[Barriej]

Thank you all for your info, It seems France is a long way off. All i wanted to do was to retire to France and not have to work.
I can afford to buy a property with land outright and thought my £250000 left over would see me through, but obviously not.

I realize and looked into the Visa side, but it seems there are more things to this than i knew about.

How come its so expensive to live in France, I can survive easy on £1000 a month in the uk which covers all my bills etc.

Perhaps i wish just wishing. Thanks again everyone. looks like im stuck in the uk. Oh joy.

The amount France has set for a visa is to ensure you meet the visa requirements and are not a drain on the country.
in Spain where we are its €26,000 income or a mix of that and savings for a single person and another €6000 odd for the next. The savings must remain untouched.

Most countries have a minimum and the UK is no different for someone wishing to move there..
For the Uk its a minimum income of £18,600 a year (single applicant) and an amount in savings that cannot be touched (think its about £16,000)...

Thats the thing most dont get, it doesn't matter how much YOU can live on, its the minimum level a normal French Citizen should expect to be able to live on....
My son is still in the Uk and doesnt earn £18,000 a year... But he can still live on what he earns.
Lets just say the figure is used as a filter to ensure only serious people will move to whatever country..
Something I approve of.

Besides you stated you have a 1/4 of a million... Just stick that in an account that generates enough an income and you may have enough to apply for the visa...