I got divorced abroad and decided to stay in Europe. My $900 pension goes so much further in a tiny French village.
For Karen Anderson, living in France is more practical than living in the US. She can afford housing and has better access to healthcare.
Karen Anderson, a 57-year-old Californian, moved to France in 2011 and now lives in a small village in northwestern France. She divorced her European husband in 2023, and while the process was difficult, taking three years to finalize, she found affordable housing and healthcare in France made life far less stressful. Her $900 monthly pension from her former job as a 911 dispatcher covers her mortgage, utilities, home insurance, and car insurance.
In Saint-Servais, a village of about 400 people in Brittany, she enjoys a tranquil lifestyle surrounded by farmland and has no light pollution or traffic noise. Despite the lack of everyday conveniences like a bakery or butcher, she appreciates the quiet and starry nights. The village is made of stone, and while she has faced dampness issues due to the rainy climate, her home provides her with a great quality of life compared to her experience in the US.
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