3. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Located on Mexico’s Pacific Coast in the scenic Banderas Bay and surrounded by the Sierra Madre mountains, Puerto Vallarta was once a quiet fishing village. Today, though it retains its traditional charm, it’s one of Mexico’s most popular beach towns.

Featuring an active and growing expat population plus super-friendly locals, the high season (November to March) is busy with snowbirds and international vacationers.

Puerto Vallarta is also proud to be a LGBTQ-friendly destination. Often called the “San Francisco of Mexico,” the city hosts a huge Pride Week celebration every year in May. It’s more liberal and laidback than most places in Mexico.

Many expats and retirees own their own boats and park them in one of the marinas in the bay. Whether it’s sailing, snorkeling, whale watching in the winter months, or simply walking along the beach and getting your own feet salty, Puerto Vallarta is a premier destination for ocean-lovers.

As Puerto Vallarta’s popularity has grown with tourists and expats, its prices have risen. It’s by no means a cheap place to live but it is still largely affordable by North American standards.

Many people speak English quite fluently as it is primarily a tourist town geared towards Americans and Canadians.

2. The Algarve, Portugal

Stretching along Portugal’s entire southern coastline from the Spanish border in the east to the Atlantic cliffs of Sagres in the west, the Algarve is home to close to 500,000 people—a number that more than triples in the summer months as vacationers flock here.

Portugal has been a haven for foreigners for decades. Over 1.5 million foreigners call it home and numbered among them are an estimated 100,000 expat retirees.

In the Algarve English is spoken widely. There’s also an impressive list of things to do, including both highbrow culture (museums, art galleries, and historic towns and sites all around) and an abundance of outdoor activities, from fishing and hiking to Europe’s best selection of golf courses, boasting more than 800 holes.

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