How much does it cost to retire in each country?
Use this interactive map to compare estimated monthly retirement costs across countries. Figures shown here are for a single person, include a consistent rent assumption, and are designed as baseline comparative planning estimates rather than comfortable expat lifestyle budgets.
Retirement cost map
Baseline monthly costs, FIRE estimates and quality-of-life data for 155 countries.
This map combines data from public external sources and one tool-calculated index:
All data comes from public, widely cited reports, but no dataset is perfect. A huge thank you to those organisations, such as Numbeo, that make their data public. Kosovo and Palestine are missing from some international datasets, Numbeo averages can be volatile in smaller countries, and happiness scores may not reflect foreign retirees. Cambodia in particular receives a relatively low happiness score that may not match reports from the expatriate community there. Legatum scores are broad national prosperity indicators and may not reflect the lived experience of foreign retirees in specific cities or regions.
Each country’s figure starts from a baseline cost of living for one person, then adds an estimated rent for a one-bedroom apartment outside the city centre. Why? Retirees often live outside the country capital. Future updates will include inside city centre rent. The rent figure is drawn from country-level data to keep comparisons consistent across countries. These numbers are a planning benchmark, not a prediction of what you will personally pay.
The base dataset is stored in USD because that keeps country comparisons clean and consistent. You can switch the display to GBP or EUR using the currency selector in the top bar - converted values use the latest available exchange rate via the Frankfurter API. For actually moving money between currencies, I use Wise (referral link).
The FIRE number is the total savings you'd need to cover your living costs through retirement, based on the 4% rule. The idea is simple: if you withdraw 4% of your savings each year and your investments grow at a similar rate, your money should last. So if a country shows a monthly cost of $1,000, that's $12,000 a year - and dividing by 0.04 gives a FIRE target of $300,000. It's not a guarantee - but it's a useful starting point for thinking about how much is enough.
The TTF Index is a composite score calculated by this tool. It is not from an external source.
A country is scored if it has all three required inputs: monthly cost of living including rent, HDI, and World Happiness Score. Countries missing any of these are shown as Not scored: missing data.
Formula:
TTF = 40% HDI percentile + 20% Happiness percentile + 40% Affordability percentile
Higher HDI and happiness increase the score. Lower monthly cost increases the affordability percentile. Affordability and development are weighted equally because this tool is designed for retirees seeking value for money, not simply the highest standard of living.
This is a "general interest" indicator only. It does not account for safety, political stability, visa access, or healthcare quality (though may in the future). Please use your common sense when interpreting a figure. A high TTF Index may indicate good value on paper, not necessarily a practical retirement destination. E.g. Libya and Iran score highly, but these are likely not ideal places to retire.
Example: Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan scores highly because it combines low monthly cost including rent ($801.06) with a solid HDI (0.837) and happiness score (6.378), giving it a current TTF Index of 0.6656. That said, value on paper is not everything: Astana averages about −14.2°C in January, which may be a deal-breaker for some retirees.
No. It is best treated as a comparative planning tool. It gives a consistent country-level baseline estimate for a single person, then derives annual spend and a 4% rule FIRE number. In practice these figures are often quite lean. Actual retirement spending may be materially higher depending on city, housing standard, healthcare, insurance, exchange rates, travel, tax, and lifestyle.
Yes. These figures are usually closer to a lean local-cost baseline, with a modest rent assumption often more comparable to living outside the city centre. Treat them as an absolute minimum starting point, not as a realistic retirement budget for most foreign retirees. For a better sense of real costs, check Numbeo's city pages for the main cities in each country.
These figures do not include private health insurance or visa costs - two of the largest variable expenses for foreign retirees. Private health insurance for a retiree aged 60+ can range from $3,000–15,000 per year depending on country, age, and coverage level, and is typically mandatory under many retirement visa programmes. Visa and residency fees, renewal costs, and administrative requirements vary widely by destination and change over time.
Always research the specific visa route, insurance requirements, and total annual compliance costs for your target country before relying on any cost-of-living estimate.
Country averages flatten huge local differences. A retiree in central Singapore or Zurich will face a very different number from someone in a second-tier city. The rent figure here is an assumption for consistency, not a live property search. The figures are intended for comparison and rough planning only; they are not personalised financial advice and should not be treated as a final verdict on retirement affordability.
Inflation affects how far your money stretches in a given country over time. A country with persistently high inflation tends to see local prices rise faster, which can erode the value of locally held savings or locally denominated income.
However, the impact depends on where your income comes from. If you draw a pension or investment income in a strong foreign currency (such as GBP, USD, or EUR), local inflation may matter less in the short term because your purchasing power is anchored to the harder currency. Where it becomes relevant is if you hold significant assets in local currency, or if local prices rise persistently faster than exchange rates adjust.
The 10-year average smooths out short-term spikes and gives a clearer picture of the long-run inflation environment in each country.
Countries with high government debt relative to GDP may face pressure to raise taxes, reduce public services, or devalue their currency over time. For retirees, this can mean higher cost of living, reduced state benefits, or weaker local currency eroding the value of locally held assets. It is one signal of long-term fiscal risk, not a prediction.