Why Greece is now the world’s best place to retire

By Maureen O’Hare, CNN

(CNN) — Humans are living 20 years longer than they did in 1950 and a growing number of people are choosing to spend their later decades abroad.

Selling up your home and leaving friends and family behind for a new life overseas is a major move which requires serious research before taking the plunge.

The monthly magazine and website International Living has just released its Annual Global Retirement Index, which evaluates the world’s top destinations for retirees across categories including cost of living, healthcare, housing, visas, climate, and ease of integration.

The new No.1 for 2026 is a sun-soaked country in Southern Europe whose thousands of picturesque islands have made it a tourism hot spot, but International Living says it has everything it takes for a permanent stay as well.

“Greece’s rise to number one marks a shift in Europe’s retirement landscape,” says Jennifer Stevens, executive editor of International Living. “For years, Portugal and Spain led the way, but recent visa changes and rising costs have retirees looking elsewhere. Greece now offers what many are seeking — a beautiful, welcoming, and affordable European base with accessible residency options and a lifestyle that feels rich in every sense.”

Here’s a look at the top 10 countries in the 2026 index, which is based on recent data, plus input from International Living’s global network of more than 200 experts and expats.

Greece

Greece’s Golden Visa program, granting a residence permit to foreigners making a minimum real estate investment of 250,000 euros (about $290,000), is one of Europe’s most accessible, says International Living. It also scored highly on climate, healthcare and housing.

Patricia Mahan and Dan Matarazzo, from the US, bought a two-bedroom house for $150,000 in Kritsa, a village in Crete, in 2023. “We wanted to move by the sea,” Mahan told CNN last year. “In an affordable place.”

The other priorities that influenced their decision were that they “wanted village life” but “needed to be near amenities like state-of-the-art medical facilities, a nearby airport, weekly farmers’ markets and supermarkets and stores of all kinds to furnish our house.”

Panama

Panama is the frontrunner across all countries in the index’s visa/retiree benefits category. It has long been courting US retirees and its Pensionado Program offers impressive perks: 50% off entertainment, 30% off transport, 25% off airfares, 15% off medical bills, and discounts on everything from electricity to eating out.

“Panama’s healthcare system rivals the US in quality — without the price tag,” the International Index report says. “A hospital stay that might cost $30,000 in Miami could be $3,200 here, including CT scans and medication.”

CNN Travel chose Panama as one of our best destinations to visit in 2024. We praised Panama City as the only world capital with a tropical rainforest within its city limits and also highlighted its old quarter, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The country also holds over a dozen national parks, including Parque Nacional Volcán Barú, the highest point in Panama.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica was No. 1 in the index’s climate category and this is a country that takes its environment seriously. A full 25% of its landmass is protected rainforest, says International Living, and 99% of its power is from renewable energy. “It’s also one of the few nations to reverse deforestation, home now to 10,000 plant species and 850 kinds of birds,” the publication says.

Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula is one of only five “blue zones” in the world, regions renowned for the longevity of their residents. While not yet at retirement age, US woman Kema Ward-Hopper moved with her family to Pueblo Nuevo in Nicoya in 2018, after she underwent treatment for breast cancer.

“The health benefits of the blue zone, I think, show up later in life,” she told CNN in 2025. “But we have noticed that we feel better when we’re here. Our cardiac health and lung health seems to be better.”

Portugal

Portugal is second only to France in the index’s healthcare category and also scores highly on climate and development/governance.

The country has ended its Golden Visa program for residential property development, but other investment visas remain. International Living says that for most retirees interested in moving to the country, “the standard D7 “passive income” visa is ideal — requiring proof of steady income rather than large investments (as little as $1,011 per month).”

Seattle woman Cynthia Wilson and her husband Craig Bjork were approved for the D7 visa and in 2022 they moved to the small town of Marinha Grande, located on the Silver Coast close to the famous surfing beach Nazaré.

“I will return to the US in an urn,” Wilson told CNN in 2024. “For Americans, it is cheaper to live here, if you don’t live in Lisbon, Porto or the Algarve. Those places are like trying to live in San Francisco or Manhattan.”

Mexico

“As many as one million Americans and Canadians already call Mexico home — the largest North American expat population anywhere on Earth,” says International Living.

