More and more Australian retirees are selling up and swapping the suburbs for a simpler, cheaper lifestyle overseas as the cost-of-living crisis bites.
This year’s Global Retirement Index has revealed new destinations where seniors can enjoy their golden years for less, with 46 countries now offering retirement visas.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Australian retirees embrace cheaper life overseas
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Kate Christie has found nirvana in Italy, returning home only for a visit before heading back to her new life in Sicily.
“I’ll be drinking the wine and eating the olives and the Mediterranean diet and swimming in the Tyrian Sea, and it’s just perfect,” she said.
Last year, the semi-retired Italophile snapped up a mould and pigeon-infested palazzo in Sicily and has never been happier.
“Groceries, all the food is probably about 40 per cent cheaper,” Christie said.
“The purchase of the house and the renovations, it’s come out at about A$200,000.”
Attractive lifestyles are on offer in countries like Uruguay, Mauritius, Spain, Latvia, Andorra, Italy and Greece.
The author turned renovator is documenting her adventures online.
“Everybody says, you’re living my dream,” she said.
Migration specialists say the silver tsunami is sweeping the globe as cost-of-living dissatisfaction grows and retirees look for countries where their superannuation will last twice as long.
Dr Laura Madrid from Global Citizens Solutions said countries can offer cheaper costs of living for retirees.
“There are some, let’s say, drawbacks. Having to face bureaucracy in a foreign language is not easy, and being away from your family,” Dr Madrid said.
But family is only a flight away.
“This isn’t about retirement for me. This is about living,” Christie said.
