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What countries are best to retire to, with little money


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Old 03-01-2017, 15:00
jazzyjazzy
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We wouldnt buy a resort or modern apartment though, I would buy a stone townhouse in a village with a fire/wood burner.

I think you ought to rent first as I think you are dreaming what is will be like - not being rude.
We had a specially fitted wood burning stove in our first house which was quite expensive, not just a free standing one and it only heated the room it was in - the rest of the house was cold in winter, especially the bathrooms. That is why we started to live in India in the winter as it was far too cold and damp for us.
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Old 03-01-2017, 15:35
bart4858
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To be honest we're in a cheap part of the UK! We are in east Kent.

Ive always had a dream to live in Italy although I know I said Egnlish speaking. Im looking at rightmove, they've got some habitable properties there for as little as 15k.
They seem to have properties for as little as £2500 (ignoring the ones at £0). Presumably there is some catch, even the £15K ones.

But even Liverpool has apartments for only £10K on rightmove. Why are they only £10K? Possibly for the same reasons as the Italian ones!

My impression (from looking in estate agents' windows when on holiday...), is that property is cheaper than the UK, but not massively so, unless comparing with London.

(I've spent a lot of time in Italy, but wouldn't be able to pinpoint anywhere I'd like to live permanently. Even in the UK, I would only move to a different area for reasons of friends, family or work; I couldn't just stick a pin in a map.)
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Old 03-01-2017, 15:40
tiacat
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I think you ought to rent first as I think you are dreaming what is will be like - not being rude.
We had a specially fitted wood burning stove in our first house which was quite expensive, not just a free standing one and it only heated the room it was in - the rest of the house was cold in winter, especially the bathrooms. That is why we started to live in India in the winter as it was far too cold and damp for us.
Well things are a dream until you get down to the practicalites to make it real. We would have central heating of course, I was just making the point that IF we ever did anything like this, we wouldnt be in a resort or purpose built apartment
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Old 03-01-2017, 15:41
tiacat
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They seem to have properties for as little as £2500 (ignoring the ones at £0). Presumably there is some catch, even the £15K ones.

But even Liverpool has apartments for only £10K on rightmove. Why are they only £10K? Possibly for the same reasons as the Italian ones!

My impression (from looking in estate agents' windows when on holiday...), is that property is cheaper than the UK, but not massively so, unless comparing with London.

(I've spent a lot of time in Italy, but wouldn't be able to pinpoint anywhere I'd like to live permanently. Even in the UK, I would only move to a different area for reasons of friends, family or work; I couldn't just stick a pin in a map.)
Perhaps the idea then is to rent for 6 months each year, then its a different place each time, we had that idea about India because its cheap to do so and we know that you cant become a proper resident there (we are not Indian)

