Want to Move to Europe? A short list of pros & cons from a 2-time expat

After living abroad in Italy and now Spain, I’d like to share a short list of pros & cons for living in Europe. If you don’t already know us, here’s a bit of our background on how we got here.

Sometimes I think people assume moving to Europe means bringing their current cost of living with them. Questions we were asked repeatedly when we told people our plans often revolved around home and work: Are you going to buy a house? Are you going to bring your car? Are you going to ship your furniture? Are you going to work over there? No. No. No. and No. Why? Because there are other ways to live. It might be hard to imagine if you haven’t experienced another country’s way of life, so I hope I can allay a few fears about the costs.

If you’ve watched those international real estate shows, you may have heard potential expats worrying about having a “big enough kitchen to entertain,” and saying car ownership is “non-negotiable.” The realtors are tasked with finding the best place with unrealistic ideas of what the client will want or need once they are living in the new country. The drama or dilemma that is relayed (over and over, argh!) is often not even a big deal but it is made out to be one. Stay flexible, people. It’s a cafe society. Meeting your friends at bars and restaurants is what Europeans do. They don’t invite you into their homes (until they’ve known you for years), and they don’t want to come to yours. Also, walking or taking public transit to everything you want or need is the norm. You’ll soon see how easy and wonderful it is.

Here’s a short list of pros and cons for moving to Europe:

Pros

• Owning a car is not necessary. Many European cities are walkable and have terrific public transportation. Not only is this convenient, but it also saves tons of money on car payments, maintenance, insurance, annual inspection and registration, and of course, fuel. This past year when gas prices soared, we didn’t feel it like we would have in the U. S. Tally up what you’re spending, and imagine that expense disappearing from your budget. It’s eye-opening.
• Living in an apartment, there is no yard to maintain. With Texas heat, watering can be very expensive, and we had a large yard. It was fun when our son was little, but over the years, it became more of a burden. And as hard as I’ve tried (which maybe wasn’t that hard), I do not have a green thumb. 
• Owning less really is more. We downsized our belongings drastically before moving. I used to spend a lot of time “organizing” our stuff. I was a frustrated minimalist because we had the room to keep things “just in case.” But when we moved abroad it was such a relief to finally give away things we never used. Now I have more time to read, walk (around a vibrant city) and spend time with my family and new friends. 
• New friends! I have made wonderful new friends  – other expats from all over the world and Spanish ones. 
• Learning a new language – Spanish. It’s good for our brains and helps us feel more connected.
• If you love to travel, Europe is well linked by rail and air making travel easier and affordable. We visited Spain’s Andalusia region, Portugal, Denmark and England in 2022. We could have only gone to one of these if we’d raveled from the US. 

Cons

• It’s common to miss friends and family. There’s no way around this other than to visit them and invite them to visit us. And some have! Also communication is so much better than 20 years ago when we lived in Rome. Now we can text, WhatsApp, FaceTime, and it really does help. 
• Some of your  favorite foods will not be easily available. Grocery stores do not sell cake mixes, frosting or many of the processed foods. It’s better for our health, but at times wish I could find a box of mac & cheese.
• There really isn’t one-stop shopping. Grocery stores sell food. Period. They don’t sell school supplies magazines, or pain relievers.The pharmacy or farmacia (which are on every block it seems) is where you buy medicine. The bright side of this is that there are fewer impulse purchases going into my cart.
• Need a light bulb? You’ll need to go to the hardware store, but don’t go at 3 in the afternoon – they’ll be closed. Most retail stores including pharmacies typically close from 2 to 5 
• It’s not uncommon to feel out of sync regarding mealtimes. Restaurants are typically open for lunch from around 1:30 to 4:00 and for dinner from 8:30pm to 11:30 or midnight. Yeah, I know. With a child still in school, we’re still not completely onboard with this one.

After living in Rome and Valencia, I find the rhythm sometimes relaxing. Yes, I’m still likely to want to get all my errands done in one go, but that just means starting earlier or sometimes later. The other day, I waited until 4:30 pm to walk to the library to return a book so I could stop at the pharmacy on my way back. Then on a whim, I popped into the corner produce market and picked up zucchini to add to dinner and an avocado for the next morning’s toast. Three errands done and I was back home in 30 minutes. For us, Europe checks a lot of boxes. Maybe it will for you, too. And it might not be nearly as expensive as you thought. 

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Have you Read My Book? If you enjoy my blog, maybe you’d like to read my memoir about the two years I lived in Rome. Times New Roman: How We Quit Our Jobs, Gave Away Our Stuff & Moved to Italy is available from libraries and bookstores everywhere. Just ask for it if you don’t see it on the shelf.