Portugal has long been the favorite destination for French people wishing to emigrate for their retirement. But it is about to be dethroned by another European country, which has many advantages, particularly with regard to purchasing power…
If Portugal has long been the flagship destination for French expatriate retirees, it could well be in the process of being dethroned by another European country, just as pleasant and with a much lower cost of living than in France…
Portugal has long been popular with French retirees, who found advantageous taxation and a lower cost of living there. But there is another European country that is increasingly attracting expatriates. Already more than 37,000 French people are registered in the embassy register as expatriates. It must be said that the place has many advantages: a pleasant climate, a pleasant living environment, geographical proximity to France, and above all, lower prices than in France, particularly in the real estate sector.
Depending on the platform Green-Acresthe French spend on average 428,000 euros for a very large house of around 260m², or less than 1700 euros to put it squarely! In comparison, the average price per square meter in France, all regions combined, is around 2,408 euros, according to Seloger.com. An average which increases exponentially in Paris and in many large cities.
In this country, taxation has also become even more advantageous than in Portugal. Since 2019, foreign retirees, from the private sector, who settle in small towns of less than 20,000 inhabitants can be taxed at only 7% on their retirement pension compared to 10% in Portugal. By extension, retirees can therefore benefit from better purchasing power.
But where is this Eldorado which has already won over many French people? It’s Italy! Thus, to benefit from the aforementioned advantageous tax regime, it is necessary to be a new Italian tax resident and settle in sparsely populated places such as Sicily, Calabria, Abruzzo or Campania.
French retirees find almost as much attraction in the more rural south of Italy as in the more urban north. Depending on the platform Green-Acresthe five favorite regions of the French include two located in the south of the country, Sardinia, in fifth position, and Puglia, at the top of the ranking.