Also the ones we're looking at are in the middle of little hill top villages, presumably no one wants to live there anymore
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Old 03-01-2017, 16:10
MAW
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How do you like your winters? The cheapest easily accessible places are in Eastern Europe. Poland, for instance. English is spoken reasonably widely, and they're all keen to practise. It's very, very friendly to Brits, it's sparsely populated (they're all here) fabulously beautiful, cheap, but cold in winter. Hungary might be worth investigating too. We've gone for France, but not full time, to keep our pension arrangements index linked.
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Old 03-01-2017, 16:22
Jennifer_F
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I think you ought to rent first as I think you are dreaming what is will be like - not being rude.
We had a specially fitted wood burning stove in our first house which was quite expensive, not just a free standing one and it only heated the room it was in - the rest of the house was cold in winter, especially the bathrooms. That is why we started to live in India in the winter as it was far too cold and damp for us.
I agree. My Mum lives in Portugal and as you say, the houses are built for hot summers, they are lovely and cool in summer but they are very cold in winter. Mum has 2 log burners in different rooms but it is still very cold. They use electric fires to boost the warmth as they do not have central heating, but it is still cold in there even to me , and I'm used to british winters.
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Old 03-01-2017, 16:24
tiacat
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How do you like your winters? The cheapest easily accessible places are in Eastern Europe. Poland, for instance. English is spoken reasonably widely, and they're all keen to practise. It's very, very friendly to Brits, it's sparsely populated (they're all here) fabulously beautiful, cheap, but cold in winter. Hungary might be worth investigating too. We've gone for France, but not full time, to keep our pension arrangements index linked.
I didnt think of eastern Europe because of the language thing. We would love a very cold proper winter so we wouldnt be bothered about the cold as long as we could get around
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Old 03-01-2017, 16:39
Tellystar
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There are actually very good deals in some Spanish repossession properties just now but they are mostly in towns rather than resorts. However, their economy is very uncertain and prices could rocket.
Do not move to Spain unless you have a good steady income ie: a good pension
It is not as cheap as it's rumoured to be!
Also you will not get free healthcare until you receive your state pension
Consider the future - elderly care is very expensive, and not widely available
In order to be resident there you have to fulfil certain criteria, eg poof of private Spanish health insurance, proof of a certain level of income
You would be subject to Pay income tax on all your income in Spain
I can vouch for the coldness of the winters- people just do not realise this
If you want warmth all year, consider the Canaries, however you need to speak Spanish well
If you do decide to go there- research, research, research!!
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Old 03-01-2017, 17:10
MAW
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I didnt think of eastern Europe because of the language thing. We would love a very cold proper winter so we wouldnt be bothered about the cold as long as we could get around
You need a 4x4, but that's scarecely an issue these days. My choice would be Poland even though it's not the cheapest place, partly cos they are pro Brit, partly cos the whole vibe there is rather quaint. Property is very cheap by our standards, and cost of living is very low, as long as you don't want white bread, and other quintessaly English food. Meat and veg, no problem.
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Old 03-01-2017, 17:27
mrsgrumpy49
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Also the ones we're looking at are in the middle of little hill top villages, presumably no one wants to live there anymore
Some friends have a house in France. The village - which is on the face of it 'quaint' - is becoming an awful depopulated place. The market and other things don't function any more as half the French residents have gone to live in the city.
There is a smattering of overseas property owners in the area but the place has lost it's character, it's community and its vibrancy.
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Old 03-01-2017, 18:06
tiacat
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Some friends have a house in France. The village - which is on the face of it 'quaint' - is becoming an awful depopulated place. The market and other things don't function any more as half the French residents have gone to live in the city.
There is a smattering of overseas property owners in the area but the place has lost it's character, it's community and its vibrancy.
I did wonder about that.
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Old 03-01-2017, 18:09
Tellystar
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[quote=MAW;85037862]You need a 4x4, but that's scarecely an issue these days. My choice woulewwwd be Poland even though it's not the cheapest place, partly cos they are pro Brit, partly cos the whole vibe there is rather quaint. Property is very cheap by our standards, and cost of living is very low, as long as you don't want white bread, and other quintessaly English food. Meat and veg, no problem.[/

What about healthcare, care of the elderly etc in Poland?
Many things to consider besides cheap property and food!
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Old 03-01-2017, 18:41
MAW
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What about healthcare, care of the elderly etc in Poland?
Many things to consider besides cheap property and food!
It's insurance based iirc Of course it needs to be taken into account, but other taxation isn't very high, overall it's still way cheaper than here. We had a look at the idea, as it would also be pretty reasonable to employ a home Carer if you were infirm. In the end it was too far for us, as we have 4 surviving (just) parents who need a lot of visiting, and the occasional emergency visit.
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Old 03-01-2017, 19:03
mrsgrumpy49
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My family originated in Ireland and I have distant relatives in Dublin. Property is comparatively cheap and the culture is not too different. It's something that I personally would consider. If I were to move somewhere I would want to be part of the community.
I've lived and worked in Uganda and in some respects it was a wonderful life but we lived, of necessity, in an expat bubble. I still have friends there and love to visit but I wouldn't want. to live like that permanently.
A former neighbour - a retired disabled lady bought a smallholding in the Orkneys! She said 'It is now or never'. But it wasn't some wild fantasy. She used to visit year on year and had friends and connections there.
To anyone considering a drastic move I would say go for it, you only live once. But if you are actually retiring, it's a big step. Ideally go and live there for a while first and don't forget the boring financials and healthcare.
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Old 03-01-2017, 19:13
duffsdad
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The Canary Islands have a pretty low cost of living.
My mum and dad take a villa in Lanzarote for a good few months each year, only coming back for Christmas and New Year. You can pick up a rental for £200 a month during winter. It works out cheaper than them going some places during the summer.
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Old 03-01-2017, 19:48
Normandie
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A few (more!) points:
In many countries - including France, Spain, Italy, Portugal - property is cheap in areas where there is little or no employment but also because they may need a new roof, need completely re-wiring, possibly new plumbing, there is no central heating or (a pet obsession of mine) effective insulation. If you are retiring to a place, lack of employment isn't a direct problem but it can have a knock-on effect on the vivacity of a village or town and the continued viability of commerce.

