Europe. The magical land where time slows down so you can truly stop to smell the roses, beauty waits around every cobblestoned corner, and you can technically have each of your meals in a different country all in the same day. From East to West and the northern tip to the southernmost parts, Europe has something for everyone and we’re at least a little jealous of people that get to call it home.
If you’re anything like us, you’ve thought about pulling out that passport and moving far, far away at least once in the past several months. Of course, there’s the issue of things like work, school, social gatherings, and other general life duties. Plus, how would you even find a place to live?
We can’t help with the responsibilities part, but we do have some ideas on where you can settle for less (probably much less) than what you’re paying now. Keep reading to see just how much space you can get (we’re talking two or three bedrooms plus outdoor space) with a view (Swiss Alps, anyone?) for only $1000 per month (which usually includes all the furniture you need). Some of these long-term rentals are even animal-friendly, so you don’t have to leave Fido behind.
Europe no longer has to be your dreamy vacation destination, it can be your real life home. And our guess is your friends and family will visit a whole lot more often. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s move to Europe!
23 Swiss Alps: A Chateau In The Clouds
At “Les Beluardes” you can basically hit the slopes right from your front door. This one bedroom apartment on the mountain within the local resort offers “simple and practical furnishings” (read: open-hearth fireplace). The unit is about three hundred square feet which might seem a little small, but we doubt you will be spending too much time inside.
Internet is included with your rental, so you can post tons of pictures on social media of you standing outside on your private terrace with that chilly Swiss air blowing in your hair. Forget a week-long ski trip, just go ahead and move yourself in for the whole winter.
22 Amsterdam, Netherlands: A Home In The City Center
Amsterdam is arguably one of the most entertaining, historically rich, awe-inspiring, and relatively low-cost cities in the world, which makes it a top contender if you’re looking to relocate for a few years and don’t mind some above average hustle and bustle.
Consider making your new home in Schinkelkade within the Stadsdeel Zuid district. You will be steps away from nightlife, museums, supermarkets, and coffee shops. Grab a warm beverage to go and return to your one bedroom apartment to sit out on the balcony and enjoy it (or just sit near the floor to ceiling windows if it’s too cold).
21 Barcelona, Spain: A Terrace With A View
We searched through listings on Apartment Barcelona and it seems like there is a belief in the city that everyone should have a good view all to themselves no matter where they live.
For less than $1000 per month (with rental options ranging from eleven months to three years), you can relocate to a one bedroom/one bathroom apartment (equipped with central heating and air) in the Horta/Guinardo District. Located in the northeastern portion of Barcelona, this area is much less bustling than the middle of town but is still easily accessible via public transportation.
20 Prague, Czech Republic: Modern Comforts With An Artsy Touch
Prague has a sort of timeless elegance that you really have to see to believe. So, it’s no wonder it’s an up and coming spot for expats to congregate.
Experience everything the city has to offer day or night with your own conveniently located apartment. You can easily find spacious accommodations for less than $1000 (thanks to a generous exchange rate), particularly in the newer part of town (which is still really old).
Landlords at many of these recently renovated spaces allow the unit to be rented as an office, so it’s not too late to form your own business and take it overseas.
19 Vienna, Austria: A Two-Story Escape
Vienna is taking it to a whole new level. Literally.
Many apartments are two stories with new construction going vertical rather than lengthwise to make room for an influx of people. Apartments like the ones being advertised on Spot A Home are as large as five hundred square feet and offer open floor plans so it feels like you have even more space.
For less than $1000 per month, you can be within a short walk from Vienna’s exciting city center and have an en-suite bathroom (with a bathtub, a true commodity in Europe). Plus, Vienna loves your pet.
18 Budapest, Hungary: Take Your Place In The Palace District
In Budapest, you don’t have to be royalty to live like a royal or create a fairytale. Start a new chapter for yourself in the Palace District.
The site has grown in popularity in recent years, but is still a well-preserved and much quieter section of the city. What looks like castles from the outside are actually rows of pre-war houses that boast enormous two bedroom/two bathroom properties on the inside.
