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CC BY 4.0 modeled reference dataset

Itemized retirement budgets by country

Philippines has the lowest itemized single budget of the 5 fully-itemized destinations at $968–$1,606/mo; Philippines has the lowest itemized couple budget of the 5 fully-itemized destinations at $1,420–$2,355/mo. Totals sum the seven modelled categories, with surplus shown against a $3,000/mo US solo baseline for a single retiree and a couple benchmark modeled from BLS CE Table 1300 (1.7-person consumer unit, normalized to a 2-person couple).

5 complete countries shown; 13 registry candidates disclosed as excluded. Every displayed amount is computed from a named in-repo registry.

Answer

Quick answer

Lowest complete itemized budgets: Philippines has the lowest itemized single budget of the 5 fully-itemized destinations at $968–$1,606/mo; Philippines has the lowest itemized couple budget of the 5 fully-itemized destinations at $1,420–$2,355/mo. Totals sum the seven modelled categories, with surplus shown against a $3,000/mo US solo baseline for a single retiree and a couple benchmark modeled from BLS CE Table 1300 (1.7-person consumer unit, normalized to a 2-person couple).

The table

Seven named monthly line items, totals, and surplus

Each country has one single row and one couple row. Headline totals sum the seven modelled categories. Rent, Food, Healthcare, Utilities, Transport, Insurance, and Emergency remain visible as the itemized cross-check. Surplus is benchmark less the modelled total; a negative value is a shortfall.

Itemized monthly retirement budgets by country and household type
CountryHouseholdRentFoodHealthcareUtilitiesTransportInsuranceEmergencyTotalSurplus vs benchmarkProvenance
MexicoMXSingle #2 · Couple #2Single#2$267–$600/mo$213–$273/mo$147–$220/mo$87–$127/mo$173–$220/mo$73–$110/mo$227–$323/mo$1,187–$1,873/mo+$1,127–+$1,813/moWhereNext retirement budget model; modelled: couple mix × the single/couple ratio; inputs as of 2026-05-23
Couple#2$400–$900/mo$320–$410/mo$220–$330/mo$130–$190/mo$260–$330/mo$110–$165/mo$340–$485/mo$1,780–$2,810/mo+$1,270–+$3,420/moWhereNext retirement budget model; modelled couple mix; inputs as of 2026-05-23
PhilippinesPHSingle #1 · Couple #1Single#1$273–$614/mo$157–$225/mo$191–$259/mo$102–$150/mo$61–$89/mo$82–$119/mo$102–$150/mo$968–$1,606/mo+$1,394–+$2,032/moWhereNext retirement budget model; modelled: couple mix × the single/couple ratio; inputs as of 2026-05-23
Couple#1$400–$900/mo$230–$330/mo$280–$380/mo$150–$220/mo$90–$130/mo$120–$175/mo$150–$220/mo$1,420–$2,355/mo+$1,725–+$3,780/moWhereNext retirement budget model; modelled couple mix; inputs as of 2026-05-23
PortugalPTSingle #5 · Couple #5Single#5$616–$1,232/mo$308–$383/mo$68–$192/mo$116–$144/mo$171–$219/mo$96–$120/mo$541–$647/mo$1,916–$2,937/mo+$63–+$1,084/moWhereNext retirement budget model; modelled: couple mix × the single/couple ratio; inputs as of 2026-05-23
Couple#5$900–$1,800/mo$450–$560/mo$100–$280/mo$170–$210/mo$250–$320/mo$140–$175/mo$790–$945/mo$2,800–$4,290/mo−$210–+$2,400/moWhereNext retirement budget model; modelled couple mix; inputs as of 2026-05-23
SpainESSingle #4 · Couple #4Single#4$532–$1,078/mo$266–$336/mo$119–$161/mo$98–$126/mo$147–$189/mo$98–$126/mo$392–$560/mo$1,652–$2,576/mo+$424–+$1,348/moWhereNext retirement budget model; modelled: couple mix × the single/couple ratio; inputs as of 2026-05-23
Couple#4$760–$1,540/mo$380–$480/mo$170–$230/mo$140–$180/mo$210–$270/mo$140–$180/mo$560–$800/mo$2,360–$3,680/mo+$400–+$2,840/moWhereNext retirement budget model; modelled couple mix; inputs as of 2026-05-23
ThailandTHSingle #3 · Couple #3Single#3$333–$733/mo$213–$267/mo$213–$267/mo$120–$153/mo$133–$167/mo$73–$93/mo$293–$373/mo$1,378–$2,053/mo+$947–+$1,622/moWhereNext retirement budget model; modelled: couple mix × the single/couple ratio; inputs as of 2026-05-23
Couple#3$500–$1,100/mo$320–$400/mo$320–$400/mo$180–$230/mo$200–$250/mo$110–$140/mo$440–$560/mo$2,070–$3,080/mo+$1,000–+$3,130/moWhereNext retirement budget model; modelled couple mix; inputs as of 2026-05-23

Coverage disclosure

Countries not shown in the itemized table

The exclusions below are the remainder of the unique destination-country candidates in the retire-abroad registry. They are disclosed instead of being silently dropped or padded with zeros.

  • Argentina ARMissing budgetTable coverage in the retire-abroad registry.
  • Belize BZMissing budgetTable coverage in the retire-abroad registry.
  • Colombia COMissing budgetMix in the retire-abroad budget registry.
  • Costa Rica CRMissing budgetMix in the retire-abroad budget registry.
  • Dominican Republic DOMissing budgetTable coverage in the retire-abroad registry.
  • Ecuador ECMissing budgetTable coverage in the retire-abroad registry.
  • France FRMissing budgetTable coverage in the retire-abroad registry.
  • Greece GRMissing budgetTable coverage in the retire-abroad registry.
  • Italy ITMissing budgetTable coverage in the retire-abroad registry.
  • Malaysia MYMissing budgetTable coverage in the retire-abroad registry.
  • Panama PAMissing budgetMix in the retire-abroad budget registry.
  • Uruguay UYMissing budgetTable coverage in the retire-abroad registry.
  • Vietnam VNMissing budgetMix in the retire-abroad budget registry.

Methodology & provenance

Modeled line items, explicit baselines

Couple line items are rendered from the corridor registry's seven-category budget mix. Single line items apply one flat ratio (0.67–0.70 across the five rows) to every couple category. That split is an assumption, not category-level single-person data. Both household totals sum their displayed category ranges. No partial source row is completed with zeros.

The single surplus benchmark is labeled exactly as a $3,000/mo US solo baseline. It is an assumption, not a US median. The couple benchmark is the modeled $4,080–$5,200/mo range, modeled from BLS CE Table 1300 (1.7-person consumer unit, normalized to a 2-person couple).

The modeled living-budgets table was reviewed 2026-04-27. Each corridor row carries its couple-mix verification date above. No Social Security benchmark is shown: the available average-benefit figure lacks a dedicated verification date.

These are directional modeled estimates, not a quote, guarantee, tax conclusion, healthcare forecast, or personal financial advice. Costs vary by city, housing choice, exchange rate, and care needs; verify the specific destination before acting.

Cite and reuse

WhereNext. "Retirement Budget Breakdowns 2026." https://getwherenext.com/data/retirement-budget-breakdowns-2026.

Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Free to reuse with attribution.

← All open dataRetire abroad corridors →Retirement Abroad Index →

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