The World’s Top Retirement Destination

By Giulia Carbonaro

Senior Housing Reporter

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Greece has been named the world’s best retirement destination in 2026 by International Living, a company helping people move, retire, invest, and travel abroad.

It is the first time the sunny Mediterranean country has taken the number one spot in the company’s Annual Global Retirement Index’s 35-year history, beating the likes of Portugal and Spain in Europe and Costa Rica and Panama in Latin America.

“Greece’s rise to number one marks a shift in Europe’s retirement landscape,” Jennifer Stevens, executive editor of International Living, said in a statement shared with Newsweek.

“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.”

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The Best Countries to Retire to Next Year

These are the top 10 retirement destinations in 2026, according to International Living’s new Annual Global Retirement Index:

Greece
Panama
Costa Rica
Portugal
Mexico
Italy
France
Spain
Thailand
Malaysia

International Living made this ranking based on a number of criteria, including climate, health care, and housing, and used its network of correspondents and expats around the world to combine real data with on-the-ground experience.

What Makes Greece the ‘World’s Best’ Retirement Destination?

Greece has a lot to offer: a rich history and culture, good food, relatively easily attainable comfort, and stunning nature—including thousands of miles of coastline and hundreds of islands.

“Greece quietly transforms the way you live,” International Living’s Greece correspondent Leena Horner, who left Boulder, Colorado, for Corfu four years ago, said in the report shared by the company.

“It’s not just one thing; it’s the climate, the ‘siga siga’ attitude of taking life slowly, the vibrant community, and the daily connection with nature.”

"Siga siga" is a well-known Greek expression that means “slowly, slowly” or “little by little,” reflecting the locals’ relaxed, unhurried approach to life.

Horner and her husband live “comfortably,” according to International Living, on about €2,900–€3,000 a month—the equivalent of $3,355-$3,470. Not only is housing and dining outside cheaper than in much of the United States, but the couple has found private health care to cost only a fraction of what it does back home.

“The private healthcare here has been consistently good,” Horner, an OBGYN, said. “We pay €250 (roughly $290) a month total for private insurance for the two of us, primarily catastrophic coverage. For most routine care, we pay out of pocket and have never spent more than €1,000 ($1,157) a year.”

Horner said that her husband’s laser treatment for a retinal detachment cost them €250 ($290) “in total—treatment, follow-ups, everything. In the U.S., that would have cost at least five thousand dollars."

It is important to note that while foreigners moving to Greece, especially Americans, might find it very affordable for renting, homebuying, and the general cost of living, Greek retirees would hardly agree. Over 60 percent of retirees in the country receive a pension of less than €1,000 ($1,156) per month, according to data from Greece’s pension system Ilios cited by local newspapers.

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How Can Americans Move There?

More than 20,000 U.S. expats are estimated to live permanently in Greece after moving from the U.S., according to Immigrant Invest.

Many more are likely to join them soon and are currently eyeing the destination. A growing number of Americans have left the country this year, with 1,285 U.S. citizens having expatriated in the first quarter of 2025 alone, up 102 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to a report from CS Global Partners.

For those thinking of retiring to Greece, there is good news: the country has one of Europe’s most accessible “golden visa” programs, granting foreigners residency through property investment.

The program grants investors and their families a five-year residence card with no minimum stay requirement. The investment options are:

€800,000 ($925,422) for real estate located in prime zones, such as Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, and Santorini;
€400,000 ($462,674) for real estate located elsewhere;
€250,000 ($289,171) for real estate purchased for renovation or conversion into residential space.

There are also options for eligible applicants to invest in local companies’ capital, purchase securities and government bonds, or open bank deposits, in which case the minimum investment is €500,000 ($578,342).

There is also an option for retirees, the “financially independent person” visa, which grants applicants a three-year residence permit in the country. Passive income, which must come from outside Greece, must be of at least €3,500 ($4,048) per month, increased by 20 percent for a spouse and 15 percent per child.

For younger people, there are also student and digital nomad visas available.

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