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We have been very much attracted to Tennessee as a retirement location in a few years from now. We are anxious to leave Florida for a rural area with a change of seasons. Although we have no desire to go to a climate where snow is truly a thing, we don't mind a few days of the white stuff on the ground. As has been the case with many places in The States, the economic landscape in TN has changed drastically. This has been most noticeable with regards to real estate.
Looking to make the most of our retirement fixed income, is there a welcoming retirement location where our funds will go further in another country which rivals Tennessee or the North Carolina mountains with regards to flora, elevation, seasons and rural housing options?
I've read of and spoke to expats in Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. All of those areas are too hot and humid for our tastes. Frankly, too, those areas are too lacking in the conveniences and creature comforts we have come to enjoy.
Just wondering if there's someplace outside of the United States we should be considering.
Actually, there are parts of Japan not far from Tokyo in the outer fringes of the metro area/Kanto Plain that remind me of Appalachia. The climate, vegetation, and scenery are similar to that of the North Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains, or the Smokies in TN/NC, or parts of VA and WV. It's an ideal climate that doesn't get too much snowfall, and doesn't get too hot/humid compared to the city of Tokyo.
Ecuador has many cool climate cities & areas so your intel is wrong in that regard.
If that's the case my intel is indeed wrong. I have never been to Ecuador but I have spoken to several who traveled there. As they gushed about how much they enjoyed the rainforests and the beaches I made inferences which obviously were not correct.
You are used to live in the good north american standards and you're looking for a nice place where your money will worth more.
I recommend the region of Gramado and Canela in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Why?
- The climate is amazing. There is some change of seasons. Summer is not as hot and winter is not as cold as in Tennessee, but the seasons are distinguishable anyway. Frosts can happen every year. Snow is rare, but it can be expected to fall once or twice a decade.
- The region is expensive for brazilians, but not for someone with dollars. With 3k dollars a month you can live like a king. Great options of houses in the rural areas.
- The region is just beautiful. There are mountains, valleys, waterfalls. The cities attract many tourists with their European-like urbanism, 5 stars restaurants and theme parks.
- The cities of Gramado and Canela together have less than 80k inhabitants.
- You'll be less than a 2-hour drive to the beaches and the capital Porto Alegre, which has 4 million people living in the metro area, various malls, top ranked hospitals, an American consulate and an international airport.
- The culture and the people overall probably have more similarities than differences with north americans, so it wouldn't be a big culture shock. Unfortunately English is not widely spoken.
Here some photos.
Last edited by EduardoFinatto; 11-23-2021 at 04:19 PM..
I've been doing some reading about Cuenca, Ecuador. It does indeed seem like a gem.
The elephant in the room that I need to accept is my lack of speaking Spanish or any language other than English. That has dissuaded me from traveling in general and I think it will cause me to once again turn my attention to just the USA for a retirement location.
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