the troubadour

I would check on the Goa thread first as there are a lot of very disgruntled people who want out from that place.
Sounds like it is long past it's use by date.

sunilgoa

That is true......

wheatsheaf

stay where u are. Invest the windfall, and get a better job. You are too young to give up.

Aurelia

I actually think most of the people are wrong who knock Latin America. I have lived all over LA and, while perhaps an investment can be risky, renting an apartment is not. Depending on where you live, you can take taxis to get around (that cost maybe $1-3$ each way), buy cheap beer (50 cents a can) and live the good life. You can live awhile and then decide when, and if, to make an investment. In Panama, you barely need to speak Spanish--I know TONS of people who get by. In Guatemala, well, it can't hurt, but it's even cheaper there, a beautiful country. There is crime, but it's no worse than living in any big city.

If you have any questions, feel free to message me.

-Aurelia

Cape Blue

But in Guatemala the crime is often focussed on foreigners as they are perceived to be wealthy, so a non-hispanic American or Brit would be worse off than compared to any normal big city.

I agree its a beautiful country by the way.

hobbes79

The OP hasn't logged in since Jan 28th, when he made his opening post on here...

websitedesign

I'm in Costa Rica and it's expensive... almost on par with the US. Panama expensive also... will not find anything comparable to western houses for 2-300/month.

Finding a country and investing your money is probably the best bet. Know of lots of expats here that invested 100k or so in real estate, restaurants, etc. and now live quite well. You have to know what you're doing and take the time to research and plan it all but it is possible

PaulC34

If you are a US citizen, can speak English anda couple of other languages well AND you are a qualified nurse, then the world is literallt your oyster.
HOWEVER, at the moment everyone is sufering economically so places that once looked quite nice and going to be less attractive, especially places that rely on Western tourist dollars.

As a short term solution, how about doing some voluntary work overseas? It'll get you out of the US, your savings will be untouched in the bank and it might help you to find some other countries to live in? Or it might help you appreciate the US a bit more...

RickCR

Hello,

My name is Ricardo Cazorla and I am originally from Venezuela. I have lived in Spain and the UK and I am currently in Costa Rica.
I can tell you there are very few stable countries in Latin America, being Costa Rica one of them. It is a beautiful country, with nice people, no army and lower criminality rate than any other country in Central America. Costa Rica was recently declared the happiest country of the world.
It is true that it is more expensive than other countries in the area, but that is for obvious reasons, but since I work for a relocation company I can assure you that you can get a beautiful 1 room apartment in the best area of San Jose, with pool, gym, etc for $600. There are many private clinics where you could get a good job with a nice salary and knowing how to manage and invest your money you could live a very comfortable life.

Good luck !

meauxna

Hola Ricardo and welcome. We're happy to have you share your information about Costa Rica (one of my favorite places!) but please bear in mind that the site is not appropriate for direct commercial advertising.
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LeftAloneInUK

I would look at buying a flat or even a small house and trying to Establish a business.

125K wont last you long.

Don't rent long term, you will just be pouring money down the drain.

I advise you to pick a county you think you like and go and live there a year, do a gap year, volunteer work, get a job what ever it takes. See how much you like the county, then if you want to buy somewhere to live.

During this time, you will see opportunity in the country and also the problems of living there.

geoffreybrooks

Since you speak Spanish I would recommend you consider Uruguay. With only part of that US$125,000 invested at the kind of interest rate you can get IN THE LOCAL CURRENCY (after all, this is where you want to settle, isn't it?) it will be enough for your purposes. (At my bank today in Buenos Aires, I noticed on plazo fijo (fixed-rate deposits from 30 days to 365) that they pay less than 2% interest annually on dollars, but pay up to 13% on your pesos. Bite the bullet, think 'Uruguay - this is where I belong' and from then on it is easy.

I lived in Uruguay (Paysandú) two years, I left there in 2003 but only because I have family in Argentina. Nice people, low crime.

The Uruguayan immigration authorities will always give you three months on the entry stamp, never an argument, foreigners encouraged to come, and you only have to leave the country physically every six months: you can re-enter same day. At the end of each three-month period the local immigration office in the nearest town will renew your stamp for a small payment. As for resident status, from a foreigner they look for the purchase of a residential property.

I have always fancied Rivera. On the border with Brazil, you can walk across into the twin town the other side without immigration formalities. Do not consider Montevideo under any circumstances.

Steve_

Well as an RN, everywhere is short of them, I don't think you have enough money to retire at 27 even if you want to live in a s--thole.

But on the other hand there are a lot of baby boomers retiring so as an RN you are likely to see your pay go up.

Well as a US citizen, one reason why would be the foreign exclusion limit - the US taxes you on the basis that you're a citizen, rather than residency. You can only exclude so much of your income abroad from US tax, the base amount is $91,500 although you can exclude more if you live in certain developed countries. Read the instructions for Form 2555.

However having said all that, I know here in Canada they're desperate for RNs, you definitely could move here because nursing is listed under the NAFTA occupational list (and even if it wasn't, they'd fall over themselves to give you a work permit). The weather isn't so bad in BC if you don't like cold winters.

You'd still work like a dog most likely but you might get more appreciation for it and as it's nationalized here the unions and so on have more clout. Given that you're fluent in French, Québec is also an option and there they have a greater welfare state than anywhere else in Canada.