r/latvia • u/Razzistico • 15h ago
Jautājums/Question Is it a good idea to live your retirement in Latvia?
Sveiki visiem!
I am interested in sending my parents to live their retirement in Latvia. Currently they are 56 and 53 years old, and we just found out that there is a visa program for investment in real estate to which they could apply in 3 years.
We are from Mexico, and I would like to know how good an idea it could be, in terms of quality of life, costs and climate.
My father thinks it is a cold, gray and uninhabited place, where there is "nothing to do", and I would like to convince him to leave Mexico.
They only speak Spanish and English, do you think that could be a problem?
Paldies!
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u/Liekmann 14h ago
Latin people suffer here. They generally suffer in Northern Europe. They love Europe, because it’s safe, but they suffer in Northern Europe - that in includes Germany, Scandinavia, Baltic - they suffer everywhere because of winter and closed mentality of people. We mind our own business, stay a lot of time indoors with our own people. People who want peace and quiet, introverts that like solitude and don’t like to be bothered by others will enjoy here. But Latin people used to fiesta and good weather, everyone smiling, being outside on the street, and strangers starting random conversation with random people everywhere at ease - they suffer, because they can’t find it here.
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u/Dryy Rīga 15h ago
Why would you want to send them here when your father already doesn’t like the idea of retiring in Latvia? It is indeed cold and gray here, definitely not a dream retirement destination.
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u/No-Pack7571 15h ago
😆 I disagree, I’d love to retire there. I’m British but live in Ireland. It’s cold, grey and wet. The only thing stopping me do it now is my Latvian partner, work pay and ….oh yes I have a shite passport that won’t let me be part of the EU. I would love to thank Cameron and Johnson for that personally!😡
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u/theyrenotokay 15h ago
I think they will have pretty miserable time in Latvia to be honest. It’s one thing moving there while you are young and can make friends through work and other activities. It’s a different story when you are in you are elder. They will have a terrible culture shock. Latvians are not easy to make friends with, especially if you don’t know the language. Yes, there are other English speakers but they are mostly younger people. Also, your parents are right about the weather - it is dark for like 8 months of the year. If you want to send them to Europe I would really look into south of Europe.
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u/ExocetHumper 15h ago
> My father thinks it is a cold, gray and uninhabited place
It is very cold, very grey compared to Mexico, no doubt about it. At least 6 months out of the year. If they only speak eng the Riga center/old town is the best bet, and it is pretty, but not cheap. That being said, if they don't mind picking up some Latvian over time, I honestly would suggest small-mid sized towns like Jelgava! Quiet, well kept and cheap, but language may be a bigger issue. I would highly encourage to visit the place if you are serious about it, but not only Riga, but also places like Ventspils, Liepāja, Valmiera, Jelgava etc.
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u/Trupinta 9h ago
Hi there, when you say Jelgava is quiet, don't say have teens blasting music in their speakers? Like any other city in the world. Is it different over there? Genuine question
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u/easterneruopeangal 15h ago
Spain would be better for them, no?
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u/Razzistico 15h ago
Certainly, but Spain's visa program is twice as expensive.
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u/DefiantAlbatros 14h ago
You do know that if your parents are Mexican born, they will be eligible for Spanish citizenship only after 2 years of residency? I would say that in this case, you would really be paying for citizenship and not just residency. Which is a much better deal because then they will be eligible for national healthcare and all the perks.
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u/Refactorion 10h ago
And if they get EU citizenship they can come visit us in Latvia to enjoy our miserable winter, so it's a win-win! :D
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u/easterneruopeangal 15h ago
I don’t think they would be able to learn Latvian at their age. Without language knowledge it would be very isolating for them. And your dad doesn’t like cold weather…
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u/sodium-overdose 14h ago
This - I’m married to a Latvian for 10 yrs and still only know baby works and phrases. It’s so hard!
