# retire to greece



## marlenedel (Oct 2, 2011)

I am 72 year female with a small dog and want to retire in Greece, or at least I think I do, since I live on a fixed income of $1,300 a month. Do you think this would be possible to rent a small apartment in El Hierro or maybe some other place in Greece. I visited there in 1980's and fell in love and now I am in a position to move there. It is getting impossible to afford to continue living in the United States. 
Thank you
Marlene Del Vecchio




Hepa said:


> There are Seven large islands, Lanzarote, Fuertventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and last but not least El Hierro, where I live.
> 
> All the islands are completely unique and very diverse, from the arid sun baked Eastern Isles of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, to the three lush green western Isles of La Palma, Gomera and Hierro. Tenerife and Gran Canaria are mini continents with dry southern areas, where the tourist resorts are, to green northern areas. Myself I have a liking for all of the islands.
> 
> ...


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## wka (Sep 18, 2009)

I answered this post on the other thread where you posted it. However, there you said $1400/month - $1300/month is less than €1000. It's not a lot of money! You will want to think carefully about where you live. In some places you can get an apartment for as low as €150/month, in other places you won't find anything below €400.


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## mrsDayLewis (Nov 18, 2008)

Depends on the lifestyle ... I can live quite nicely as single person on 700 a month.. pay 280 for rent, be careful with your utilities, and the transport costs are still lower than rest of Europe and North America!
If you want to smoke, drive, go out to clubs and theaters, like to indulge in retail therapy etc etc then 1000 a month isnt going to go as far... but many of us live on much less, quite happily. 
One of the blessings of retirement (or unemployment) is that you have the time to shop carefully, find the bargains, be flexible for cheap flights, and not need the fast lifestyle of convenience foods and taxis! With a month bus pass for 20€, you can travel quite far, and pets can go on tram (if in a carrier). 
If in good health - bicycles are becoming popular around the city now too!
Good luck Marlenedel


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## marlenedel (Oct 2, 2011)

TY for your quick response and I really appreciate the info. I am assuming that you are speaking about living in Athens where you live.



mrsDayLewis said:


> Depends on the lifestyle ... I can live quite nicely as single person on 700 a month.. pay 280 for rent, be careful with your utilities, and the transport costs are still lower than rest of Europe and North America!
> If you want to smoke, drive, go out to clubs and theaters, like to indulge in retail therapy etc etc then 1000 a month isnt going to go as far... but many of us live on much less, quite happily.
> One of the blessings of retirement (or unemployment) is that you have the time to shop carefully, find the bargains, be flexible for cheap flights, and not need the fast lifestyle of convenience foods and taxis! With a month bus pass for 20€, you can travel quite far, and pets can go on tram (if in a carrier).
> If in good health - bicycles are becoming popular around the city now too!
> Good luck Marlenedel


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## Akay (Mar 11, 2011)

I think that you will be just fine with that income. I lived in Thessaloniki with monthly scholarship of only 400 €; of course - it IS different when you're a student, you share a flat, have part-time job, you don't ask for much of a comfort in life 
Still, I think in a city such as Salonika, you might find a single room flat for about 300 €, count let's say 500 for food (I mean, you're on your own, you don't need that much), and with the rest you will cover bills and a few coffees by the sea.
Good luck!


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## mrsDayLewis (Nov 18, 2008)

500€... for food? I spend about 40€ a week for two people... often less... thats about 150 a month - did you out a lot Akay? We eat seasonally... go to the leiki before it closes... eat small amounts of meat or fish, buy our bread from the local bakeries, and cook economical Greek dishes.


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## wka (Sep 18, 2009)

hehe I had the same reaction but didn't want to say anything in case I'm super cheap! For two people, I spend around €30-40/week. We're vegetarians, though.


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## marlenedel (Oct 2, 2011)

Yikes, I spend about $30 USD for food now.....LOL and that includes the doggie!!!!


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## mrsDayLewis (Nov 18, 2008)

wka said:


> hehe I had the same reaction but didn't want to say anything in case I'm super cheap! For two people, I spend around €30-40/week. We're vegetarians, though.


:clap2:
No youre absolutely not 'cheap' - its one of the few things that are still a bargain in Greece - the fresh fruit and veg - and is a real delight for vegetarians I would think!
Its also amazing how much free food can be found - this year we found trees with kumquats, figs, mulberry, and pomegranate... and I think I know where I can find limes... 
My friends and I make jam and marmalade, and I just made chutney this weekend. 
Marlenedel might find that out of the city she can get other foods even cheaper than I do in Athens. 
Damn, if I had 500 a month for food, Id be indulging in seafood and eating out 2 times a week!:hungry:


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## wka (Sep 18, 2009)

Yes! I love to compare food prices with what my mom pays in the US. She pays $3/pound for tomatoes, I pay $0.19/pound for tomatoes (adjusted for exchange rate and kg/lb conversion)! Many things (like gasoline...) are a lot more expensive in Greece, but produce and regular groceries are affordable. So, Marlene, if you shop carefully, you will probably be just fine on $80/month for one person (more if you eat meat regularly - meat is much more expensive than in the US).


