Work Abroad

Anglophone Africa starts south of Ethiopia and runs all the way down to the Cape of Good Hope.

Cape Town has become very hip (and expensive) recently due to the large numbers of global jetsetters settling there. There are small communities of foreigners scattered all along the South African and Mozambique coasts. Lamu and Nairobi in Kenya, Zanzibar in Tanzania, and Monkey Bay in Malawi host the most established community of foreign exiles. These destinations are the most logical options for the early retirement seeker.

Outside of South Africa and Nairobi, many goods and services can often be more difficult and expensive to come by compared to regions such as South and Southeast Asia. This is partly because Africa lacks the production base that Thailand or India has. Everything outside of the most basic necessities has to be imported. Having said that, the cost of housing and food is every bit as cheap as India if you are paying the local price. Just don’t expect to eat very well. Despite all the negatives, there is a certain romance, a panache about hoofing off to Africa that places like Thailand and Prague have lost some time ago.

We recommend Africa if you are looking for solitude and don’t mind the overpriced Western goods and the decided sparseness of fellow retirees.

Healthcare: 4
Social Options: 6
Visas & Permits: 6
Hassle Ratio: 6
Value for Money: 6
X factor: 10

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