# Retiring to corfu



## janelouisestockdale (Mar 20, 2014)

I would be very grateful for any advice from British expats living on Corfu. My husband and I would like to retire to Corfu as we have been holidaying there for many years. We are not quite of retirement age yet (being 54 and 56 respectively). However we probably have enough savings to keep us going until we receive our pensions. 
We will keep our house in the UK initially and rent this out. We have no mortgage now so our rental income would pay for renting a house in Corfu and there would probably be around £200 a month left over to go towards our living expenses. The rest of our living expenses would come from our savings.
Assuming we like living in Corfu we could, later on, sell our house in the UK and then either buy a property in Corfu or simply live on the proceeds and keep renting.
I would really like to know what living costs are like in Corfu, is anything more expensive than it is in the UK? We would probably be looking at a 2 or 3 bedroom house but would require things like TV, telephone and internet so I was wondering what telecoms costs were like and also how good the internet is.
Is it worth bringing our car over from the UK or should we just buy a car when we get there? I understand you can only keep your British plates for 6 months and then have to register the car in Corfu which I believe is costly.
Could we survive with just the normal Greek Health Service or should we have private health care? We are both currently healthy. All comments gratefully received.
Jane


----------



## samrvy (Mar 26, 2011)

Hi. My advice would be " don't sell your UK house " you never know what the future holds and if illness strikes your gonna need a base to return to and your Greek property could take years to sell. I've seen this happen several times in the last 20 years. Good luck with your future plans !!!


----------



## The Grocer (May 30, 2010)

Hi Jane,

For info on cars check out my post at:-

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/gr...ng-greece/52015-new-greek-car-import-law.html

Whatever you do DO NOT just bring it and try and import it after the 6 months, it will cost you a lot of money in taxes......if you decide to bring it follow my guide! If you car is over 1927cc FORGET IT......due to the annual circulation tax and "luxury tax" imposed. 

Generally I find food prices in Greece more expensive than the UK, mainly I guess owing to the 13% tax. Yes you can buy cheaper on some markets & local stalls etc, some items but Corfu again is more expensive than mainland Greece.

You would be VERY wise to hold onto your UK home and in time decide / plan as SAMRVY says things change.
Phone & internet will cosy you around 34 euro per month (OTE) for a decent internet speed, what is speed available will vary slightly in different parts of the island.

Health care.....if you are fit and well it could well be easier to just pay privately to see consultants / doctors etc.....its FAR cheaper than the UK, and as you may know private health care payments per month are extremely expensive. Your EHIC will cover you for a time


----------



## janelouisestockdale (Mar 20, 2014)

Many thanks Samrvy. Your advice is much appreciated.


----------



## janelouisestockdale (Mar 20, 2014)

The Grocer - Many thanks for all the info. Our car is a 14 year old Audi A6 (1896cc) . It is not worth much due to its age but still runs really well. Probably, it will not be worth taking it to Corfu. We could just buy a second hand left hand drive car when we get there.


----------

