Country Profiles for Overseas Retirement
A practical snapshot of 20 countries featured in Overseas by Design, focusing on cost, healthcare, residency, and real-world livability.
No hype. No paradise promises. Just honest trade-offs.
These profiles are designed to help you narrow your options — not overwhelm you. Each country overview highlights who it’s best for, typical costs, healthcare access, and residency basics.
If a country resonates, you’ll find deeper comparisons, planning details, and decision frameworks inside Overseas by Design.
Costa Rica
- Cost of Living: Higher
- Healthcare: High quality
- Residency: Moderate
- English: Moderate
Mexico
- Cost of Living: Low to Moderate
- Healthcare: High quality
- Residency: Moderate
- English: Low to Moderate
Thailand
- Cost of Living: Low
- Healthcare: High quality
- Residency: Moderate
- English: Moderate
Panama
- Cost of Living: Moderate
- Healthcare: High quality
- Residency: Easy
- English: Moderate
France
- Cost of Living: Higher
- Healthcare: High quality
- Residency: Complex
- English: Moderate
Italy
- Cost of Living: Moderate
- Healthcare: High quality
- Residency: Moderate
- English: Moderate
Malaysia
- Cost of Living: Low
- Healthcare: High Quality
- Residency: Moderate
- English: High
Portugal
- Cost of Living: Moderate
- Healthcare: High quality
- Residency: Moderate
- English: High
Spain
- Cost of Living: Moderate
- Healthcare: High quality
- Residency: Moderate
- English: Low to Moderate
Greece
- Cost of Living: Low to Moderate
- Healthcare: Good
- Residency: Moderate
- English: High
Want to compare countries side by side?
The profiles give you the snapshot. Overseas by Design shows how they stack up — visas, healthcare access, real monthly budgets, and the trade-offs most blogs skip.
Uruguay
- Cost of Living: Moderate
- Healthcare: Good
- Residency: Moderate
- English: Low to Moderate
Malta
- Cost of Living: Moderate
- Healthcare: High quality
- Residency: Moderate
- English: High
Honduras
- Cost of Living: Low
- Healthcare: Limited
- Residency: Moderate
- English: Moderate
Vietnam
- Cost of Living: Low
- Healthcare: Good
- Residency: Complex
- English: Low to Moderate
Montenegro
- Cost of Living: Low
- Healthcare: Limited
- Residency: Moderate
- English: Moderate
Colombia
- Cost of Living: Low to Moderate
- Healthcare: Good
- Residency: Moderate
- English: Low to Moderate
Ireland
- Cost of Living: Higher
- Healthcare: High quality
- Residency: Complex
- English: High
Ecuador
- Cost of Living: Low
- Healthcare: Good
- Residency: Easy
- English: Low to Moderate
Not Sure Where to Start?
Most readers find it helpful to shortlist three to five countries using these profiles, then use Overseas by Design to compare them properly before going deep on visas, housing, or relocation logistics.