unstable. Another may look modest yet feel secure. We trust lived experience more than rankings.

For solo travelers, preparation matters. Situational awareness, location sharing, safe transport choices, and neighborhood selection reduce risk dramatically. Our Solo Woman Travel Guide includes practical safety strategies tested across multiple countries.

Safety does not mean perfection. It means you feel free to live your life.

Deal Breaker Four: A Visa You Can Actually Use

Dream destinations collapse quickly when visas do not match your situation.

Many countries welcome retirees, but requirements vary widely. Some demand guaranteed pension income. Others require large bank deposits, property investment, or business ownership. Some allow only short stays with frequent border runs.

We define an “easy visa” as one that fits our current life, not a future version of us.

We look for:

• Qualification based on savings or passive income

• Long stays of six to twelve months minimum

• Renewal options without constant travel

• Clear rules and predictable processing

Border runs every 90 days create friction. Travel costs rise. Stability drops. If you own belongings or pets, re entry uncertainty becomes stressful. We prefer visas that allow us to live, not constantly reset.

Visa strategy also shapes tax planning. Residency rules determine where you pay taxes, how long you can stay, and whether foreign income triggers obligations. We always review tax treaties, residency thresholds, and reporting requirements before committing to a country.

Deal Breaker Five: Access to Major Airports and Easy Travel

Global nomads rarely cut ties with home. Family, holidays, and emergencies still matter.

A beautiful town loses appeal if reaching an international airport requires a six hour drive plus a long flight. Travel fatigue accumulates. Flexibility disappears.

We prefer locations with:

• Major international airports nearby

• Direct or simple routes to home country

• Reliable regional transportation

• Predictable travel time

This does not mean living in the biggest city. It means staying connected. Easy travel preserves relationships and peace of mind.

The Quiet Deal Breaker Many Ignore: Walkability

This did not land in both of our top five, yet it shapes daily happiness.

Walkability reduces stress. You move more. You explore more. You rely less on cars and traffic. Grocery runs become routines instead of tasks. Life feels lighter.

Many global nomads gravitate toward walkable cities with strong public transportation. Lisbon, Valencia, Chiang Mai, and parts of Mexico City attract long term relocators for this reason. Walkability often signals urban infrastructure, healthcare access, and community density.

If daily lifestyle matters to you, test walkability before committing.

What Happens When Partners Disagree

Relocation is not a solo spreadsheet exercise. It is a shared life decision.

We discovered overlap in most of our deal breakers. Cost of living, healthcare, safety, and visas aligned easily. Others required conversation. Walkability mattered more to one of us. Airport access mattered more to the other.

This is normal. The worksheet helps couples negotiate priorities early. You avoid discovering conflicts after you move.

Ask three questions together:

• Is this truly a deal breaker or a preference

• Can we adapt or compromise

• Does another destination satisfy both

Clarity now prevents regret later.

The Bigger Picture: Lifestyle First, Logistics Second

International relocation is not about escaping. It is about designing a life.

We think like global nomads. We may live in one country for two years, then try another. Residency and citizenship may come later. Flexibility matters more than permanence in early relocation stages.

We focus on:

• Freedom of movement

• Sustainable finances

• Health and safety

• Lifestyle alignment

• Long term adaptability

Money supports the journey. It does not define it.

Your Next Step

If you are planning international relocation or early retirement abroad, start with clarity. Use the Dream Destination Worksheet. Define your deal breakers before you fall in love with a place that cannot support your life.

Then test your numbers with the Bridge Fund Calculator. Understand how long your savings support your move and what lifestyle fits your timeline.

👉 Watch the full episode
👉 Download the worksheet and planning guides

Links Mentioned in This Article

Dream Destination Worksheet
Bridge Fund Calculator
Solo Woman Travel Guide
Early Retirement Calculator
GenXit YouTube Channel

Whether you're scouting your future retirement city or just testing the waters in a new country, traveling solo gives you the unfiltered experience you need to make smart relocation decisions.

