Cynthia F. Says:
My question is where could a senior citizen live in Europe for under $1,500 a month and have a decent apartment and medical facilities?
IL Executive Editor Jennifer Stevens Says:
Hi Cynthia,
While many people in the U.S. might think living in Europe is expensive, this doesn’t have to be the case. Living away from major tourist hotspots and big cities like Paris or Rome can significantly cut your cost of living.
That said, living well for under $1,500 a month in Europe is at the edge of what’s possible. But it’s certainly not impossible!
One place I would recommend—and it’s somewhere we’ll be focusing on here at IL more in the future—is Greece.
Greece has it all: outstanding year-round weather, affordable accommodation, superb food, friendly locals, great healthcare, and amazing history.
We recently asked San Francisco native and eight-year resident of Athens, Lynn Roulo, to break down the cost of living in Greece. While she came up with an average monthly budget of $1,830 per month, I would note that this is an average—meaning you can live there for less.
Lynn arrived at a budget of $1,000 per month for basic living—this includes rent (for a one-bedroom apartment in the center of Athens), utilities, and groceries. She further estimated healthcare costs of $200 per month with private insurance.
If you’re worried about the quality of healthcare, don’t be. The quality is so high and the cost is so low, Greece has become a medical tourism destination.
The rest of Lynn’s $1,830 per month budget consists of things like household help and entertainment—items you could no doubt do without, or at least get by with less of (we all need some entertainment and Greece offers some wonderful low-cost diversions).
This could bring your budget in Athens to between $1,200 and $1,500, depending on what you choose to splurge on in a given month.
Read Lynn’s full breakdown of the cost of living in Greece on the IL website here.
Hope this helps!
Got a Question?
Send your thoughts to mailbag@internationalliving.com. We’ll post and respond to as many of your emails as we can right here in the e-letter.