Whether you’re looking for sun, sea and sangria or a region with oodles of culture and beautiful scenery, there are plenty of places you can retire to abroad. But which are the best options?
Credit score company Totally Money have put together a useful infographic to give future retirees the low down on where to set up their new home in Europe.
They’ve come up with a top 19 list of potential destinations and categorised them according to various parameters including how much a property is going to cost, what the nightlife is like and even their happiness index.
Best Value Retirement Locations
If you want your pension to stretch as far as possible, there are a number of great low cost choices according to Totally Money, including:
- Cork, Ireland: If you still want to get abroad but stay a lot closer to British shores, Cork is the perfect choice. The average price of a two bedroom home is £220,000 and the temperature compares favourably with England. There’s a high happiness index here which just might be to do with the fresh air, rolling hills and stunning architecture.
- Mainz, Germany: While some areas of Germany can be expensive to live in, this part of the Rhineland is an exception, as long as you don’t mind the slightly chillier weather. House prices are again just over £220,000 for a two bedroom property and there are hundreds of restaurants to keep you happily fed and watered. There is also a large expat population so you won’t be lost for friends.
- Istria in Croatia: The Baltic states are not necessarily first on people’s list of places to retire but Croatia has a lot to offer. Beautiful countryside and relatively cheap house prices are likely to make this a popular choice in the future. The expat community is pretty small at the moment but expect that to rise in the next decade or so (along with the house prices).
If money really is no object, there are a few exclusive locations you might like to look at. In Tuscany, Italy, for example, you can expect to pay well over £5 million for a two bedroom property. There are plenty of restaurants, the town is brimming with culture and there’s an expat population of 3,537 to help you get along. In Malta you can expect to pay nearly £850,000 for a similar property while in Berlin you can find a similar home for £600,000.
Totally Money looked at research from sites such as Zoopla and Rightmove to find the best locations to set up in after retirement. You can take a look at their infographic and the full list of locations on their website.
