9 destinations in Europe where retirees are happy and housing is affordable

• Retiring in Europe is both a glamorous and realistic option for Americans.
• Live and Invest Overseas, a resource for people who want to live, retire, and invest overseas, put together a list of the best places in Europe for American retirees.
• The ranking is based on cost of living, safety, local expat community, and more.

After working several decades in a cubicle, who wouldn't want to retire to a warm European seaside town?

Luckily, it's not as overwhelming as it might seem to figure out the best places to retire in a foreign country.

Live and Invest Overseas, a resource for people who want to live, retire, and invest overseas, put together a list of the best retirement destinations in Europe for American retirees.

They based their list on 13 criteria, including cost of living, crime and safety, whether English was spoken there, entertainment, environmental conditions, the expat community, health care, infrastructure, recreation, residency options, taxes, and the affordability and restrictions on real estate.

"Retiring in Europe is about launching a new life in a new country, starting over in a unique place with Old World culture," said Kathleen Peddicord, author and publisher of Live and Invest Overseas. "But there's no one way to determine the best place to retire for every person. That's why we have identified the best destinations in Europe that are each special for their own reasons."

We also included the costs of rent, transportation, and groceries in each destination, based on figures cited by Live and Invest Overseas. All amounts are in US dollars and are current as of December.

Here are the best European destinations for American retirees in 2017.