How Much You Must Invest To Retire In Europe | Cost of Living in European Countries & FIRE

The Expat October 8, 2025
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The Expat

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Helping you to discover the world, move abroad, create wealth, save on taxes, and retire early. https://www.youtube.com/@the_expat?sub_confirmation=1

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Want to retire in Europe? In this data-driven guide, we reveal exactly how much you need to invest to retire on dividends—country by country. FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME: Grab your Expat Wealth & Lifestyle Compass ($108 value) today! Includes our 74-page guide of Affordable European Cities, our Zero-Tax countries report, and our essential expat checklist. https://bit.ly/ExpatWealthLifestyleCompass Join us here before this offer ends! From the high-cost hubs like the Netherlands (Utrecht), Ireland (Cork), Luxembourg (Luxembourg City), and Denmark (Aalborg) to surprisingly affordable gems such as Bulgaria (Varna), Hungary (Szeged), Romania (Cluj‑Napoca), and Greece (Thessaloniki), we rank all 27 EU countries by the total portfolio required to sustain a comfortable lifestyle. Using a 5.6% income portfolio, 2.2% inflation, and a 3.4% real yield, we factor in the cost of living in European countries and each nation’s tax bite—flat and progressive systems included. You’ll see which places have the lowest cost of living in Europe 2025 terms, where taxes quietly kill returns, and where special schemes (like Malta) supercharge FIRE Movement Europe plans. We cover best European cities to retire and cheap places to retire in Europe beyond the capitals—think Valencia (Spain), Bari (Italy), Braga (Portugal), Leipzig (Germany), Split (Croatia), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Uppsala (Sweden), Annecy (France), Graz (Austria), Turku (Finland), Tartu (Estonia), Riga (Latvia), Kaunas (Lithuania), Gdańsk (Poland), Ghent (Belgium), and more. If you’re optimizing for low-tax countries in Europe, retiring in Europe, or evaluating the cost to retire by country in Europe, this video gives precise, actionable numbers. If you’ve wondered how much to retire in Europe or the cost of living Europe 2025 by country, this ranking is your roadmap. Watch to find the best cities to retire Europe—and possibly discover you already have enough. Videos mentioned: How Much of Your Pension You Keep in Each EU Country https://youtu.be/D8tgnp4v5IY?si=HTr4ZZeOHAYwd5fy Many Expats Who Retire in Spain Will Go Broke Because of This! https://youtu.be/KfYuHAoGczM?si=2ZTAyvlw8pHAHqacc Low Taxes, World Class Healthcare, and Year Round Sunshine https://youtu.be/VfJ_-WobkUI?si=CsTTSxnAavJM1_mF 💡Subscribe to @the_expat . I upload new episodes every week! This video is based on this article: https://expatriateconsultancy.com/how-much-to-retire-in-europe/ Subscribe to our channel (it is free)! Planning to move abroad? Read one of these 3 📚books BEFORE: 📚 1 - https://amzn.to/3UkgWUn 📚 2 - https://amzn.to/3U6gacp 📚 3 - https://amzn.to/441oWwJ ➡️X: https://x.com/an_expatriate ➡️Podcast "The Expatriate": https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-expatriate--5406772 🚨 QUESTION - Which country or city would you like us to talk about? 🔴 *** ABOUT THE CHANNEL *** From ten years living as an expatriate in the Middle East, South America, and Eastern Europe, to facts from reliable sources. Straightforward, no-nonsense guides for every expat. Some of the links posted and mentioned may be affiliate links, meaning that the author will have a commission for any transaction. 💡 TOPICS IN THIS VIDEO 💡 best cities to retire europe, best european cities to retire, cheap places to retire in europe, cost of living europe, cost of living europe 2025, cost of living in europe by country 2025, cost of living in european countries, cost to retire by country europe, cost to retire in europe, countries to retire cheaply, fire movement europe, how much does it cost to retire in europe, how much to retire in europe, low tax countries europe, lowest cost of living in europe 2025, lowest tax countries europe, retire cheap europe, retire on dividends europe #livingineurope #lifeineurope #retireabroad 🔎 EXCERPT 🔎 What if I told you that your choice of country to retire in Europe is a million-dollar decision? That’s not an exaggeration. Many people believe you need to be a millionaire to retire in Europe. Yes, places like Ireland and Denmark demand millionaire budgets. But there are 18 other EU countries where you can retire comfortably on much less than that. In this video, we are going to break down the complete ranking, from country number 27 all the way to number 1. Along the way, you’ll discover which nations have the highest taxes eating into your retirement income and which offer special tax exemptions. And there is a good chance that you already have enough to retire in Europe – if you choose the right country. Spoiler: it’s not the Netherlands. After almost a decade living and advising expats in Europe, I can tell: Europe might be surprisingly affordable. And get ready, because the country in our #1 spot isn’t the one you think. Let’s start with…

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