Humans are living 20 years longer than they did in 1950 and a growing number of people are choosing to spend their later decades abroad.
Selling up your home and leaving friends and family behind for a new life overseas is a major move which requires serious research before taking the plunge.
The monthly magazine and website International Living has just released its Annual Global Retirement Index, which evaluates the world’s top destinations for retirees across categories including cost of living, healthcare, housing, visas, climate, and ease of integration.
The new No.1 for 2026 is a sun-soaked country in Southern Europe whose thousands of picturesque islands have made it a tourism hot spot, but International Living says it has everything it takes for a permanent stay as well.
“Greece’s rise to number one marks a shift in Europe’s retirement landscape,” says Jennifer Stevens, executive editor of International Living. “For years, Portugal and Spain led the way, but recent visa changes and rising costs have retirees looking elsewhere. Greece now offers what many are seeking — a beautiful, welcoming, and affordable European base with accessible residency options and a lifestyle that feels rich in every sense.”
Here’s a look at the top 10 countries in the 2026 index, which is based on recent data, plus input from International Living’s global network of more than 200 experts and expats.
Greece
Greece’s Golden Visa program, granting a residence permit to foreigners making a minimum real estate investment of 250,000 euros (about $290,000), is one of Europe’s most accessible, says International Living. It also scored highly on climate, healthcare and housing.
Patricia Mahan and Dan Matarazzo, from the US, bought a two-bedroom house for $150,000 in Kritsa, a village in Crete, in 2023. “We wanted to move by the sea,” Mahan told CNN last year. “In an affordable place.”
The other priorities that influenced their decision were that they “wanted village life” but “needed to be near amenities like state-of-the-art medical facilities, a nearby airport, weekly farmers’ markets and supermarkets and stores of all kinds to furnish our house.”
SEE MORE HERE!: https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/01/travel/worlds-best-retirement-destinations-2026
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