If you have ever considered retiring abroad, you may be interested to learn that Cuzco, Peru, is being recommended as an ideal destination for those from the US to live. In an interview with TIME magazine, International Living, a magazine dedicated to retirees going outside of the US, recommended it as being somewhere that delivers maximum picturesque value with a low price tag. Another advantage is that Peru is also offering qualifying international residents a retirement visa that’s fairly straight-forward to maintain.

We at Lonely Planet think Cuzco is the undisputed archaeological capital of the Americas, and it's the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city and the gateway to Machu Picchu. Visitors to the Inca capital get a glimpse of the richest heritage of any South American city, and it thrives with a measure of contradiction. It has a population of about 350,000 people and was designated a Unesco World Heritage site in 1983.

“In the right spots abroad, expats find not only that their dollars stretch, but that they can enjoy a quality of life that’s so much richer than what they could afford at home,” says Jennifer Stevens, executive editor of International Living. Sitting at an altitude of 11,200 feet in the Andes, Cuzco is perfect for those seeking some good weather as it enjoys clear days with plenty of sun, and frost is rare even in winter. International Living says that living there is surprisingly affordable, and believes that a couple could retire on $1700 (€1492) per month and still live a high quality of life.

Data from International Living says that Cuzco stands above the rest in the world when it comes to affordability and quality and it is also beautiful in terms of scenery. For further information, see here.