Life Abroad in Southern Europe

A little insight into what living in Southern Europe is like after spending the past 4 years between Italy and the Balkans.

This one wraps up the month-long series I’ve been working on about what it’s like living in different regions of the world. Today we’ll dig into Southern Europe.

In case you missed the first ones, you can read up on living in Southeast Asia, East Asia, Latin America, and now Southern Europe.

I can’t stress enough that this is a general look, based on my experience living in these regions. This really just scratches the surface and leaves out a lot of the diversity each and every region of the world is home to.

There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution anywhere but I do hope this gives you a broader look into what your life here could look like and if you think it might be a good fit for you.

I think by now you’re probably sick of reading the same disclaimers I’ve started each piece this month with so I’ll assume you know the drill by now and will stop here to jump into the good stuff.

A glimpse at life in Southern Europe

The General Vibe

To make sure we’re all on the same page here, I’m calling these countries part of Southern Europe, thanks to the definition outlined by World Population Review:

• Italy

• Spain

• Portugal

• Greece

• Serbia

• Croatia

• Bosnia & Herzegovina

• Albania

• Slovenia

• North Macedonia

• Montenegro

• Malta

• Andorra

• San Marino

• The Vatican

My personal experience in this region comes from 1.5 years spread between Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia and the last 2.5 years (and counting) in Italy.

Personally, I think Southern Europe has the best combination between things that are efficient (enough) with the laid back spirit I fell in love with in Latin America and SE Asia.

While bureaucratic processes can be a nightmare and patience truly is a virtue you’ll need to live here, things work just enough that I’m good with them. While the Balkans are still lacking in public transportation (namely a good train system), countries like Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Slovenia have a good enough one to get you where you need to go.

I’d rather have to wait in line for some things and know paper documents still rule the day than live somewhere overly systematized and with rules you can’t so easily bend.

People living in these regions tend to be welcoming. Your entire day is planned around a really good meal (or two) that can stretch for hours. Good wine, good company, and food cooked with local ingredients seem to be the love language most speak.

A little Italian example of this. Most restaurants will only give a table 1 reservation for the night. If someone reserves at 8:30pm but the restaurant opens at 7, there’s a good chance that table will sit empty until 8:30, even if people pop in and ask if there’s a table available.

I’ve heard countless tourists complain about this and assume the waitstaff just doesn’t want to serve them.

Italians assume that people going out to dinner will be there for at least 2 hours. They’ll have an appetizer, first course, second course, and often dessert with wine enjoyed throughout the courses. There’s a chance the waitstaff will say, ‘you can have this table but only if you eat quick’ but for most that’d be considered rude and wouldn’t even be offered.

A lot of Southern Europe follows this same principle of slowing down and enjoying your world around you. This isn’t something I’ve found in other regions I’ve lived where fast food or a daily menu is the norm.

The General Job Market/Internet Access

I’ll be blunt here: the job market is not good in this region. While there are opportunities (we moved to Italy only because my husband got a job here), they are far and few between.

The rule to getting a work visa is that you have to prove you can do a job most locals can’t. Being highly specialized or having a unique skillset will set you apart but at the same time does limit your opportunities. With countries that are part of the EU, you have to prove this not only with the country you’re moving to but from the entire EU as well.

For the Balkans, a lot of people I met living here worked for international companies or government entities and were based in the region for a few years. Instead of getting a job within the country itself, they had an internal transfer.

Even if you can get a job, if you’re coming from North America or East Asia, you can assume that salaries will be lower than what you’re used to and taxes might be higher. The work-life balance should be better but it’s still a trade off.

The internet is pretty good but know it’s not perfect. When we lived in the Balkans, we had a lot of trouble with video calls and dealing with big files but we always rented and weren’t in control over the chosen internet service. If you work remotely or stream a lot and want to move here, I’d suggest you budget for a premium service.

The General Visa Routes

If you’re able to get a job here, you’ll be on a work visa. While that’s certainly possible, I don’t think it’s the most common visa routes for this region.

Digital Nomad visas or visas for those with passive income are definitely the most common in Spain, Portugal, Greece, and now Italy. Many people living in the Balkans are either on a work visa from an internal transfer, are married to a local, or are skipping the visa process and doing visa runs every few months.

Strangely enough, Americans can live in Albania for 1 year without a visa. This is certainly the easiest option to move to this region and completely ignore visas, at least for a year. I’m not sure if other nationalities have this same option (I know Colombians do not) so it might be worth looking into for your passport if Albania intrigues you.

The General Cost of Living

The general cost of living in Southern Europe is less than Central and Northern Europe, from what I’ve seen. I will say I’ve seen rent and general prices rise here since arriving but likely in tandem with the rest of the continent.

Generally it’s a big pain point if you live in big cities. Spain, Portugal, Italy, and even my friend living in Bosnia has mentioned housing prices in the major cities so high that locals and foreigners alike are getting pushed out.

If cost of living is a big factor for you, I’d still consider these countries but would suggest looking more into mid-tier or less touristic areas.

This region is really bountiful when it comes to agriculture. They produce a lot of the entire continent’s fruits and veggies. If you eat local and shop weekly to buy fresh produce, you can keep your grocery bill low. This also means eating seasonally and being willing to change your favorite dishes to accommodate what’s available.

Anything Else to Add

Like I said, this is a general look, based on my 1st hand experience of living in Southern Europe. While I could talk for hours about the food, landscapes, and day-to-day life, that’d defeat the purpose of making this general and not so honed in to a specific place. If interested in Italy, here’s all of the articles written about this country.

If you’ve lived anywhere in Southern Italy and have something to add, drop it in the comments!