Live and Invest Overseas
The Best Places To Retire In 2025

FREE REPORT: THE BEST PLACES TO RETIRE IN 2025






    We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.
    • 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

      Join our Weekly Newsletter
      Overseas Property Alert

      Sign up for our weekly newsletter to receive expert insights on the best international real estate investment opportunities.






        We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

        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

        International Property Summit

        Caribbean Virtual Conference

        Live and Invest In Spain Conference

        PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

        June 18-20, 2025

        VIRTUAL

        July 17-19, 2025

        Valencia, Spain

        Sep. 17-19, 2025

        LEARN MORE
        LEARN MORE
        PRE-REGISTER
        LEARN MORE
        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
      • 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

        Join our Weekly Newsletter
        Overseas Property Alert

        Sign up for our weekly newsletter to receive expert insights on the best international real estate investment opportunities.






          We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

          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

          International Property Summit

          Caribbean Virtual Conference

          Live and Invest In Spain Conference

          PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

          June 18-20, 2025

          VIRTUAL

          July 17-19, 2025

          Valencia, Spain

          Sep. 17-19, 2025

          LEARN MORE
          LEARN MORE
          PRE-REGISTER
          LEARN MORE
          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
         Moving Out Of The U.S?

        THE 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE IN 2025

        the 10 best places to retire in 2025

        PLUS: A SPECIAL BONUS DESTINATION

        Simply sign up to receive the FREE daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we’ll immediately email you our editors’ latest research report… absolutely FREE






          We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

          Home Countries France

          Is Life In Paris, France Affordable For Retirees?

          Can You Really Afford To Enjoy A New Life In Paris?

          by Kat Kalashian
          May 05, 2022
          in France, In Focus: Europe
          0 0
          A bird in a park with green grass with the Eiffel Tower in the background in Paris, France

          Adobe Stock/Givaga

          Speaking to some of our attendees in Portugal last month, many had questions about the cost of living in my adopted home of Paris.

          Paris, they said, is an expensive city—you can’t do anything there without shelling out far more than is sustainable. Is it really feasible to live there full-time?

          While I agree that, objectively speaking, Paris is an expensive city, there are so many ways in which living here can be affordable. Here’s how…

          -Use Public Transportation

          Not owning a car, for one thing, reduced our cost of living by about 25%. Public transportation is affordable and far preferable to having a car. A bus or metro ticket is 1.90 euro, and that will get you anywhere in the city.

          Plus, I walk most places in the city, as do most people when they can.

          If I owned a bike, I’d probably rarely set foot in the metro or buses. At the moment, I’m still using Vélib, the city’s most popular bike sharing service. I pay 3.10 euros a month for access to the bikes. As long as I don’t go over 30 minutes, the ride is free—and you can get most anywhere in Paris by bike in 30 minutes or less. If I take an electric bike or go for longer than 30 minutes, small fees are added to my bill. I haven’t paid more than 6 euros a month in the last year.

          -Buy Local Food

          Buying locally produced European foods (that were expensive imports before) reduced our grocery budget by at least a couple hundred a month compared to our food bills back in Panama.

          -What Yout Bills Will Be Like

          Cell phone bills here are a fraction of what they are in the States—we pay about 20 euros a month for each of our phones, with unlimited data, calls, and texts, plus free roaming throughout Europe.

          Rent and energy are expensive here, there’s not much to argue there—but these are also controllable. There are some highly affordable neighborhoods in Paris, they’re just not as central. In the 11th, where we first lived, rents and groceries were far less expensive than where we live now, in the 7th. The 12th, 13th, 14th, 18th, 19th, and 20th are all on the less expensive side, and are also where fewer expats live.

          And while our energy bills were shocking by the end of our first year in this apartment, we took some measures to use our heating more efficiently this winter and the cost has leveled out to a reasonable number.

          Without a doubt, the hardest place to economize in Paris is in the entertainment. We like to eat out, visit museums, take train trips to nearby towns, etc., etc. No point in scrimping on entertainment when that’s why we live here, after all!

          So if you want to go out and really enjoy Paris and all it has to offer, can you do it without breaking the bank?

          -Entertainment In Paris

          Again, there are ways to control your spending in these areas…

          Making The Most Out of Museums

          I’m a museum lover, so I’ve become a member of two of my favorite museums that are within walking distance of us, plus a kids’ park that a lot of my mom friends frequent.

