People move abroad for many reasons – to start a new job, to be closer to family or simply to explore a new country.

But as the cost of living crisis continues, looking for a cheaper way of life is becoming the number one reason for a move.

With gas prices expected to increase this winter, some Europeans might be considering flying south, cutting heating bills by fleeing to warmer climes. While the US election result may have Americans eyeing free healthcare abroad.

So where are the most affordable places to move – and what do locals think of an influx of comparatively wealthy travellers?

Most affordable places in Europe for cost of living

Cost of living index Numbeo collates data for every country in Europe. It accounts for average rent, cost of groceries, and the price of utilities and entertainment.

Cost of living is not the only consideration before a move, obviously. Safety and other quality of life considerations are also paramount.

Here are four locations that strike the balance.

Montenegro is perfect for rugged mountains and medieval villages

Montenegro boasts medieval cities, ice cold glacial lakes, the world’s second deepest canyon – and extremely low prices.

Numbeo grants the country a rating of 39.4. For comparison, Switzerland – Europe’s most expensive destination – has an index of 101.1.

These indices represent a percentage of the destination’s cost compared to New York city, the search engine’s baseline. So prices in Montenegro are around 39.4 per cent of prices in NYC, whereas prices in Switzerland are 1.1 per cent higher than in the Big Apple.

Digital nomads can apply for a two-year visa for Montenegro, with the possibility of a two year extension.

Prices in Montenegro’s capital, Podgorica:

Cheap meal: €8

Pint of beer: €2.20

One-bed flat in city centre monthly rent: €545

Portugal’s bars and beaches are a big draw

Portugal – with its sunny beaches and buzzing cities – is Europe’s most popular digital nomad destination.

Numbeo gives Portugal a cost of living index score of 45.1.

Under the country’s digital nomad scheme, remote workers can live and work in the country for up to 12 months. To qualify, applicants must earn at least €3,280 per month – four times Portugal’s minimum wage.

Prices in Portugal’s capital, Lisbon:

Cheap meal: €12.75

Pint of beer: €3

One-bed flat in city centre monthly rent: €1,413

Croatia’s national parks and ancient palaces

Sunny Croatia is slightly more expensive than Portugal, with an index of 45.5. Beachside cities like Split and Dubrovnik – famed for its ‘Game of Thrones’ filming locations – bring the average costs up. But the Balkan country is nonetheless a low-cost option for expats.

Croatia started offering special visas to digital workers from outside the European Union in January 2021, allowing them to stay for up to a year and exempting them from income tax.

Prices in Croatia’s capital, Zagreb:

Cheap meal: €10

Pint of beer: €3

One-bed flat in city centre monthly rent: €682

Lithuania, for up and coming cities

Lithuania is also popular with digital nomads – particularly youthful capital Vilnius, which boasts an abundance of coworking spaces. Numbeo gives it a rating of 47.1.

Would-be expats can apply for a ‘National D’ visa which is valid for up to one year.

Prices in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius:

Cheap meal: €12

Pint of beer: €4.5

One-bed flat in city centre monthly rent: €743.

What do locals think of digital nomads?

Low prices are great for digital nomads – but can have a negative impact on local communities, who suffer from subsequent price inflation and housing crises.

It’s worth noting that the average monthly salary in Podgorica is €836 – around a quarter of London’s average monthly salary.

Before moving abroad, do your research into how locals feel about expats, and how you can ethically support the communities that you join.

Learning the local language is a very good first step, especially as you can start before you arrive in the country. Also acquaint yourself with local customs. Not only will this mean that you feel more integrated, but it will also help to ensure you don’t accidentally offend anyone.

China’s visa-free list continues to grow, with five more European countries being added.

Citizens of Andorra, Finland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco and Slovakia have now been granted visa waivers for the Asian nation.

Tourists from these countries, as well as South Korea, will be able to enter China visa-free from 8 November 2024 until 31 December 2025.

This comes after it was announced Norway would be added earlier in September, followed by Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Portugal and Slovenia in October.

It brings the total number of European countries granted visa-free access up to 24.

In July, tourists from Poland, Australia and New Zealand were also granted unrestricted entry to China until the end of 2025.

Since the start of 2024, the scheme has been announced in stages, with various European nations and Malaysia also gaining visa-free access. It aims to encourage more people to visit China for business and tourism, and promote exchanges between Chinese citizens and foreign nationals.