Mexico scored highly in the categories for visas/retiree benefits and development and governance. International Living’s report says “the highways are excellent, the internet is fast, and the infrastructure is modern. Add to that a remarkably low cost of living, first-rate healthcare, and an easy path to residency.”

Janet Blaser, originally from New York, relocated from California to Mexico 20 years ago. “I got to Mazatlán, and it sounds so corny, but it just touched my heart,” she told CNN earlier this year. “It was really easy to meet people,” she says. “So I felt really welcomed and like I could do this.”

Italy

Italy’s highest-scoring category in the index was the affinity rating, which is about ease of integration and what International Living calls “gut feeling,” as this is a decision that “involves the heart as well as the head.”

It also performed well in the healthcare category, matching Greece’s score of 89 out of 100.

Massachusetts couple Doug and Leah Johnson bought and renovated a 14th-century apartment in the town of Vasanello, located in the Italian region of Lazio. It cost them just 9,000 euros in 2019 (a little over $10,000).

“The amazing thing in Italy is that they really preserve old buildings. It’s not easy to knock down an important structure,” Doug told CNN in 2023.

He also said they found the local people very welcoming. “I think much of it is the novelty of having Americans investing, and loving their community,” he says. “Sometimes we go into shops for a cappuccino, or loaf of bread, and they won’t let us pay.”

France

International Living praises France’s “renowned universal healthcare,” giving it a score of 97, the highest of any country on the index. However, that renown abroad is gaining notoriety at home; French lawmakers are currently considering a proposal to end free healthcare for foreign pensioners and make them pay a minimum contribution.

Whatever the outcome, France is likely to remain a very attractive destination for retirees, with its winning combination of climate, culture and cuisine.

In December 2021, Mary Jane Wilkie ditched New York for Paris at the age of 79. She told CNN this year that it was the best decision she’s ever made.

“Ultimately, I knew that I didn’t want to say on my deathbed, ‘I always wanted to move to France but didn’t’,” Wilkie said.“Once you know what you don’t want to say on your deathbed, you know what to do with your life.”

Spain

Healthcare (94) and affinity rating (90) are the categories in which Spain performed best, while cost of living (75) is a little weaker.

Indiana couple Regina and John Zdravich moved to Spain in 2018, eventually buying a home in Garcia, Catalonia, for 165,000 euros (around $184,000). They made the choice after hitting stumbling blocks on an attempted relocation to Italy.

The couple were granted Non-Lucrative visas, a permit that allows non-EU nationals to live in the country without working or engaging in any professional activity, for Spain.

Catalonia has its own public health system, which can be accessed by any of its residents.

“John had to have back surgery, we didn’t pay a penny,” Regina told CNN in 2024. “You go and you buy a prescription, and you can use your pocket change.”

Thailand

Thailand was one of the highest-scoring destinations in the cost of living category, with only Vietnam and Sri Lanka scoring higher. It also performed well on climate and development and governance.

American Jim Dolan and his wife Som built a home in Som’s native Thailand after their US property was flooded in a hurricane.

“Our finances were such that we couldn’t live what was thought to be our dream life,” Jim told CNN in 2024. ““It was right around the time that I was just approaching retirement age. And so we just decided to make the move at that time.”

Jim was able to obtain a Thailand Marriage Visa and the couple then bought some land “sight unseen” in Sam Roi Yot, located in the province of Prachuap Khiri Khan, for around $50,000.

“It’s very quiet. Very peaceful. Very safe,” Jim said. “I feel safer here in Thailand than I think in any of the cities that I lived in the United States.”

Malaysia

Cost of living (94) and development and governance (90) are the categories Malaysia scored high on, but it had a relatively low score (45) on the affinity ranking.

“Malaysia offers a unique blend of modern infrastructure, cultural diversity, and natural

beauty. With its affordable cost of living and the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) program, it’s an increasingly popular destination for retirees seeking a warm, tropical climate,” says International Living.

CNN Travel chose the island of Penang as one of our destinations to visit in 2022. We praised it for its cuisine, a wide mix of traditional Malay, Chinese and Indian dishes, and for the historic architecture found in its capital George Town. Penang Hill is a UNESCO Biosphere reserve filled with excellent hiking trails and more than 200 species of orchids.

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