          For 32 euros a year, I and a guest can visit the Musée d’Orsay whenever we like. A single ticket is 16 euros… so my husband and I break even on the annual fee after a single visit.

          For the Musée Rodin, single entry is usually 14 euros, but we’ve paid 40 euros for annual access. This one is especially great because aside from the museum and temporary exhibits, there’s also a wonderful, large sculpture garden. Having access to it is like having our own private park.

          These two museums happen to be partners, which means if you’re a member of one you get a discount on the other—look out for these kinds of partnerships, as many of Paris’ top attractions are linked to one another and offer these kinds of deals.

          The Jardin d’Acclimatation, an amusement park for families complete with petting zoo, aviary, rides, games, and small water parks, is 35 euros a year or 7 euros for a single entry (but, keep in mind, you’d always be coming with a kid, so it’s always going to be at least 14 euros per visit).

          On any given day, we can choose any of these activities “for free” and be satisfied that the amortized cost of the annual pass goes down after each visit.

          Plus, there are lots of other benefits, like skipping lines and discounts on the gift shops and cafés, plus first alerts on special events. Tonight, for example, the Musée d’Orsay is hosting a “musical promenade,” with vocalists and instrumentalists playing complementary pieces in front of a selection of the museum’s works. As a member, I was given priority for the reservation, and it’s free.

          We’ll take an edifying walk around the museum and have dinner on the way home—or maybe at the museum’s roof-level café for 10% off. Not a shabby way to spend an evening for just the cost of a dinner out.

          Or we could visit one of the museums that are free every day of the year:

          • Mémorial de la Shoah
          • Musée Curie (about Marie Curie)
          • Musée de la Préfecture de Police
          • Atelier Brancusi at Centre Georges Pompidou (artist’s complete studio relocated to the museum)
          • Le Plateau at the Centre d’art Contemporain
          • Victor Hugo’s house at Hauteville House
          • Musée Carnavalet (on the history of Paris)
          • Musée Cernuschi (arts of Asia)
          • Musée Cognacq-Jay
          • Musée de la Libération de Paris; Musée du Général Leclerc; Musée Jean Moulin
          • Musée de la Vie Romantique
          • Musée Bourdelle (sculptures)
          • Musée d’Art Moderne
          • Balzac’s House
          • Petit Palais (museum of Beaux Arts)
          • Musée Zadkine (Russian artist)

          Otherwise, many museums offer one day a month for free, usually the first Sunday of the month:

          • Centre Pompidou (Musée National d’Art Moderne)
          • Musée des Arts et Métiers
          • Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature
          • Musée Eugène Delacroix
          • Musée Gustave Moreau
          • Musée Jean-Jacques Henner
          • Musée Cluny
          • Musée de l’Orangerie
          • Musée d’Orsay
          • Musée Picasso
          • Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine
          • Musée National de l’Histoire de l’Immigration
          • Musée Guimet
          • Musée du Quai Branly

          These are certainly the busiest days of the month for these places, so you’ll have some competition, but if budgeting is the top priority, you can’t beat free admission.

          Outdoors Activities

          I got an email from the Mairie de Paris (Paris’ town hall) a couple weeks ago outlining lists of free entertainment planned for the summer…

          Thanks to some of the funding for the 2024 Olympics that will be held in Paris, the city launched the Paris Sportives initiative, offering a variety of fitness and sport classes for free throughout the city. From soccer, handball, and basketball to dance, yoga, and boxing, you could find a free sport to do practically anywhere in the city any day of the week.

          Paris is rich with beautiful old kiosques, gazebos found in parks and plazas all over the city. Starting in April, the city began putting on free weekend concerts in these beautiful venues; they’ll continue through October.

          At the kiosques nearest us, we’ll be treated to Bulgarian folk music, a French singer, a concert for kids, pop-rock, jazz, electro, hip hop dance performance, interactive pop, chorales, tango, DJ sets, percussion, Brazilian folk, orchestras, salsa, and more…

          And the streets and parks of Paris are possibly the best free thing to do in the city…

          Paris is home to some beautiful parks, all of which are free. As soon as the weather is tolerable, Parisians are out enjoying the green spaces. A gourmet picnic in a park here is one of the most pleasant ways to spend an afternoon, and it costs less than 10 euros—wine included! A baguette is about a euro, some cheese and meats would be about 4, and a drinkable bottle of wine can be had for less than 5.