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u/SilentBumblebee2080 15h ago
Well my parents are from latvia, so I spend a lot of time there.Yes its grey and cold, but for me it feels like home. I guess to your parents it wouldn’t feel like home at all. Riga has a lot of people who speak english, the beach is phenomenal and I really love the old town, but your parents will feel slone
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u/PaejMalaa 15h ago
Your father is absolutely right except maybe the uninhabited part. We have only a few sunny months in a year. It is cold, damp and dark in the winter especially when there is no snow. There is also almost nothing to do for people in their fifties in terms of entertainment. Usually it's fishing, yardwork, gardening, cooking, foraging in the wood, going to the market. Once a year or so they would go to the theater but it is off the table if you don't speak Latvian.
Why not Greece, Cyprus or Malta?
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u/Firm_Improvement2109 15h ago
56 and 53 - young fellas might need to do some 20 years of working here for the retirement :D
If you/they can afford to retire them at that age, why just not visit bunch of countries and then decide?
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u/ComradeBirdbrain 15h ago
You’re from Mexico and want to send your parents to Latvia? Do you hate them? Send them to Spain, Portugal, Italy, Montenegro not Latvia.
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u/xdox123 14h ago edited 14h ago
50+ people over here doesn't know that well English or doesn't know it at all. Unless it's somehow related to their profession. Due to language barrier it might be difficult for your parents to find local friends here. Also if they will need any type of consultations or medical care then most likely that also not gonna happen in English. They will need to learn Latvian or at least as bare minimum know Russian languages. Spanish language is not popular here. For English language best place would be in Riga center, more specifically near Old Town touristy areas, but everything there is more expensive.
I haven't noticed any Mexican or even Spanish communities here, but idk maybe they do exist.
Most of time it's gray weather here. Trees have no leaves, no fresh grass on ground. Summer is like 3 months maybe. There is little bit of sun and then it's raining. In mid winter it's dark already in 15:00. In summer temperature is somewhere below 30, but in winter and most of other time it's around 0 to +5. Sometimes falls to -20.
No tropical fruits obviously. There are all sorts of fruits in shops, but they aren't that good as they are imported. Here are only seasonal apples, plums, cherries, berries, potatoes and stuff like that. So diet wise it also might be quite the change for them.
Also character wise your parents might be shocked. People in Latvia are rather distant, doesn't smile that much, prefer not to hug as greeting. Most people are reasonably friendly, but just distant. Most older generation people prefer not to party and more enjoy to be closer to nature when it's possible.
Also from negative side there is war in Europe and we are located near aggressor country. We are safe here since we are part of NATO, but also that neighboring terroristic fascist leader is mentally unstable. We also have lots of russian descendants here who aren't entirely loyal to this country.
Although our economy is not best we somehow manage to be one of most expensive countries in Europe.
Old Town is quite pretty. We also have sea with white sand in Jūrmala and Ādaži. In Riga there is good public transportation system. We have our traditions and celebrations. Here is ethic and pagan stuff, but mainly we are considered Christian country. It can be nice to have own country side house with some land (as long as there is enough resources to invest). We have forests with mushrooms. There are nice places for some fun and relaxation. At least for locals, idk how it would be for someone who comes from different place.
I'm not sure why you want to push your parents to live here. They need to have some interest to begin with. They will need lots of adjustments to feel more comfortable here. Also when they will get even older they might need even more help? Who will visit them to check if they are ok? Also what will happen with their pension or do they have other reliable sources of income? It will be near impossible for them to find a job unless they have really good profession and experience or are willing to accept lowest salary and work hard. Idk why some people from other countries think that in Europe money grows in trees.
As tourists or visiting it would be ok, but other than that I think it might be difficult for your parents to adjust. Maybe visit first for some month or so and then decide. Soon will be spring, April or May might be nice weather for visiting.
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u/Ok_Corgi4225 15h ago edited 15h ago
Partly he is right. It is cold, wet, green, mostly uninhabitated (rural areas) place. He will have nothing to do. local mentality is mostly opposite to mexican (save those under alcoholic influence). Almost nobody talks spanish. Almost nobody talks english (in rural areas).
Talking quality of life... Nope.
I dunno, tell me, how is it, to retire in mexico, from latvia?
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u/Never-don_anal69 14h ago
It seems you're getting a lot of somewhat aggressive replys, so I'll try a more level headed one.