Renovations cost a lot of money. Don't be fooled by the completely renovate a 4-bedroom house for £20,000 tosh that you see on the fantasy relocation programmes. In areas where there are few electrics / plumbing / roofing companies (because there isn't enough work to support them) it's difficult to get a keen price and reliable workmen (persons ).

Also, the money you spend renovating a property may not be reflected in the eventual increase of value of the property. The wild property price increases that still continue in the UK are not reflected elsewhere in the rural world because (generalising) the less wealthy / not working / retired live in small towns and villages and those with prospects (and where property prices do go up) are in the major towns and employment centres... and new, efficient, insulated houses. Hence it's wise to keep a property in the UK as, after some years, if want / need to return, you'll have been priced out of the UK property market.

We have a 11 kw output woodburning stove and it heats the 100 sq metre ground floor (with a bit of u/f heating at one end of the house) very adequately but we have thick stone walls with absurd quantities of very effective insulation. Also, unless you buy your own wood and a chainsaw, wood costs money before you can burn it. Never be seduced by an open fire - look glorious but are very ineffective as they direct most of the heat up the chimney rather than into the room.

If you are really interested in Italy, there's an AngloInfo Italy international website which has reasonably reliable information in English for immigrants. Ime, the discussion forums are underpopulated and not worth bothering with but the factsheets are a good guide.

https://www.angloinfo.com/how-to/italy


Tiacat, you may feel that you're getting a lot of negative responses but from what I can see, they're all realistic about the challenges of moving permanently elsewhere. If someone has plenty of disposable income, things are much simpler but moving countries permanently can cost a lot of money and if you don't have the income to fund it, you use capital and generally, any capital you use will not be replaced from basic pensions.
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Old 03-01-2017, 19:57
radioanorak
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We retired to Rhodes, Greece in 2009.
Our rent is € 300 a month.
Last electric bill for 67 days € 61 & 4 months water €12
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Old 03-01-2017, 20:22
welwynrose
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Hubby would love to move abroad for our retirement but I'm leaning to moving further away from London especially as we're mortgage free
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Old 03-01-2017, 20:32
tiacat
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A few (more!) points:
In many countries - including France, Spain, Italy, Portugal - property is cheap in areas where there is little or no employment but also because they may need a new roof, need completely re-wiring, possibly new plumbing, there is no central heating or (a pet obsession of mine) effective insulation. If you are retiring to a place, lack of employment isn't a direct problem but it can have a knock-on effect on the vivacity of a village or town and the continued viability of commerce.

Renovations cost a lot of money. Don't be fooled by the completely renovate a 4-bedroom house for £20,000 tosh that you see on the fantasy relocation programmes. In areas where there are few electrics / plumbing / roofing companies (because there isn't enough work to support them) it's difficult to get a keen price and reliable workmen (persons ).

Also, the money you spend renovating a property may not be reflected in the eventual increase of value of the property. The wild property price increases that still continue in the UK are not reflected elsewhere in the rural world because (generalising) the less wealthy / not working / retired live in small towns and villages and those with prospects (and where property prices do go up) are in the major towns and employment centres... and new, efficient, insulated houses. Hence it's wise to keep a property in the UK as, after some years, if want / need to return, you'll have been priced out of the UK property market.

