I lived in Monaco for many years. It is certainly not boring. In fact, for a town of only around 40,000, it is amazing with more "attractions" than most other cities --even with a few million inhabitants. There are always shows & things going on that you'd never see anywhere else. I used to like the annual contest for the best circus acts and rare animals. Others in MC like the Pop & classical music festivals, ballet, opera, theatrical productions in many languages, and great Michelin-starred restaurants. There are international dog & cat shows, classic car shows, art exhibitions, cinema festivals, etc. always going on... Anyone who says Monaco is boring has either never been there or would find anything/anyplace boring. The only reason I left was that I discovered a PT could live anywhere, and even though I could afford Monaco, I preferred to spend my time (and money) in places like Manila and Buenos Aires where I got the same thing (rent, food, servants, etc.) at around 1/8th the price. As to the people, there are a lot of Libertarians in MC who made a lot of money and just wanted to escape from Big Brother or too many lawsuits, and above all, maybe gain a personal safety level unobtainable anywhere else in the world. You can wear a Rolex, drive around & park an expensive car without any fear that some street thug will accost you. Across the street in France, there are constant strikes and protests, and millions of illegal immigrants and troublemakers --but I have never experienced any of that in Monaco. Those who do make trouble are quickly expelled! The bottom line is that if you want to live large and have a large budget, I found no place better than MC. But I like to get good value for money; For the price of a small apartment in Monaco, I got 6 equivalent properties in different top-quality urban centers of the world ... Thus, after many years, and ready for a change of scenery, I gave up on Monaco.
Oh, one more thing. The original question was how much money do you need to relocate to Monaco? As I said,
if you don't need a legal residence, you can simply rent an apartment. That would be a minimum of Euro 2000 a month for a studio. But nearby across the street in France ( maybe Beausoleil) maybe 500 a month for renting a studio! As to groceries, you can buy at Carrefour in MC, or across the street in France at Lidle or Aldi where prices are much cheaper than in New York or London! Likewise with restaurants: Expensive in Monaco, not so much across the street. If you want the ambiance of Monaco at 1/4 the price, you can rent in France or nearby Ventimiglia Italy & live comfortably as a PT with an income of maybe $2000 a month. If you insist on living in Monaco with legal residence, add a zero!
Hello,
I'm considering to relocate from EU to Monaco.
I read a lot of threads about relocating to Monaco now I wonder with 1 million euros in cash would it be possible to relocate to Monaco and get some nice apartment there?
Monthly income will be 20,000 euros
Peter Taradash says: I lived in
Monaco for many years: How much money do you need to relocate to Monaco?
If you don't need a legal residence, you can simply rent an apartment. That would be a minimum of Euro 2000 a month for a no-view studio. But nearby across the street in France (maybe Beausoleil?) maybe only 500 a month for renting a similar studio! As to groceries, you can buy at Carrefour in MC, or across the street in France -- at Lidle or Aldi where prices are much cheaper than in New York or London! Likewise with restaurants: Expensive in Monaco, not so much across the street. If you want the ambiance of Monaco at 1/4 the price, you can rent in France or nearby Ventimiglia, Italy & live comfortably as a PT with an income of maybe $2000 a month. If you insist on living/eating/having servants in Monaco with legal residence, add at least a zero!
MC is certainly not boring. In fact, for a town of only around 40,000, it is amazing with more "attractions" than most big cities --even with a few million inhabitants. There are always shows & things going on that you'd never see anywhere else. I used to like the annual contest for the best circus acts and rare animals. Others in MC like the Pop & classical music festivals, ballet, opera, theatrical productions in many languages, and great Michelin-starred restaurants. There are international dog & cat shows, classic car shows, art exhibitions, cinema festivals, etc. Such things are always going on... Anyone who says Monaco is boring has either never been there or would find anything/anyplace boring. The only reason I left was that I discovered a PT could live anywhere, and even though I could afford Monaco, I preferred to spend my time (and money) in places like Manila and Buenos Aires where I got the same thing (rent, food, servants, etc.) at around 1/8th the price. As to the people, there are a lot of Libertarians in MC who made a lot of money and just wanted to escape from Big Brother or too many lawsuits, and above all, maybe gain a personal safety level unobtainable anywhere else in the world. You can wear a Rolex, drive around & park an expensive car without any fear that some street thug will accost you. Across the street in France, there are constant strikes and protests, and millions of illegal immigrants and troublemakers --but I have never experienced any of that in Monaco. Those who do make trouble are quickly expelled! The bottom line is that if you want to live large and have a large budget, I found no place better than MC. But I like to get good value for money; For the price of a small apartment in Monaco, I got 6 equivalent properties in different top-quality urban centers of the world ... Thus, after many years, and ready for a change of scenery, I gave up on Monaco.
If you just want to move there (to Monaco) and if obtaining "legal residence" there is not important to you, it is easy. Just rent or buy an apartment. Rents are not too crazy, but property prices are. A mere studio apartment may cost $2 million. The USA says you can be considered NOT a USA resident, by merely staying out of the USA for over a year. You don't escape the USA tax net entirely, but your 20,000 X 12 months or 240,000 income can be largely sheltered, But that's another topic.
The benefits of Monaco tax residence depend on where you are coming from. For French taxpayers, moving to Monaco is a non-starter. No benefits at all.
If you are German for instance, even getting legal residence does not benefit you or remove you from their tax roles. Germany requires that you get legal residence & local taxpayer status in a non-tax haven first, Thus, making a move to Monaco to avoid German income tax a 2 step process. So if you are a straight-arrow guy, you can plan a move to Monaco and become a legal resident with a net worth of $1 million (Clean money).. It all depends on where you are coming from. On the other hand, a P.T. (Perpetual Tourist on Paper) with money can still live anywhere he pleases and be invisible. I dwelt peacefully in Monaco for 40 years as a PT. But the winter weather in the South of France (Monaco) is not as good as it is in Buenos Aires, which was not even 1/8th the cost of living in Monaco. If you have assets or an online source of income, you can go where you want, do what you want, and not worry about visas , permits or anything else --- if you have the right passports.