The silver nomad movement is real

Ocean view, eat out every meal, join a gym, pick up a hobby — and still spend less than you did back home. These are the places that make it real.

Find your silver nomad destination

destinations

countries

regions

avg cost index

Why become a silver nomad?

The math is simple: $2,000/month buys a careful existence in most American cities. In Chiang Mai, Medellín, or Lisbon, it buys a comfortable life with change to spare. Silver nomads aren't roughing it — they're upgrading their daily life while spending less.

A one-bedroom apartment in the center of Medellín costs around $400/month. A full meal at a sit-down restaurant runs $3-5. Monthly transit pass: $25. Private health insurance: $80-150/month. These aren't tourist prices — they're what locals and long-term residents actually pay.

The catch? Not every cheap place is a good place to land. You need healthcare infrastructure, visa pathways that work for silver nomads, political stability, and a community you can plug into. That's what our rankings account for — not just cost, but livability.

Top destinations

Ranked by cost of living, data quality, and relevance.

Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal · 1.4M

Cost index: 231BR rent: $183Happiness: 5.2

Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia · 2.4M

Cost index: 241BR rent: $238Happiness: 5.6

Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam · 1.3M

Cost index: 261BR rent: $455Happiness: 6.0

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China · 13.6M

Cost index: 281BR rent: $413Happiness: 6.0

Tashkent

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan · 2.0M

Cost index: 291BR rent: $603Happiness: 6.2

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia · 2.4M

Cost index: 311BR rent: $394Happiness: 5.7

Davao

🇵🇭 Philippines · 1.8M

Cost index: 321BR rent: $296Happiness: 6.0

Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador · 2.8M

Cost index: 341BR rent: $485Happiness: 5.7

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil · 6.7M

Cost index: 351BR rent: $636Happiness: 6.3

#10

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa · 3.3M

Cost index: 351BR rent: $429Happiness: 5.4

#11

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru · 7.7M

Cost index: 351BR rent: $715Happiness: 5.8

#12

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · 2.0M

Cost index: 361BR rent: $728Happiness: 6.2

#13

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia · 1.0M

Cost index: 371BR rent: $687Happiness: 5.2

#14

Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia · 1.5M

Cost index: 391BR rent: $664Happiness: 6.0

#15

Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria · 329K

Cost index: 401BR rent: $516Happiness: 5.5

#16

Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Russia · 5.4M

Cost index: 411BR rent: $892Happiness: 5.8

#17

Mérida

🇲🇽 Mexico · 1.2M

Cost index: 421BR rent: $597Happiness: 6.7

#18

Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand · 10.7M

Cost index: 431BR rent: $693Happiness: 6.0

#19

Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia · 1.3M

Cost index: 431BR rent: $577Happiness: 6.6

#20

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan · 2.7M

Cost index: 441BR rent: $768Happiness: 6.1

#21

Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain · 411K

Cost index: 451BR rent: $871Happiness: 6.0

#22

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania · 1.9M

Cost index: 461BR rent: $679Happiness: 6.5

#23

Córdoba

🇪🇸 Spain · 326K

Cost index: 461BR rent: $447Happiness: 6.4

#24

Kraków

🇵🇱 Poland · 804K

Cost index: 491BR rent: $949Happiness: 6.4

#25

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary · 1.7M

Cost index: 491BR rent: $813Happiness: 6.0

#26

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina · 2.9M

Cost index: 501BR rent: $737Happiness: 6.2

#27

Brno

🇨🇿 Czechia · 379K

Cost index: 521BR rent: $1,011Happiness: 6.8

#28

Abu Dhabi

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates · 1.8M

Cost index: 531BR rent: $1,712Happiness: 6.7

#29

Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia · 664K

Cost index: 531BR rent: $873Happiness: 5.9

#30

Riga

🇱🇻 Latvia · 743K

Cost index: 531BR rent: $603Happiness: 6.2

#31

Palermo

🇮🇹 Italy · 648K

Cost index: 551BR rent: $765Happiness: 6.3

#32

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece · 664K

Cost index: 571BR rent: $711Happiness: 5.9

#33

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay · 1.3M

Cost index: 591BR rent: $664Happiness: 6.6

#34

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada · 1.8M

Cost index: 611BR rent: $1,294Happiness: 6.9

#35

Louisville

🇺🇸 United States · 624K

Cost index: 621BR rent: $1,557Happiness: 6.7

#36

Auckland

🇳🇿 New Zealand · 1.5M

Cost index: 641BR rent: $1,320Happiness: 7.0

#37

Liverpool

🇬🇧 United Kingdom · 497K

Cost index: 651BR rent: $1,226Happiness: 6.8

#38

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany · 3.4M

Cost index: 691BR rent: $1,458Happiness: 6.7

#39

Toulouse

🇫🇷 France · 512K

Cost index: 691BR rent: $905Happiness: 6.6

#40

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea · 10.3M

Cost index: 691BR rent: $852Happiness: 6.1

What the cost index means

Our cost index benchmarks each city against New York City (index 100). A city with index 30 means your daily expenses cost roughly 30% of what they'd cost in NYC. This covers rent, groceries, restaurants, and transport — the essentials of daily life.

Index under 25

Extremely affordable. Your pension could cover a comfortable life with significant savings left over. Common in Southeast Asia and parts of South America.

Index 25-40

Very affordable. A solid middle-class lifestyle on a modest pension. Popular silver nomad destinations like Portugal, Mexico, and Colombia fall here.

Index 40-60

Moderate cost. Still cheaper than most Western cities but not dramatically so. Southern and Eastern Europe, parts of the Middle East.

Index 60+

Similar to or above Western cost levels. Consider these for lifestyle, not cost savings.

Healthcare abroad

Healthcare is the number one concern for silver nomads, and it should be. The good news: many top destinations have excellent private healthcare at a fraction of US costs. Thailand's Bumrungrad Hospital is JCI-accredited and attracts medical tourists worldwide. Colombia's healthcare system ranks above the US in WHO rankings. Portugal offers public healthcare access to legal residents. In most of our top-ranked destinations, comprehensive private health insurance runs $80-250/month — less than many US Medicare supplement plans.

Visa pathways for silver nomads

Most countries on our list offer retirement-specific visas or long-stay options accessible to silver nomads. Requirements vary but typically include proof of pension/income ($1,000-2,500/month), health insurance, and a clean criminal record. Some highlights:

Portugal D7 Visa

Passive income visa requiring ~$800/month. Path to permanent residency and EU access.

Thailand Retirement Visa

Available at 50+. Requires $24,000 in a Thai bank or $2,000/month income. Annual renewal.

Panama Pensionado

One of the oldest retirement visa programs. $1,000/month pension required. Significant discounts on services.

Mexico Temporary Resident

Income-based visa, roughly $2,500/month. Renewable for 4 years, then permanent residency.

Ready to see the numbers?

Our interactive map shows purchasing power data for 195+ countries and 1,500+ cities. See exactly how far your money goes.

Explore the map