Agios Nikolaos, Greece

Capital City

Living costs in this Mediterranean port town run about 30% lower than Athens, but don't expect bargain paradise - tourism has driven up local prices since the 1960s. With just 11,421 permanent residents, this Cretan coastal hub transforms dramatically between peak and off-seasons.

Positioned on Crete's eastern coast, Agios Nikolaos wraps around the distinctive Lake Voulismeni lagoon, which has become the town's centerpiece with its amphitheater and cafe-lined shores. The modern town sits partly atop ancient Lato pros Kamara ruins, though limited remains are visible today. Its harbor location made it strategically valuable since Bronze Age times, when Dorian settlers first established the settlement.

The town shot to international prominence in the 1960s after catching Hollywood's eye, serving as the backdrop for films like "The Moon-Spinners" and TV's "The Lotus Eaters." Today, it primarily caters to Western European tourists, with a surge of Greek visitors in August and growing Russian tourism in eastern Crete. Access is via Heraklion's airport (64km away) or ferry port, making it relatively straightforward for expats to reach despite its eastern Crete location.