When you start looking for best places to live when you are over 50 years old or best place to grow old, we are pretty positive what you actually have in mind is your health, so here are the cities with best healthcare for seniors and people over 50 years old.
No one likes growing old, except for maybe Ted Mosby in How I Met Your Mother. You’ve been running the rat race for years, and before you know it, you are turning 50. The middle age crisis is coming to an end, and you end up wondering: what am I to do now? It is inevitable that our bodies change over the decades, and sometimes even if our mind or soul is willing, the body is weak. Springing out of bed in the morning isn’t your thing anymore, and quick, sudden movements result in equally sudden and unpleasant pain. All in all, you’re starting to realize that for some funny reason you’re beginning to do some activities a bit slower, and here and there, children in the street start calling you “grandpa” or you hear “that old man.” You may be raising your eyebrows at first, but it is the harsh truth you’ll just have to get used to it. Slowly (as that could be the word of the day), you start searching online for best places to retire or best places to live over 60. Especially when those kids down the street start getting on your nerves a little bit.
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However, now would be a time to lift your spirits! What if we told you that some of the best places to live after retirement are also the most beautiful places in the world? Perhaps you have always dreamed of going there, but you had other obligations, chores and all those little things to keep you occupied from chasing your dreams. For a great deal of time, you have been devoting your life to your children. Now that they can earn on their own, and live on their own, you can finally relax and summarize your wishes. We are offering you a list of countries and cities with the best healthcare system, and the most suitable to your needs. They are situated all over the world, so we are sure you will find something to suit your preferences. One thing they all have in common is pleasant climate. No more cold and rainy days for you! But before you take a look at how much you have saved for the rainy days or moving your life to a new city/country/continent, let us show you how we compiled our list of best places to live when you are over 50.
The first website we visited while compiling this list of cities with best healthcare for seniors and people over 50 years old was Lifehack that offered the best places to retire in the world. Of course, you probably aren’t going to retire soon if you have just turned 50, but you must admit you’ve started thinking about it. So, why not move to a city which you plan to grow old in now, and have some time to get to know it better and get used to its streets and pace of life? Once you retire, it’s going to be a shock of its own, so perhaps it’s best to get going while you don’t have to face two big changes in your life simultaneously: leaving your job and moving house. Our next step was to check how the countries from the list fared in The Patient Factor report about the WHO’s (World Health Organization) list of the world’s best health systems. Should you wish to know which cities generally have the best healthcare, read our article on best medical cities in the world. Since there were two cities from the US that were highly recommendable as best cities for seniors, we opted for the one recommended by TopRetirements.
Now that we have disclosed one of the countries, let’s move on to the cities and show you cities with best healthcare for seniors and people over 50 years old.
11. Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
WHO ranking: 61
There are over 10,000 expats living here, so that should make you feel at home. Most of them are North Americans who decided to indulge in Mexican sunshine. The bad news is that you don’t get the local medical care unless you’re employed, but the good news is that once you retire, the healthcare is really cheap and affordable. If you are having second thoughts because of it is ranked as the 61st on the health list, what if we told you there are 190 countries on it?
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10. Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
WHO ranking: 51
Another warm and sunny town for you on our list of cities with best healthcare for seniors and people over 50 years old. In case you were wondering, they have just opened a new hospital. This is a melting pot of cultures, so if you like diversity, Las Terrenas is the place to be. Huffington Post confirms it is very easy for the retired to stay here. For instance, it takes only 45 days to process your demand for provisional residency if you can show proof of a regular monthly pension of $1,500, and add $250 for the person coming with you. Make sure you ask about some tax breaks you’ll be entitled to.
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9. Kota Kinabulu, Malaysia
WHO ranking: 49
A little bit higher on the World Health Organization list and at number nine on our list of cities with best healthcare for seniors and people over 50 years old is Kota Kinabulu in Malaysia. This is another beach paradise, and as you can see, it is going to be hard to pick the perfect city if you adore swimming and other beach activities. Both public and private hospitals have high medical standards and the same quality of service (if we omit the waiting factor).
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8. Chiang Mai, Thailand
WHO ranking: 47
There are lots of health-related services which are relatively cheap. If you are 50 and feel like working, you can always get a position at a school, tourist spot or even a medical facility if you qualify.
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7. Sarasota, Florida, US
WHO ranking: 37
Can you believe that there are plenty more countries that have better healthcare systems than the US? If you are reading this from the USA, you definitely can. One of the world’s most powerful countries has a decent health system, but it could be improved. If you wish to move to the US, head for the retiree’s well-known paradise – Florida, and settle down in Sarasota.
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6. Medellin, Colombia
WHO ranking: 22
Perhaps it was a bit unexpected to encounter Medellin, Colombia overtaking the US, but it is true. Maybe you have some other associations concerning Colombia, but the city of Medellin that ranks 6th on our list of cities with best healthcare for seniors and people over 50 years old is an artistic, industrial and financial center. As for the healthcare, the majority of the best Latin American hospitals are right here.
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5. Crete, Greece
WHO ranking: 14
Aren’t you glad Crete is one of the cities with best healthcare for seniors and people over 50 years old? Beautiful beaches and hospitable people are waiting for your arrival. The cost of living is surprisingly low, too. If you have IKA National Insurance, all the medical care and hospital expenses in public hospitals are free of charge.
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4. Algarve, Portugal
WHO ranking: 12
Some of the reasons, apart from great medical care, for choosing Algarve in Portugal as your retirement destination might be: extremely cheap real estate, no taxes for foreigners pensioners, 42 golf courses and the fact that English is pretty much common to be heard. Also, the fact that medical tourism is growing at a rapid rate (especially hip replacements and dental specialties) should be a good enough reason to pack your bags.
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3. Barcelona, Spain
WHO ranking: 7
We are continuing our list of cities with best healthcare for seniors and people over 50 years old with Barcelona that is the top city for seniors in Spain. However, Madrid, Malaga, Valencia, and Granada also have their charms for Austrailan, American, and British seniors and people over 50. Transferwise informs us there are special requirements depending on your country of origin. Healthcare is very affordable if you have a Targeta Sanitària Individual (TSI) health card. Barcelona is recommended by SixtyandMe as one of the best places to live for single retired females. In order to see which city is even better, carry on reading.
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2. Abruzzo, Italy
WHO ranking: 2
Abruzzo in “La bella Italia” takes the silver in our ranking of cities with best healthcare for seniors and people over 50 years old and the WHO list of best healthcare systems. Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN) is the name of the national health service in Italy, and it is doing a great job. If you come from the EU, you can use European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) if a problem arises. As for the fun activities, you can both enjoy swimming in summer, and skiing in winter.
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1. Paris, France
WHO ranking: 1
First in your heart, and first in our list of cities with best healthcare for seniors and people over 50 years old. France has the best healthcare system in the world, and it is one of the cheapest in the entire Europe. It almost sounds impossible, but it’s the truth. We believe you already have an idea why the city of light may appeal to you. One thing we must add is that this is definitely the best place for a single woman to live in the world. SixtyandMe gives its warm recommendation, and Business Insider claims it is one of the safest countries for women in general. If Paris is the city of your dreams, we have given you plenty of justified arguments for moving house.
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