Jetset retirement destinations are beautiful, welcoming, safe havens that offer exclusive lifestyle opportunities—ideal for discerning retirees who are looking to live large in retirement.
An important point of difference between jetset retirement and regular overseas retirement is that budget is not a dealbreaker for the former. Jetset retirees recognize that the best possibilities to get more for their money are found overseas, but they are not hindered by cost and therefore have more options for where to retire available to them.
Their motivation for moving overseas is not strictly to access a lower cost of living. It’s to accumulate unique life experiences and see things that the average person does not get to. It’s to add to their repertoire of interesting stories and seek out the best of everything this world has to offer.
The good news is that a jetset retirement overseas doesn’t cost what might typically be thought of as jetset money. In some places around the world, you can embrace a penthouse-standard lifestyle for a surprisingly affordable cost.
Here’s my selection of the world’s top five best places for jetset retirement.
1. Kotor Bay, Montenegro
Church of Our Lady of the Rocks in the Bay of Kotor near Perast, Montenegro.
Estimated monthly budget for two: $2,900
Overlooking the same stretch of water as Southeastern Italy, Kotor Bay boasts 57 miles of sparkling coastline that features towering mountains and stunning fjords. Northern California is the only other landscape that compares.
A deep inlet of the Adriatic Sea, the bay is dotted by a charming mix of medieval towns and luxe modern developments, complete with super-yacht marinas. The ultra-wealthy treat this yachting paradise like their own private riviera.
Kotor Bay is well-known to investors, but with its affordable cost of living, gorgeous scenery, easy residency policies, budding expat community, and endless recreation opportunities, it also has major lifestyle appeal.
Despite having so much to offer, only those in the know have heard of Montenegro. At 5,300 square miles, the country is about the size of Connecticut. It’s home to about 620,000 people, and it only officially became a country in 2006 when it got its independence from Serbia.
Big things are on Montenegro’s horizon. It’s widely expected to join the European Union in the next few years.
If you estalish residency or citizenship before then, Montenegro could become the fastest, most inexpensive backdoor to the EU available. Plus, residency is easy to obtain. It only requires a property purchase of any value, and property can be bought for as little as 50,000 euros.
2. Deauville, France
The famous colorful parasols on Deauville Beach, Normandy, Northern France, Europe
Estimated monthly budget for two: $3,800
The closest beach to France’s capital, Deauville is also known as the Parisian Riviera and the “Saint-Tropez Normande.” Located on Normandy’s Côte Fleurie (Flowered Coast), it has long drawn the most distinguished and flashiest of European society.
Josephine Baker walked her pet cheetah down Deauville’s beach promenade. The late Queen Elizabeth II was allowed to drive her car down the planks of the same boardwalk, where vehicles are ordinarily strictly forbidden.
Tom and Daisy honeymooned here in the Great Gatsby. Marcel Proust, Agatha Christie, and Noël Coward all used it as a setting, too. And it was the birthplace of Coco Chanel’s career in clothing. She even opened her second shop in Deauville.
This town was made for pleasure-seeking and being seen. Boasting the so-called queen of the Normandy beaches, the area was targeted for major development in the 1860s by Napoleon’s brother-in-law.
He put in a rail line direct from Paris and had the casino and hippodrome built (the region was already well-known as prime horse country). With these investments came grand hotels, upscale restaurants, an enormous casino, famous art galleries, a major spa, a seaside promenade, and tables.
Nowadays, Deauville, sometimes called “the Cannes of the North,” is just as much a darling to the wealthy. With a well-to-do population and a regular tourism boom that brings money to the town and environs, which is then funneled into local education, medical facilities, city services, etc., this town has services on par with Paris’.
While it’s not very well known to North Americans, Deauville is a wonderful option for expats without budgetary constraints, offering all the chic and convenience of Paris with a small-town feel.
3. Mendoza, Argentina
Beautiful Malbec vineyard high in the Andes mountain range. Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina.
Estimated monthly budget for two: $1,500
Mendoza is Latin America’s first wine-growing region, and where vines grow, the living is generally good. It’s home to more than 350,000 planted acres and responsible for at least two-thirds of the total wine production for the entire country.
Here in the interior of Argentina, food, wine, and interesting conversation are the priorities of life. This region’s laid-back atmosphere, safe cities, developed infrastructure, unspoiled culture, affordable cost of living, and friendly people combine to create an idyllic lifestyle.
