The number of Americans who want to spend their golden years abroad has exploded, more than quadrupling since 1974.
About 17% of Americans age 55 and older want to leave the country, a Monmouth University Poll found. That was up from a mere 4% a little over 50 years ago, according to data that had been collected by The Gallup Organization.
"Following World War II, there was a huge jump in the number of Americans who want to leave the country," says Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, which compared the various polls' numbers.
The urge to get out of Dodge began to ramp up significantly in the late 1990s, and has only climbed since then. Today, one-third of all Americans would like to live elsewhere, says the Monmouth survey.
“Recent polls show about a third of Americans—around 117 million people—would like to go and settle in another country," agrees Kathleen Peddicord, founding publisher of Live and Invest Overseas.
"A concept that once felt 'out there,' limited to budget travelers or serious adventurers, is now squarely in the mainstream."
Why Americans are itching to flee
Expat advisers point to many factors, including the U.S.' fast pace and "hustle culture," as well as people beginning to value experiences over the rampant consumerism of "things."
"The one big thing people are saying to me at events and otherwise is they want to move out of the U.S. because of the extremes there," Lief Simon, co-founder of Live and Invest Overseas, tells Realtor.com®. "Every topic is contentious. The left and right are attacking each other on every angle, even if they actually agree."
"An 'if you're not with me, you’re against me' culture has evolved in the U.S.," he says.
Former New Yorker Jennifer McGuire moved to Dordogne, France, in 2022 with her sister. She concurs that contentious politics played a significant role in the siblings choosing to retire abroad. While the 2016 election spurred their plans, the latest one sealed their intention to never return.
"The 2024 election certainly cemented our decision to stay away," she tells Realtor.com.
Cost of living in the U.S. is driving retirees elsewhere
If there's one thing Americans might all agree on right now, it's that the cost of living is out of control. High prices on gas, groceries, and real estate has spurred Americans' desire to live elsewhere.
The average retired American household spends around $5,000 a month to live, according to the Federal Reserve's 2023 consumer expenditure survey. Yet retired workers will collect an average Social Security check of just $2,005.05 as of June 2025, according to the Social Security Administration.
And health care has become so exorbitant that even wealthy retirees find it difficult to afford.
Last year, investment migration consulting firm Henley & Partners reported a 43% surge in demand for overseas relocation planning among affluent families compared with the same period in 2024—and health care costs emerged as a key "hidden variable" shaping the migration choices of global jet setters.
The U.S. ranks as the most expensive private health care market in the world, with average annual International Private Medical Insurance premiums around $18,000 per person, according to the 2025 SIP Health Cost Index.
McGuire says that she is pleasantly surprised by how affordable medical care is in France, which, like all of Europe, has a nonprofit health system.
"It turned out to be much better quality of care and pricing than we expected," she tells Realtor.com.
She points to a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) her sister paid for out of pocket. The bill came to 130 euros ($150). Compare that to the U.S., where a scan costs an average of $2,000, according to Craft Body Scan.
And while McGuire extolls other benefits of French living, it's the reasonable cost of living that makes her certain she will never return to her home country.
"Here, we can afford to be retired, albeit somewhat modestly by American standards, on our Social Security, which we would not be able to do in the States," she says. "And we love the people, the culture, the scenery, the sightseeing, and the moderate climate."
Check out where American retirees are flocking:
France
While France has a reputation for a byzantine bureaucracy, there is plenty to recommend it as a country to spend your later years. Provided you avoid costly Paris, the cost of living is lower than the U.S. Nor do you get "double taxed," so you can earn money stateside while your adopted country doesn't tax you on it.
Simon adds that the country can be great for retirees on a fixed income: "France is particularly interesting for American retirees thanks to the tax treaty that effectively eliminates all French taxes on passive income for Americans living there."
Italy
The food, the culture, the language, the sights. Need we say more?
The boot-shaped country came out tops on Monmouth University's poll for where Americans would most like to travel, and has always been a popular destination for vacationers. Retirees are increasingly looking toward the romantic country to spend their golden years.
On the 12 Best Overseas Retirement Destinations for 2026 compiled by Live and Invest Overseas, the island of Sardinia ranked No. 11.
And if you've got Italian ancestry, you're in luck. Provided you can trace it back no more than two generations, you can qualify to become a citizen.
New Jersey native Vincent Barone, who relocated to Sardinia in 2022, was able to get Italian citizenship thanks to his ancestry. And his Italian-American parents, both in their 60s, were eager for a slower way of life. So the trio departed for the "homeland."
"There's a certain tranquility here that is different than the hustle and bustle of what I’m used to in the U.S., especially being from the New Jersey/New York area," he told Live and Invest Overseas.
The family settled in Alghero, a city of about 40,000 with "a well-preserved historic center, with many homes featuring awe-inspiring, panoramic views of the surrounding sea."
Bonus? The country has implemented a tax incentive of a flat 7% tax on income for new retiree residents if they move to the Abruzzo provinces.
Additionally, Italy is chock-full of $1 houses. However, do your due diligence. Owning an Italian villa may sound dreamy until it sucks up every penny you have.
Cuenca, Ecuador
Ranked No. 3 on the "Best Cities for Expats Overall" compiled by expat resource Argentina Expat, this Andes mountain range city is a "legendary hub" for retirees, says site founder Ognjen Pavlovic.
According to Numbeo, which recently ranked Cuenca the No. 1 city in South America for both safety and highest quality of life, it costs only $1,861 per month (excluding rent) for a family of four to live there comfortably.
"If you’re looking for extreme safety and rock-bottom costs, the Andean regions of Peru and Ecuador are outperforming the famous beach towns," confirms Pavlovic.
Las Vegas retiree Edd Staton fled to Cuenca with wife Cynthia in 2009 for a cheaper and better way of life, and has happily lived there ever since. He says their adopted hometown "just keeps getting better and better."
"Our neighborhood (Puertas del Sol) is booming with residential construction," he tells Realtor.com. "Trendy restaurants, coffee shops, and Pilates studios are popping up everywhere. A massive state-of-the-art mall is opening next month that will take Cuenca's shopping experience to a whole new level."
The town is also planning more hospitals and improving infrastructure to support the growing population.
"Forever is a long time, but we have zero thoughts of relocating in the foreseeable future," he says.
Portugal
More than any other country, Americans dream of small but mighty Portugal for retirement.
Portugal ranked No. 1 in Expatsi's 2025 survey of where Americans would most like to live, as well as dominated Argentina Expat's report on which countries Yanks were plugging into search engines combined with terms like "golden visa" and "citizenship by investment."
The European coastal country came in No. 2 for Top 10 Countries for Americans To Retire Overseas in 2026, compiled by Live and Invest Overseas.
"Few places in the world could be called perfect, but Portugal's Algarve is about as close as it gets," says the report.
With its stunning architecture, welcoming locals, diverse terrain ranging from mountains to vineyards, and world-famous beaches, the country has become so hot that even Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly snapped up a home there.
However, Portugal's popularity backfired in some ways, and the country ended its property investment Golden Visa in 2023 due to rising real estate costs locking out locals. And some would-be migrants report it has become difficult to obtain a residency visa.
That said, a contentious proposal that would have doubled the residency requirement for citizenship from 5 to 10 years was just rejected by Parliament.
