Christine: a holiday house on Aegina that became home

How it came about

Christine grew up in Lakes Entrance in Victoria, where her father worked on fishing boats, and later lived in Sydney. She started out in banking, then spent years training in natural therapies. She opened a massage business in 2000 and went on to manage two clinics and run international conferences.

In 2017 she bought a holiday house on Aegina, an island near Athens. The plan was to split her time between the island and Australia. Instead, at 53, she decided to live there full time.

What it costs them

The article gives no figures for the house, her living costs or her income. It does say she manages six holiday rentals on the island, so she has kept working. She plans to teach and consult in astrology and run retreats too.

For our own estimate of a month in Greece, see our Greece page.

What went well

She met George, who is from Aegina, and they married in 2019. She calls this her second chapter and says she finds it fulfilling. In her words, “Not for one day do I regret my decision.”

What was hard

Distance. She says she misses her family and friends a great deal. When she visits, she stays for weeks at a time.

What has changed since

• Moving before pension age. Christine moved at 53. Greece has a social security agreement with Australia, which can help people who have lived in both countries claim a pension later. Services Australia explains how its agreements work, and our guide to retiring overseas before 67 covers the gap years.
• Visas. Smartraveller says Australians can stay 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area, which includes Greece. Living there longer needs a residence permit unless you hold an EU passport, and the article doesn’t say how she did it. Buying a home can also bring a Golden Visa. Since 2024, Greece’s Migration Code sets the minimum at 800,000 euros (about A$1.3 million) in Attica, which takes in Aegina, and on the bigger islands, and 400,000 euros (about A$671,000) in most other places. Our Greece page covers the other permits.
• Health cover. Greece has no reciprocal health care agreement with Australia, and Medicare doesn’t pay for care overseas. Our guide to international health insurance by age covers the questions to ask.
• Tax. Living overseas full time can change your tax residency. Our guide to tax residency when you retire overseas explains the tests; a registered tax agent can say how they apply to you.

What to take from it

• Christine’s plan started as two bases, part of the year on the island and part at home. Her chapter changed once she was there. Our guide to two bases covers how a split year works.
• She kept working, in a business that suits the island.
• For Christine, family is still the hard part. Long visits home are how she manages it.