You may not be tired of London but you may well be keen for a break, especially since an overseas property purchase can come with serious perks if you pick your destination right.
From special working visas to a more affordable lifestyle, these destinations are just the ticket with some appealing add-on benefits, whether it’s a grown-up gap year or a longer term holiday home or big move you’re after.
You won’t be alone, either. The British Council recently revealed that 72 per cent of 18-30 year olds in the UK would consider living and working abroad in the short-term, with Australia at the top of their wish list.
Spain: best for digital nomads
A Digital Nomad Visa allows you, and often your family too, to live and work in a foreign country for an extended period.
Estonia first out of the blocks, offering them in 2020, and now 65 countries have a version.
The top rated visa in 2025, judged by consultants Global Citizen Solutions on 12 criteria from visa costs to quality of life, high-speed internet and tax optimisation, is the Spanish digital nomad visa.
It’s valid for one year, costs €90, gives unlimited travel within the European Union and is extendable for up to five years, after which holders are eligible for permanent residency.
For good value property and lifestyle, look at Valencia suggests Karen Muinoz, Sales Manager Lucas Fox Valencia. One-bedroom apartments there start from €235,000 and two-bedrooms from €300,000.
“We’ve worked with 62 per cent more British clients this year than last,” Muinoz says.
“They come for the quality of life mainly. Valencia is Spain’s third-largest city yet despite the seafront setting, has a significant price difference in housing compared to Madrid and Barcelona. In Valencia you can buy a property for about half the cost of those two cities.”
Valencia finished top out of 53 cities in Internations ranking of the best cities for expats, scoring highly for personal safety, quality of life and an affordable cost of living.
The Spanish prime minister’s threats of taxing up to 100 per cent of the property value for non-resident, non-EU buyers and an outright ban on non-resident purchasers from outside the EU buying at all are widely considered to be highly unlikely to happen.
Montenegro: best for an affordable lifestyle
For an affordable lifestyle with a blitz of natural beauty, head to Boka Bay in Montenegro where Savills associates Dream Estates Montenegro are selling compact studios and apartments from €150,000.
Prices are higher at the three five-star marina developments of Porto Montenegro, Portonovi and Lustica Bay, but the outstanding facilities including magnificent marinas lined with superyachts are a match for far pricier hotspots in the South of France or Mallorca.
New seafront studios at Lustica Bay start from €425,000 while studio to three-bedroom apartments at Porto Montenegro, managed by the wellness hotel brand SIRO, from €408,000.
“Tivat was an unremarkable industrial town and its real estate was once the cheapest per square metre on the entire Montenegro coast,” says Kieran Kelleher of Dream Estates Montenegro.
“Since the arrival of Porto Montenegro, it has changed completely and prices can reach some of the highest on the Adriatic, demonstrating the value and benefits of bringing in a project of this calibre.”
Despite these rises, Numbeo puts the cost of living in Montenegro as 55 per cent lower than London.
Malta: for the most affordable Golden Visa
Golden Visas allow residency in exchange for a financial investment in that country and Malta, Portugal and Greece are among countries offering a version.
Spain closed its Golden Visa programme this year and Portugal has tightened its rules, removing a home purchase from qualifying.
Generally, golden visas require substantial funds, either a one-off payment to the government or through investment in property but the benefits they provide can include free travel within the EU and a route to citizenship.
Greece’s Golden Visa demands a minimum €250,000 property investment – more in ‘high-demand’ areas such as Athens and Mykonos.
The most affordable in Europe at present is the Malta Permanent Residency Programme.
This requires a non-refundable €100,000 donation to the government and proof of €500,000 in assets including property.
Malta’s booming tech and start-up scene and its Digital Nomad Visa (cost €300, giving one year residency with the right to renew) has brought many remote workers to the small Mediterranean island.
Grahame Salt, Director of Homes of Quality suggests looking is areas such as Swieqi, St Paul’s Bay, Naxxar and Marsaskala for the best value, close to the prime residential hotspots with easy proximity to all facilities.
Australia: for a longhaul working holiday
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You’re not going to nip down for the weekend and as a Brit, you can currently only buy new-build homes, yet Australia is proving magnetic for young Brits.
Almost 50,000 British working tourists are ‘down under’ in 2024, up from 21,000 in 2022 and British-born people make up the single largest migrant group in Australia.
Australia’s Working Holiday Visa provides a one year stay for 18-35 years olds. It costs AUD$650 and allows holders to study or undertake short-term work.
For an affordable rental home, swerve top dollar Sydney where median weekly rents are AUD$775, and possibly Brisbane too where rental price growth reached eight per cent last year.
Instead, head to sports-mad Melbourne where you can expect to pay from AUD$550 for a well-located two-bedroom apartment says Brett Thomas from Belle Property, who has arranged rentals for many working holiday Britons.
