Yahoo Finance Retire in Coastal Spain for 400 Euros Per Month
If Spain isn't on your list of possible overseas retirement destinations, you should pay it a visit. This time of year, the weather's fine.
All year round, the cost of living is low. While Spain isn't as cheap as Southeast Asia or parts of Latin America, remember that neither is this the third world. Spain is a modern, developed country.
[See: 10 Retirement Hot Spots in the U.S.]
Particularly appealing for retirees is the country's Mediterranean coast, where you find Valencia. Spain's third-largest city, with a population of around 800,000, feels smaller. It's a more relaxed city than Madrid or Barcelona and definitely more affordable. At the same time, at home in Valencia, you could embrace a rich, full life. A relatively low cost of living doesn't translate to a basic lifestyle in this city.
Valencia lies on the Mediterranean on a stretch known as the Costa del Azahar, or Orange Blossom Coast. It is easily reached by direct flight or by flying into Madrid or Barcelona and then taking a high-speed train to one of Valencia's two rail stations.
One of the best things to do in Valencia is eat. Nearly every menu features food fresh from the sea that is flavorful and reasonably priced. Restaurants offer choices of two or three fixed-price menus at lunchtime for as little as nine or 10 euros, and these typically include not only the main course and a side but also a beer or glass of wine and coffee or small dessert after.
Food in Valencia is good and also healthy. Indeed, Valencians embrace a healthy lifestyle in general. Everyone seems to exercise, and the city is laid out for it. A long swath of parks, gardens and greenways cuts west to east through Valencia before hooking south, following the old Turia riverbed. Joggers, cyclists and roller-bladers put the space to good use.
[See: 10 Ways to Reduce Your Housing Costs in Retirement.]
Valencia's City of Arts and Sciences is a futuristic complex that includes an IMAX cinema, an interactive science museum, the largest aquarium in Europe and a performing arts center.
Valencia is an old city, even by European standards. It was founded by the Romans in 138 B.C. The historic center is one of the largest in Europe, with plazas and medieval buildings linked by narrow streets. Must-sees here include the recently restored Church of San Nicolás, with its vibrant ceiling frescos and the Serranos Towers, which formed part of the ancient city wall.
Remember, though, that Valencia is not only a historic city reinventing itself for the 21 st century, but also a coastal town. Its strand, La Malvarrosa, is broad and long and easily reached by bus. Along it run restaurants and kiosks, but not so many as to overwhelm. If you prefer a less trafficked beach, El Saler lies only eight miles south.
Summers in Valencia can get hot, but the daily high is usually in the mid-80s. When the sun is high in the sky, you can escape to a shady café to sip a beer or turn on the fan at home and take a siesta. Winters are short and mild, with highs generally in the low 60s.
Valencia has a great deal to recommend it for retirement living, including the food, healthy lifestyle, art, history, beaches and a good climate. But it has something else, too, that makes it an ideal retire overseas option: Valencia is safe. At all hours of the day and night, you find Valencians out enjoying their city without fear or worry.
[See: 10 Places to Retire on a Social Security Budget.]
Another thing Valencia has going for it is the low cost of owning a home of your own here. Good neighborhoods to shop include El Carmen in the city's historic center, L'Eixample and the adjoining areas. In L'Eixample, for example, you could buy an 800-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bath penthouse with a balcony terrace in a building with an elevator (something you can't take for granted) in an excellent location for less than 120,000 euros.
Rents, too, are affordable, especially for Europe. You could rent a one-bedroom, one-bath furnished apartment for as little as 400 euros per month.
Kathleen Peddicord is the founder of the Live and Invest Overseas publishing group.
More From US News & World Report
