I’m possibly going to be doing a student exchange program through my school and I get to choose the country I’d like to study in for a few semesters (about 6 months). I am from the USA and I’ve gone to Canada quite often so I’m not interested in going to Canada or staying in the US for my program. I want to know where the best country to live is in terms of price of things (I’m a student so I don’t have a lot to spend, my counselor advised against England b/c it’s more expensive than the US), safety, and someplace where I would be able to communicate in English (I know a bit of French and Spanish but not enough to communicate). I’d really like to go somewhere in Europe like Finland, Ireland, Norway, etc, but I’ve heard it’s very expensive to live in Europe. And also, my parents are thinking of retiring to another country in a few years so I’m asking this question for them as well. Sorry for all the details. But based on what I’ve stated, what would be the best country for me to temporarily reside in (a young adult) and also for my parents to retire to? Thank you!
I’m a female by the way.
Hi Rory,
England, all of Scandinavia, and Switzerland are the most expensive countries in Europe. I am a native of Germany and live in California. Recently I was in Switzerland and got a large cup of coffee from Starbucks which in California cost $ 2.00, and in Switzerland $ 5.00. This gives you an idea how expensive it is, and Scandinavia is the same. England is also on the high side. The least expensive countries are in Eastern Europe, but you probably don’t wanna go there.
Europe in general is not cheap, however, I would recommend Germany, not because I am from there, but because prices there arenot sky high like in the other countries I mentioned. The most expensive cities in Germany are Munich and Hamburg. Maybe you should focus on a medium size city. My hometown in Germany is the city of Kiel (population 245,000). The city is located on the Baltic Sea about 60 miles north of Hamburg. It is also called the gateway to Scandinavia. It is a very nice city, lot’s of things to do, has the largest sailing competition in the world every last week in June, and during that time the largest cultural festival in Northern Europe. The city also has the largest pedestrian shopping zone in Germany. Go on the internet and type in "Kiel" to get more information. I think you might like it.
Concerning your parents retire in Europe is not that easy, actually it is pretty difficulty to get a resident permit.
When deciding to go to Germany you got to be ok with the weather, which is unpredictable. Actually the weather is like in Portland/Oregon.
Have fun.