- Santos Alvarado, 66, moved back to Texas in 2023 after living abroad since the 1970s.
- Alvarado, a veteran, enlisted in 1975 and deployed to Germany, where he eventually settled down.
- He said he loves Germany but wants to maximize his retirement benefits, which go further in the US.
Santos Alvarado, 66, moved back to Texas in 2023 after living abroad since the 1970s.
Alvarado enlisted in the US military in 1975 when he was 17 years old. He deployed to West Germany and served three tours before the Berlin Wall came down in 1989.
After the Cold War ended, Alvarado retired from service — but instead of returning home, he decided to settle down in Germany. He married a German, had kids, and lived in Walldorf, near Frankfurt.
Now, however, Alvarado is among the Americans who decided to return to the US for retirement. Alvarado began collecting Social Security when he was 62 — the first year eligible — and he retired in 2022. Alvarado said he wants to enjoy his retirement benefits in his home state of Texas, where the cost of living is better than in Germany.
He returned in 2023 and bought a four-bedroom house outside San Antonio, where he lives with his two dogs — a Bichon and a Maltese. He said his house costs about the same as the two-bedroom apartment he rented in Germany.
Alvarado lives off of his benefits, which he said total about $8,500 a month. In addition to collecting $1,700 a month in Social Security, he collects Disabled Veteran benefits, a US Civil Service pension, a US military retirement pension, and a German retirement pension.
"I'm financially stable because I'm collecting five retirement paychecks," Alvarado said.
The majority of his benefits are in dollars, and as he got older, Alvarado said he didn't want to have to pay attention to the fluctuating dollar-euro exchange rate and how his purchasing power might change over time.
Enlisting in the US Military and beginning a life in Germany
Alvarado comes from a military family, and his dad served in WWII. "My father was there for D-Day," he said.
He said his family in Texas was poor, and all of his brothers enlisted for better opportunities.
Alvarado wasn't always set on Germany, and after the military, he considered a career as a police officer in Washington, DC. He passed his exams but ultimately decided against it.
In Germany, Alvarado took up jobs as a dishwasher and newspaper delivery driver. He said it was enough to support his family, and his economic prospects seemed better than in the US.
After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Alvarado decided to enlist in the military reserves. He served for eight years, seeing two-and-a-half years of active duty in Afghanistan. He was injured there and officially retired from service in 2011.
Alvarado returned to Germany, where he worked as a cook and a driver for the US Military Postal Service. He also worked at an airport, where he helped escort older and handicapped passengers.
Alvarado said he misses life in Germany, including the pastries, cold cuts, and his favorite burgers and beer spots in Walldorf.
"I could walk out my front door, and I could walk about two blocks — there's my bakery, my pizza place, my Chinese restaurant, my kebab," he said. "Everything is local."
Yet, he said, housing felt more expensive than in San Antonio. Ultimately, he decided to live in Germany for his family's benefit.
"I wanted my kids to have a good education," he said.
In Germany, public education is tuition-free. "Even a very good education is paid for," Alvarado said. "Even college."
Returning to the US and honoring his family
Alvarado said that after his youngest daughter went to college in 2023, he decided it was time to return to the US. He had recently gone through a second divorce and said he was ready for a change.
Back in San Antonio, he said he's glad to have more space for his retirement.
"I think my land, my property, is bigger than my house, and I got four bedrooms — only for me and my two dogs," he said.
Now that he's back in the US, Alvarado said one of the biggest adjustments is getting used to speaking Spanish again after speaking German for so long. It took him 10 years to master German, he said, but he's fluent.
Alvarado said he enjoyed experiencing Europe, but he's glad to be back in the US because he hopes to be buried with his family with honor.
Now, in retirement and enjoying his monthly benefit checks, Alvarado said he wants to take more time to travel.
"I can live day by day, and I can go on vacations," Alvarado said. "I want to go to Pearl Harbor. I want to go to the memorials in DC. I want to go to New York City. I want to go to Vegas and spend some money. I want to enjoy being alive."
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