This Country Was Just Named the No. 1 Place to Retire for Health Care, Housing, and Weather

When it comes time to plan for life after retirement, one of many largest choices is deciding the place you need to plant your roots. Some soon-to-be retirees might need to keep put, however others might need to make the most of this newfound freedom and transfer overseas. When you fall into the latter class, the latest information from International Living can be of curiosity.

On Dec. 1, the publication launched its Annual Global Retirement Index—and Greece topped the record because the world’s greatest retirement vacation spot for 2026.

“For years, Portugal and Spain led the way in which, however latest visa modifications and rising prices have retirees wanting elsewhere,” Jennifer Stevens, the manager editor of Worldwide Residing, stated within the press launch supplied to Journey + Leisure. “Greece now affords what many are searching for—an exquisite, welcoming, and inexpensive European base with accessible residency choices and a life-style that feels wealthy in each sense.” She additionally added that it is a nation “the place your cash stretches, and your days really feel full.”

To curate this annual rating and discover “the very best world locations for a rewarding, low-cost retirement abroad,” Worldwide Residing makes use of skilled enter and concrete knowledge to guage international locations throughout a spread of classes, together with visas, ease of integration, and price of dwelling. That is the very first time that Greece has taken the No. 1 spot, a distinction it acquired after scoring properly in three explicit classes: well being care, housing, and local weather.

So far as well being care, Worldwide Residing highlighted the affordability of personal well being care, quoting its Greece correspondent, Leena Horner, who stated her non-public well being care “has been persistently good” and prices her and her husband €250 (about $288) a month. The press launch additionally shared that retirees can discover “comparable seaside properties [to] lease from €600 to €1,000 a month.” (The present conversion to USD is about $691 to $1,151.)  And in case you want scorching, dry summers and comparatively delicate winters, properly, the climate is motive sufficient to name Greece your new house.

Worldwide Residing additionally famous that the Mediterranean nation’s residency choices had been a key issue within the rating. Greece is among the easiest countries to get citizenship, because of its Golden Visa program.

When you’re concerned with retiring to Europe, however Greece doesn’t essentially name to you, take into account the opposite featured international locations. Worldwide Residing’s high 10 retirement locations for 2026 embody Portugal (No. 4), Italy (No. 6), France (No. 7), and Spain (No. 8).

View the total Annual International Retirement Index and rating particulars on InternationalLiving.com.