Make friends with a local that can help you navigate the real estate system and get you the best bang for your buck (with the best view).
17 Brussels, Belgium: Gardeners Welcome
If a flourishing garden is your happy place and digging in the dirt is your zen moment, we found the place for you in Brussels.
Located in the diverse neighborhood of Ixelles, “The Secret Garden” (as we will call it), is a sunny one bedroom/one bathroom apartment. Not counted in its already massive square footage is the attached private garden.
One of the central features of the apartment is the large dining area, presumably to spread out the fruits of your labor from the garden for guests to enjoy. This apartment won’t be available for long, but preference is given to applicants with a green thumb that can grow, maintain, and even expand the garden’s offerings.
16 Athens, Greece: Wake Up To Blue Skies
If you’ve ever caught yourself saying, “it’s all Greek to me” when you didn’t understand something, now is the time to take that seriously and actually learn Greek. We’ve heard the best way to absorb a new language is to immerse yourself in the culture, so we did some research.
You might be able to learn best from Athens’ Glyfada area. In this neighborhood, you can be at the beach in thirty minutes, door to door. Unless you currently live on the beach, you probably can’t do much better than that. Plus, nearly all the homes available for rent have outdoor space so you can enjoy freshly baked bread from the nearby bakeries while watching a sunset.
15 Florence, Italy: An Architectural Wonder
Finding a great spot in Florence is easier than you might think if you know where to look. We started our search on Spot A Home and found the perfect one bedroom apartment in Duomo with a terrace that overlooks the neighborhood’s namesake cathedral. The apartment is decorated in classic Italian style and is steps away from the city’s most iconic landmarks. Your monthly rent of less than $1000 gets you five hundred square feet of pure charm.
With all the time you’re saving now that you’ve already found your new home, you can make more room in your day for pasta and gelato.
14 Istanbul, Turkey: Winding Streets Will Lead You Home
Take everything you thought you knew about Istanbul and erase it because the Besiktas neighborhood is unlike anything you’ve heard of.
Serving as Istanbul’s transportation hub, Besiktas is located on the Bosphorus Strait. Its epicenter is a bustling fish market and from its narrow, winding streets take you to other small bars and restaurants. $1000 in this haven for culture and education will get you a two bedroom rental (complete with weekly cleaning services and a balcony) on a quiet street dotted with trees, markets, and gathering places.
13 Krakow, Poland: A Quirky Spot With Plenty Of Room
Krakow is rich in history and looks like something from a storybook, which are certainly good reasons to adore it. It also tops the list of most spacious accommodations for your money.
For $1000 per month, you can rent a three bedroom apartment in a residential neighborhood that totals nearly 1000 square feet. If you do some quick math, that comes out to roughly one dollar per square foot of space.
The layout and decor in some of the older buildings might be a little odd, but for that price, you can deal with angled ceilings, retro light fixtures, and baby blue appliances.
12 Riga, Latvia: A Brand New Apartment Just For You
Okay, so you might not be the absolute first person, but with high rates of the population leaving Latvia for other opportunities the odds are high you can snag a newer one bedroom apartment for a super low cost.
Start your search in Klusais Centrs, a calmer section of Riga north of the center close to the city’s beloved park (great for picnics). From here, you will have easy access to lakes and other amenities. You will likely pay only $700 to $800, which means leftover cash for warm blankets to keep your new space nice and cozy.
11 Porto, Portugal: A Place To Entertain
Right on the river, you’ll find Porto. Second in size only to Lisbon, Porto is the possibly lesser-known (unless you drink port wine) but equally lovely part of Portugal. The Miragaia neighborhood is particularly picturesque with its rolling hills, small cafes, and stone houses. Here, you can find the University of Porto as well as the Parque das Virtudes.
Rentals in this neighborhood are cheap and typically come with amazing outdoor terraces attached, which is perfect for a housewarming party. Did we mention the locals are super nice? You are going to have a full house.
