The 10 best places to live or retire in Europe in 2020 features a few of our very favorite countries. And one country that we just can’t ignore.
We’ve been reminding you lately that Portugal is an awfully nice place to be.
So nice that we named its Algarve region joint winner of the world’s best place to retire overseas in 2020.
However, Portugal is not the only appealing place to think about living or retiring in Europe.
Not everyone is cut out for life in the developing world or the tropics. If your retirement dream is all about old-world living on the Continent, you have many great options… in Portugal and beyond.
And, right now, the U.S. dollar is surging. Your Greenbacks go a long way in Euroland these days.
If you’d like to cash in on this window of opportunity, here are the 10 places we suggest you focus your attention on… the 10 best places to live or retire in Europe in 2020:
#1: Algarve, Portugal
At A Glance
Cost Of Living: B+
Health Care: A+
Affordability Of Real Estate: B
Residency: A
Portugal’s Algarve region is a land of superlatives. These 100 miles of coast offer 3,300 hours of sunshine each year and more sunny days than anywhere else in Europe, as well as some of the best beaches in Europe and best golf courses in the world. Portugal is the 17th safest country in the world, and the Algarve region is perhaps the most crime-free in the country.
English is widely spoken, thanks to a decades-long connection with Britain, and the cost of living in the Algarve is one of the most undervalued in Europe. In 2012, Portugal introduced its Golden Visa program, one of the best in the EU. Retirees can also establish residency in this country simply by showing a minimum monthly income of just 1,200 euros.
The Algarve has been our top pick for a long time and remains one of the very best places to live or retire in Europe.
#2: Annecy, France
At A Glance
Cost Of Living: C
Health Care: A+
Affordability Of Real Estate: C
Residency: B
The big attraction of lakeside Annecy, the Pearl of the French Alps, is its ski slopes in winter, but this is an appealing place to be year-round. In summer, the lakeshore bustles, but not only with tourists. Unlike other top ski destinations in France, fairy-tale Annecy is not a tourist town but a living community that is more cosmopolitan than a typical haunt of Euro-snow bunnies.
Annecy has been awarded the titles of City of Art and History and also City in Bloom and can seem like an open-air museum. Every July its streets are given over to Les Noctibules, an annual art festival, and, every August, the much-anticipated Fête du Lac features the biggest fireworks show in Europe.
#3: Ljubljana, Slovenia
At A Glance
Cost Of Living: B+
Health Care: A-
Affordability Of Real Estate: B-
Residency: C
Slovenia, nestled among Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia in the heart of Central Europe, is a mountainous country with 30 miles of Mediterranean coastline. Old-world capital city Ljubljana is the heart of the country, literally and figuratively, with easy access to both beaches and ski resorts.
Ljubljana is a modern city with all the amenities of 21st-century living that manages to retain a small-town charm. Local farmers bring their produce to market in wooden carts each day. You could embrace this old-world lifestyle supported by top-notch infrastructure on a budget of as little as 1,400 euros a month.
#4: Cascais, Portugal
At A Glance
Cost Of Living: D+
Health Care: A+
Affordability Of Real Estate: C+
Residency: A
A miles-long stretch of sheltered coves, sandy dunes, and rocky outcroppings, the coast of Cascais, Portugal, offers some of the best beaches in Europe, as well as a marina, nine top-tier golf courses, more than 100 parks and gardens, world-class dining, year-round mild climate, proximity to capital city Lisbon, and an overall extraordinary quality of life.
The seaside city boasts one of the lowest crime rates in Europe and is home to a large and welcoming community of expats. Cascais began life as a village of fishermen and farmers but has transformed itself into a mini-city of about 200,000, complete with a university campus, 13 international and bilingual schools, 2 hospitals, a shopping mall, and a casino.
#5: Città Sant’Angelo, Italy
At A Glance
Cost Of Living: B+
Health Care: A+
Real Estate Restrictions: A+
Residency: C
Perched on a hilltop, with views of Gran Sasso d’Italia Mountain, the Adriatic, and vineyards and olive groves in-between, sits ninth-century Città Sant’Angelo, in the heart of Italy’s Abruzzo region, one of the greenest in Europe, with more than a dozen ski resorts in one direction, and 80 miles of coastline in the other.
