Emigration on a trial basis: Finding your own home abroad at a low cost

General information, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Real estate, immigration, and tax law are complex, change frequently, and must be examined on a case-by-case basis. This article does not replace consultation with a specialist lawyer, tax advisor, or local immigration consultant. Last updated: August 9, 2026.

The desire is now widespread: to escape the cold, the rising cost of living, and a life with one's own land, one's own house, and weather that's easy on the joints. Almost 21 percent of Germans over 60 can imagine spending their retirement abroad ( Germans Abroad ). What's usually missing isn't the desire itself, but a realistic plan: Where can a small plot of land with an existing house be acquired affordably and with legal certainty? How can one test out life there without making an immediate, irreversible commitment? And what does that mean for pensions, health insurance, and tax obligations? This article compiles current data on twelve destination countries, the German pension situation, and the concept of "trial emigration"—independent of individual providers or programs.

Why the topic is gaining momentum right now

The figures for statutory pensions explain a good part of the demand:

• The standard pension (45 years of contributions at average earnings) will increase by 4.24 percent to €1,913.40 gross per month on July 1, 2026 – the pension value will climb from €40.79 to €42.52 ( Federal Government ; statistiken-aktuell.de ).
• This standard pension, however, is a theoretical reference value. The actual new pensions paid out in 2024 were significantly lower: West German men €1,355, West German women €929, East German men €1,271, East German women €1,218 ( statistiken-aktuell.de ). The average insured pension overall is only around €1,100 per month ( buerger-geld.org ).
• 36.6 percent of pensioners receive between 1,000 and 1,500 euros per month, and another 24.4 percent receive even less than 1,000 euros ( FR.de ).
• Inflation immediately erodes part of the increase: With inflation at 2.9 percent in April 2026, only about 1.3 to 1.5 percentage points of the 4.24 percent pension increase remain in real terms ( Focus ). Over 20 years, assuming 2.3 percent inflation per year, the purchasing power of €1,000 shrinks to only around €635 in real terms – a loss of purchasing power of 36.5 percent ( finalarm.de ).

It's no wonder that more and more people are drawing the logical conclusion and actually leaving: at the end of 2023, 237,029 recipients of a German pension lived permanently abroad, with Austria (28,993), Switzerland (26,593), Spain (22,792), the USA (20,743), and France (18,011) as the top five countries ( German Pension Insurance Pension Atlas 2024, cited from vpv.de ). In total, around 1.7 to 1.8 million pension payments flow abroad annually – about 6.5 to 7 percent of all approximately 26.2 million German Pension Insurance payments – of which 1.24 million go to other EU countries alone, such as Italy (347,000), Spain (190,000), and Austria (130,000) ( t-online ). 72 percent of German pensioners emigrating abroad remain in Europe ( German Economic News ).

The principle of "trial emigration"

Before giving up your house, apartment, and social network in Germany , a trial stay of three to twelve months in the destination country is worthwhile to realistically assess daily life, climate, bureaucracy, healthcare, and costs, instead of relying on a two-week vacation impression ( perspektiveausland.com ; wohnsitzausland.com ). Specifically recommended measures include:

• Moving into a normal rental apartment in an everyday neighborhood – not a holiday resort, but the street where you would actually live later.
• Test water pressure, internet speed, noise levels and the neighborhood over several weeks in everyday life, not just during the viewing ( vogue-getaway.com ).
• Shopping at local markets, using public transport, making a dentist appointment or trying out a bank account – things that reflect real everyday life.
• Within the EU, such a trial stay is legally straightforward (freedom of movement), but requires registration after three months as well as proof of income and health insurance ( wohnsitzausland.com ).
• Important for tax liability: Anyone who maintains their German residence during the trial period remains fully liable for tax in Germany – the trial stay does not automatically change this.
• The Federal Office of Administration also recommends in its official emigration guide a tourist trial stay of up to three months without a work permit before a final decision is made ( BVA basic knowledge for your step abroad, PDF ).

None of the countries examined below have a formal, state-run "trial residency" program – but they do offer practical alternatives: In Turkey , the short-term residence permit (ikamet) is explicitly referred to as a "trial period" ( YB Case ); Georgia allows citizens of many countries a 365-day visa-free stay, which is de facto used as a trial year ( Georgia Expats ); and Italy offers the contratto transitorio, a temporary rental agreement of 1 to 18 months specifically for newcomers who want to get to know a region first ( Migaku ).