10 Paris, France: Throw Open Your Shutters And Greet The People Below
We don’t know exactly what it means to be French and live a French existence, but we have to assume there is an element of opening your bedroom window underneath the shadow of the Eiffel Tower to the sounds of birds chirping and cars whizzing by below. Even if that’s not quite right, we’d be willing to pay $1000 per month to do just that.
Spot A Home has studio apartments (complete with shutters and a courtyard) listed in the 10th Arrondissement available for rent starting in January. The quarters will be a little cramped, but absolutely worth the chance to live in Paris.
9 Seville, Spain: Take Your Siesta Outside
Daybeds, hammocks, and lounge chairs wouldn’t have been invented if we weren’t supposed to use them for midday naps. Thanks to some genius landscaping and architecture in Seville, we can capture our beauty sleep on any of these devices from the comfort of our own (new) home.
Almost every apartment building in the city has shared (or private) rooftop space outfitted with numerous ways to kick back underneath the warm sun of a Spanish afternoon. If you stick to the La Macarena neighborhood, you’ll have access to that and the plentiful tapas restaurants nearby for less than $1000 per month.
8 Pristina, Kosovo: Enjoy The Seasons
If Kosovo isn’t on your list of places to live once in your life, add it now. Just view a few photos of the stunning monasteries, culinary dishes, and pristine natural beauty and you will be hooked.
We found a long-term studio apartment rentals in the capital city of Pristina on AirBnB for just $700 per month. Land a place in the fall overlooking Mother Teresa Boulevard and you can watch museum-goers and shoppers walking below all bundled in scarves and hats with a backdrop of colorful changing leaves. The added benefit is a host that can double as a tour guide while you get settled and learn the area.
7 Madrid, Spain: Your Own Library
Chances are you don’t have enough room in your current apartment to unpack all of your books that have been sitting in boxes for years. There’s just no place to put them, or at least no place to display them. This is a common problem we have, but we happened to find a gem of an apartment in Madrid that would solve most of our problems.
Where some apartments don’t even have room for furniture, this one has a full bookcase the length of the wall. These shelves are the real deal (no bookcase wallpaper here) and for a rental fee of less than $1000 per month, we can afford to buy even more books. The building has a pool, too, just in case we grow tired of reading.
6 Milan, Italy: Big Bed, Bigger Closets
Milan is one of the world’s most well-known fashion capitals, so it would be a shame to skip out on shopping while you’re there. This means you’re going to need a lot of space to store your finds.
Allow us to introduce you to this lovely one bedroom (with ample closets) basement apartment in Milan’s Villapizzone area. It’s at the epicenter of shops and restaurants and comes fully furnished so you can spend your hard-earned money on the latest trends.
It becomes available for long-term rentals again on August 1st, 2019, so you have some time to learn how to say “clothes” in Italian.
5 London, England: A Quaint Home On A Quiet Block
We thought it might be hard to find a suitable apartment in London for less than $1000, but we did it (just barely).
Our search took us to Lewisham, a southeastern borough of the city that was formerly home to actors Gary Oldman and Jude Law as well as musicians Sid Vicious and Natasha Bedingfield. Here, we uncovered a studio apartment on a quiet side street, complete with an outdoor patio. The apartment is available for rent again starting January 1, 2019. This seems like a great opportunity to resolve to live in London in the new year.
4 Warsaw, Poland: A Doorman, Concierge, And Market
Maybe your current building has a doorman that greets you each morning and night and helps you hail a cab. Perhaps the lobby of the building has a vending machine, though it hasn’t worked in three years. Wouldn’t it be nice if just once you had someone, like a concierge, that could help secure show tickets for your visiting family members because you just don’t have time to do it?
If you didn’t think it was possible to have a doorman, concierge, and convenience store all in one place at the same time then think again.
In the Salomea neighborhood of Warsaw, you can have all of this, a furnished apartment, and a terrace with 360-degree views of the city for less than $1000 per month.