Looking at the best place to winter or retire in Europe. Main considerations (besides weather), are, in order, cost of living, transportation access, local culture (and expat friendly).
I am looking at the southern areas of Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece, and the island of Malta because all are in southern Europe and provide the best year round weather.
Weather:
A search for the best year round weather in Europe found the Canary Islands (Spain) and Malaga, Spain. Being on the mainland, Malaga would be preferable to the Canaries for easy of travel on the Continent. Another site also suggests Malaga and the Canaries. International Living rated the Algarve in Portugal as the #1 site in the world!
Another article, 5 European Destinations With Great Weather Throughout The Year, praised Madeira, Portugal. Also, Sardinia, the Canary Islands, the Liguria region in northern Italy, and La Rochelle, France. Their criteria are "Never too hot and never too cold (about 22-23°C all year round)" and little rain.
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| Algarve Weather |
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| Cagliari, Sardinia Weather |
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| Catania, Sicily |
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| Malta |
Cost of Living:
The ranking of the cost of living in Europe in 2019 is found here (lowest to highest):
Portugal (50.39)
Portugal (50.39)
Spain (54.70)
Greece (56.66)
Malta (63.32)
Italy (69.25)
(For comparison, Switzerland, the highest, is 121.16; Kosovo, the lowest, is 26.18. Poland is 39.13, Germany is 67.62, and France is 74.85)
Surprisingly, Italy's cost of living is higher than the UK and Germany. Perhaps Rome and the other large northern cities are skewing the data. I believe the south is much cheaper.
If looking to buy property, from the Expat website: "According to the German web portal Statista, at €2,846/m2, property in Greece is 20% cheaper than in Malta, 25% cheaper than in Portugal and 35% cheaper than in Spain."
Transportation Access:
Obviously, any island location like Malta, the Canary Islands, Sardinia, Madeira and much of the best locations in Greece would add additional time and cost to continental travel. La Rochelle France and the Liguria region in Italy are more central.
Local Culture:
I think I would enjoy most of the areas that I am looking at for their culture (though the Canary Islands and Madeira would be limited). Malta is large enough to have considerable culture - see my Malta page. I don't know much about Sardinia.
As for Greece, International Living suggest the islands of Crete and Corfu as the best retirement locations. They provide air as well as ferry transportation and have a reasonable cost of living, good housing, healthcare and infrastructure.
Rental Properties:
Portugal - Idealista.com has long term rentals.
