The Real Cost of Living After You Buy Abroad, Where Your Money Goes Furthest (2026)
Published on: June 17, 2026
Almost every guide to buying property abroad stops at the moment you get the keys. But the price of the house is a one-time event. The thing that actually decides whether your new life feels comfortable or stressful is the number you'll face every single month for years: the cost of living.
This guide is about after the purchase. Not transfer tax, not the deposit, the groceries, the electricity bill, the doctor, the coffee, the running cost of the property itself. Here is what a realistic monthly budget looks like in 2026 across the markets international buyers choose most, and where your money genuinely stretches the furthest.
Note: These are 2026 estimates drawn from public cost-of-living data and vary widely by city, lifestyle and exchange rate. Capital cities and tourist hotspots cost far more than regional towns. Use these as planning anchors, not guarantees.
What "cost of living" actually includes (and what we left out)
When we say monthly cost of living, we mean the recurring basket: groceries, utilities, internet and phone, local transport, healthcare or insurance, and a normal amount of eating out and leisure. Some figures below include rent, some exclude it, we'll flag which, because rent is by far the biggest swing factor and you, as an owner, may not pay it at all.
If you own your home outright, your "living cost" drops sharply, but it doesn't go to zero, because of the recurring property costs we cover near the end.
Monthly living cost by country (single person, 2026)
| Country | Single person, comfortable (incl. rent) | Single person, excl. rent | Verdict for owners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | ~$850–$1,200 | ~$500–$700 | Among the cheapest in this group; strong value if income is in hard currency. |
| Portugal | €1,300–€2,300 | €750–€1,000+ | Excellent value, especially outside Lisbon/Porto; cheaper than Spain for food and dining. |
| Greece | €1,200–€2,000 | ~€700–€900 | Very affordable in regional areas; islands in season cost more. |
| Spain | €1,400–€2,000 | ~€800–€1,100 | Best all-round value in Western Europe outside Madrid/Barcelona. |
| Italy (north) | €1,500–€2,500 | ~€900–€1,200 | The south is markedly cheaper than the north. |
| France (regional) | €1,500–€2,400 | ~€900–€1,200 | Paris is a different planet; regional France is reasonable. |
| Dubai / UAE | €2,000–€3,500 | ~€1,200–€1,800 | No income tax helps, but rent, schooling and lifestyle inflate the basket. |
For couples, a useful rule of thumb is roughly 1.5× the single-person figure, not 2×, fixed costs like rent and utilities are shared.
Portugal vs Spain, the most-searched comparison
If you only compare two markets, it's almost always these two. The headline: both are among the most affordable in Western Europe, and Portugal is generally the cheaper of the two for food, housing and dining out. Spain edges ahead on the breadth of affordable mid-size cities (Valencia, Alicante, Málaga, inland towns) where a single person lives well on €1,400–€2,000 a month. Portugal counters with lower everyday prices, especially away from Lisbon, where smaller towns can run €750–€1,000 excluding rent.
The deciding factors are usually which specific city and whether you'll rent or own, not the country headline. A Porto couple can live on roughly what a single person pays in a major US city, and get more for it.
The category breakdown that actually matters
- Groceries & dining: This is where Southern Europe and Turkey crush Northern Europe and Dubai. Fresh produce, local wine and casual eating out are dramatically cheaper around the Mediterranean.
- Utilities: Summer air-conditioning (Spain, Dubai, Greece) and winter heating (inland Spain, northern Italy) can swing your bill by hundreds per month seasonally, budget for the extremes, not the average.
- Healthcare: Public systems in Spain, Portugal, France and Italy are strong, but non-EU residents usually need private health insurance for their visa, a real recurring line item, often €50–€200+/month.
- Transport: If your property is rural or island-based, factor a car and fuel; in walkable cities you may need neither.
- Currency risk: If your income is in dollars or pounds and you spend in euros or dirhams, a swing in the exchange rate changes your real cost of living without you spending a cent differently. This is the most under-budgeted risk for cross-border owners.
The recurring property costs everyone forgets
Owning outright removes rent, but these never stop:
- Community / HOA fees (apartments and resorts): monthly, sometimes substantial in gated or amenity-heavy developments.
- Annual property tax (Spain's IBI, equivalents elsewhere).
- Building and contents insurance.
- Maintenance and a sinking fund, roofs, pools, climate wear; budget ~1% of property value per year.
- Non-resident or second-home taxes where applicable, even on a property you don't rent out.
A home that's "paid off" can still carry €150–€500+ a month in unavoidable running costs. Build that into the monthly number, not just the purchase math.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest country to retire abroad in 2026?
Among popular Mediterranean and emerging destinations, Turkey is typically the cheapest in this group, with comfortable single-person living from around $850–$1,200/month including rent. Portugal and Greece are the best-value EU options. The "cheapest" depends heavily on city choice and whether you own or rent.
Is Portugal really cheaper than Spain?
Generally yes. Portugal usually has lower costs for food, housing and dining out, though Spain offers a wider range of affordable mid-size cities. The gap is smaller than it was five years ago, rents have risen across Southern Europe.
How much does a couple need to live comfortably abroad?
In affordable Southern Europe, a couple can live comfortably on roughly €2,200–€3,000/month; in Dubai, plan closer to €3,000–€5,000 once rent or schooling is included. Owning your home outright can cut these figures substantially.
Does buying property reduce my cost of living abroad?
Yes, removing rent is the single biggest saving, but it doesn't eliminate housing costs. You'll still pay community fees, property tax, insurance and maintenance, which together can total a few hundred per month.
What's the most underestimated cost when living abroad?
Currency risk and private health insurance. If your income is in a foreign currency, exchange-rate moves silently change your real budget; and non-EU residents almost always need private cover to satisfy their visa.
Why we map this for every market
The sticker price tells you whether you can buy; the monthly cost of living tells you whether you can stay. The buyers who are happiest abroad are the ones who modelled the groceries, the utilities, the health cover and the unavoidable property running costs before they moved, not after the first winter heating bill arrived.
JanusHermes helps international buyers look past the sticker price, comparing markets across 50+ countries on what life actually costs after you move in, not just what the property lists for. Pair this with our guides to the best countries to retire abroad, public healthcare access for foreign residents, and the hidden costs of owning property abroad. Explore listings and country intelligence on JanusHermes.
Cost-of-living figures are 2026 estimates that vary widely by city, lifestyle and exchange rate, and change over time. This is general information for international buyers, not financial advice. Build your own budget against current local data before relocating.
A note on the numbers: where no source is named, the market figures in this article (prices, yields, costs) are indicative estimates compiled from publicly available market data and industry reporting at the time of writing. Markets move and rules change, so treat them as a starting point and verify current figures with official sources before acting on them.