Best Visas For Retiring Abroad on a Modest Income
Residency programs for retirees with pension-level income (~$1,500–$3,000/mo)
Editor's top 3
A short, opinionated shortlist. For the full algorithmic ranking of every programme matched to this profile, scroll to the ranked list below.
- 1🇨🇷 Costa Rica Pensionado Visa
Costa Rica
Lowest qualifying pension floor of the major Latin American programmes (~$1,000/mo plus modest per-dependent add-ons), fast processing, and a mature expat-retiree ecosystem that keeps costs predictable.
- 2🇨🇴 Colombia Pensionado / Retirement Visa (M-10)
Colombia
Cheapest cost of living of the pensionado-style visas and a straightforward pension-income test, with strong PR-track timelines and no local investment requirement.
- 3🇵🇭 Philippines Special Resident Retiree's Visa (SRRV)
Philippines
The SRRV's lower-deposit tiers work well for retirees with modest liquid savings rather than high monthly income, and it bundles a multiple-entry permanent visa with minimal ongoing bureaucracy.
Full ranked list
Every programme tagged for this persona, scored by the criteria below. Score is a heuristic for ranking, not a recommendation.
Scoring methodology
Baseline 50 for every programme that lists this persona as a fit. Persona-specific criteria (income threshold, family inclusion, citizenship timeline, processing speed, presence requirements) add weight. Each programme's detail page has the full sourced facts.
- 180
Portugal
- ✓Listed as a fit by the programme's own data
- ✓Low income threshold ($820/mo)
- ✓Has a path to citizenship
- 280
France
- ✓Listed as a fit by the programme's own data
- ✓Low income threshold ($1,640/mo)
- ✓Has a path to citizenship
- 380
Panama
- ✓Listed as a fit by the programme's own data
- ✓Low income threshold ($1,000/mo)
- ✓Has a path to citizenship
- 480🇨🇷 Costa Rica Pensionado VisaEditor's pick
Costa Rica
- ✓Listed as a fit by the programme's own data
- ✓Low income threshold ($1,000/mo)
- ✓Has a path to citizenship
- 580🇨🇴 Colombia Pensionado / Retirement Visa (M-10)Editor's pick
Colombia
- ✓Listed as a fit by the programme's own data
- ✓Low income threshold ($900/mo)
- ✓Has a path to citizenship
- 680
Chile
- ✓Listed as a fit by the programme's own data
- ✓Low income threshold ($1,500/mo)
- ✓Has a path to citizenship
- 780
Uruguay
- ✓Listed as a fit by the programme's own data
- ✓Low income threshold ($1,500/mo)
- ✓Has a path to citizenship
- 860
Mexico
- ✓Listed as a fit by the programme's own data
- ✓Has a path to citizenship
- 960
Greece
- ✓Listed as a fit by the programme's own data
- ✓Has a path to citizenship
- 1060
Philippines
- ✓Listed as a fit by the programme's own data
- ✓Has a path to citizenship
- 1160
Paraguay
- ✓Listed as a fit by the programme's own data
- ✓Has a path to citizenship
- 1350
Philippines
- ✓Listed as a fit by the programme's own data
Want the narrative editorial companion? See the Retiring Abroad on a Modest Income profile → (who fits, who doesn't, top gotchas).
Sources & last verified
- Last verified