Portugal continually ranks in the top 10 places to retire and live according to many sources, several I noted above. We have been researching places to live for several years and have visited all our top choices.

We loved Costa Rica and Belize, however they still needs to do a little more “growing up”. The people are lovely and we truly enjoyed ourselves. Outside the main cities, however the infrastructure was somewhat lacking.

Panama was lovely and more modern than we thought, but the humidity was tough. Aside from that it is a great country with affordable housing, food, healthcare, and energy.

Of the top choices left, all the “colder” countries were nixed (by me). That leaves Spain and Portugal. Lovely! Spain is huge compared to Portugal and there are so many different areas to live in (similar to the US). However, entry to Spain is much more expensive, and Portugal is actively encouraging people to come. Portugal wins!

Our visit two years ago whetted our appetites and we decided to give it a try.