          Eating at home (or at the park) can be very affordable, but eating out is going to run up your budget if you’re not careful. Again, though, you don’t need to forego this indulgence completely… just need to be a little savvy… Eat lunches out instead of dinners, for example—that’s an easy way to keep the cost of eating out at about half of what it could be. Spend time scoping out the cheapest cafés in your neighborhood, paying special attention to the lunch menu and the happy hour deals.

          I eat weekly lunch at a café that offers an excellent quality prix-fixe menu—two courses for 13 euros. These prix-fixe lunch menus are only available on weekdays, but they’re designed for businesspeople, so they are affordable and the service is quick when you order them.

          Happy hour deals often include not just drinks, but either tapas, planches (a board of breads, cheeses, and/or meats), or other appetizers made to be shared. These can easily be a meal between two people.

          We took a family stroll around our neighborhood last Sunday and were in good company with plenty of locals and tourists from all over doing the same thing.

          “It’s cool that what’s just an afternoon walk for us is something people travel thousands of miles to do in this city…” my husband commented as we headed home. It makes you feel like you really can’t lose—even a lazy, low-cost day in Paris can feel like you’re appreciating the best of what the world has to offer…

          Kat Kalashian
          Editor, In Focus: Europe

          Tags: 'France'Cost Of Living In FranceExpats In Parisis paris affordablelive in FranceParis
          Share110Tweet68
          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.

          Start Your New Life Overseas Today!
          Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we'll send you a FREE report on The 10 Best Places To Retire In 2025.

          We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.
          Our Expertise Unlocks The World

          quick links

          • Best Places To Live
          • Best Places To Retire
          • Finding A Job Overseas
          • Real Estate

          LIOS Resources

          • New To LIOS
          • Ask An Expert
          • Media Center
          • Contact Us
          • FAQs
          the 10 best places to retire in 2025
          Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and get your FREE REPORT: The 10 Best Places To Retire Overseas In 2025






            We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

            As seen in

            US Media Logos

            © 2008 – Live and Invest Overseas™ – All Rights Reserved.

            About Us / Contact Us / Privacy Policy / Terms / Unsubscribe
            Facebook-f X-twitter Youtube Linkedin-in Instagram

            Welcome Back!

            Login to your account below

            Forgotten Password?

            Retrieve your password

            Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

            Log In

            Sign up to receive the FREE daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter and we’ll immediately email you our editors’ latest research report…

            BEST PLACES TO RETIRE 

            FREE REPORT:






              We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

              Sign up for FREE and learn how to live the good life on a modest budget, find bargain property, and more. Plus, check out our free report on the 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE.

              RETIRE OVERSEAS AND LIVE LIKE ROYALTY






                We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.
                HOME

                Top Countries

                • Spain
                • Portugal
                • Panama
                • Belize
                • Colombia
                • Cyprus
                • Mexico
                • France
                • Montenegro

                Best For:

                • Health Care Abroad
                • Retirement Living
                • Cost Of Living
                • Investing in Real Estate
                • Establishing Residency
                • Gun Ownership
                • English Speakers
                • Safety
                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

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

                Making Money

                • International Real Estate
                • Banking
                • Employment
                • Investing
                Meet Our Experts

                Real Estate

                Overseas Property Alert 

                 

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

                VISIT SITE

                Buying Real Estate For Cashflow

                 

                Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

                READ MORE

                Explore Our Latest Posts

                 

                Learn how to invest and purchase property abroad…

                EXPLORE

                Conferences

                INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY SUMMIT

                PANAMA CITY, PANAMA June 18-20, 2025
                LEARN MORE

                CARIBBEAN VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

                VIRTUAL July 17-19, 2025
                LEARN MORE
                PRE-REGISTER

                Live and Invest In Spain Conference

                Valencia, Spain Sep. 17-19, 2025
                LEARN MORE
                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

                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

                Services

                • Overseas Living Letter: Affordable Retirement Guidance
                • The Simon Letter: Wealth Protection Insights
                • Global Property Advisor: Global Investment Opportunitites
                VISIT OUR STORE

                Free Report

                THE 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE IN 2025

                FREE REPORT: The 10 Best Places To retire in 2025

                Sign up to receive the FREE daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter and we’ll immediately email you our editors’ latest research report…






                  We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

                  LIBRARY

                  Follow Us:

                  © 2008 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.