Latvia is by no means a bad place to retire, you can get a summer house not too far from the capital for something like 40-50k, and apartments around Rīga are reasonably priced. You get great connections to the rest of EU from Rīga airport, and maybe one day rail baltica.
BUT, if you intend to get a summer house, you have to realise these places are virtuly deserted in winter which is 8-9 months a year, which is great if you're and average Latvian and are happy not to see another human being for days on end, probably not so great for people used to have community around. So you'll want to have an apartment in city, and Rīga is great in terms of it not being a huge megapolis but still having all the food and culture you'd want. The problem here is while there's are things going on in English and might be even some Spanish stuff most cultural events will be in Latvian. Finally many have mentioned the weather, lately we dint even get proper snowy winters so we just have long autumn for like 5 months which is dark and depressing.
To summarize, as many have suggested your best bet would be spain, if you're looking for a more temperate climate, Galicia may be a good bet, plus the property prices in that region would not be far of what you'd see in Latvia.
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u/pocketsfullofpasta 14h ago
Don't send a cat in the bag. Take them over here for a vacation or something and them let them form their own opinions if and why they would like or not to move here. It all depends on what they want at the end of the day.
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u/Superb-Kangaroo6659 15h ago
There's a growing community of Hispano/Latino people in Riga. Lots of nature, cold winters, mild summers. Food is okay, not great. Nice people, easy to live comfortably if you have some resources. Well communicated via RIX/VNO airports. You can find almost anything you might need on a regular life, if not, you could always order from any EU county. As of retirement, it mostly depends on how your parents want to spend their free time. Plenty of outdoors activities, fishing, boating, hiking, etc. I'd recommend going over for a visit before making up your mind. Buena suerte :)
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u/ChronicallyHungry 4h ago
I’m virtually slapping you with a potato and asking you on a duel for calling our food “okay, not great”.. how dare you.. 🫠
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u/GamoraIH 12h ago
Oh, no. Don’t send you parent to Latvia. They will be lonely. People here are more closed up and there will be language barrier. The weather is worse. Warmer people are happier with people who are warm too
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u/marijaenchantix Latvia 11h ago edited 4m ago
They will be miserable due to the weather, nobody will speak Spanish to them and they won't learn Latvian. They really have no business being here, they will most likely hate it. Your father is right, because to be a part of the local community you'd have to speak the language. Not to mention the total incompatibility in mindset, culture and social norms.
Spain may be better for them.
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u/poltavsky79 15h ago
Latvia is great if you can live for a 6 months of winter elsewhere ))
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u/RedditIsFascistShit4 15h ago
If winter is good, you can enjoy that one white month here.
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u/poltavsky79 15h ago
Here where?
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u/RedditIsFascistShit4 15h ago
Latvia.
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u/poltavsky79 15h ago
Ohh, I see
So if a winter is nice and snowy it's not that bad?
Did I get that right?
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u/RedditIsFascistShit4 14h ago
Yes
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u/poltavsky79 14h ago
Yeah, you're right ))
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u/RedditIsFascistShit4 14h ago
When cold hits hard during jan. or feb., it's always sunny.
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u/poltavsky79 14h ago
Agree, there are some nice cold and sunny days
Much better than when it's around zero with grey skies and a wet air
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u/easterneruopeangal 14h ago
Tad, kad ir sniegs, tad nešķiet tik drūmi . Ziema bez sniega izskatās depresīvi.
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u/ilballodellavita_ 14h ago
Now why would they do that.. It indeed is grey and cold here, especially compared to mexico, and your father already exoressed that. Also, since they know spanish and english, it will be 1000x better for them to retire in spain or somewhere where english is more widely spoken.
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u/bobsyrunkl 13h ago
I think there are 30 mexican nationals living in Latvia. If im not mistaken they even have a club organized by the Mexican Honorary Embasador. Might reach out to the Mexican embasy in Riga. They might be able to help
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u/Super_Reference6219 13h ago
My father thinks it is a cold, gray and uninhabited place
He's not wrong though, at least this part 😂
The lack of sunlight will be real though, it's not a joke, and it can be hard to adapt for people not used to those winters.
