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Moving abroad is a growing phenomenon among retirees throughout Western Europe, and especially among French retirees. 

More and more French seniors are leaving France for other countries, including Italy, Spain, Portugal and Morocco. 

There are several reasons for this:

The cost of living: 

All the Mediterranean countries can boast prices that are half of those in France. Whether you’re talking about food, clothing, household products or any other daily accessory, everything is almost half the price, except for products sold in capital goods, which are only 30% cheaper than in France.

And if you find little paradises like the Canary Islands, the Azores, or any of the Spanish and Portuguese overseas territories, you can pay even less!

A coffee in Santa Cruz, the capital of Tenerife, will cost you 80 cents, compared to at least 2 € in Paris. 

In Italy, it is not uncommon to eat copiously and organically for 70% less than in France. 

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The cost of real estate: 

The cost of real estate is the most striking difference. This difference is less obvious as there are no flats on the supermarket shelves. But ask local residents, scan the windows of estate agents and you will see real gems that are up to five times cheaper than in France!

A three-room apartment in Montijo, a large town on the border with Lisbon with its own airport, costs between €70,000 and €110,000, whereas it would cost between €350,000 and €600,000 in Boulogne Billancourt or Neuilly! 

A villa in Adeje, an upmarket town in Tenerife close to the beach, will cost you an average of €300,000. Its equivalent in Cannes or Biarritz would certainly cost you a million. 

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Quality of life: 

Organic food, local farming and crops, local shops and low pollution are all reasons for our French seniors to leave the hexagon for greener pastures. 

The need for sunshine:

It is no longer a secret that retirees confide in us that they are in need of sun in France. The latest surveys show a strong desire for sun and beach among our seniors. 

Staying active:

For many seniors, retirement is a second life. Seniors want to live and enjoy! So what could be better than discovering a new land, learning a new language and experiencing a new culture? 

For French retirees, expatriation is a whole new adventure!

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Escaping pessimism: 

Here’s another result of recent surveys: retirees in search of joy, fun and good humor have become allergic to the gloomy and defeatist spirit that reigns in France. 

The French habit of grumbling and systematically seeing the glass as half empty has become repulsive to seniors. 

However, the choice of host country is not made at random and must respect certain rules to seduce the most resistant of retirees. 

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Proximity to the family: 

Seniors admit it: leaving yes, but leaving far from their grandchildren, no! 

This is one of the reasons why the top 3 destinations are Italy, Spain and Portugal, three neighbouring countries that only require a short flight.

  • Cultural proximity: 

Going on an adventure is great, but losing your bearings is much less so. It is important for seniors to find their way around the country they are moving to. It would be difficult for them to end up in Japan, although the Japanese are very friendly. This criterion stems from the simple desire to feel safe in a familiar context.

Language proximity: 

Learn a new language, yes! As long as it is similar to my own. And here again, it is easier to learn Italian than Japanese (those Japanese), it requires less effort.

We can easily predict a meteoric rise in the expatriation of seniors in the years to come. 

Not only do technology and networks facilitate this migration more and more, but the constantly deteriorating situation on French soil will be an ever more intense motor for this phenomenon. 

And companies, whether French or foreign, have understood this.

So much so that it is common to see local French-speaking actors in all the countries mentioned at the beginning of this article. Everything possible is being done to satisfy the French, outside France. 

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