Hi. I’m selling my property in the UK and thinking of moving to France on a permanent basis. I met someone recently who is living in Brittany. She told me it was very expensive to live in France - more so than the UK and the energy costs are very high. Have other people found this?
She also said there is a problem with Brits finding themselves isolated and lonely.
It’s put me off a little as I will be moving on my own. I won’t know a single soul when I arrive.
Frankly… no matter what one’s nationality… if one moves to a new country one should be prepared to learn the language and mix with the locals.
Anyone who fails to do that… might well feel isolated/lonely… but those who make the effort will find themselves with new friends, new experiences etc etc.
I’m sure you’ve been following the various threads on this forum… cost of living, medical care, house taxes et al… you can make your own judgements as others relate their experiences.
France is wonderful but not for the faint-hearted…
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True, more or less. Some degree of swings and roundabouts though.
Compared with the UK - no, compared with elsewhere not sure.
I suspect that is down to you - do you speak French, find it easy (or not) to get on with people, like joining local associations, long rando’s etc.
If so I’m sure you will be fine - but I certainly understand your concern as I’m not super outgoing myself so a permanent move might need involveto a small transplant of extroversion.
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What’s making you think about France? Do you already know it well? Do you speak French? Are you naturally outgoing, have a lot of friends already in the UK? Can you afford to leave yourself a bolthole in the UK if things don’t work out for you? (People who sold everything and then realised 15/20 years down the line that they needed to go back to the UK have found the difference in house prices a shock).
What type of place are you looking for? Country? Town? Sea? In each environment you will find very different types of community.
Depending on where you choose to live in France you can find a large English speaking community where you will be able to make “friends” - they will give you info / contacts (doctor / dentist / plumber / etc etc). One quote I came across was you will spend the first 3 years making friends and then the next three getting rid of them! Not everyone integrates with the French - it depends where you live - French families, especially in rural areas, live social lives based on the family. Incomers are treated politely and will be helped when in need, but this is not friendship. Clubs can be useful - I have belonged to a photo club for 12 years and get on very well with the members. None of the French have invited me into their homes.
Being in a town that has cinemas / museums / libraries / etc can be useful for making contacts and helpful through winter where things can go quiet.
Visit places outside the summer/holiday season. Lots of events happen through the summer which can give an entirely false impression - not least restaurants close. I came out in March and found a small town (10,000 inhabitants) that functions all year round - that can be very important if social contact matters.
Be careful of the “leaping” - though we did and it’s worked for us - but then there are two of us to keep each other reasonably sane and we are very self-contained. One way of preparing yourself is to come out in a motorhome and drive around just getting to know France better.
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As with any huge upheaval like this do your homework well before committing yourself, it could be too late once you have sold and re-bought and found it was a huge problem. What about renting for a while to see ifyou like the french lifestyle and where you choose to settle, it would then be far easier to move on or go back. Don’t forget to check the new rules for coming to live here since Brexit and that you will have enough to live on regularly, savings have a horrible habit of disappearing! Learning the langue is an absolute must because it is rare to find english spoken and professionals especially medicale may speak it to you but are not allowed to explain or write anything other than in french legally. Have you considered old age and what happens if you need care or go into a home, like the UK its very very expensive and if you don’t understand, even harder. I have been a widow for 12 years now but was lucky enough to have lived here many years previously and have family here but it could get lonely especially on long winter evenings in a small village so you need to find groups, interests, hobbies etc to keep you going. I know nothing about the UK cost of living but I manage very well and compared to the UK and what family over there tell me, electricity costs here are a lot less as is water and its all metered anyway so you see what you consume and adjust accordingly. I lived in Brittany for 30 years, found brits there insular and living in expat groups and always nitpicking at the locals so had nothing to do with them. The french on the whole welcome foreigners who make the effort however bad and I have wonderful friends I still keep in touch with weekly. Don’t buy isolated and with acres and acres of land, you will become a slave to it and also without close neighbours, no one will know if you are injured or need any help.
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The short answer is, I don’t know, but I don’t believe so. What I can say is that we live quietly and without money worries on several modest pensions, pensions that do not attract income tax here. But I do know for sure that twice when the UK taxman made a mistake in not realising our French tax status, he took £100 per month off me.
£100 (117 €) is quite a chunk every month when our weekly big shop here averages only about €80.
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As well as all the other advice here you will need to be prepared to deal with many iterations of bureaucracy for all sorts of things. Lots of things still only possible to do by paper not digital. Bring a reliable printer you’ll be using it.
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And scanner - copy and keep a record of everything.
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And never send an original document - send a copy first time even if original is specified - things get lost, and may have to be provided again.
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I have limited experience but from what I know you have described most of the Brits in my (Breton) village perfectly.
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Can vouch for that, have a cupboard full of paperwork in many different files and all continuously added too as you need to copies of everything here as proof - don’t rely on the internet or your PC. One thing that is often asked for is a copy of your avis d’Imposition - your yearly tax paper that the fisc send out when you have done your taxes and sent in and shows all your financial details.
