"Best" means different things at 55 and at 75, so this ranking leads with the one thing that decides whether you can go at all: the money the visa asks for. Then it adds what that money buys, from our country scores and city budgets.
The ranking
| Country and visa | Money floor | Cost of living | Healthcare | Safety | Citizenship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal: D7 Passive Income Visa | $11,000 | 78/100 | 88/100 | 92/100 | 5 yrs |
| Spain: Non-Lucrative Visa | $32,000 | 72/100 | 95/100 | 86/100 | 10 yrs |
| France: Long-Stay Visitor Visa | Tied to minimum wage | 45/100 | 90/100 | 80/100 | 5 yrs |
| Italy: Elective Residence Visa | EUR 31,000/yr (≈ $35,526/yr) | 62/100 | 85/100 | 78/100 | 10 yrs |
Scores are our editorial 0 to 100 country scores, where higher is better (for cost of living, higher means cheaper). Citizenship is total years of residence before you can apply, in our data.
Portugal: D7 Passive Income Visa
Government fee $250, processing 2–6 months, first permit 2 years, pr after 5 years. The lowest income bar of the four. Pensions, rents and investment income all count, as long as the money is available in Portugal.
- Lisbon: $1,300–2,000 a month for one person
- Porto: $900–1,400 a month for one person
- Funchal: $800–1,200 a month for one person
Spain: Non-Lucrative Visa
Government fee $130, processing 1–3 months, first permit 1 year, pr after 5 years. Spain asks for more money and the strictest health insurance of the four, and rewards it with the best healthcare score in our data.
- Madrid: $1,200–1,900 a month for one person
- Barcelona: $1,300–2,100 a month for one person
- Valencia: $900–1,400 a month for one person
France: Long-Stay Visitor Visa
Government fee $107, processing 1–2 months, first permit 1 year, pr after 5 years. France ties the requirement to the French minimum wage instead of a fixed figure. No work in France is allowed.
- Paris: $1,800–3,200 a month for one person
- Lyon: $900–1,600 a month for one person
- Marseille: $800–1,400 a month for one person
Italy: Elective Residence Visa
Government fee $125, processing 1–3 months, first permit 1 year, pr after 5 years. The highest bar, and the income must be passive. No employment of any kind, including remote work.
- Milan: $1,200–2,200 a month for one person
- Rome: $1,000–1,800 a month for one person
- Turin: $600–1,100 a month for one person
Going deeper on one country? We have full guides to retiring in Portugal on the D7, the Spain Non-Lucrative Visa checklist and Italy's Elective Residence.
Rank these four for your own budget
Transita checks your pension and savings against each EU retirement visa and shows which ones you clear. Answer 8 questions and your routes, documents and dates are set up for you. Free.
Build my workspaceThe EU countries without a retirement visa
Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland have no passive-income route in our catalogue. Retiring there as a non-EU national usually means family reunification or arriving on a work route earlier in life.
Ireland is the English-speaking exception. Its Stamp 0 permission asks for EUR 50,000 a year per person and excludes State benefits; our Stamp 0 guide covers it. Greece, Cyprus and Malta also run independent-means programmes, but Transita does not cover them, so we do not publish figures for them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest country in Europe to retire to in 2026?
On visa requirements, Portugal: the D7 asks for about $11,000 a year for one person in our catalogue. Portugal also scores 78/100 on cost of living in our data, where higher means cheaper.
Which European countries have a retirement visa?
Portugal (D7), Spain (Non-Lucrative Visa), France (Long-Stay Visitor), Italy (Elective Residence) and Ireland (Stamp 0). Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland have no passive-income route in our catalogue.
Can a US or UK retiree get EU residency?
Yes, through any of the passive-income visas above. Each one is national: it lets you live in the country that issued it, not anywhere in the EU. Free movement only comes with citizenship, or with EU long-term resident status under its own rules.
How long until I can get citizenship?
It varies widely. In our data Portugal and France sit at 5 and 5 years of residence, while Spain and Italy sit at 10 and 10. Language and integration tests apply on top.
Do I need private health insurance?
For the visa application, yes, in every case. Spain is the strictest: the policy must cover everything the public system covers. After you are resident, access to the public system depends on each country's rules.
official sources: D7 · vistos.mne.gov.pt·NLV · exteriores.gob.es·VLS-TS visiteur · france-visas.gouv.fr·Residenza Elettiva · consboston.esteri.it