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

marlenedel said:


> I am 72 year female with a small dog and want to retire in Greece, or at least I think I do, since I live on a fixed income of $1,300 a month. Do you think this would be possible to rent a small apartment in El Hierro or maybe some other place in Greece. I visited there in 1980's and fell in love and now I am in a position to move there. It is getting impossible to afford to continue living in the United States.
> Thank you
> Marlene Del Vecchio


What about health care? At 72 you are likely to need this in the near future. While in the US you are covered under Medicare (and if your only assets are 1300 dollars a month I doubt that your premiums are much for this). Moving anywhere in Europe means that you will need to take out Private Health Insurance.

Can you afford this? Also apart from the Greek mainland, hospital care on Greek Islands is limited to say the least.

You are only in a position to move there if you have some assets behind you - the plane fare alone will set you back around 800 bucks.


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## marlenedel (Oct 2, 2011)

I really appreciate both of your comments....now I just have to figure out how to ship my household goods (not furniture) will need furnished apartment, but I would like to bring my car because i just bought it 6 months ago. Will probably check on Ro-Ro shipping.

Do most apartments allow a small dog. She has been with me 11 years so not about to leave her behind....

Marlene Del Vecchio


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## wka (Sep 18, 2009)

Hi again,

About the dog - it depends. All the apartments I've lived in have said "no pets" on the lease - but then I've had other people tell me that they can't legally prevent you from having a pet in your own home (I don't know if this is true, though). In the interests of keeping the peace, I wouldn't challenge something like that - last thing you want is to find yourself in an unfriendly renter/tenant relationship! But some places do allow pets - you'll just have to look a little harder. (I've known many, many Greeks to have cats in apartments and some were definitely renting, but I can't remember any dogs where they weren't homeowners.)

As far as the car goes - it may be more hassle than it's worth. You'll have to pay import taxes that may cost more than purchasing a good used car here in Greece. Also, car taxes in Greece are based on the size of the engine, so if your car is an American-style car, you will probably pay through the nose. On the other hand, if you have little economy car, it might be worth it. It's hard to say... most people do just choose to purchase a car here. Also be aware that shipping can take months depending on how you do it - I have a friend whose stuff took 6 months to go from the New York harbor to Peiraias. So you'll want to be sure.

I moved my household (of one) to Greece using the US Postal Service. I do not recommend this. It is excruciatingly expensive. However, I was sending only small items (no furniture) and didn't have enough to justify even a partial container, so I bit the bullet - cost me over $1600 to send half my books and most of my clothes. If I could do it again, I probably wouldn't bother with any of it. Financially, it was an ENORMOUS mistake. It cost me far more than it would have to reserve on a ship. 

I want to stress in case you are neglecting to pay it attention: unless you are an EU citizen and haven't mentioned it, you don't actually have the right to move to Greece. You will have to go through tremendous bureaucratic hoops just to APPLY and there is no guarantee that it will be approved. Before you start investing time and money into searching for property and removal companies, I recommend you get your paperwork in order, perhaps hire a Greek immigration lawyer, and make sure that what you want to do is even going to be possible at all.


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## marlenedel (Oct 2, 2011)

After speaking with all of you and listening to your remarks, I think I will continue my trek through Central America. I wanted to live in Europe again but I had a pretty good idea that because the monetary system changed to Euros after I left Italy where I lived for 15 years, that it would be expensive. I have researched Central America and in Panama, I can take my car and household goods duty FREE. The cost to ship my car is $1,500 via Ro-Ro and I will sell my furniture as most houses and apartments are furnished there. My Italian will help me get through the language barrier until I learn Spanish which should be relatively easy for me. Houses on the beach rent for $300-$400 a month and apartments are the same (not living in Panama City which I wouldn't want to do anyway). It is also closer to the US in case I should want to return one day. Yes, I will lose Medicare which is $97 a month and a health plan for Central America is $48 so that is good. There are absolutely no restrictions on pets there and they have a Pensionado Program there for senior expats.

Once again, thank you all for your input....it was greatly appreciated!!

Marlene


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## Akay (Mar 11, 2011)

Hmm, maybe I was overestimating the prices, I did included eating out and 5-8 € coffes and drinks in bars 
I myself wasn't spending that amount, but as a student I had free canteen. So that kinda helped, even though I wasn't going there every day. 
Laiki is great, I really miss having all that choice of fresh vegs and fruits all year round!

Well I'm glad you sorted out and made your decision. Greece would be a good choice, but if you want to be closer to friends and family in the States, CA is a better solution. good luck!


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