Like many Australians my parents considered retiring in Bali. They explored the place n liked it a lot. But the only apprehension was that Indonesia is a "pieceful" country. Bali though is overwhelmingly dharmic n a breath of fresh air.
My parents finally retired back in Calcutta after spending many years in Aust/NZ.
I was against it, considering WB is so unstable under the mad didi's rule. But parents have their roots there and Calcutta is dirt cheap. They bought in a "Hi fi" society (by Calcutta standards) n renovated the place.
They are very happy as they make use of India's favorable location for travel (Dubai shopping festival, Jaipur Lit Fest, Shopping in Hong Kong... Air Asia ki jai ho!!!) and spend the Indian summers here in NZ with us.
I have come to the conclusion that the only way to retire in luxury and retire by my late 40s (My boy will be mid way through uni by then) is either retiring in India or in one of the South East Asian countries. One of my colleagues of Brit descent,his parents from the UK have retired in Goa(apparently a hotbed for EU retirees!).
I absolutely love Goa and think it will be a great spot to retire ( although I have only visited once in 2012)
Choosing a favorable retirement spot is the number 1 search item on my browser.
I am super keen to hear all your thoughts and the research you may have done.