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    Super Cheap

    • Chitré, Panama
    • Santa Marta, Colombia
    • Phuket, Thailand
    • Dumaguete, The Philippines

    Cheap

    • Medellin, Colombia
    • Boquete, Panama
    • Kyrenia, Cyprus
    • Hua Hin, Thailand
    • The Algarve, Portugal

    Affordable

    • Valencia, Spain
    • Cascais, Portugal
    • Las Terrenas, The DR
    • Pisa, Italy
    • La Rochelle, France
    • Mazatlán, Mexico

    Luxury

    • Ambergris Caye, Belize
    • Kotor, Montenegro
    • The Panama City Beaches
    • Paris, France
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  • Home
  • Countries

    Top Destinations:

    Whether you’re looking for fun and sun, a peaceful retirement, or the chance to earn some extra income, you’ve got a real world of opportunity open to you… In short, we’ve done our best to narrow down your best options, but only you can decide the right country for you.

    • Spain
    • Portugal
    • Panama
    • Belize
    • Colombia
    • Cyprus
    • Mexico
    • France
    • Montenegro
    • Browse All Countries

    Best For:

    • The Best Places To Retire
    • Health Care Abroad
    • Cost Of Living
    • Investing in Real Estate
    • Establishing Residency
    • Gun Laws In The World
    • English-Speaking Countries
    • Safest Places For Retirement
    • Best Places In Latin America
  • Budgets

    How Much Will It Cost You To Live Overseas?

    The only honest answer is, we have no idea. And neither does anyone else. The only one who can answer that question is you. Here’s the most important thing to understand about budgeting your new life overseas…

    Super Cheap

    • Chitré, Panama
    • Santa Marta, Colombia
    • Phuket, Thailand
    • Dumaguete, The Philippines

    Cheap

    • Medellin, Colombia
    • Boquete, Panama
    • Kyrenia, Cyprus
    • Hua Hin, Thailand
    • The Algarve, Portugal

    Affordable

    • Valencia, Spain
    • Cascais, Portugal
    • Las Terrenas, The DR
    • Pisa, Italy
    • La Rochelle, France
    • Mazatlán, Mexico

    Luxury

    • Ambergris Caye, Belize
    • Kotor, Montenegro
    • The Panama City Beaches
    • Paris, France
  • Resources

    Global Living

    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore & Diversification

    Making Money

    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing

    Follow Us:

    • Meet Our Experts
  • Real Estate

    Buying Real Estate For Cashflow

    • Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

    Explore Our Latest Posts

    • Learn how to invest and purchase property abroad…

    Go To The Overseas Property Alert Site

    • How To Become Independently Wealthy And Fund The Lifestyle Of Your Dreams
  • Conferences

    Upcoming Events

    • Explore Our Events Site

    Live and Invest In Spain Conference

    Offshore Wealth Summit

    Argentina Workshop

    VALENCIA, SPAIN

    Sep. 17-19, 2025

    PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

    Oct. 15-17, 2025

    VIRTUAL

    Nov. 13, 2025

    Learn More About This Event
    Learn More About This Event
    PRE-REGISTER
    Learn More About This Event
    PRE-REGISTER
    • MORE EVENTS

    Contact Our Events Team

    Toll-Free U.S. and Canada:
    1 (888) 627 8834
    From Outside North America:
    1 (443) 599 1221
    Working Hours
    Monday – Friday 08:00 am – 17:00 pm EST.

    Reach us with your questions by email at: events@liveandinvestoverseas.com

  • Store

    Unlock The World

    • Access Your Library

    Overseas Havens Reports

    • Expats' comprehensive destination guides

    Conference Kits

    • Hours of coverage  from our latests conferences

    Lahardan Books

    • Titles on living and investing around the world
    • Explore Our Store
    Your passport to a life well-lived abroad

    Services

    overseas living letter offers affordable retirement guidance
    The Simon Letter Wealth Protection Insights
    Global Property Advisor Global Investment Opportunities

    Our Customer Service team is here to assist with any questions or concerns CustomerService@LiveandInvestOverseas.com

  • My Library
Live and Invest Overseas
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THE BEST PLACES TO RETIRE IN 2025

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Home Countries Europe

Retirement In Europe Can’t Be Beat

Why Europe?

Panoramic view of medieval stone bridge Ponte Vecchio over Arno river in Florence, Tuscany, Italy

Adobe Stock/Vladimir Sazonov

Last year, I vacationed in Barcelona for the first time in about 15 years… and far from disappointing after the hiatus, this city is better than ever. I fell in love with Spain and Spanish culture all over again.

My husband and I are tossing around the idea of buying a place there eventually—they are affordable enough!

Or maybe taking a month or two to come and spend some winter weeks here while Paris is gray and cold…

A white sand beach in Barcelona, Spain
The view from the beach café from which I write…

The incredible food, the friendly people, the easygoing culture, the fact that Spanish is such an easy language to pick up…

I’m a Francophile—I love France, and Paris (my adopted home) is the greatest city in the world in my humble opinion… but, even I have to admit… Barna (Barcelona) really gives it a run for its money.