We have a 11 kw output woodburning stove and it heats the 100 sq metre ground floor (with a bit of u/f heating at one end of the house) very adequately but we have thick stone walls with absurd quantities of very effective insulation. Also, unless you buy your own wood and a chainsaw, wood costs money before you can burn it. Never be seduced by an open fire - look glorious but are very ineffective as they direct most of the heat up the chimney rather than into the room.

If you are really interested in Italy, there's an AngloInfo Italy international website which has reasonably reliable information in English for immigrants. Ime, the discussion forums are underpopulated and not worth bothering with but the factsheets are a good guide.

https://www.angloinfo.com/how-to/italy


Tiacat, you may feel that you're getting a lot of negative responses but from what I can see, they're all realistic about the challenges of moving permanently elsewhere. If someone has plenty of disposable income, things are much simpler but moving countries permanently can cost a lot of money and if you don't have the income to fund it, you use capital and generally, any capital you use will not be replaced from basic pensions.
No Im not seeing the answers as negative?

I wouldnt even consider buying somewhere that didnt have some of the basics, decor we can do, we can do other stuff in the UK but I wouldnt have the confidence to do it in another country.

So whatever we bought if we did, would have bathroom, kitchen and heating.

However, Im now thinking about doing long rentals in a variety of countries, maybe this might be the way but it would have to be a lot cheaper than what I can see online at the moment. I wouldnt sell up in this country, we already did that in London and then when I wanted to move back we were priced out so Im not making the same mistake twice.
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Old 04-01-2017, 12:53
walterwhite
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They seem to have properties for as little as £2500 (ignoring the ones at £0). Presumably there is some catch, even the £15K ones.

But even Liverpool has apartments for only £10K on rightmove. Why are they only £10K? Possibly for the same reasons as the Italian ones!

My impression (from looking in estate agents' windows when on holiday...), is that property is cheaper than the UK, but not massively so, unless comparing with London.

(I've spent a lot of time in Italy, but wouldn't be able to pinpoint anywhere I'd like to live permanently. Even in the UK, I would only move to a different area for reasons of friends, family or work; I couldn't just stick a pin in a map.)
I can only see one apartment in Liverpool for £10k and I'm guessing it's an error.
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Old 04-01-2017, 13:44
ianradioian
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My mum and dad take a villa in Lanzarote for a good few months each year, only coming back for Christmas and New Year. You can pick up a rental for £200 a month during winter. It works out cheaper than them going some places during the summer.
This is what we do. Mid Italy ( south of Rome) or Southern Spain during the bad Winter months but live in England as normal the rest of the time
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Old 04-01-2017, 14:02
bart4858
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In order to be resident there you have to fulfil certain criteria, eg poof of private Spanish health insurance, proof of a certain level of income
Really? Are we not both still in the EU?

I can only see one apartment in Liverpool for £10k and I'm guessing it's an error.
The next two up are £13K and £17K, then there's a bunch at £25K.
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Old 04-01-2017, 14:37
Normandie
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Really? Are we not both still in the EU?
Being in the EU gives an EU citizen the right to travel and to work in EU countries... it doesn't give them the right to go and live in another member country and not be able to support themselves. Or not to adhere to the rules relating to residency of a country, eg income thresholds and eligibility to join the country's health system or proof of an adequate health care insurance policy. Whatever the Daily Wail might tell us.
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Old 04-01-2017, 14:58
MR_Pitkin
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This is really good advice, and lots to think about. I think the new year got me thinking about another year older etc etc. We are now only 6 years from being mortgage free, and therefore mainly debt free. My OH is 12 years from retirement so I also want to retire and this got me thinking. Ive always had a dream to live in Italy, I love Italy although I would defintely visit more and more if we were actually going to do this.
What, so you're not contemplating doing this for 12 years??
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Old 04-01-2017, 16:07
bart4858
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Being in the EU gives an EU citizen the right to travel and to work in EU countries... it doesn't give them the right to go and live in another member country and not be able to support themselves. Or not to adhere to the rules relating to residency of a country, eg income thresholds and eligibility to join the country's health system or proof of an adequate health care insurance policy. Whatever the Daily Wail might tell us.
So immigration from the EU to the UK (or vice versa) isn't as completely unrestricted as is made out?

But who checks whether you're intending to settle in another EU country rather than just visit, as border officials don't do so?
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