Getting out of your comfort zone doesn't have to mean living in a state of anxiety. It's about building a sisterhood of travelers who move with purpose. I've found that when you prioritize a few simple safety habits, you stop "managing" fear and start actually enjoying the adventure.

Solo travel isn't just about seeing the sights, it's your best tool for honest assessment. When you're navigating a city alone, you learn the real rhythms:

• How safe do you feel at night?

• Can you handle daily tasks in the local language?

• Is the infrastructure what you actually need?

These reconnaissance trips are how you turn a retirement dream destination into a confident relocation decision.

Prepping for Paris

I am currently getting ready for my upcoming solo trip to Paris! I’ll be filming plenty of content while I’m there to show you exactly how I navigate the city, from vetting the right rides to finding those perfect quiet corners. I promise to link those videos right here as soon as I’m back and the editing is done.

But before I even think about boarding that flight, I’m going through my own checklist. Even though I’ve done this a hundred times, I never skip the foundational steps.

Why I Still Use Paper (The “Take With You” Strategy)

In our digital world, we rely on our phones for everything, maps, translation, banking, and our exit plans. But as any seasoned traveler knows, batteries die and phones get lost.

That is why I am currently filling out the “Take With You” sections of our new Solo Woman’s Travel Guide.

• The Analog Backup: I fill out my local emergency numbers, embassy addresses, and my “Breadcrumb” contact info on paper.

• Document Redundancy: I keep my passport and insurance policy numbers written down so I’m never stranded if my tech fails.

• The Language Bridge: I make sure I have key phrases like “I am lost” or “Please call an ambulance” written in the local language.

Having this information physically on me gives me the peace of mind to put my phone away and actually look up at the architecture. Confidence isn’t about being fearless; it’s about being prepared so that your intuition can do its job.

Beyond the paperwork, I also carry a few physical essentials that give me an extra layer of security. I’ve put together a list of the gear I actually use and trust over at our [Amazon Personal Safety Store]. (Note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases).

Join the Journey

Planning a scouting trip to your shortlist cities? Download the guide and use the 'Take With You' sheets to build your safety baseline before you go. Whether you're spending two weeks or two months testing a location, you'll move through it like you already live there.

The guide includes everything I learned the hard way: from vetting accommodations in unfamiliar neighborhoods to setting up your 'breadcrumb' check-in system with someone back home. It's the resource I needed twenty years ago, and the one I still reference today.

[Download the GenXit Solo Woman’s Travel Guide Here]

MJ

One of the biggest hurdles for any aspiring global nomad isn’t the flight or the visa, it’s the math. Specifically, the “Bridge Fund.” If you plan on retiring before you can access your social security or traditional pension accounts, you need a strategy to fund those middle years without draining your nest egg prematurely.

In our latest video, we break down the mechanics of the GenXit Debt and Savings Tracker, which doubles as a comprehensive Bridge Fund Calculator.

GET THE FREE CALCULATOR HERE

Connecting the Dots: Your Retirement Ecosystem

While the Debt and Savings Tracker helps you manage the day-to-day “how” of getting out of debt and building your bridge fund, you also need to keep an eye on the “when.”

I recommend using this new tracker alongside our GenXit Retirement Calculator already on the site. Think of them as two sides of the same coin:

• The Retirement Calculator: Gives you the high-level view of your long-term sustainability and projected retirement date.

• The Bridge Fund Calculator: Drills down into the specific years between your exit date and your traditional retirement age.

Using them together allows you to run the math with precision, ensuring that your bridge is strong enough to carry you until your long-term investments and social security kick in.

Why This Tool Matters

Most retirement calculators are built for people staying put. They don’t account for the unique cost-of-living shifts or the debt-clearing hurdles that come with moving abroad. We’ve designed this spreadsheet to help you:

• Visualize the Finish Line: See exactly how much you need to save to cover the gap.

• Crush Your Debt: Track your progress as you clear the runway for your international move.

• Run the Logistics: Plug in real-world numbers to see if your dream destination is financially feasible.

