Retire in France

Hi mishmp,
- you can use this website to compare housing costs (but don't rely on the absolute numbers, as I think they are low): https://www.meilleursagents.com/prix-immobilier/
- check this site (Nice is the example here) for general weather (although I don't see humidity): http://www.holiday-weather.com/nice/averages/
I think humidity is generally higher at the shore (Sète is often more humid than Montpellier)
- you will have to pay for health insurance, but after living here 3 months, you can apply to be on the French system, instead of private/travel insurance. You would want to compare the cost, and that is difficult to do. Also, it takes time to get on the system after applying (and it's a very wide range of time). So you would have some overlap to account for.
- I wouldn't worry about finding farmer's markets - practically every town has them!
- I recently saw a news article that said the average cost of car insurance in France was ~600€ per car
- bring sentimental stuff; leave behind anything with a motor that plugs in - check the chargers for anything rechargeable, and bring a converter if needed. There are some things you just can't find here - make a list of things that are important to your daily life, and find out if you can get them here.
Good luck!
Julie