Frequently Asked Questions

1) What is Retire-Map?

Retire-Map helps you explore where you could retire or relocate, using a quick map overview and deeper calculators that weigh costs, lifestyle, healthcare access, visas, weather and more. It's an information and planning tool - not financial, legal, tax, or immigration advice.

2) How does the quick map work?

Answer four short questions and we estimate your "viability" across countries (e.g., Economical / Comfortable / Luxurious). It's a directional view to spark ideas. You can then drill into country pages, community guides, and the advanced calculators.

3) How accurate are your estimates?

We combine public data, partner feeds, and sensible defaults. Country costs and exchange rates change, so treat results as estimates. For decisions, we recommend speaking with regulated specialists; our Partner directory helps you find them.

4) What's the difference between the basic and advanced calculators?

The basic version gives a fast snapshot with standard assumptions. The advanced calculator lets you customize things like home size/location, solo vs couple, income/wealth sources (including future pensions or lump sums), lifestyle preferences, and more.

5) How do the three world maps differ?

Form 1 (basic viability): A fast scan that leans on standard data-driven assumptions for home size, lifestyle tiers, and lifespan to highlight Economical / Comfortable / Luxurious fits.

Form 2* (advanced viability): Reuses the eco/com/lux guardrails but now factors in your chosen home size/location, couple vs solo setup, survivor settings, and every wealth or income inflow before assigning a tier.

Form 2* (heatmap): A personalised runway view that applies your household and salary multipliers to local wages and cost-of-living, then displays whether your budget can support your target lifestyle inputs in each country.

* Form 2 requires an Individual or Pro subscription.

6) Do you cover every country?

We cover most destinations popular with retirees and remote workers where we can gather reliable information. We are expanding continuously and if you don't see a place you care about, Contact us - we prioritise based on demand.

7) What do the viability labels mean?

They're an at-a-glance synthesis of affordability and livability:

• Luxurious: Strong financial fit for the region plus robust amenities.
• Comfortable: Solid fit with room for discretionary spend.
• Economical: Viable destination with mindful budgeting.
• Not Viable: Outside the expected budget or key criteria.

8) I already emigrated and live on less than your “Economical” number. Why is yours higher?

It’s valid to live more frugally than our baseline. We publish prudent figures meant to be realistic for most people, not the absolute minimum.

• We use advanced algorithms to anchor to sensible floors, so the tool remains fair across countries and user profiles. Some places can be lived in cheaper than the baseline suggests.
• Our model normalizes local costs and wages with global factors to keep comparisons consistent.
• To dial in your exact spend and lifestyle our advanced calculator more accurately adjusts the viability bands to your numbers.

We always recommend you sanity-check with a specialist who can surface risks and opportunities specific to your retirement map.

9) Where do you get your data?

From reputable sources (national stats offices, multilateral agencies), curated market data, and partner inputs. We also use anonymized, aggregated insights from users to improve assumptions. We regularly update data points and provide last-updated dates where possible.

10) Do I need an account? What do I get with subscriptions?

You can try the basic tools free. Creating an account and subscribing to our newsletter gives you access to all guides, lets you save scenarios and receive updates.

• Individual plan: Advanced calculators, saved plans, alerts, and community access.
• Pro plan: Everything in Individual plus pro-level exports, client sharing, and partner referrals.
• Enterprise plan: Everything in Pro plus bespoke benefits such as APIs, dedicated services, and SLAs.

11) Are my details private?

Yes. We only collect what's needed to run the tools. Sensitive info (like wealth) is stored securely; we never sell personal data. You can request deletion at any time. See our Privacy Policy for specifics.

12) Do you help with visas, tax, or property purchases?

We provide high-level guidance and checklists, then connect you to vetted specialists (immigration, tax, healthcare, real estate) in your target country. They provide the regulated advice.

13) Can I share or save my map?

Yes - use the share and save options on the results screen to send a read-only link to friends, family, or advisers. Specialists can export client-ready summaries and reports on Pro plans.

14) I think a number looks off - how do I report it?

Click Feedback on the page or email support. Tell us the country, field, and what you expected to see. We'll review, adjust if needed, and note the change in our update log.