The visa floor: what you must prove
This is the first gate and it has nothing to do with what things cost. Each country publishes a number.
| Country | Income floor | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | €2,400 a month | Non-Lucrative Visa |
| Portugal | €920 a month | D7 passive income visa |
| Italy | €31,000 a year | Elective Residence Visa |
| Greece | €3,500 a month | Financially Independent Person visa |
| France | €1,800 a month | visitor / financially independent route |
| Mexico | $4,200 a month over six months, or $70,000 held for twelve | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Costa Rica | $1,000 a month | Pensionado |
| Panama | $1,000 a month | Pensionado |
| Ecuador | $1,446 a month | pensioner visa |
| Colombia | about $1,710 a month | M-Pensionado |
| Thailand | 800,000 baht in a Thai bank, or 65,000 baht a month | Non-Immigrant O-A |
| Malaysia | a deposit from $32,000 at age 50+ | Malaysia My Second Home |
| Philippines | a deposit of $15,000 to $50,000 | SRRV |
The average US retired-worker benefit is $2,086 a month. It clears Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Colombia, France and Portugal outright. It falls short in Spain, Greece and Mexico.
The cost of living: what you can actually do there
Clearing the floor and living comfortably are separate questions. Here is what the same $2,086 buys.
| Country | Multiplier | $2,086 becomes | Visa floor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dominican Republic | 2.53x | $5,279 | — |
| Morocco | 2.46x | $5,136 | — |
| South Africa | 2.38x | $4,964 | — |
| Romania | 2.24x | $4,664 | — |
| Guatemala | 2.23x | $4,660 | — |
| Ecuador | 2.22x | $4,633 | $1,446 a month |
| Serbia | 2.14x | $4,462 | — |
| Brazil | 2.13x | $4,453 | — |
| Albania | 2.03x | $4,236 | — |
| Chile | 2.03x | $4,234 | — |
| Honduras | 2.00x | $4,176 | — |
| Poland | 1.98x | $4,135 | — |
Why most thresholds move every January
Spain sets its floor at 400% of IPREM, a public income index. Portugal uses its minimum wage. Colombia and Ecuador use three times theirs. When the index is revised, the requirement moves with it, without an announcement. Learn the mechanism rather than the number.