Città Sant’Angelo has earned the title “Borgo,” recognizing it as one of Italy’s most beautiful cities. Sant’Angelo has also been designated a “Città Slow”—a town committed to preserving traditional ways of life and resisting development. Not much has changed in Città Sant’Angelo over the centuries, and that’s the way residents like it.
#6: Kotor, Montenegro
At A Glance
Cost Of Living: B
Health Care: B-
Affordability Of Real Estate: C+
Residency: C
This tiny seaside country of a half-million people dispersed over an area smaller than the state of Connecticut is nestled between Croatia and Albania in Southern Europe. Bayside Kotor, surrounded by towering mountains on one side and the dazzling Adriatic on the other, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and perhaps the best-preserved medieval town in the Mediterranean.
The Old Town square is anchored by the 11th-century Cathedral of Saint Tryphon, but its cafés and shops are lively and bustling with a youthful energy. This is a little-known but friendly, safe, and welcoming corner of Europe comparable to historic stone villages in Italy, but more affordable.
Montenegro’s tax climate is favorable, with low capital gains, property, income, and real estate transfer rates. There is also a new citizenship-by-investment program that should be a foot in the door to the EU when the country becomes a member (expected in 2025).
#7: Carcassonne, France
At A Glance
Cost Of Living: B+
Health Care: A+
Affordability Of Real Estate: B-
Residency: B
Walt Disney is said to have been inspired by its towers, turrets, and ramparts, and you can understand why when the sun rises up over the medieval city of Carcassonne in Southeast France. At the heart of Cathar country, this was, for centuries, an important fortification.
Today, the city of Carcassonne, capital of the Aude department in the Occitanie region of France, has much to offer tourists and residents. This includes a medieval castle, Basilica of Saints Nazarius and Celsus, boutiques, artist workshops, and Michelin-starred restaurants.
Life in the Bastide is centered on the Place Carnot (where a produce market is held three times a week), with its pretty fountain, street-side cafés, and restaurants. Just a 10-minute drive away is an 18-hole golf course and a park. Within an hour are the sandy beaches of the Mediterranean, and 90 minutes away is skiing in the Pyrenees.
#8: Paris, France
At A Glance
Cost Of Living: D
Health Care: A+
Affordability Of Real Estate: B-
Residency: B
At home in one of Paris’ central, historic neighborhoods, from the 1st arrondissement to the 8th, the best of city living—from bookstores, antique shops, champagne cellars, parks, and gardens to museums, theaters, galleries, five-star restaurants, and luxury shopping—is only a short and pleasant walk away.
Central Paris is an open-air museum where little changes yet every day offers the chance for discovery. It’s also one of the world’s best storehouses of wealth. An apartment of charm in a good location in this city will always find a buyer and a renter, and, as Brexit approaches, London wealth is finding its way to the City of Light, causing a spike in Paris property values.
#9: Popoli, Italy
At A Glance
Cost Of Living: A-
Health Care: A+
Affordability Of Real Estate: A-
Residency: C
Nestled in the valley of three Apennine mountains, Popoli, Italy, with a population of 5,000, is a complete escape from the troubles of the modern world and a sought-out healing center. This medieval town is known as the Città dell’Acqua (City of Water), thanks to a long-dormant volcano that rumbles beneath it, bubbling up thermal spring water famed for its healing properties since the days of the Romans.
The first healing center was built on the site in 1885, but was destroyed during World War II. The modern Terme di Popoli opened in 1998 and uses the area’s thermal waters as the basis for the treatment of dozens of ailments. In high season, the facility sees 1,000 or more patients each day.
#10: Valletta, Malta
At A Glance
Cost Of Living: B
Health Care: A+
Affordability Of Real Estate: C-
Residency: A+
From its weather and food to its history and culture, Malta is not only the best of Mediterranean Europe but also one of the most affordable options for embracing this lifestyle. This three-island, 122-square-mile nation, has been working hard to raise its profile internationally, and Malta’s capital, Valletta, was named 2018’s European Capital of Culture.
The language is English, crime rates are low, and the health care is excellent. Malta does not offer a retiree visa, but a Global Residence Program for non-EU citizens. This amounts to one of the best residency opportunities in Europe. You can qualify simply by renting a place to live for as little as 800 euros per month.
We hope you enjoyed this list of the best places to live or retire in Europe for 2020. Do you agree with the choices we made? What countries would you like to see included next time?
Kathleen Peddicord
