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Where should you retire for end of life care?

end of life care

An Instagram follower asks, “In this country the late/end of life system is designed to bankrupt you and your family while providing dismal care. If someone is living on a limited income but would like to live in a country that provides affordable elder care with dignity, where can they go?”

Duke created a study on end-of-life care and published an article called “Where is the Best Place to Die?” Cheery! Their results ranked the U.S. 43rd of the 81 countries considered, based on criteria they created alongside 1200 caregivers and 181 palliative care experts.

best countries for end of life

Below are the top ten countries, and you can see the rest at the link or in the graphic above. Click a country to see our guide.

  1. UK
  2. Ireland
  3. Taiwan
  4. Australia
  5. South Korea
  6. Costa Rica
  7. North Macedonia
  8. Panama
  9. Hong Kong (guide coming soon)
  10. Lithuania

However, the question asks about places where Americans with limited income can move, and most of the top 10 would be impossible. So here are the top 10 countries for end of life care where you can get a retirement visa or other resident permit, along with the amount of verifiable annual income you need, usually through pension, retirement funds, or social security.

  1. Ireland: $50,000
  2. Costa Rica $12,000
  3. Panama $12,000
  4. Switzerland $42-48,000
  5. Poland ~$18,000
  6. Germany ~$30,00
  7. Sri Lanka $18,000
  8. Sweden $12,000
  9. France $18,000
  10. Spain $27,000

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Jen Barnett

Jen Barnett is the co-founder of Expatsi, a company that's helped thousands of Americans on their moving abroad journeys. She created the Expatsi Test, an assessment that recommends countries for aspiring emigrants based on lifestyle data. Jen has an MBA from Emory University with concentrations in marketing and innovation. Prior to Expatsi, she created Freshfully and Bottle & Bone—two businesses in the local food space—and spoke at TEDx on being brave. She lives in Mérida, Yucatán, along with her husband and co-founder Brett, pitbull mix Squiggy, and three rotten cats. How can she help you move abroad?

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