I’m all about Europe… I love this part of the world and can’t imagine living long-term on any other continent anymore…

Why Europe?

For me, one of the keys is the attitude to life.

The European lifestyle values leisure, with people typically getting five weeks of vacation per year—compared to the standard two in North America.

It’s a cliché, but it’s hard to put it any other way: Europeans work to live, whereas Americans live to work. Here, business hours are much shorter, lunch hours still taken, and Sundays still held sacred.

That perspective, in addition to the history, the food, the art… it just can’t be beat for me.

So let’s look at some of our top choices for retirement in Europe.

Portugal

Panorama of the city of Porto in Portugal
Adobe Stock/Fred

Portugal—the world’s top retirement haven for years running—is home to Europe’s best beaches, 1,115 miles of coastline, and 300 days a year (3,300 hours) of sunny skies… but to think of this special place as merely a beach getaway is a mistake…

Portugal’s borders date back to 1139 B.C., officially making it the oldest country in the Old World. To state the obvious, that’s thousands of years—more history has happened here than most places in the world. The upside of all of this history is that you’ll never run out of ancient places to discover…

The entire country is a cross between a national park, a museum, and a coastal resort—all with the constant, ever-present charm of the Old World.

You can indulge in any interest you could imagine here, from boating, diving, and hiking to regular nights out at the theater and museum and gallery afternoons.

And all this comes at a bargain price. One couple we know is living in a villa close to the beach with a charming town for about US$1,600 a month.

Fresh fish is always available, Wi-Fi is fast and everywhere, the people are friendly, and most important for them… it’s safe.

In fact, Portugal is one of the most peaceful nations on Earth… Portugal came in as the #6 safest country in the world in the 2022 Global Peace Index.

An estimated 50,000 of Portugal’s more than 100,000 resident foreigners are reportedly British. The fact that a near majority of expats are Anglophones means meeting people is easy—and also means that most Portuguese speak English pretty well.

So, no matter where in the country you settle, you’re sure to be able to plug into a strong network of English-speaking expats.

Plus, the Portuguese are extremely welcoming to expats. If you get lost, they’ll point you in the right direction. If you are about to spend 6 euros on a glass of wine, they’ll tell you where to get it for half the price.

And the language? They know it’s tough for outsiders, so the government made it a rule that every child must take English classes for nine years.

The infrastructure is top-notch. The health care is world-class… and a fraction of the cost of care in North America. Become a resident, and health care is free (no kidding).

And property can be an absolute bargain, both to buy and to rent…

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France

Narrow historic street with old buildings in Toulouse, France. Retirement In Europe
Adobe Stock/Southtownboy Studio

France arguably offers the world’s most sought-after lifestyle. It’s the good life defined.

The food, the wine, the art, the shopping, the history… This country boasts the most beautiful and romantic city on Earth, plus the best of country living and dramatic Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. It’s a country steeped in culture, history, and that ineffable joie de vivre.

From Paris to the vine-covered countryside to the beaches on its multiple coastlines, the lifestyle options on offer here are many and varied, but all your choices mean Old-World living at its best.

Foodies and wine lovers know that to live in France is to be at the center of the universe. Whether it’s paté de campagne and a rustic Beaujolais, grilled salmon with a rosé d’Anjou, or caviar and a fine champagne, the French are masters at pairing wine with food. After all, they’ve been doing this since the Middle Ages.

France’s long and fascinating history can be explored in every corner of the country. Dating back to the prehistoric cave paintings at Lascaux, through the Roman and Frankish invasions, the royal house of the Bourbons, the reign of Napoleon, and up to the present, each era has left its mark—on cuisine, architecture, the arts, fashion, and so much more.

For the culturally minded, life in France is rich indeed. In Paris alone, you can find over 130 museums. The number of galleries showcasing fresh, new works is truly astounding, and since the days of the Renaissance, French philosophers, authors, and playwrights have enriched all our lives.

The expat community in France is strong, and a huge proportion of it is English speaking. It’s an active and engaging community, eager to welcome newcomers, so no matter where you end up in France, make sure to plug into the local expat network—it will be invaluable.

On top of all this, France is home to the world’s best health care, excellent infrastructure, top international schools, and, in some regions, zero crime and a wonderfully relaxed way of life…

And, in many parts of the country, the lifestyle is affordable.

Plus, France offers an enviable choice of diverse geography, which translates into a variety of climate types and lifestyle choices. From chic beachside towns to charming rural villages, from Alpine mountain ranges to sophisticated urban centers, there’s a little bit of everything in France.

State-of-the-art public transportation, including trains, metros, buses, and more, is available throughout France and beyond. The respective systems are easy to navigate, affordable, and fast.

