12 Great Places to Retire Abroad on a Budget

Costa Rica

Adventure junkies hold Costa Rica — Spanish for “rich coast” — dear to their hearts. That’s because this compact country is bursting at the seams with waterfalls, rivers, lakes and miles of pristine beaches, plus dramatic volcanoes and diverse wildlife. Living in Costa Rica is even more affordable than vacationing there. In resort towns along the central coast, a typical two-bedroom condo near the beach can be rented for approximately $500 a month, or purchased for less than $75,000. The medical care is excellent and inexpensive. The country has more than 1,500 miles of coastline on both the Atlantic and Pacific and thousands of acres of pristine and protected jungles. Also, the country has no military and has welcomed Americans for decades.