5 Reasons Why Moving to Southern Europe Might Not Be A Pipe Dream After All
We’ve probably all done it. Fantasized about moving to the Mediterranean for a year or two, and just, well, escaping. But how hard would it be to actually do that? And is living in Europe financially feasible? How cheap is it?
While northern European countries such as Sweden and the Netherlands have a high quality of life and often rank fairly high on happiness indexes each year, they can be more expensive. Not to mention cold. So if you want some sun, and a break from all the chaos happening on our side of the Atlantic, here are ten ways living in southern Europe is actually cheaper.
- Wine is 1/2 the price. The average bottle of domestic wine in both Italy and Spain is about $6.22 compared to $12 in the U.S. Honestly do you even need another reason.
2. Rent in Italian cities (excluding Rome and Milan) is actually cheaper on average at $724 for a 1 bedroom apartment in an urban centre compared to an average of $1,204 in the U.S. (according to numbeo.com).
3. Rent in Spain is also relatively cheaper, especially compared to larger American cities like L.A. and New York, at an average of $810 for 600 sq. ft. in Barcelona and $400 in Seville, or $300 if you want to live in the country. This might not seem that much more affordable, but keep in mind that Spain can look like this:
4. Healthcare. The quality comparison is dubious, however it is much, much more affordable to stay healthy in both Italy and Spain.
5. Small Change. A bunch of smaller goods and services run at about half the price they do in the United States, including domestic beer, internet service, cigarettes, groceries (depending on where you live within either country) and public transportation.
