I live in panama and love it .remember you get climatized .so what feels hot today will not in a yr .and dont believe anything International living says .they work with real estate people .they are also known as international lying.many people have been duped by them .there is also one called .something like living and retiring abroad .same crap .read yahoo groups etc about places that interest you and then travel and check it out for yourself.rent for a tr and see if you really like it .before you even think of buying anything and dont buy anything that is preconstruction .if,you can not walk through the door keep looking

Central America is humid almost everywhere, but if you don't take humidity and elevation into account, Panama has a great expat community, is a retirement hub, and is VERY cheap. There is also a mix of mountains, city and beaches in Panama, so you have a bit of everything. Compared to most countries in Central America it is the safest in my opinion. With low costs you can live a luxurious life--it's hard to find that any where else in the world.

Hi there,

here are some cities that meet your criteria:

Cuenca/Ecuador - Pretty large expat community including lots of Americans

Quito/Ecuador - Good size expat community

Otavalo/Cotacachi / Ecuador - Medium size expat community

Medellin/Colombia - Rather small expat community

Get detailed information about these and other places good for retirement from International Living. www.internationalliving.com

Good luck.

Humidity would leave out Central America but you could find this in Ecuador say in Cuenca and maybe Arequipa Peru or Cordoba Argentina (might be too temparate for you) or Villa de Leyva Colombia.

Granada, Nicaragua or San Juan del Sur. Cheaper living. Friendly people. Lots of Americans and Europeans. Very safe country to live in. Water everywhere, mountains, rivers and volcanoes. Nicaragua is called land of Lakes and Volcanos. Literally everywhere you turn you can see volcanos, mountains, hills and water.

Mendoza, Argentina is your best bet.

Cordoba would be great too.

Google them.

I'd like to know some locations where I can find these criteria in Central or South America: Lower humidity, elevation over 2400', some expat community presence, friendly for retirement, relative safety, internet access, lower cost of living, possibility of mountains.