How Much Money Do I Need to Retire Abroad?
What real data can and can't tell you about retirement costs in another country — and the one disclosed assumption behind our estimate.
Three real inputs, one disclosed assumption
RouteWise's retirement comparison combines three real signals: a healthcare score (WHO's Universal Health Coverage Service Index), a safety percentile (derived from real OWID/UNODC homicide-rate data, ranked against every other country we track), and an estimated cost of living. That cost estimate is 1.3x a country's own real average local earnings — a documented, disclosed assumption, not an itemized housing/food/transport budget, because no free dataset publishes that breakdown by country.
Why not a precise itemized budget?
We'd rather disclose that this is an estimate than present a precise-looking number that's actually invented. If you want an itemized budget, our estimate is a reasonable starting anchor to research further — not a replacement for it.
What determines affordability
Whether a destination is actually affordable for you depends on your own income and savings relative to that estimated cost — which is why "best country to retire" isn't a fixed list, it's different for every income level.