According to Kathleen Peddicord, the founder of the Live and Invest Overseas publishing group and author of How To Retire Overseas--Everything You Need To Know To Live Well Abroad For Less the best place on earth to retire is in Ecuador. In an article published on Yahoo!, Ms. Peddicord argued that if an affordable cost of living is your priority in choosing where to retire, take a look at Cuenca, Ecuador. This city is one of the world's best places to retire overseas on a budget.

She writes:

Cuenca is a beautiful colonial city in an interesting and diverse country. The health care is high quality, honest, and inexpensive. The climate is spring-like and pleasant 12 months of the year. There are other colonial cities in Ecuador, but Cuenca is the cultural heart of the country. In this center of art and literature, you can attend the orchestra, a play, a tango show, or an art opening, and these activities are usually free. Cuenca is also a popular destination for international tourists and language students, offering many super-affordable options to study Spanish.

However, perhaps the biggest draw to Cuenca is its cost of living, which is extremely low, especially considering the quality of life that you find here. The falling dollar has caused prices to go up sharply for overseas retirees whose retirement incomes are denominated in U.S. dollars, but who are living in places where goods are priced in the local currency. But this exchange-rate concern does not exist in Cuenca, because Ecuador uses the U.S. dollar. The $1 fixed-price lunch is still alive and well in Cuenca (although $2.50 is more common), and the city is awash with fresh tropical fruits and vegetables for pennies on the dollar. A bus trip through the city is a quarter, taxis start at about $1.50, and gas is only $1.48 per gallon. You could rent a furnished apartment for as little as $400 per month, an unfurnished apartment from $300 per month, or buy a small condo outright for less than $40,000. Thanks to the comfortable year-round climate in Cuenca, you won't have to worry about heat or air conditioning, which is another important reason why retirement in this city is as affordable as it is. Cuenca is very walkable and boasts an excellent public transit system, as does all of Ecuador. You could live easily without a car, which shaves even more costs from your monthly budget. All that said, Cuenca is not the most affordable place to live in Ecuador. In small towns like Cotacachi or Vilcabamba, you could retire on an even more modest budget of as little as $650 or $700 a month.

I don't know about you, but if you ask me, Kenya has all these things that make Cuenca the “best place to retire on earth” and plenty more. Fresh fruits, $1-dollar lunch is very common in Nairobi, furnished apartments for $400 (about KES 33,200) per month are easily available in the city, most Nairobians live without cars, we use our own currency and to top it all off, we have a national park in the city. Animals and all! If you ask me, Nairobi is the best place to retire on earth.