We’ve just released our annual Overseas Retirement Index, and, as always, this massive undertaking is met with great excitement…
In it, we reveal the top 10 places to retire in 2024, with a few bonus destinations to keep your eye on.
Out of these 10, a whopping 5 are based in Europe, showing just how enviable—and attainable—a new life in the Old World can be for retirees (and folks of any age!).
In the next few issues of In Focus: Europe, I’ll be counting down to Europe’s #1 place to retire, starting today with the 5th and 4th place winners…
5. Kotor Bay—Low-Cost Mediterranean Living In Europe’s Secret Riviera
· #5 Best Place to Retire in Europe
· #7 Best Place to Retire in the World
Kotor Bay is a deep, craggy inlet of the Adriatic Sea found in Montenegro. Overlooking the same stretch of water as southeastern Italy, it boasts 57 miles of sparkling coastline backed by towering mountains and dotted with a charming mix of medieval towns and luxe modern developments.
Kotor Bay is made up of three main towns: Kotor, Tivat, and Hercig Novi. Kotor is in the southeastern corner of the bay. The jewel in its crown is Kotor Old Town, a three-sided walled city of great historical significance that’s widely regarded as the best-preserved medieval town in the Mediterranean.
There are great reasons to live here: it has a mild climate—year-round, temperatures average between 36°F and 88°F, a low cost of living, access to nature, diverse recreation opportunities, stunning scenery, and places to sit back and enjoy yourself (outdoor cafés overlooking the sea, rooftop bars, and so on).
The ultra-wealthy treat this yachting paradise like their own private riviera… part of the reason Kotor Bay won top spot in the 2023 Jetset Retirement Index… but because prices remain low, the average person can still access all of its lifestyle benefits.
Montenegro’s government values foreign investment and wants to attract more foreign residents. It makes it easy for expats to set up life here with its turn-key residency policies.
It continues to invest in tourism and construction… more hotel chains are establishing themselves here… cruise ships sail up to Kotor’s harbor on the daily… It’s only a matter of time before word about Montenegro spreads as far as North America, and Canadian and American tourists and expats start to arrive.
Prices vary from town to town, with Kotor Old Town and Tivat’s seafront drag costing the most compared to the villages scattered around the bay. You can rent a small, one- or two-bed apartment in Kotor Old Town for about 800 euros per month.
A cappuccino costs about 1.50 euros; a mini bottle of wine is 4.50 euros; a slice of pizza is 3 euros; a slice of cake is less than 5 euros. In short, Kotor Bay offers some of the best value for money on the Continent.
The surprisingly large expat community in Kotor Bay is mostly made up of Europeans as well as some North Americans. They love this area for its safety, access to nature, the myriad recreation opportunities, and the diverse and interesting community.
You might think the relative isolation of this little country would add up to a low level of English, but the fluency of the locals will come as a pleasant advantage. You’ll have no trouble speaking to waiters, real estate agents, taxi drivers, shop attendants, and so on.
With Montenegro set to enter the EU in the next few years, big things are ahead for this little gem. Now’s the time to get in—before it becomes a mainstream stop on Europe’s tourism trail… and prices inevitably go up.
Start Your New Life Today, Overseas
4. Gascony—Quaint, Pastoral Living In The Villages Of Southwest France
· #4 Best Place to Retire in Europe
· #6 Best Place to Retire in the World
A place where you can truly get away from it all…
These days, it sounds like a tall order.
But the world is full of out-of-the-way havens and hamlets at once tranquil and bursting with opportunity…
One such place is Gascony. Nestled in the sedate southwestern corner of France, between Bordeaux and the Pyrenees, this peaceful region is one of the least-known destinations in the country.
With a mild year-round climate ranging from 49°F to 66°F on average, this is a pleasant place to spend the year if you prefer a temperate four-season climate.
Gascony is the epitome of La France Profonde, “deep France.” The completely rural, agricultural lifestyles on offer here are unmoved by trends of any kind—global or national—and resist the influence of the greater world.
The quaint villages that make up this region, many of which are known as Les Plus Belles Villes de France (the prettiest towns of France) or Villes d’Art et d’Histoire (towns of art and history), make up a rustic network of sorts.
Each town has its claim to fame, but only the capital of the region, Auch, could be said to offer every amenity one might need in one place… Unless you choose to settle in this small city, life here is lived hopping within the system of villages, which, between them, will provide you with all life’s necessities.
To do your shopping, you might need to hit a few towns—one for a bakery, another for a produce market, another for its modern supermarket, and another for its hardware store… and don’t expect that they’ll all be open on the same day. The bakery might be closed Monday through Wednesday, the produce market held only on Sunday, and the hardware store open only Tuesday through Friday, for example. Once you’ve become accustomed to the opening times of all your various stops, this style of errand-running will become second nature. It’s part of the charm that draws people to this kind of simplified, old-world lifestyle.
Having to travel a bit—say 15 to 25 minutes in between villages—comes with a hidden benefit. It allows you to become intimately acquainted with your entire region, make friends in each town, and affords you a kind of socializing that you wouldn’t have if you lived a more modern lifestyle. By village hopping every few days, you’ll soon become a recognizable fixture in your new region.
Another aspect of life here that draws foreigners—more of whom live here than you might expect for such an off-grid location—is the quality of fresh, organic food available as well as the local importance of sustainable farming. From the local breed of cow (the muscular Blonde d’Aquitaine) raised for its famously high-quality and tender beef to the duck and geese that dominate local cuisine… and from the tasty melons, stone fruit, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and eggplant to the abundant wheat and corn… this is a foodie’s paradise.
With a long growing season and strong tradition of wine and Armagnac production, a gourmand couldn’t do better than setting up here.
And when it comes to cost of living, you aren’t likely to find many regions of France more affordable than this little corner. Thanks to locally produced goods and a lack of tourism that keep rents low, your cost of living could reasonably be kept under $2,000 a month here.
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Bonne route,
Kat Kalashian
Editor, In Focus: Europe
