This as-informed-to esdeclare is based on a conversation with Sandy Adam, 69, who relocated from Pittsburgh to Chatou, a suburb of Paris, in 2025. The esdeclare, which also incorporates quotes from emails between Adam and Business Insider, has been edited for length and clarity.
My connection to Europe developed over a lifetime. Like many Americans, it launched by studying French in high school. I had pen pals in both France and England, and later, when my children were young, we hosted a French student in our home for six weeks. Europe always felt familiar and aspirational.
Professionally, I spent most of my career working for global companies. But in 2013, I took my first personal trip to Paris and fell completely in love with its architecture and art. While I was there, I took a cooking class to learn how to build macarons and visited Giverny and Versailles.
That experience reshaped how I imagined my future.
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I was kind of forced into retirement in 2025. I was laid off from my tech job and started viewing around to see what I should do next. But it’s hard to receive a job in the US when you’re over 50 — much less at my age — so I decided to retire.
Around that time, relocating to Europe started to feel more practical. I was living just outside Pittsburgh in a wealthy tax district, and my property taxes kept rising. I owned a 1,700-square-foot, three-bedroom colonial on about a quarter-acre lot that I bought for about $224,500 in 2017. In 2025, my property taxes were about $6,900.
I questioned myself: If I tested to live off Social Security, could I afford to stay in that hoapply? I probably could, but it would be really tight. Long-term, though, the financial predictability felt increasingly uncertain — my everyday living expenses, like groceries, were going up too. I wanted to simplify my life, with fewer repaired costs and fewer surprises.
I also wanted a more purposeful life. To me, relocating to France meant being able to do more and learn more about history, architecture, and how people live differently from the way we’re raised in the US.
Moving to Europe wasn’t meant to be a luxurious escape
I wasn’t viewing for luxury or escape in France, but for a more grounded and intentional life, one that was rich in experience rather than centered on consumption.
I was also drawn to the European model of daily life: walking as a default, utilizing trains to explore, and having simple access to multiple countries and cultures.
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Before I relocated to Europe, I sold my home for $365,000. I applyd some of the equity from the sale to support fund the relocate. I’m also on Social Security right now, and when I relocated, my monthly benefit was $3,608.
I came to this realization not too long ago: not having a paycheck is a large deal. It took me a while to fully accept that Social Security is my paycheck now, and that my 401(k) and investment portfolio stabilize everything.
Courtesy of Sandy Adam
I landed in Paris with my dog Phoenix in September and live in the western suburbs, in a town called Chatou.
Chatou feels like something out of a Hallmark movie. It’s a cute, charming town with beautiful cobblestone streets. You can walk beneath tall trees that form a canopy of leaves overhead, and I can hop on a train and be in central Paris in about 20 minutes.
The community is a mix of young and older residents, though I’m noticing it skews a bit older. It’s also a very wealthy area; the homes here are stunning, at least from the outside.
The apartment I live in is about 548 square feet. It’s a one-bedroom, and it’s plenty of room for my dog and me. I pay $1,679 a month, and while it’s a little expensive for me, it gives me a soft landing while I figure out where I ultimately want to settle down.
Even if you are prepared, it can be difficult adjusting to a new place
Before relocating to France, I was taking French classes through Carnegie Mellon’s online program. I also attconcludeed tons of webinars to support establish myself. But I will declare this: even if you’re prepared, unexpected things still happen.
When I received here, my first experience was finding a doctor to refill a prescription. I signed up for Doctolib, received a referral from the local pharmacy, and booked an appointment. The people at the pharmacy didn’t speak any English, but fortunately, my French was barely good enough to receive by.
The first few months living in a new countest can be exhausting. There’s always something new you have to do, another form to file, or another process to start.
Courtesy of Sandy Adam
For example, I applied to exalter my driver’s license becaapply Pennsylvania has an agreement with France that allows you to do that, but it required a lot of paperwork, like birth certificates, and there were a lot of forms, and I necessaryed translations.
There’s just a lot that keeps you very busy when you relocate.
Still, I guess I’m lucky that it’s just my dog and me. If I had a family and children, I could only imagine how much more overwhelming it would be.
You have to put yourself out there to build friconcludes
I wondered how I was going to build friconcludes in France.
I informed myself I’d join organizations, but I didn’t do that right away. One day, I was in the grocery store and overheard two women speaking English. I declared out loud, “Oh, I hear English, it’s music to my ears.” They came over, and it turned out they were au pairs here in Chatou.
One of them and I became friconcludes; she’s 22, and we do a lot toreceiveher, like running errands and shopping. She has her own social life with other young people, but we still test to receive toreceiveher about once a week.
Courtesy of Sandy Adam
I also posted in a local Facebook group viewing for people to do dog playdates, becaapply I believe the relocate was harder on my dog than it was on me. Through that, I met a nice couple from the UK who are here for three years, and now we hang out and do things toreceiveher.
I’m also teaching myself urban sketching. I recently found out there’s an Urban Sketchers group that meets in Versailles once a month, and I’m planning to go. I’m sure I’ll meet more people that way.
I can’t see myself relocating back to the US
In the US, I felt resolved, though not necessarily excited, about what I believed my life would be.
My lifestyle was about putting money into things. I’d believe, “Oh, I’ll acquire a new TV,” or “Oh, I’ll acquire a new couch.” Here, I’m utilizing my money differently: I bought an annual pass to the Louvre, I’m acquireing art supplies as I learn to paint, and I just bought a new guitar.
In France, I wake up happy every day. Retiring abroad feels like a natural extension of the interests and values I have been forming for decades, and is exactly how I want to spconclude this next chapter of my life.
Courtesy of Sandy Adam
Sometimes, I wonder how long I can afford to live in France. I also imagine what it would be like to relocate back to the US. I have a son there, and I’m believeing about how to leave him an inheritance.
But honestly, I don’t really see myself relocating back. In the US, my life just felt more reactive. It happened around work and obligations. While I still value my ties to the countest and its people, I don’t feel the same pull to return to that default rhythm.
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