The rise in the cost of living in most parts of the U.S. and Canada have many looking for an alternative place to retire overseas. The annual increases in utility bills, taxes, and properties in the U.S. and Canada keep eating away at the retirement reserves many have set aside for their later years.

The dream to sit back and enjoy their retirement has grown longer for some having to work well into their retirement years in order to have enough funds to afford these increases.

This is why many are choosing to look for potential retirement areas overseas where the cost of properties, utilities, and expense items are affordable in full retirement.

The question of many when looking at overseas retirement is, what does retiring and living overseas entail in terms of disruption to the family, learning a new language, selecting a suitable climate, affordability, safety, and medical needs.

There are of course many countries that fit one or more of these requirements, but it is the selection of a country that fits the most of these requirements that is the challenge.

Those who have lived in a particular area most of their lives, raised a family whose members live nearby, is comfortable with their surroundings, and can still afford to live in that area although perhaps having to work at least part time to make it affordable, and have grandchildren, who will have the most problems with leaving for a retirement home overseas.

Many of the following factors should be considered prior to making a decision to retire overseas.

Proximity to the U.S. and Canada in order to be able to visit or have family and friends visit periodically without a great deal of expense or travel time. adequate health care at less expensive costs than your home country.

A suitable climate that is not too cold or warm that it requires heat or air conditioning, homes and property that is much less expensive than most parts of the U.S. and Canada.

Items of expense such as groceries, utilities, bus and taxi fares, and other major expenses less expensive, a country that is safe to live in without political, religious, or criminal factions endangering your safety, a country that has abundant places to visit, travel, sightsee, or activities to participate in.

When a country or area has been found that fits most of the requirements necessary for living in retirement, and the decision has been made to investigate these possibilities, then, and only then, should you move forward and arrange a visit to the country selected for your potential retirement.

After visiting and selecting a country as being the most suitable for your retirement, the decision then must be made whether you wish to retain your current residence in your home country if it is affordable and live there part time, or give up your residence and live in your chosen retirement country full time.

Some decide to retain their current residence if they can afford to, and live in their country of selection only part time during the coldest or warmest portion of the year, while others choose the least expensive way and live in their retirement country full time becoming residents of that country.

Some websites such as International Living present a wide choice of countries in which to retire, many with one or more of the factors cited above in choosing a retirement country.

In our personal search for a country in which to retire, after much research, we chose Costa Rica first visiting for a lengthy period to determine the area of the country that was most amenable to our needs, and which fit all of the requirements cited above. Once having found that area, we purchased our property and had our home constructed in the manner we desired.

Other countries of Central America offered some of the requirements we were searching for, but when investigated, the only country that fulfilled all of the factors was Costa Rica. One very important factor that was considered was the fact that many Costa Ricans speak English, having had basic training in the school system where it is a mandatory subject. This makes it much easier to live in a country when you are not forced to learn the language in order to communicate on a daily basis.

Whatever your choice is in the selection of an overseas retirement country, one of the primary things to consider is one or more visits to that country before making the final decision.