Brexit in whatever form it eventually takes (and my bet is fluffy soft) cannot reverse globalisation. I wouldn’t let Brexit get in the way of living somewhere you like, short of straight-up illegality.
As for things like house prices here or there, etc. – what odds, really? Get what you can afford and do the same if you move back to the UK. It astounds me how many people let these hidebound notions determine their existence as if the size of their house had any bearing on their quality of life. Moving country is a great opportunity to reappraise what you stand for in life. Don’t be timid in that assessment.
On the whole, France is a pleasant place to live. I live in Paris but have toured the country by Vespa and stayed in many towns, villages, and backwaters for a day or a week. The biggest struggle is work, but retirement neatly takes care of that. Healthcare is good and easy and light on bureaucracy. (Running a business is another matter. Maybe Macron will yet improve that.)
Roger Hicks, a well-known British writer on photography who has lived in France for years, has a
fun piece on Universal Basic Income that coincidently describes the semi-abandoned villages of France. I could imagine living in many of these places now that they have good internet. I think I could be happy living frugally, working on something significant, learning the local history, maybe joining a church, cycling unknown roads, and going into Paris now and then to catch up on old friends and the art expos.
