The Top Seven Places to Retire

七地养老，无憾人生！

By Rob Budden

文/罗布·巴登

These days most of us can expect our retirement to last for more than a couple of decades. So, with life expectancy[1] on the rise where you choose to spend those twilight years[2] is more important than ever. 

我们大多希望自己可以多享受几十年的养老光阴。因此，随着预期寿命的延长，选择在哪里度过自己的暮年变得前所未有的重要。

[1] life expectancy 预期寿命。

 

[2] twilight years 古稀之年。

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从泰国的热带小镇到中美洲舒适的海滨城市，我们为您精心挑选了七个绝佳的养老胜地！

Panama

巴拿马

Panama, the southernmost country in Central America tops the 2016 global retirement havens listings compiled byInternational Living, with what the magazine describes as “hands down the best package of retirement benefits in the world”. These include discounts for retirees on transport, entertainment, medicine and energy bills.

巴拿马共和国——中美洲最南部的国家，在环球旅行杂志《国际生活》2016年收录的“全球养老宜居”国家中位列榜首。杂志称之“一直以来都有世界上最好的养老福利”。退休老人的福利包括：乘坐公共交通工具、娱乐场所消费、医疗护理、支付能源账单时均能享受折扣。

To receive these wide array of benefits all you need is a Pensionado Visa, for which you need to be over 18 years of age and have a pension of at least $1,000 a month to qualify (both private or social-security payments count). The currency, the Panamanian balboa, is pegged to the dollar, so US retirees shouldn’t face shocks from currency swings.

一本退休签证在手，即可尊享以上诸多待遇。只要年龄在18周岁以上，每月有不低于1000美元的养老金（个人账户或者社保账户），就能办理退休签证。巴波亚是巴拿马的流通货币，其汇价与美元挂钩，所以美国人入境巴拿马养老不用担心汇率波动的影响。

Savings will go a long way here too. Even without these pension benefits, living costs are already low compared to many countries in Europe, North America and Australasia[3], with a three-course meal for two in a mid-range restaurant[4] in Panama costing $30, according to numbeo.com, a website that tracks the prices of everyday items.

储蓄也可以在这里使用很久。即便没有上述养老福利，这里的生活成本也远低于欧洲、北美洲和澳大拉西亚诸国。根据追踪日常消费价格数据的网站numbeo.com，在巴拿马的中档餐馆，30美元英镑就可使两人享用三道菜肴。

[3] Australasia澳大拉西亚（包括澳大利亚、新西兰及太平洋西南岛屿）。

 

[4] mid-range restaurant中档餐厅。

Property prices are also reasonable, with foreigners having the same property rights as Panamanians. Purchasing a three-bedroom property in the popular mountain town of Boquete would cost about $179,000, according to globalpropertyguide.com.

房地产价位也合理。在巴拿马居住的外籍人士享受和本地居民一样的产权。根据网站globalpropertyguide.com，在巴拿马，只需179,000美元就可在颇受欢迎的博克特购置一套三居室的房子。

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Ecuador

厄瓜多尔

Ecuador ranks second in the 2016 listings, compiled by International Living magazine, on its generous retirement benefits, affordable housing and a great climate.

厄瓜多尔养老福利优渥，住房经济适用，气候得天独厚，因此在《国际生活》收录的2016全球养老宜居国家名单中位列第二。

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For housing costs, there are few countries that can beat Ecuador. In the popular colonial city of Cuenca, for example, a two-bedroom apartment can be rented for $500 a month or less.

就住房成本而言，厄瓜多尔的房价几乎是全球最低。以著名的殖民城市昆卡为例，一套两居室公寓的月租不过500美元甚至更少。

To live here though, retirees will need to learn Spanish, as English is not widely spoken and expats will have to adapt to a limited national road infrastructure.  

虽属南美洲国家，但英语在这里的使用并不广泛，来这里养老的居民有必要学会西班牙语，并且还要适应这个国家简陋的公路设施。

But there are plenty of perks. Like Panama, Ecuador offers a wide range of desirable retiree benefits, including half-price public transport for those aged 65 or over and IVA (value-added tax) refunds on many purchases.

但还有其他方面的多种福利待遇。和巴拿马一样，厄瓜多尔提供一系列诱人的养老福利，受益面广，如年龄在65岁及以上的老人乘坐公共交通享受半价优惠，在许多购物项目上享受返还增值税的优惠。

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Malaysia

马来西亚

For year-round sunshine and diversity, consider Malaysia, which offers everything from tropical beaches and remote rainforests to the high-rise bustle of capital, Kuala Lumpur. This former British colony is also an inexpensive place to live, with International Living placing it among the cheapest places to live in its global cost of living index. 

想要终年阳光普照，多元文化碰撞的环境，你可以选择马来西亚。这里有：热带沙滩、僻静雨林以及高楼林立、繁忙鼎盛的首都吉隆坡。它曾是英国的殖民地，消费较低。《国际生活》将马来西亚列为世界上生活成本最低廉的国家之一。

Add to this widely-spoken English, low cost of restaurants and direct foreign ownership of property freehold, and it is easy to see the country’s appeal for older expats.

除了英文作为交流语言普及之外，马来西亚的餐馆经营成本较低，外国移民也可直接申请购房。这个国家对养老移民的吸引力显而易见。

The magazine reports that a couple can live comfortably in a spacious luxury apartment for less than $1,000 a month. Xpatulator.com, a website that analyses costs for expats, rates healthcare and accommodation costs in Malaysia as “very low”. But be warned, not everything is cheap here: many imported goods, from cars to wine spirits, are often sky-high as a result of local taxes.

据《国际生活》报道，在马来西亚，一对夫妇每月花费不到1000美元就能入住一套宽敞舒适的豪华公寓。据移民成本分析网站xpatulator.com，马来西亚联邦外籍移民的医保缴费额度及住宿成本“相当低廉”。但还需提个醒：由于当地税收缘故，并非所有商品都便宜，从汽车到酒水，凡是进口货物，往往售价甚高。

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Under the country’s second-home program, retiree residency is relatively easy to obtain. The visa lasts for 10 years and extends to your spouse and children. The minimum monthly income requirement is 10,000Malaysian ringgit[5] (around $2,320). Retirees also typically benefit from pension, or social-security income, which is exempt from Malaysian taxes.

马来西亚联邦政府推出的“我的第二家园”计划使来此的养老人士能相对便利地获取居住权。退休签证有效期长达10年，并且可携带配偶及子女。申请此项目要求月收入不低于10,000林吉特（马来西亚货币单位，折合约2320美元）。退休人员尤可从养老金或社会保障金免税的政策中获益良多。

[5] ringgit林吉特，马来西亚货币。

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