Where in western Europe would be less expensive places for an American to move to?

Answer 1

I see that this is in the Greece section my brother moved there after he retired from the Army and loves it. He looked around and found that Greece was one of the least expensive places to live but he doesn't plan to spen forever there. One thing he did tell me is that in the ex-pat comumity if they get a major illness they leave for the UK, France, Germany where the health care is better.

The big thing is not to expect to have the American life style there, you WILL have to make some dramatic changes. Everyone pays lip-service but they never really expect that the changes are really that dramatic it is a different country after all.

Answer 2

By Western Europe I assume you mean the EC Countries. If your move is long term the you will need both a visa and a Work Permit. These are very hard to come by unless you have a skill that is in demand.

Remember also that you cannot freely cross borders the way an EC passport holder can. You will need to get a visa for each country. For this purpose signatories to the Schengen Agreement count as one Country.

Least expensive areas are likely to be the new joiners, choose from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in the North or Roumania in the South. You will need at least a working knowledge of the language of any of these to make a long stay viable.

You could try for one of the Non EC Countries but you will still need Visas and Work permits.

Ian M

Answer 3

Even if you don't have all that much money, don't make you decision just on financing. Spend times in the different countries and see what suits you best. I personally like Berlin,
the English Country Side, Tuscany, Athens, the Greek Islands,
and the Portuguese coast. Paris and the French country can be just as nice. But Switzerland is fabulous if you can afford it.
Scandinavian countries are great if you like the northern climates. There are so many choices. Don't be hasty, and be willing to make a change every so often if you are not absolutely happy with your situation.
I Cr 13;8a

Answer 4

Any place in Western Europe is expensive for an American to live in, if you are using U.S. Dollars because they are worth about HALF their FACE VALUE against the Euro from what they were worth about a year ago.