A beachfront home in İskele, North Cyprus, is ranked as the world’s top investment in 2021 for those looking to live or retire abroad.

The other four top spots listed by business and investment Forbes Magazine are in Columbia, Brazil, Mexico and Belize.

The findings are based on research for the Live and Invest Overseas’ 2021 Global Property Survey. Its annual index considers a variety of criteria when determining the world’s best locations for investing in homes abroad.

The survey compares the cost of buying two-bedroom, two bathroom apartments in neighbourhoods where “an expat retiree would be comfortable and likely to buy.” The recommended locations also have strong rental markets, making them ideal investment opportunities.

Forbes: “If you’re up for an adventure at this stage of your life while stretching your retirement budget to buy a bona-fide luxury standard of life on one of the world’s most beautiful stretches of coastline, Northern Cyprus should be at the top of your list”

Topping this year’s list is İskele, North Cyprus. In the article, “5 Best Beachfront Buys for 2021”, aimed primarily at Forbes’ American readers, author Kathleen Peddicord writes that Northern Cyprus “is the best of the Mediterranean at a fraction the cost of living the Med life elsewhere.”

She adds that, “Northern Cyprus is also a safe, welcoming country with developed tourism infrastructure, including clubs, casinos, and luxury hotels, all more affordable than their counterparts in France of Italy.”

The article states that alongside the low costs of living, North Cyprus’ “main attractions are the sand and sea”, going on to promote İskele, on the eastern coast of the island. She cites the cost of a beachfront condo in İskele with direct access to the beach costs “as little as $75,000” (£54,600).

Peddicord concludes by writing, “If you’re up for an adventure at this stage of your life while stretching your retirement budget to buy a bona-fide luxury standard of life on one of the world’s most beautiful stretches of coastline, Northern Cyprus should be at the top of your list.”

Main image, top, of İskele Four Seasons Life development project by Noyanlar, one of the TRNC’s leading construction companies, which specialises in İskele beachfront properties