I want to visit Southern Italy and Sicily. If they are as nice as they look I would consider retiring there. Any idea what the cost of living is like compared to Connecticut? I don’t think it can be worse then CT.
I really liked the Gdańsk/Sopot area in Poland, when I was there last year. And also the Costa del Sol area in Spain.
Houses/apartments are much cheaper as long as you are not on the water. Just like here, the closer to the Med or Adriatic the more expensive.
https://www.idealista.it/en/geo/vendita-case/calabria/lista-mappa
This seems to be the Italian version of a Zillow listing site.
You can search by region. The search above is for Calabria(the tip of the boot across for Sicily).
Generally there are a lot more apartments for sale instead of stand alone houses. Newer buildings are worth more money.
Buildings with elevators are more expensive.
Like always LOOK for bars on the windows. That typically means an area you do not want to live.
This interest for me came up when I came across a YouTube channel called AHomeinItaly. This is run by a British expat offering real estate in the Abruzzo Region. Which is east of Rome down to the Adriatic. This is also a lesser expensive area.
I think some areas of Sicily have more crime. Keep in mind that the south gets pretty hot in the summer. The middle part of the country on the coastal plain is more moderate.
The country is very mountainous. So, there are a lot of villages that are tougher to get to. These are where you can
buy houses for under $100K.
Look into Sicily
Property can be nearly free, food is super cheap (fresh and healthy) and great weather. A great quality of life, IMO.