You don’t say how old you are.
Are you retired or do you need to work?
If you need to work will your qualifications be accepted in France?
The cost of living , like everywhere else, depends upon how you want to live.
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Have you looked into getting a visa?
Rent a gite off season in the area you want to live and stay for a month to see what it is like without tourists.
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France is a great country to live in, but the culture is different and, whilst the French are generally friendly and helpful, they are not as outgoing as the English. People don’t just pop round for coffee, things tend to be more formal, so winters can be quite isolating. You have to make more effort to socialise than you would in England. When we moved here, we sold our UK house but bought a flat in England. That was the best thing we could have done as, not only does renting it out give us a regular income stream but it also gives us a foothold in the UK property market’ should we ever decide to move back. We said we would give it 5 years and if it didn’t work out, we had the value of our flat and the proceeds of our French house , with which to purchase another UK house. We have been here over 8 years now!
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I’ve lived in France 31 years now and find that the Brits who struggle with isolation here are the ones that:
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tend to make themselves isolated and lonely by not engaging with the local community / neigbours; or
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choose to live in very rural areas with no close neighbours, thereby singularly reducing any chance of interaction (obviously, one can still be isolated in a town, but the potential for interaction is statistically greater if you choose to make it so) ;
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can’t / refuse / struggle to speak French to a degree by which they can interact with said neighbours / community.
Obviously, those who work or volunteer in an organisation stand a better chance of making acquaintances and even friends. Those who stay at home, keep to themselves, and rely on internet deliveries and British TV to fulfil their lives will fall into a bubble from which it is not always easy to escape.
I am fortunate to have only a moderate personal need to engage with anybody outside of my professional sphere, but will readily chat to my neighbours if and when I see them. I have been members of various clubs over the years, albeit mostly sport of some kind. I have also been in and out of the expat British migrant sphere in the Auvergne over many years now, and it is safe to say that I prefer to be outside of that sphere. Having lived elsewhere for work in an expat community of significantly larger proportions, I can honestly say that the continuous social drama that seems to pervade expat communities is not for me. I much prefer interaction with the local population, even if that is reduced to just waving to the neighbour and shouting “Hello, how are ye?” as we cross paths.
Everyone is different though, and like all social interaction, if you don’t want to engage, you can expect to end up not communicating with anyone, but then also not be surprised / disappointed at feeling lonely.
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You could end up isolated.
However, most French communes have a number of associations. our village (1000 souls) has a choir, calligraphy class, sewing class, country walks, and various other things going on.
If you have (or take up) a specific interest it can give you an entrée to new social circles. My interest in greenwood crafts has given me a number of good friends (both French and English) in Limousin and elsewhere. We know people locally who are involved in activities as diverse as country music, vintage car rallies, and re-enacting World War II battles…
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Hi cjglos,
I bought my property in a fairly rural location back in Sept 2015. There were a few Brits in the area, but I spent more time with local French people so I didn’t get invited to the Brit soirees etc. I have found the French to be very helpful and pleasant - especially if you try to speak to them in French. Electricity is much cheaper here than the UK, but my gas is relatively expensive as I am too far from the grid so I have a citerne (tank). Most of my heating/cooking is with wood stoves and overall I would say my power costs are less than the UK. Food can be a bit pricey, but the quality is far better than the UK . You may need to adapt your tastes as many UK products are either not available or high priced as they are imported. Most of the larger supermarkets such as E.Leclerc and Intermarche have a good range of products at reasonable prices. Over all, I would say cost of living is comparable to the UK. Have you decided where in France you intend to live - I would consider that northern France (Brittany, Normandy) would be relatively expensive and full of Brits, plus the weather is similar to the UK. Southern France can be expensive as many people want to live near the Mediterranean and the weather is much warmer so less need for expensive heating. Halfway between there are plenty of pleasant places at reasonable prices in areas not saturated with Brits. I would suggest that you try visiting and maybe touring the country before you decide where to settle, and visit during the colder months - October to March - so you get a better idea of the climate and facilities such as restaurants.
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Another thing to mention - on the topic of associations - is that most communes have a weekend in September where you can meet the commune’s associations - a bit like Freshers’ Week.
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Huge thanks to everyone who has commented, offered advice and suggestions. All incredibly helpful. I have a lot to think about!!
I am recently retired although I do still ‘work’ as an author but sadly don’t make a living from my writing. I live on my own and have one daughter who is currently in Australia. No other family in the UK.
I live in a flat with no outside space.
My reason for moving to France is so I can run a business offering writers’ retreats.
I used to speak fluent French following my French ‘O’ level followed by a 3 week hitchhiking holiday in France in the 70s. I went with a friend who could say two words in French so I did all the talking!! I’m hoping I will remember some of it having not used it much since. I am looking at Northern France as sadly I’m no longer a fan of the heat!!
I hope that answers some of the questions some of you have asked.
Thank you so much.
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