American Retirees Want to Leave the Country. Italy and Costa Rica Are Happy to Have Them

Warm weather, a low cost of living and a relaxed pace have always been high on the list of criteria for people looking for a place to retire. But for an increasing number of Americans, the ideal destination has another ingredient: being outside the US.

“There’s this huge movement of Americans wanting to retire abroad,” says David Kuenzi, director of international wealth management at Geneva-based Creative Planning. The percentage of people older than 55 who want to leave the country has more than quadrupled since 1974, to 17%, according to polling from Monmouth University and Gallup. Experts on international living say much of that shift has taken place in recent years. Things started changing around 2017, Kuenzi estimates, and have accelerated during President Donald Trump’s second term.