Sure and begorrah, you don’t have to be Irish to love life in Ireland. In a 2009 article, Forbes Magazine ranked Ireland as number 5 on their list of best places to retire. Maybe it is time you added it to your lists of possible retirement destinations.
Let us take a quick look at why you may want to retire in Ireland. It may not have a low cost of living compared to the United States but we said best places to retire not exactly the cheapest.
It’s easy to fall in love with Ireland’s spectacular, rugged west coast. It’s a great place to be in the summer. However, when winter sets in, the area is lashed by rain, horizontal hail, and overcast skies. In fact, the average rainfall for each month of the winter is over 100 MM. The sunrises at 9 AM and sets at 3 PM, making for a very short days.
A better choice
This is what makes Ireland’s southeast regions a better choice for retirement. It is the country’s warmest and driest area. The landscape consists of gently rolling hills, deep rivers, woods and a coast where you can swim without freezing, at least in summer months.
The Emerald Isle
Ireland is one of Europe’s smallest countries and is often described as “the Emerald Isle”. It is a country full of vibrant, colorful cities set among an almost endless array of unspoiled green fields. It has actually been called the best place in the world to live. It offers a green and clean environment and already more than 60,000 Americans have moved there and become ex-pats.
Be forewarned that real estate in Ireland is not cheap. Its Celtic Tiger boom years have pushed property prices up to one of the highest levels in Europe. In fact, a study done recently by the International Monetary Fund found that its house prices are overvalued by 10% to 20%.
Healthcare and healthcare facilities in Ireland are generally excellent, although facilities may be limited in some rural areas. It is estimated that there are 1650 general practitioners in Ireland so that the number of people per doctor is about 680 or about the same as in the UK.
A large private insurance market
In January of 2005, a new national health service came into being, which provides health and personal social services to everyone. There is also a large private healthcare market. This insurance is available to anyone who wants to take advantage of it. There are three private health insurance companies and in 2005, 47.6% of the country’s population was covered by private health insurance. General practitioners provide most of the primary health care and will even visit their patients in their homes when there is an emergency. These GPs generally charge per consultation and the cost will be anywhere up to 60 Euros.
Ireland also has health centers that provide many different primary care services such as GP services, public health nurses, and services for the elderly.
Art, museums and, of course, Guinness
The capital city of Dublin is home to numerous museums that range from natural history to modern art. Dublin is also the home of the National Library of Ireland. Of course there is also the Jamison Distillery and the Guinness Storehouse. Dublin is a very vibrant city with very friendly inhabitants. North of O’Connell Street is the High Lane Gallery and the Gardens of Remembrance. There is also the Parnell monument and the Dublin Writers Museum. In fact, the writer James Joyce probably had his own digs just up the road.
The beautiful southeast
If you like fish and thatched-roof cottages, you’ll enjoy southeast Ireland. It offers sandy beaches and is famous for its strawberries and oysters. The country has a throng of round high towers, the most notable of which are St. Canice’s in Kilkenny and the Rock of Cashel’s tower in Carhel. Plus, the area offers incredibly beautiful green fields and stunning mountain views that are great for hiking. However, the best way to see this region is probably by bicycle.
The cost of living in Ireland may not be inexpensive compared to the United States
As you might guess, Ireland is not a cheap place to live. A 3-course meal for two in a mid-range restaurant will set you back about $68. You will pay about $1.20 per 1 liter of milk and $1.80 for a loaf of bread. A monthly bus pass costs $94 and you will probably pay around $4.20 for a taxi. A liter of gas costs about $1.47 and utilities (electricity, gas, garbage, water) $121.11 a month. One minute of prepaid mobile calling is $.22 and an Internet connection (6 Mbps, flat rate, cable/ADSL) will cost you about $33.
The cost of renting or buying in Dublin Ireland
A one-bedroom apartment in Dublin’s City Center costs an average of $947 and a 3-bedroom apartment is $1631. Outside of Dublin’s City Center, you will pay about $740 for one- bedroom apartment and $1150 for an apartment with 3 bedrooms. The cost to buy an apartment in the City Center is about $4000 per square meter or $2600 per square meter for an apartment outside of City Center.
If your objective were to retire to an area with warm, sunshiny days and a low cost of living, Ireland would not be for you. However, it has much going for it including the fact that everyone speaks English, the countryside is beautiful, there are many things to do and see and its health care is excellent.
You only have one life to live. Maybe you should go all out and relocate abroad to beautiful Ireland. If you cannot afford to move full time maybe you could do a mini retirement and rent a beautiful cozy apartment for part of the year.
You will never know until you give it a try.
You can start by planning a mini vacation or mini retirement and getting a better feel of the people, lifestyle, culture and climate.
Learn more about traveling, living and possibly retiring in Ireland:
http://www.discoverireland.com/us/
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ireland
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ei.html
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3180.htm