For Americans 55+ who have done the arithmetic
You worked forty years and were told it would not be enough.
It is enough. Just not in America.
The average Social Security check is $2,071 a month. This book prices nine countries, line by line, from $2,075 a month for a couple in Cuenca, with every number sourced and dated, and the honest answer when a country isn't for you.
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What a retired couple actually spends in a month
Every line counted: rent, power, food, health cover, visa renewals, flights home and a 10% contingency.
In Cuenca, that's about $3,000 a month back in your pocket.
US figure: Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, household headed by someone 65 or over. Abroad: the book's own estimates for a couple, built to one 13-line template and checked in 2026.
It tells you when the answer is no
Most retire-abroad guides are published by companies that sell tours, property expos or relocation services. This one isn't, so it can say the things that cost them bookings.
- Mexico is out of reach on one Social Security check. Its 2026 residency income requirement is about $4,718 a month. Panama and Costa Rica ask $1,000.
- Year one costs about 1.7 times a normal year. Every magazine figure is a settled year. Yours won't be, at first.
- Medicare does not travel. The book shows what health cover costs after 60, and the age insurers stop selling it.
- In the Philippines you cannot own the land under your house, whatever the beach-house videos say.
- Loneliness sends more people home than money does. There's a whole section on it.
Who wrote it
Sam Bishop, New Life Abroad
I make the New Life Abroad videos on YouTube. The question I hear more than any other is a simple one: could I actually do this on my check? This book is my full answer. Nine countries, priced the same way, line by line, including the parts the relocation tours leave out.
New Life Abroad takes no commission from developers, visa agencies, insurers or estate agents. The only money made is the $27 you pay for the book.
What's in the book
One PDF, 300+ pages, 45 short chapters you can read over coffee.
- Can I afford it? Your real monthly number, year one, exchange-rate risk.
- What can I own? Residency income thresholds and what a foreigner may buy.
- The nine country files. Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, Portugal, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines and Thailand, each to the same nine headings.
- The catch. Safety, corruption, air and water, build quality, language, bureaucracy.
- What happens when I get sick? Insurance after 60, public systems, medication, long-term care.
- The move. The first ninety days, banking, documents, taxes that follow you.
- Will I be alone? Why the second year decides it, and how to go back if you need to.
Also inside, in the appendix
The Quick-Start Road Map, the Honest Budget Worksheet, the residency and ownership tables, the due-diligence and document checklists, and Twenty Questions To Ask A Relocation Lawyer. They're part of the same PDF, ready to print.
Who it's for
You're somewhere between 55 and 75. Retired, close to it, or retired against your will. You've looked at what it costs to live in America and you've done the sums more than once. You aren't after an adventure. You're after relief.
Questions
How do I get it?
Checkout is on Gumroad. The PDF arrives by email within a minute or so. It opens on any phone, tablet or computer, and the appendix prints well.
What if it isn't for me?
Email within seven days and you get your money back, usually the same day. No questions, and you keep the book. Refund policy.
Will the numbers go out of date?
Some will, which is why every figure carries the month it was checked. When a threshold or price moves, the book is updated and you get the new edition free.
Is this legal or financial advice?
No. It's an educational book. It tells you what the rules are, what questions to ask, and which kind of professional you need for your own situation.
Is it a subscription?
No. You pay $27 once.
Run your own numbers before you buy a ticket.
The Quick-Start Road Map at the front takes about an hour and tells you which of the nine countries your income actually qualifies for.
Get the book · $27Instant PDF download · 7-day refund, and you keep the book