And in France, you’re also in the heart of Europe, with easy, quick access to some of the world’s greatest artistic, archeological, and historical treasures.

From the romance of Paris to the rustic lifestyle of living in the French countryside, this country has a lot to offer the expat…

Italy

Lake Garda with nice walkways and beaches at Bardolino in Italy. Retirement In Europe
Adobe Stock/marako85

If you’re looking for quintessential Old World lifestyle, Italy deserves your attention. The old towns are charming, and the countryside between is pleasant.

Even excluding the big cities like Rome, there is enough here to keep your interest and to support a fully appointed life on the Continent. What’s more, life here can be much more affordable than back home.

The food and wine, the ancient ruins and espresso, the great weather and street markets, the beautiful walled cities and art museums, the green hills covered with sunflowers and cypress trees…

Italy is nothing short of a classic. The cities of Florence, Rome, Venice are museums unto themselves and home to some of the world’s most distinguished works of art.

The wonderful Italian people themselves are reason enough to come to Italy—friendly and sociable are understatements.

The streets are always crowded with people strolling (passeggiata) before dinner, after dinner, in winter, in summer. They stop for espresso, wine, gelato, outdoor music, or a street festival. People meet, chat, go out for dinner or drinks.

Plus, there’s always something happening, and no one wants to stay at home. The locals are so warm and outgoing that it’s easy to make friends here.

An outdoorsman’s paradise, Italy’s natural endowments pack a punch for the country’s small size. Its diversity of geography and resulting climates mean the country can offer nearly every form of outdoor recreation you can think of.

The mountains offer countless opportunities for climbing, trekking, skiing, and snowboarding.

Thousands of small towns and villages cling to these slopes, settlements that have evolved over thousands of years of humans trekking their livestock through the region.

Discover these mountains and all their secrets on foot, bike, horseback, or ski.

Whether on the Mediterranean Coast or the Adriatic, Italy offers just about any sea-related entertainment you can think of. Just a slice of Europe’s wonderful ambiance.

The topography ranges from pebbled coves to dramatic cliffs to powdery sand, populated by lidos, restaurants, bathing and tanning areas… and just as many secluded, removed areas perfect for those who prefer some solitude.

And, of course, the food. Any mention of Italy would be incomplete without a mention of its delicious local wine and cuisine.

Italian recipes are a cut above the rest of the world, but Italian recipes cooked by Italian chefs using fresh Italian ingredients simply cannot be beat. Paired with a glass of local wine (for just a few euros), you’ve got the perfect meal.

No matter where in the country you settle, the food is extraordinary, and, for the most part, it’s also cheap, whether you’re in a supermarket or a restaurant.

There are outdoor markets all over the place, and you’ll find many varieties of wine and cheese that you’ve never heard of and are hard to get outside the country.

Italy also has strict food purity laws, so you won’t find as many artificial colorings or preservatives.

Outside the bigger cities and tourist centers, most Italians don’t speak English, so you’ll need to learn Italian moving here. If you’re up for that small challenge, then Italy offers a truly enviable lifestyle…

Happy trails, and enjoy your retirement in Europe.

Kat Kalashian
Kat Kalashian signature
Editor, LIOS Confidential

Tags: expats in europelife in europelive in europeMove to Europemove to Francemove to Italymove to Portugalretire in europe
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Kat Kalashian

Kat Kalashian

Kat Kalashian has grown up around the world, living in the United States, Ireland, France, and Panama, and has traveled extensively in her few years. Growing up as a young expat she is familiar with the trials and tribulations of an overseas move and the adjustments that must be made in every new destination. After living in Panama for seven years, she and her husband relocated back to Paris, France, in 2018 where they now live full-time with their American-born cat, Panamanian-born dog, and two French-born daughters. She's now been living in Paris for over 10 cumulative years, and enjoys being able to explore France and the rest of Europe at every opportunity. As head of Live And Invest Overseas’ European Division, she is Editorial Director of Europe Uncovered, a monthly subscription service, MCs the Europe based Live And Invest Conferences, and scouts out new locations for coverage on the Continent.

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Top Countries

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Best For:

  • Health Care Abroad
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BROWSE ALL COUNTRIES

Budgets

How Much Will It Cost
To Live Overseas?

Super Cheap

  • Chitré, Panama
  • Santa Marta, Colombia
  • Phuket, Thailand
  • Dumaguete, The Philippines

Cheap

  • Medellin, Colombia
  • Boquete, Panama
  • Kyrenia, Cyprus
  • Hua Hin, Thailand
  • The Algarve, Portugal

Affordable

  • Valencia, Spain
  • Cascais, Portugal
  • Las Terrenas, The DR
  • Pisa, Italy
  • La Rochelle, France
  • Mazatlán, Mexico

Luxury

  • Ambergris Caye, Belize
  • Kotor, Montenegro
  • The Panama City Beaches
  • Paris, France

Resources

Global Living

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