Hello all expats and expat wannabes!
I have just finished a 9 month trip where I managed to live for two to three month intervals in 4 different locations, Spain, Malta, Ireland, and Prague. I am now stateside once again but planning to take a trip to check out costa rica. I hope to eventually find the perfect place to settle down for a while. I had thought spain would be perfect but the weakening american dollar makes that a challenge in some ways. would welcome any thoughts from american expats living abroad or anyone else who can enthusiastically recommend a warm location.
jezter

I'm a retired American who is also looking for a place to settle. Since I couldn't have afforded Spain or Ireland or even Prague before the dollar tanked, I have been looking at less expensive places. With my limited funds, even they look like they will be a problem over time. While Thailand is dramatically cheaper than the US, the baht is very strong, which combined with the rising dollar for a decline of over 20% since the end of October. Prices have gone up, too.

I'm in Malaysia now, and its currency isn't as strong, though it is still gaining against the dollar. Next I think I'll look at Mexico and Panama. Panama has the advantage of using the dollar, which eliminates the conversion rate concern. It also has a very American infrastructure, is out of the hurricane zone, doesn't have earthquakes, and has an liberal retirement visa.

I have just read the information on this web site about Panama. It sounds interesting. I was thinking of checking out costa rica. I have been to mexico and guatemala. I think the exchange rate for the dollar to any central american currency is in our favor, but I am also interested in a safe environment........not too many people living in abject poverty and a relatively stable government. I loved spain, but the euro/dollar exchange rate is a killer, especially over time.I speak spanish quite well and am therefore very comfortable in spanish speaking countries.