Malaysia #3 Top Retirement Haven in the World 2013

US based International Living ranked Malaysia the 3rd Top Retirement haven in the World beating places like Thailand, Spain  and Mexico!. Ecuador was named as 2013 Annual Global Retirement Index winner.

Top Retirement Havens in 2013:
1. Ecuador
2. Panama
3. Malaysia
4. Mexico
5, Costa Rica. 
6. Uruguay
7. Colombia
8. Spain
9. Thailand
10. Malta 

Ecuador, The Top Retirement Haven of the World 2013

International Living explained how they came up with this Retirement Index:

"Among the top retirement spots in the world this year, you’ll find great variety in the cultural offerings, climates and lifestyles. Each destination is desirable in its own way, but they all offer something increasingly hard to come by at home: A good quality of life for a reasonable price.

IL editors compile, weigh, rank, and rate a series of criteria including cost of living, infrastructure, health care, ease of integration, real estate, special benefits, climate, etc. This is a qualitative assessment based on real-world data gathered on the ground.

Now, no “formula” can spit out the name of the place that’s just right for you. After all, your priorities are uniquely yours. You need to consider what’s most important to you—maybe climate, maybe language, maybe cost, maybe distance from home—and use this index to target accordingly the places you want to explore. The only way you’ll really know if a destination makes sense for you is to go and see it for yourself.

Each year as we compile this Retirement Index, we strive to improve it. We collect more—and more diverse—data. We interview more—and more varied—expats to get the real-world information that keeps our assessments current. This index is, by design, subjective. It wouldn’t be half as helpful if it weren’t. We bring to it more than three decades of expertise and the insights from an international network of correspondents living abroad today and scouting the world on your behalf."

International Living described Malaysia as Asia's Most Desirable Destination. Taking examples of couples who retired in Malaysia, they state that cost of living in Malaysia is about 25% of what it would be in the United States. Malaysia has everything. Its weather is a tropical 82 F all year round and its  lovely beaches, islands and jungles are pristine. It has some of the region’s best street food, great restaurants, bars, shopping malls and movie theatres, hospitals, —and it’s all affordable.The different races and cultures present in Malaysia helped in making Malaysia a very attractive destination to retire in.It’s Malay…it’s Chinese…it’s Indian…it’s international. Influences from across Asia and beyond have melded together here to create an extraordinary cross-cultural melting pot of customs, dress, architecture, and cuisine. 

Beaches in Penang

Malaysia’s an easy place to make friends and integrate as English is the second language. Lots of expats live in Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Penang and Kuala Lumpur are also medical centers of excellence and every day two planeloads of medical tourists arrive in Malaysia for various treatments. Not only is the health care amazing but it’s among the world’s cheapest. And prescriptions here cost a fifth of what you pay in the USA.

Medical Tourism Panel Hospital in Malaysia

Malaysia must be Truly Asia!

For the full report see: http://internationalliving.com/2012/12/the-worlds-top-retirement-havens-in-2013/

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