The full list of European countries now includes Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland. Tourists from these countries will be allowed to enter China for short stays without a visa until the end of next year.

The aim is “to facilitate the high-quality development of Chinese and foreign personnel exchanges and high-level opening up to the outside world,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a briefing on the initial announcement made in November.

Visa-free entry will be granted for up to 15 days in the trial programme.

International travel to China is still bouncing back

China’s strict pandemic measures, which included required quarantines for all arrivals, discouraged many people from visiting for nearly three years. The restrictions were lifted early last year, but international travel has yet to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels.

China previously allowed citizens of Brunei, Japan and Singapore to enter without a visa but suspended that after the COVID-19 outbreak. It resumed visa-free entry for Brunei and Singapore in July but has not done so for Japan.

In 2023, China recorded 35.5 million entries and exits by foreigners, according to immigration statistics. That compares to 97.7 million for all of 2019, the last year before the pandemic.

The government has been seeking foreign investment to help boost a sluggish economy, and some businesspeople have been coming for trade fairs and meetings, including Tesla’s Elon Musk and Apple’s Tim Cook. Foreign tourists are still a rare sight compared to before the pandemic.

How else is China simplifying travel for Europeans?

Last year saw a surge in interest in China as a tourist destination among Europeans.

Data from online travel agency Trip.com showed a 663 per cent increase in overall bookings from Europe to China compared to 2022, and an almost 29 per cent increase on 2019.

The United Kingdom and Germany were among the top 10 sources of inbound travellers to China globally, the data shows.

Shanghai remains the most popular destination among Europeans with its alluring blend of modernity and tradition, followed by Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Sanya, a beachside city on the southern end of China’s Hainan Island, and Chengdu – the capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan province – are emerging destinations.

Beyond it’s new visa-free schemes, the country is further encouraging inbound tourism by promoting cultural and historical attractions in partnership with Trip.com. China is also enhancing tourism infrastructure by investing in technology, travel guides and e-payment systems.

Tourists eager to make a wish in Rome’s Trevi Fountain are being forced to toss coins over a plastic barrier into a small makeshift pool while the attraction is being drained for maintenance.

The rectangular box, unadorned and showing its plywood finish, has elicited mixed reactions.

“I think it is a very sweet gesture that people can still do that,” said Marianna Strekstadt, visiting from the Netherlands on Friday.

Others, like Daniela Carbone, found the substitute pool “ugly”. Yet, she gave her kids some coins to throw in anyway. “We have to please the children,” she said.

City lore has it that tossing a coin into the Baroque fountain will ensure a return trip to Rome. This tradition generates an estimated €1.5 million annually, which has been donated to the Catholic charity Caritas for the past 15 years.

Why is there so much construction happening in Rome?

The maintenance work is part of a wider beautification project readying the Eternal City for next year’s Jubilee.

The holy event, presided over by the Roman Catholic Church, takes place every 25 years. From when it begins on Christmas Eve (24 December 2024) until it ends on the Feast of the Epiphany (6 January 2026), up to 35 million pilgrims are expected to descend on the city in search of forgiveness, renewal and celebration.

As a result, visitors to Rome this year have been met with closed off roads and monuments surrounded by scaffolding and construction boards.

In July, Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri told news agency Reuters that a record 3,200 public construction works were under way.

Billions of euros from state and EU funds have been ploughed into the city ahead of the Jubilee – not only to refresh its iconic historical sites but also to improve infrastructure like transport and waste management.

When the Vatican’s Jubilee Year kicks off, visitors will be able to use the city’s new AI-based virtual assistant, ‘Julia’. Available via WhatsApp and other messaging platforms, it aims to

introduce visitors to lesser known attractions, thereby easing the strain on major monuments.

Rome wants to charge tourists to visit the Trevi Fountain

To manage the overwhelming number of tourists visiting the Trevi Fountain, Rome City officials are devising a plan to block off the area around it.

Visitors will be required to book online and then pay a fee of €2 to get in. Once inside, they will have 30 minutes to enjoy the fountain.

Currently, access is limited to a fixed number of tourists while maintenance works are completed – a likely precursor to the fee being introduced in 2025.

Although the water has been drained, a glass and steel walkway being built across the monument will offer visitors a unique perspective of the fountain.

The reservation system is just one part of Rome’s plan to tackle tourist overcrowding. New regulations on short-term rentals and yet another hike in the city’s tourist tax last month also aim to ease overtourism.