This is a good choice for active retirees who aren’t ready to sit back and rock on the front porch. You could spend your days skiing, hiking, climbing, playing golf, bird-watching, whitewater rafting, kayaking, and even kitesurfing, and your evenings practicing tango.
Mendoza has an effect on people. They come as tourists, end up extending their trip, and eventually decide to make Mendoza their home for good. Mendoza City offers real cosmopolitan distractions, including sophisticated and polite people who dress carefully and mind their manners. It’s home to five-star restaurants, shopping, and performing arts.
Argentina offers straightforward residency policies, making it easy to set up life here. This country is an always-changing landscape, however, and it isn’t right for everyone. It’s best suited to people who want to enjoy a unique lifestyle and who aren’t put off by the politics and currency issues (understanding that it’s always possible to work around them).
4. Phuket, Thailand
Summer, Travel, Vacation and Holiday concept – Wooden pier in Phuket, Thailand
Estimated monthly budget for two: $1,700
Phuket is a world-famous jetset destination that offers a beach lifestyle so appealing that it has attracted an expat community of more than 115,000 people.
The reason for Phuket’s global acclaim? Gorgeous beaches, first and foremost. Picture pearly-white sands lapped by the warm, jade waters of the Andaman Sea. Phuket is the biggest island in Thailand, ringed by a dazzling diversity of beaches.
The northwest is renowned for its chic beach resorts; the south is natural and low-key; and the west is the beach-party destination, a hedonistic hub for drunkenness and debauchery.
All sorts of beach activities can be pursued in Phuket, from enjoying a massage from your private cabana at a luxe beach resort to observing rainbow-hued sea life while snorkeling to island-hopping in traditional longtail boats.
But there are reasons to seek out life in Phuket beyond its beaches. Old Phuket Town is an under-the-radar historic center. In the 17th century, Phuket was famous for its wealth in tin, which attracted traders from around the world.
For those who want to build community, there’s a massive expat community to tap into that organizes get-togethers at bars as well as trivia nights, volunteering, sports leagues, and networking events. If you like golf, some of the world’s finest golf courses are right here.
Wellness is a popular concept across Phuket. Whether you want a healthier diet, a more active lifestyle, or to practice yoga, meditation, breathing, or mindfulness, all sorts of amenities are established across the island to support you. You can also seek out safe, affordable medical care at Phuket’s excellent health facilities.
Living in Phuket is budget-friendly. Its immense popularity has driven up prices over the years, so it’s less of a backpacker-only destination than it used to be. For someone coming from the States or Canada, however, the cost of living compared to the standard of living is a bargain.
5. Turks And Caicos
Turks & Caicos
Estimated monthly budget for two: $4,400
Turks and Caicos is a string of sandy cays that floats in the Atlantic Ocean, just southeast of Florida. It boasts powder-sand beaches lapped by electric-blue waters, yet mysteriously, it remains off the radar of the average expat.
Those who have heard of it either know it as a beach haven or an offshore financial center, but Turks and Caicos has been quietly building itself into a luxury tourism destination with high-end resorts, casinos, and amenities to support a well-appointed lifestyle.
Turks and Caicos is a British Overseas Territory that consists of two island groups, the Caicos Islands and the Turks Islands, and forms part of the Lucayan Archipelago. Eight main islands plus 22 smaller ones make up the territory, with the main population center on Providenciales (Provo) island.
The main appeal is the chance to unwind on some of the most spectacular beaches in the world and enjoy the boating lifestyle that goes hand in hand with life on an archipelago.
Provo is home to some of the territory’s finest beaches, many of which are studded with luxury resorts and amenities. Look up a list of the best beaches in the Caribbean, and Provo’s Grace Bay Beach invariably shows up on top. Thirteen miles of sand as soft as flour and piercing blue waters are reasons enough to visit.
A wide range of watersports, from kayaking to standup paddleboarding to scuba diving to deep-sea fishing, are available here. The boating lifestyle is a major draw, with marinas, docks, and harbors set up around the islands to support it. Whether it’s a sailing catamaran or a luxury yacht, boating is the best way to see Turks and Caicos’ many uninhabited cays and islands.
The cost of living on Turks and Caicos is undeniably high. Almost everything you need for day-to-day life has to be imported to the islands and is subject to a 37.5% import tariff. Expect to pay double for everything from groceries to gas to a dinner for two.
That said, Turks and Caicos is a luxury tourism destination, and all that opulence understandably comes at a cost. It offers the opportunity for total relaxation on some of the best beaches Mother Nature has dreamed up, and for many, Turks and Caicos is worth the price tag.