You can save a lot of money by eating mangu. The brugal is very good btw. If you get a couple of goats you wouldn't need a gardener A friend of mine had a luxury house down there but he left his wife and the house was built on her beachfront lot.
Was Thailand ever mentioned? My sign guy just left there for a month. His son lives there and he spends a month there with him every year. He said climate wise it was just incredible. Same temperature, no wind, and everything is just completely open. No windows in the stores/shops, etc.. I guess crime is not a problem either. Everyone has a bell with a distinctive ring. If someone tries to steal from a shop, neighbors hear that bell ring, apparently they stone the person to death right there. I guess it does not happen very often from what he said. He did not really go into the local economy, taxes, religions, etc., but he said that the people were nice, the climate was fantastic, and massages were cheap. One of the downsides to the climate though is the bug, and rat population.. Apparently those are both issues.
Bugs and rats are popular food in Thailand. Here's a recipe for rat: http://www.earthportals.com/Portal_Messenger/ratfordinner.html Here some bug food: http://www.thaitable.com/Thai/travel/fried_bugs.htm
Thailand is a good place to rent a beach house. A lot of the places listed a graet place to visit but I wouldn't want to have a lot of $$$ tied up in real estate.
In some places in Thailand you can buy a brand new apartment for $35,000 right next to the beach with 100 year lease.
Thailand seems to have almost everything, except that the tax structure isn't nearly as optimal as Panama's. Thailand does have a monarchy and the government is quite closed -- but the government also seems relatively decent at minding its own business. Hong Kong was a great place, but it's been going downhill since the red Chinese took over. It can't have much of a future, the way it is going. Spain, and particularly the Canary Islands, are very nice. It's a popular retirement destination for Brits. Unfortunately, the government of Spain is intrusive and bureaucratic. It's difficult to get anything done (like having a happy life) when you have to fill out a form to do anything. And, of course, the other natural consequence of that is an unpleasant tax system. Government harassment doesn't come cheap. You not only have to put up with being harassed, you have to pay for it. If you move to Spain, plan to pay their 45% income tax.
If the exchange rate is a major concern for you, here are some countries where the U.S. dollar is used as currency: British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands East Timor Ecuador El Salvador Marshall Islands Micronesia Northern Mariana Islands Palau Panama Turks and Caicos Islands Other countries, like Belize, tie their currencies values to the U.S. dollar. The Belizean dollar is constantly pegged to the U.S. dollar at a two to one ratio.
I'm earning dollars and it would kill me to change them to euros. That's a 50% reduction in my income. Central America are good destinations. Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica and El Salvador have a low cost of living and only a couple of hours away from the US.
Honduras like Belize seems interesting if not a little hairy Bogart. Will, surely you have to consider also the economic outlook of a country, and its relative self sufficiency also? How dependent is a country on imports for raw materials etc? Peak oil I believe has to be a factor in a decision as to where you live. Oil will continue to rise in price and alternatives will have to be sort. Australia has lots of coal and natural gas reserves which will be useful in powering trains and cars via electricity and LPG, LNG, CNG. Reliable water supplies are also a consideration as water continues to become a more precious resource. That's why the Western Australian government is investing heavily into wind turbine powered desalination plants. In the long term Perth and other parts of Western Australia will be good places to live.
Thailand is great, people are friendly down there and the cost of living is low. Problem is don't live in Bangkok, any other major cities would be ok. Bangkok traffic really sucks. BTW the climate can be too high and humid.
Panama or Brazil I guess in South America are the best place to relocate, where you can enjoy and relax!
For me Melbourne is kinda boring, I wont mind Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong are really too fast paced. Philippines seems to be a nice place too. Panama and Brazil I am not sure, I thought they are more towards Spanish than English?