Moving to Europe sounds romantic. Doing it is paperwork, taxes, and a hundred decisions. We make the second part simple — with real numbers from official sources, verified and dated.
D7 from €920/month passive income (2026). Median home €2,198/m² (Q4 2025). 3,000+ hours of Algarve sun.
Open the Portugal guide → ★ Live nowNo retirement visa — but real routes exist. Average home £270,080 (Apr 2026). 4 tax-free years on foreign income for new arrivals.
Open the UK guide → ★ Live nowNon-lucrative visa from €2,400/month income (2026). Golden visa gone since April 2025. Homes €2,315/m² (Q1 2026).
Open the Spain guide → ★ Live nowLong-stay visitor visa via France-Visas. PUMa healthcare after 3 months. National median €3,405/m² (notaires).
Open the France guide → ★ Live nowElective residence from €31,000/year income — treat it as a floor. 7% flat tax in southern towns. Homes €2,188/m² (2026).
Open the Italy guide → ★ Live nowFIP visa: €3,500/month income (2026). 7% flat tax for foreign pensioners, locked for 15 years.
Open the Greece guide → ★ Live nowDAFT for Americans: €4,500 business deposit. Mandatory health insurance within 4 months (~€159/month, 2026).
Open the Netherlands guide → ★ Live nowNo retirement visa — real routes still exist. City rents €9.89–22.96/m² (GREIX). Health insurance is the hard part after 55.
Open the Germany guide → ★ Live nowEnglish is official. Retirement Programme: 15% tax on remitted pension income. MPRP from ~€99,000 in fees (2025 rules).
Open the Malta guide → ★ Live nowStamp 0 retiree route needs €50,000/person/year. Citizenship by descent is the real unlock for many North Americans.
Open the Ireland guide → ★ Live nowCategory F permanent residence from €9,568/year income. Foreign pensions taxed at 5%. GeSY healthcare once resident.
Open the Cyprus guide → ★ Live nowThe retiree permit exists but is quota-capped — the January window matters. A1 German before you arrive.
Open the Austria guide →The passive-income visa most American and Canadian retirees use. 2026 requirements, real timelines, step by step.
Read the guide → Visas & ResidencyThe May 2026 nationality law doubled the wait for North Americans. What it means if you're planning the move now.
Read the guide → Visas & ResidencyCitizenship by descent, the Ancestry visa for Canadians, the £29,000 partner route — the honest map of your options in 2026.
Read the guide →Every figure on this site comes from government sources — immigration authorities, tax offices, national statistics institutes — with the source and the date we checked it. If a visa takes nine months, we say nine months. We're not selling a dream. We're removing the reasons people never start.