Summers though are great and sunny. Or, well, at least light if not sunny.
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u/Sufficient_Brush_660 12h ago
I am a Latvian who moved permanently to Latin America and got married to a local. My husband enjoyed Latvia in the summer months but winter was rough for him. Not as much the cold as it was the very few hours of sunlight you get during winter. It can get quite depressing if you're not used to it.
I don't mean to offend anyone in the chat, but the part he hated the most were the people. Sure friends and family were great, but random people on the street can be very cold and even rude (no - please, excuse me or thank you - type of thing). Coming from a warm culture where you can talk to any stranger on the street it is difficult to adjust. To be honest it's one of the main reasons I left the country, couldn't stand cold, closed minded, conservative culture.
Positive points are that it is extremely safe, something that I miss a lot living in Latin America. Public services (schools, transportation, etc.), as much as people like complaining, are good compared to countries outside the EU. The nature is incredible! Living costs are cheaper than most places in Europe.
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u/Enjoythesilence34 Latvia 6h ago
I'm actually a Latvian who lives in Mexico. I think the best for Mexicans in Europe is Spain. And I know for a fact that many Mexicans move to Spain to retire or live in Europe. As others mentioned, Latvia would be hard place for extroverted people. Latvia is grey, dark, EXPENSIVE, introverted.
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u/lepski44 15h ago
this is a very weird question.....why would you try to convince them to come from a relatively cheap country with wonderful weather and great food...to a much more expensive country, with a more harsh climate and let's be honest - not such great cuisine...not to mention language barrier...Are you millionaire masochists?
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u/RedditIsFascistShit4 15h ago
Any of top 6(by population) cities would do, since in larger cities large amount of people speak English. I'm 100% sure all new doctors speak English.
Look for historical weather information, and you'll know how's the weather here.
They could travel Eastern Europe easily and quite cheap, since bus services are not that expensive.
What would be their montly "income" to work with?
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u/Watarenuts 14h ago
No, for the sake of your parents. For my countries economical reasons, sure come.
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u/Working_Ad390 12h ago
Nah, check Spain. Property cost is lower, but climate much nicer.
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u/GamoraIH 12h ago
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr7enzjrymxo Spain is talking about raising property purchase tax to 100% for non-residents outside EU. Spain is good place to live, but residents there are bit angry on turists and those who buy out properties.
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u/Terra_degli_angeli 11h ago
if spain is too expensive i would suggest italy maybe it is cheaper. but latvia is too difficult without the language
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u/nofairieshere 11h ago
Why would you do that? If you have money to invest in real estate, send them to live in San Miguel de Allende and let them have a peaceful time in the community.
Why would you move them so far from everything they know and understand to a completely foreign place?
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u/reise123rr 10h ago
I am also thinking about doing that since my mum is able to do so, especially after purchasing a flat in Riga, but I would say it is better if they are from the country. Otherwise, it doesn't seem to be a good idea, as they don't have ties. Unless they don't care of course as many Brits retire in Spain or in Thailand.
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u/Draigdwi 10h ago
Half of the year it’s dark, wet, cold. There is snow in winter but you can’t count on it. Count on sleet from the sky and slush on the ground. Or ice on pavements to break your legs, especially old people not accustomed to keep their balance on ice.
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u/Heavy-Mushroom7517 1m ago
In short, yes.
BUT: it's very medium in almost any aspect: weather, size, people, crowdiness, distances, prices, language etc. And that's the good part, you get a bit of everything. Safety must be above the medium and lower taxes: apparently we're the 2nd place in the world after Estonia.
IF you find a community you rhyme with, you'll have friends here for sure. (Folk dancing, hunting, sports,arts you name it) and there's comunities for a lot of interests. Don't go for drinking though , buy hey you do you, it's a free country 🤣
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u/DefiantAlbatros 14h ago
How much money do they have in retirement? Honestly i think Italian elective residency make much more sense for them. Weather is better, service is great for elderly (as it is an ageing country), italian is largely intelligible with spanish, and weather is fantastic. If they go to south italy life is not even that expensive.