EU countries: Freedom of movement, no visa required, minimal bureaucracy

For German citizens, the EU is by far the easiest route: no visa, no income limit, no residence permit required – only registration after three months. According to recent research, seven EU countries are particularly suitable for a tight budget:

An important difference within the EU: Bulgaria and Romania restrict the purchase of purely agricultural land for non-EU citizens – this does not apply to German nationals as EU citizens ( ELRA Bulgaria ; ELRA Romania ). Regarding the purchase of houses themselves (as opposed to purely agricultural land), there is no special rule for EU citizens in any of the seven countries.

Popular non-EU destinations: more effort, often more sun

Outside the EU, a residence permit is required – here it is worth taking a close look at income limits and property rules:

Two points deserve special attention because they are often underestimated in forums and Facebook groups:

• Thailand does not generally fulfill the goal of "owning land with a house." Foreigners are not permitted to own land there, nor are they allowed to register a house in their own name in the land registry – only condominiums are allowed, up to a maximum of 49 percent of the building's floor area (Condominium Act BE 2522) ( Thailand Law Online ). Anyone wishing to "buy" a house there must use a Thai company structure or a long-term lease agreement – with corresponding legal risks.
• In Georgia, the 365-day visa-free rule is a huge advantage for a genuine trial stay, but it only applies to residential and commercial properties – agricultural land remains closed to foreigners ( Orson & Co ).

Practical checklist before buying

1. Rent first, then buy. Live in a normal residential area for at least three to six months as a trial before tying up capital.
2. Carefully examine the ownership structure. In Romania and Bulgaria, EU citizens are permitted to purchase land – non-EU citizens usually only through a local company. In Turkey, the purchase price recorded in the Tapu (land register) and verified by a foreign currency certificate is required for residency permits ( decker-realestate.com ).
3. Clarify your health insurance arrangements before your move is finalized. Within the EU, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) covers the transition; afterwards, local registration is required. Outside the EU, most retirement visas (e.g., Costa Rica , Panama , Thailand) require health or social insurance registration as a prerequisite anyway.
4. Tax residency should not be confused with a residence permit. A retirement visa or the purchase of real estate alone does not automatically end unlimited tax liability in Germany – this depends on actual residence and habitual abode and should be clarified with a tax advisor before making a final decision.
5. Clarify pension payments abroad early on. Around 1.7 to 1.8 million German pension payments already flow abroad annually ( t-online ) – the transfer itself is straightforward, but double taxation agreements and local reporting requirements should still be checked beforehand.
6. If you find conflicting information online, check with local sources and consulates. For several countries in this comparison (such as Romania, Turkey, and Morocco ), online sources contradict each other by a factor of 2 to 6 regarding specific income thresholds – all the more reason to have the information officially confirmed on-site.

Key Takeaways

• The actual, paid-out average German pension, at around 1,100 to 1,355 euros, is significantly below the often-cited standard pension of 1,913.40 euros – and continues to lose purchasing power due to inflation ( statistiken-aktuell.de ; buerger-geld.org ; finalarm.de ).
• Over 237,000 German pensioners already live permanently abroad, 72 percent of them in Europe ( vpv.de ; Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten ).
• Within the EU (Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary , Croatia , Portugal , Spain, Italy), buying real estate is visa-free and legally straightforward for German citizens, with houses sometimes available from as little as 4,750 to 15,000 euros.
• Outside the EU, it is worth taking a close look at property ownership rules: Thailand does not allow land ownership for foreigners, Georgia is particularly visa-free thanks to its 365-day visa-free stay, and several countries (Romania, Turkey, Morocco) have conflicting information on income thresholds, which should be verified locally.
• A formal trial stay of three to twelve months in a normal everyday apartment – not in a holiday resort – significantly reduces the risk of a hasty decision, regardless of which country is ultimately chosen.

Sources and further data on all 20 countries studied in the NestFainder research (including Panama, Mexico , Ecuador, Belize, Uruguay) are available for in-depth research.