Buying Real Estate Overseas For Cash Flow (And A Better Life)

3Cash Flow from Property Overseas Can Pay for a Second Home You'd Never Be Able to Afford at Home

The reasons to buy property overseas are many but can be boiled down to simple math. In key markets across our globe, you can buy for a fraction the cost of owning something comparable in the United States.

Americans' favorite places to shop for a second home are Florida and Arizona, maybe California and the Carolinas. How much does it cost to own a two-bedroom condo on the shores of Florida or the California coast? And where else in the world could you buy that same (or even a better) condo on a comparable (or nicer) beach for less money?

Let's take a spin across the world map in search of answers to those questions. Let's compare what it costs to buy in traditional second-home and retirement locations in the States with what it'd cost you to own in a similar alternative location overseas.

Of course, no two places in the world offer exactly the same set of attractions. But we think we've found good matches—beachfront for beachfront, city appeals for city appeals, and so forth.

Texas Versus Colombia

For three years running, U.S. News & World Report ranked Austin, Texas, the top city lifestyle option in the United States. We name Medellín, Colombia, as the top city lifestyle option in the Americas. How does the cost of owning a second home in these two cities compare?

The average per-square-meter price for an apartment in downtown Austin is $8,025. A two-bedroom, two-bath, 117-square-meter ...