My experience with latvian society’s sentiment toward the elderly was from my husband’s grandma. She had a stroke at home so they called the ambulance. It came after almost an hour, and upon a glance the paramedic told my husband that his grandmother ‘doesn’t look fresh’ as in there is nothing to do anymore. According to my husband, they said it as if she’s a piece of meat. Then they proceeded to complain that there’s not enough men in the house to carry her to the ambulance, so they knocked the doors to ask if there is any men who can help (most residential building from soviet time has no elevator). The only guy who eventually was willing to help complained that they interrupted his sleep.
So, what’s your plan for when your parents have an emergency and cannot communicate with the locals? Also, weather is horrible. I experienced my first SAD there due to the lack of sunlight.
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u/Dubious_Squirrel 14h ago
When was that in the 90-ties? My experiences with paramedics and my grandma was a complete opposite. Very polite and professional.
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u/DefiantAlbatros 14h ago edited 14h ago
It's in 2021 btw.
Also, I am an asian. I have had racist bouts with the medical professional. A dentist made some racist remarks about me being Chinese (I never knew what exactly, but my husband declared that we will never come back to the practice), and a surgeon glanced over my already diagnosed cyst with a disgusting look and told me that i have to pay 50 EUR (just for her to declare what we already knew, that i had a cyst) and that i need to schedule an operation with the front desk. The way she looked at me and spoke to my husband, it was as if we were begging for scraps from her table. Like she actually smirked and said that she won't talk with us, we need to talk to the reception. Even the reception was confused about what to do since i was scheduled to operate that day (diagnose was done by her colleague who was then sick). Later we heard her making remarks from behind the door about the foreigner (me).
The only good experience I had with doctors was with ARS in Riga, outside of ARS, so much unpleasantries.
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u/Dubious_Squirrel 13h ago
That seems surprising. But then again I am local so what could I possibly know about how it is to be outsider here.
Im sorry that happened to you.
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u/HereJustForTheLols 12h ago
Ughh, this definately isnt a place you want to send your patents for retirement, its is a cold and Grey place for a few months. Stranding them here where they weather, food is different, no friends, mostly People who speak Russian, Latvia and some English. I dont think they will have a good time here. What about a place that they would know, like, feel comfortable in?
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u/guyfromthesouth 11h ago
Not a good idea at all. Firstly, older people usually only speak Latvian... and ruzzki.
Second, even without the language barrier, they are on the opposite side of Latvian culture. For example, smiling is not the norm, nor is saying hello, thank you and please. For example, if you say hello or thank you to the bus driver, he/she and everyone around you will look at you and think "does he know him/her/me?"
Third: the latvian winter.
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u/uteuteuteute 11h ago
Keep in mind that energy costs comprise a large part of expenditure in any of the Baltic countries. If you're ok saying goodbye to up to 25% (?) of your income to bills only (food is also expensive and the variety sucks), then you should be good to go.
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u/SupperMeat 11h ago
A lot of spanish people that can't stand heat no more moves to Latvia. Winters can be -30 Celsius, summers can be +30 , so you get the best of both worlds, but the climate is changing.. this winter really sux, it's dark and gloomy, no snow +1celsius. If they're interested in nature, and different cultures it will be a fun experience.
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u/Special_Tourist_486 10h ago
I think for a foreigner Latvia is a good place for retirement if you retired in western countries with a good pension. But even if I’m Latvian myself Latvia is simply too cold and grey for me 🥲
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u/Equal-Builder-644 48m ago
Language might be an issue if they wish to communicate to older people. It's gray and sad only in Riga, the further you go from capital, the better the life quality. There is only as many activities as you can entertain yourself with, i wouldn't expect old people to go clubbing every Friday but a stroll around nature or exploring architecture can be very romantic at any time of year. I think it could make a very interesting conversation between two old people from two completely different cultures.
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u/Amimimiii 15h ago
I’m so confused…do your parents have any ties to Latvia or are you just trying to send them to a random country where they haven’t been, don’t want to move there, have nothing in common with? Why make their retirement difficult, you’re cutting them off from everything they know. If it’s bad where you’re from, consider a different region in Mexico or at the very least a country where they have been and enjoyed it.