Other Countries to Live/Play

[scrapperdog]

Last time I went to Canada (by car) they did not ask for a visa or anything else. I am thinking they dont deport US citizens unless you get involved in some criminal activity there or have a criminal record here in the states. This is my assumption, maybe someone from Canada can confirm.

[Poker_Hoar]

[ QUOTE ]
How are the hospitals/doctors in Panama?

[/ QUOTE ]

The way to look at it is like this. Panama City has a huge amount of wealth. Wherever rich people exist, there also exist good health resources. What it costs is something I don't know about. Plenty of old Americans are retiring there.

I was in Panama City for four days this year opening a business. Trust me when I say it is a nice place. The only downside I saw was that the bay is polluted. If they can figure out how to clean-up the bay then Panama City will absolutely boom even more than it already is booming.

[Capitola]

Have you considered Belize? They speak English, and I assume the cost of living is at least somewhat low like other Latin American countries.

Can't say I really know much about it though.

[goodgrief]

I don't know anything about bowling, but for a city with lots of shopping, banking, reliable high speed internet, friendly people, and I don't know what all, then I think your first stop has to be Panama City, Panama. Yet the mountains and nature are not very far away, since the canal requires a large watershed. Boating, fishing, birding -- it has some of the most famous spots for the Christmas Bird Count in the world. But you don't have to worry about large vicious animals like bears or mountain lions.

Oh yeah, satellite TV. They definitely have satellite TV. It is possible for the storms in rainy season to knock the TV reception off the air for a short while, but this is also possible in the U.S. or so I understand -- I don't myself own a satellite TV dish.

[goodgrief]

Both Costa Rica and Panama have terrific reputations for top notch medical care at a good price. Costa Ricans have a longer life expectancy than citizens of the U.S. but I'm not sure about Panama. I have not required any medical services while visiting either country, so obviously I am relying on other people's reports.

[AJFenix]

I am moving to England next year.

[Megenoita]

I 2nd England.

[Colonel Kataffy]

How about you stay in the US and you move the fish to a foreign country.

[goodgrief]

Guys, he specifically said "cost of living." By that I'm fairly sure he didn't mean, "please suggest to me the country with the most ridiculously insane cost of living in the world, such that I will run screaming back to the United States to marvel how cheap everything is here by contrast." Good Lord, even a simple trip to a grocery store in England is a terrifying experience for someone on a budget. I find Japan cheap by contrast with England. Maybe he should move there!

[TheMetetron]

Latin America is your best bet.

You can't just get residency in Europe or Canada without some sort of ties. Money or "I want to" just won't do it. I didn't have to file a W-9 when I opened my bank account here, but I'm not sure if they just screwed up. I don't intend on ever giving up my US citizenship, but I do take the 80k exemption + housing credit + foreign tax credit. I expect to pay about 10-12% tax total here in Sweden, almost all of it to the Swedish government. But like I said, Europe is pretty hard to get into. Go with Latin America.