The Best Of Old World Europe
Sunny days, stunning beaches, happy people…
A low cost of living, tons of cheap property, and tasty food…
Healthy living, safe streets, and virtually free health care…
It’s no surprise that 7.2 million expats call Spain home.
This is the most popular second-home destination in all of Europe.
Indeed, a recent InterNations survey of more than 12,000 veteran expats ranked not one… not two… but three cities in Spain as the very best places to live abroad.
Yes… out of nearly 50 cities across the world getting votes, Spain’s cities came in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd!
Of course, our own experts agree. That’s why we’ve named one of those cities the world’s best place to retire overseas in 2024.
I’m talking about Valencia.
Sunny Valencia effortlessly mixes ancient history and 21st-century technology. Founded by the Romans around 140 B.C., this city has been a cultural and industrial base for the region for more than 2,000 years.
The ancient city gates, Torres de Quart, still bear the marks of the medieval siege of Valencia, and you can see signs of ancient battles clearly in its pockmarked walls.
Walk anywhere in the city of Valencia, and you’ll find clues to its long and storied history. Roman, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture are all at play here.
At the same time, the port neighborhood known as the City of Arts and Sciences is so advanced that is has been used as a setting for science-fiction films.
With an average temperature in the daytime of around 70°F (21°C) year-round, Valencia has the perfect weather conditions for an active, healthy, and uplifting lifestyle.
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This part of the Western Mediterranean has some of the finest beaches in Europe—in the city and to the north and south.
The mountains are within easy reach and the Valencian Community offers plenty of scope for excursions to national parks and other sites of historic and cultural interest.
Valencia is well located on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, with direct routes to the rest of Europe.
France and the ski-slopes of tiny, tax-free Andorra in the Pyrenees are a few hours away by train, while Portugal, the French Riviera, and Gibraltar are also within easy reach. Ferries run daily to islands such as Mallorca and Ibiza.
Spain’s third-largest city, Valencia has many of the same attractions as Barcelona—impressive architecture, great weather, fine beaches—while managing to retain a small-town feel. Everything is within easy reach… and there’s a welcoming, relaxed vibe that’s reminiscent of southern California.
Along with its hip neighborhoods and vintage bookstores, retro shops, and co-working spaces, the city’s Túria Gardens—a dry riverbed converted to a public park and known as “the lungs of the city”—has sports pitches, playground areas, and paths for long walks, runs, and cycles.
Grocery prices here can be as much as 30% less than Madrid and Barcelona. You can rent a two-bed apartment from around $800 a month… and your monthly living costs (for a renting couple) could be but $1,700.
Life in Valencia can be as good as life gets.
Until next time,
Kathleen Peddicord
Founding Publisher, Overseas Living Letter