How to Use These Tools Together

1. Step 1: Use the Retirement Calculator to determine your how much you’ll need in the long run.

2. Step 2: Download the Debt and Savings Tracker to map out your monthly path to that date.

3. Step 3: Use the Bridge Fund tab to ensure you have the liquid cash needed to cover those early years abroad.

Download the Tools

We’ve made both of these resources available for free to help you stop guessing and start planning.

• Download the GenXit Debt and Savings Tracker Here

• Access the Online Retirement Calculator Here

A Note from the Road

We don’t pretend to have all the answers, but we are big believers in transparency and data. Retirement shouldn’t be a guessing game. By getting your debt under control and understanding your bridge fund requirements, you’re taking the most important step toward freedom.

For the last two years, the “Happy Trekkers” channel has been pretty quiet. We stopped posting travel videos. We stopped sharing road trips. To the outside world, it looked like we just gave up.

But on the inside, we were scrambling.

A few years ago, a cancer scare forced MJ and me to look at our lives, our stressful jobs, our high cost of living, and our “someday” retirement plans, and realize the math didn’t work. We didn’t want to wait until 65 to be free.

So, we made a decision. We aren’t just going on another vacation. We are leaving.

Welcome to The GenXit Project.

YOUTUBE: We’re Leaving the USA. (The GenXit Launch)

What is the GenXit Project?

Unlike our old travel vlogs, this isn’t about pretty sunsets. This is about logistics.

Over the next 24 months, we are documenting the brutal reality of disentangling ourselves from the American system. We will share:

• The Numbers: Exactly how much we need to retire abroad.

• The Scouting: Honest reports on healthcare, safety, and rent in countries like Portugal, Thailand, and Panama.

• The Move: Selling the house, shipping the cat, and handling the taxes.

We Need Your Help Right Now

We have a shortlist of countries, but we don’t know where to start our major scouting mission for 2026.

We just launched a poll to let you decide where we focus our resources. Do you want to see the cost of living in Southeast Asia? Or the visa process in Southern Europe?

Click Here to Vote in the Poll

This is going to be the biggest adventure of our lives. We’re glad you’re here for the ride.

Mike & MJ

The GenXit Project: Real Numbers. Real Adventure.

Welcome to the new direction. For the last few months, things have been quiet here, but behind the scenes, Mike and I have been officially pivoting. We are no longer just “thinking” about retirement; we are actively engineering our exit.

We’ve spent the last six months analyzing visas, healthcare costs, and cost-of-living data for over 30 countries. We looked for places where a Gen X budget buys a Tier 1 life.

We found 10 strong contenders. But we can’t move to 10 countries. We need to scout the best ones first.

This is where you come in.

We want to build this journey with you. Below is our “Shortlist” of 10 finalists, broken down by region. Read through the list, then cast your vote in the poll at the bottom. Which region should we scout first?

🇪🇺 The European Dream

For the Gen Xer who wants culture, history, and walkable cities.

• Portugal: Safe, sunny, and English-friendly. It’s the “California of Europe” (without the traffic).

• Spain: High energy, late dinners, and world-class healthcare.

• Greece: The dream of island life, history, and a slower pace.

🌎 The Americas

For the Gen Xer who wants to stay in the same time zone as the grandkids.

• Panama: The strategic choice. Dollarized economy and the best retiree discounts in the world.

• Costa Rica: The “Pura Vida” choice. Nature, wellness, and total decompression.

• Colombia: The high-value choice. Cosmopolitan city life for a fraction of US costs.

• Mexico: The familiar choice. Easy logistics, incredible food, and a massive expat community.

🌏 The Asian Adventure

For the Gen Xer who wants luxury for pennies and total culture shock.

• Thailand: The land of smiles, beaches, and 5-star living on a 2-star budget.

• Malaysia: The “easy mode” of Asia. Great infrastructure and amazing food.

• The Philippines: The “connection” choice. Friendly, tropical, and English is spoken everywhere.

The Next Step

Once the votes are in, we will book tickets to the winning region and start filming deep-dive scouting videos on the ground.

We aren’t just looking for a pretty beach; we are looking for a home.

Thanks for helping us steer the ship.

— Mike & MJ - The GenXit Project