Frankly your options are going to be pretty limited if you cannot afford the "Riviera".In any event the summers are becoming unbearably hot and will continue to do so.If you decide to look at the Alpes Maritimes behind NIce the mountainous roads are tortuous and facilities are next to non existent.We have stayed with a friend who has a holiday home in the mountains.Very nice village but no shop nothing She was taken ill one day and the nearest doctors was a good 30 minutes away.She was given a prescription then we had to drive a 20 mins in the opposite direction to the pharmacy.The phenomenon of "medical deserts" is increasing in France.
Personally I would look further north

 

Crabtree is right about the costs in the area but if you can stretch to Nice, or maybe Menton or Antibes, the area and lifestyle are close to perfect for many. Yes, it can be very hot for a few weeks in summer but better by the coast and usually bearable. A/C is common (although rarely needed). The climate is actually the biggest plus.

Medical services in the towns are really good but can indeed be sketchy as you go into the more remote areas. And the drives into the mountains and the hikes are fantastic if you enjoy that kind of thing.

Take a look and check out the things that matter to you, especially prices.

 

We live about 20 minutes inland from Cannes, up in the hills. The area is very green, and we can see both the sea and the mountains, including snow on the mountains in winter. Homes are less expensive than on the coast and there are many nice small towns and villages. We are still just 30 minutes from Nice airport. We do love Nice - it was a stay in Nice many years ago that led us to focus on this area - but decided it was not a practical place to live. We also looked at some houses in areas "behind" Nice, near Vence and Cagne sur Mer, but we didn't like that area as well as where we are now, in part for the reasons Crabtree describes. We thought Antibes might be a match, but in the end we decided that the area from Cannes inland up to Grasse was a better fit for us. The area is easier to navigate, and we have easy access to medical facilities as well as the airport. It feels like a "normal" French place, but there are a reasonable number of foreign residents and tourists, and people have been universally kind as we work on our French skills. With regard to the weather, we definitely have four seasons here. Summers are hot, although it is a little cooler up here in the hills. Winters are mild. Fall is the rainy season. Last year was unusually rainy, with October/November being the wettest months. Spring comes early. If you haven't already found it, I recommend looking at the WeatherSpark site, where you can see a lot of detailed information and run comparisons between places you are familiar with (Wisconsin?) and places you may be thinking about in France.

 

I recommend looking at the WeatherSpark site

That is a brilliant site .. thank you, I've bookmarked it

 

I suppose it depends what your price range is and everyone has a different opinion on affordable. Same with distances as Crabtree mentioned and while 20 mins might seem far for some, for others a 20/30 min drive is just around the corner. Of course those who are elderly need to consider these things and access to healthcare.

I had a work colleague who was looking at Côte d'Azur a few years ago but too expensive and went for Imperia province in Italy instead. Might also be an option and places like Sanremo seem to offer best of both worlds, but probably also very pricey these days.

 

We bought in Nice several years ago, ahead of an early retirement and move. We are in the center, about a block from the beach. The summers do get a bit humid and hot, but not like the American south. The winters are pretty mild, aside from the rain storms that do hit. The neighborhoods range in price from expensive (like in Mont Boron, Cimiez and the Carre d'Or) to something roughly 50% less. There are some low priced neighborhoods to the north that are very low priced but suffer from economic challenges. As you move inland, the prices drop. By the time you are up the mountains, you probably will find things less expensive. However, they may be isolated by services and you'll need a car. It is possible to be car-free in Nice, and just rent cars for trips. We can hop the tram (a few blocks away) and be at the airport in 20 minutes.

In Nice (and larger towns on the coast), there is a high level of doctors (due to the attractiveness -- the same reason people move). English-language services and medical professionals are also more common, making integration easie (we do have a B2/C1 level of language).

We looked all along the coastal med before picking a location. There are definitely places that are cheaper.

 

We bought in Nice several years ago, ahead of an early retirement and move. We are in the center, about a block from the beach. The summers do get a bit humid and hot, but not like the American south. The winters are pretty mild, aside from the rain storms that do hit. The neighborhoods range in price from expensive (like in Mont Boron, Cimiez and the Carre d'Or) to something roughly 50% less. There are some low priced neighborhoods to the north that are very low priced but suffer from economic challenges. As you move inland, the prices drop. By the time you are up the mountains, you probably will find things less expensive. However, they may be isolated by services and you'll need a car. It is possible to be car-free in Nice, and just rent cars for trips. We can hop the tram (a few blocks away) and be at the airport in 20 minutes.

In Nice (and larger towns on the coast), there is a high level of doctors (due to the attractiveness -- the same reason people move). English-language services and medical professionals are also more common, making integration easie (we do have a B2/C1 level of language).

We looked all along the coastal med before picking a location. There are definitely places that are cheaper.

Thank you. We may have to adjust our pricing expectations to get what we want, which is why we are starting early. We hope to be able to explore the coast as well on this trip. This is hopefully the first of many trips to various areas of France and other locations.