An ongoing mantra from the "You should have planned better" pundits doesn't help at all. Some expats made their move too long ago to do anything about it now.
For expats, planning well is a good idea, but not in hindsight. In 1998, how many would have fallen on the ground laughing hysterically if you had predicted oil would reach US$ 140/barrel in a mere decade?
Inflation is another budget killer. The cost of living in some countries always appears to be volatile while others look more stable. Inflation in the countries you have targeted for retirement can be crucial for a tight budget. Expatriates should be tracking inflation rates as part of their due diligence.
| Global Inflation Rates: CPI YoY% Change | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | % | Country | % |
| Venezuela | 31.4 |
Hong Kong | 5.7 |
| Ukraine | 31.1 |
Brazil | 5.5 |
| Sri Lanka | 26.2 |
Morocco | 5.4 |
| Vietnam | 25.2 |
Israel | 5.4 |
| Egypt | 19.7 |
Peru | 5.3 |
| Pakistan | 19.2 |
Belgium | 5.2 |
| Latvia | 17.9 |
Mexico | 4.9 |
| Russia | 15.1 |
Cyprus | 4.9 |
| Bulgaria | 15.0 |
Greece | 4.9 |
| Oman | 12.4 |
South Korea | 4.8 |
| Iceland | 12.3 |
Quatar | 4.7 |
| Lithuania | 12.0 |
Ireland | 4.7 |
| Costa Rica | 11.9 |
Slovakia | 4.6 |
| Estonia | 11.3 |
Spain | 4.6 |
| South Africa | 11.1 |
Poland | 4.4 |
| Turkey | 10.7 |
Australia | 4.2 |
| Saudi Arabia | 10.4 |
Finland | 4.2 |
| Indonesia | 10.3 |
United States | 4.2 |
| Philippines | 9.6 |
Sweden | 4.0 |
| Kuwait | 9.5 |
Malaysia | 3.8 |
| Ecuador | 9.2 |
Taiwan | 3.7 |
| Argentina | 9.1 |
Eurozone | 3.7 |
| Macau | 8.9 |
Italy | 3.6 |
| Chile | 8.9 |
New Zealand | 3.4 |
| Romania | 8.4 |
Denmark | 3.4 |
| China | 7.7 |
France | 3.3 |
| Thailand | 7.6 |
Unites Kingdom | 3.3 |
| Singapore | 7.5 |
Luxembourg | 3.2 |
| Uruguay | 7.2 |
Norway | 3.1 |
| Hungary | 7.0 |
Germany | 3.0 |
| Czech Republic | 6.8 |
Switzerland | 2.9 |
| Croatia | 6.4 |
Portugal | 2.8 |
| Slovenia | 6.4 |
Netherlands | 2.3 |
| Colombia | 6.3 |
Canada | 2.2 |
| India | 6.0 |
Japan | 0.80 |
| Tunisia | 5.8 |
Median | 5.83 |
Source http://seekingalpha.com/ |
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