Retirement Moves: Balancing Happiness and Loneliness Abroad
A retirement move often fulfills many common reasons for relocating: a less expensive home, kinder weather, and a slower pace of life. These benefits can bring genuine satisfaction, yet retirees may still experience loneliness stemming from the absence of the broader social circle that once made everyday life feel full and comforting.
This article does not offer clinical advice but carefully examines research findings to understand what they reveal—and what they don’t—about the emotional and social outcomes of retiring abroad.
The Complex Relationship Between Happiness and Loneliness
At first glance, there appears to be a contradiction between retirees’ reported happiness and their feelings of loneliness. International retirement migration reviews show that many retirees express satisfaction with their lives in new countries. However, a significant 2025 Dutch study found that retirees living abroad reported higher social loneliness than their counterparts who stayed in the Netherlands.
These findings are not mutually exclusive. Life satisfaction encompasses factors such as climate, financial comfort, autonomy, and overall fulfillment with the move. In contrast, loneliness specifically measures whether an individual’s social relationships meet their needs for closeness and support.
Insights from the 2025 Dutch Study
The 2025 research, led by Esma Betül Savaş and published in Psychology and Aging, surveyed 4,995 Dutch retirees living in 40 different countries and compared them with 1,338 Dutch adults aged 66 to 90 who remained in the Netherlands. To ensure the study focused on true international migration, retirees living in neighboring Belgium and Germany were excluded, as cross-border moves there often preserve everyday social ties.
The study distinguished between emotional loneliness—the absence of an intimate bond such as a partner or confidant—and social loneliness—the lack of a broader network of trusted and supportive relationships. Retirees abroad experienced greater social loneliness but not emotional loneliness. For example, 65% of migrants said they had enough people to rely on during problems, compared to 71% of non-migrants. Similarly, only 50% of migrants reported having many people they trusted completely, versus 61% of those who stayed.
It’s important to note this study’s limitations: it is cross-sectional and cannot prove causation, nor did it measure loneliness levels before relocation. Additionally, it cannot account for retirees who returned home due to loneliness prior to the survey.
Understanding What Satisfaction and Loneliness Measure
A 2023 review of 90 international retirement migration studies found that most retirees reported satisfaction with their destination’s lifestyle. However, these studies lacked comparison groups, leaving unanswered whether migrants were happier than those who stayed or if migration directly improved wellbeing.
Similarly, a 2021 review by Yuan Tang and Tara Rava Zolnikov, covering 22 studies across multiple continents, highlighted that pleasant weather, lower living costs, and access to amenities help retirees remain active and engaged. Yet language barriers and insufficient social support frequently posed challenges.
Simply put, warmer climates and financial relief can enhance daily life without replacing the shared history and support networks that enrich social wellbeing. Someone might rate their move positively overall while still experiencing a sense of social thinness.
Relationships as Accumulated Social Infrastructure
Long-term relationships carry years of nuanced understanding. Friends grasp references without explanations, adult children interpret silences as signals of mood or health, and neighbors notice subtle changes in daily routines.
While moving abroad doesn’t necessarily sever these ties—retirees often maintain contact through calls, visits, and return trips—the nature of these relationships inevitably changes. A friend far away can listen but cannot easily provide practical support like delivering meals or running errands.
New social networks abroad may be active but often lack depth initially. Clubs, language classes, and expatriate groups fill calendars but take time to foster trust and mutual reliance. In the Dutch study, 52% of retirement migrants reported losing contact with a good friend after moving, a factor linked to both social and emotional loneliness.
This statistic is not a universal forecast but illustrates that making new friends rarely substitutes fully for the relationships left behind. Old and new ties serve overlapping yet distinct social functions.
The Limits of a Partner’s Role in Social Wellbeing
International retirement migration frequently involves couples. The Dutch study found migrants were more likely to have partners than those who stayed, which may explain why emotional loneliness was not elevated among migrants.
Nevertheless, a close partnership cannot fulfill every social role. When most companionship and support concentrate in one relationship, both partners may feel content together while their broader social world remains limited. Events such as illness, bereavement, or disagreements about returning home can reveal vulnerabilities in this arrangement.
Distinguishing emotional loneliness from social loneliness is crucial. Labeling retirees simply as “lonely” obscures whether they lack intimacy or a dependable community—two conditions with distinct causes and consequences.
Building Belonging Through Local Engagement
Among Dutch retirement migrants, more frequent contact with both local and fellow migrant neighbors correlated with lower emotional and social loneliness. A stronger sense of belonging to the destination community and better local language skills were also linked to reduced social loneliness.
These correlations do not prescribe specific actions or guarantee outcomes. A welcoming neighborhood may facilitate social interaction, but individuals who feel connected are also more likely to engage socially and learn the language. Cross-sectional data cannot determine causality.
Nonetheless, this insight reshapes how retirement moves should be planned. While property, pensions, healthcare, visas, and climate dominate decision-making, social factors deserve equal attention. Building a community is a distinct part of the relocation process, requiring time, effort, and patience.
Digital communication helps maintain connections but cannot replicate the spontaneity of local proximity. Video calls preserve conversations but cannot substitute for casual invitations, familiar faces at a neighborhood café, or neighbors noting when something is amiss.
Recognizing a Good Move May Still Leave Social Challenges
The evidence does not suggest retiring abroad is inherently problematic. Instead, it highlights that choosing a desirable destination and cultivating a dependable social world are separate achievements. The former can be decided from a shortlist; the latter builds gradually through repeated interactions and mutual support.
For those considering such a move, social continuity should factor into practical planning. Proximity to adult children and friends, language proficiency, community stability, and opportunities for regular visits are as important as housing costs and healthcare access. While none guarantees a sense of belonging, ignoring these factors does not eliminate their importance.
If loneliness becomes persistent or negatively impacts sleep, appetite, mood, or daily functioning, consulting a GP or licensed counselor is advisable. Professional support can address individual needs beyond the scope of general guidance.
Many retirees remain glad they moved abroad but may require years—not just seasons—before their new surroundings truly feel like home.
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