Leaving the USA: Winnowing the Options to Albania
All of the remaining places on the list have met our basic requirements, regarding safety, healthcare, and cost of living.
Costa Rica and Panama
I found an interesting psychology when I began considering leaving the country I’ve called home my entire life. (I am 61 for reference.) I initially felt more comfortable considering places closer to the United States. So we investigated Costa Rica first. It’s a three hour plane ride out of Miami. That’s a shorter flight than from Miami to Los Angeles.
Costa Rica is a gorgeous country. I would love to learn more about the wildlife. And real estate prices are such that we might be able to afford to live at the beach. We began watching YouTube videos from expats who live in Costa Rica. Most of them loved it. However, one of them happened to mention that they’d known expats who left because they found the fact that the rainy season lasts half the year difficult. This gave as pause. And made me realize how important the weather is to our equation.
Simultaneously, we researched Panama. Naturally, Panama is subject to the same rainy season as Costa Rica. Additionally, the dialect of Spanish spoken there is difficult for other non-Panamanian Spanish speakers to understand, so likely impossible for novices such as ourselves. And then there is the Felon-in-Chief’s threat to take back the Panama Canal by force.
Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Albania
Honestly, I think we’d be happy in any of these countries. Each has its own interesting culture, requirements for residency are not overly burdensome, and immigrants can have access to their national health systems after achieving residency (of course residents must financially contribute - but the contributions are way less than the cost of my health insurance).
However in regard to Italy and Portugal, multiple expats have said that the wheels of government turn so exceedingly slowly in these countries that their residency status has been in limbo for a year to 18 months, and some even longer. (Although, that may be changing for Portugal, because there are rumors they have computerized the process.)
As for Spain, before we investigated too thoroughly beyond the basics, we became intrigued with Albania, and it has become our focus.
Why Albania?
Here is our why:
Albanians have a welcoming and hospitable culture.
The price of food is about half of what it is in America unless you are buying imported food.
The food is generally farm to table.
Real estate is significantly less than in the United States, and in fact we have already paid earnest money for a condo on the beach. With any luck, we will close the deal when we visit in April.
Our retirement income will go further here than any of the countries on our list.
Albania is home to both Muslims and Christians and they coexist respectfully and peacefully.
Albania has an intriguing history, with many ruins to explore.
And while not specific to Albania, we will be perfectly positioned to explore the rest of Europe.
What some find challenging:
Learning to speak Albanian. I am sure we will be no different, but are happy to try.
Some get homesick. While no one can predict how they will feel with 100% certainty, if I get homesick it will be for an America that no longer exists.
Imports are expensive. For example, an LG washer and dryer will cost as much in Albania as it does in the U.S.
And for young people, jobs are difficult to find and the pay is low.