murciagull
Well-known member
Mula about 45 minutes inland from Mazarron, have worked on a market on Camposol every Thursday but am giving that up soon.
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[Travel] Cost of living in Spain
- Thread starter happypig
- Start date
Mula about 45 minutes inland from Mazarron, have worked on a market on Camposol every Thursday but am giving that up soon.
BensGrandad
New member
My dream after watching Homes in The Sun is to win enough on the lottery to buy a place in Spain and fly home every other Friday to watch the games at The Amex, see the family then fly back on Monday. We can all dream.
15 gas bottles a year! We use about 6.
Nottseagull
Well-known member
What, no away games??
Gregory2Smith1
J'les aurai!
Beer is cheaper than water
That's all you need to know
That's all you need to know
Worthing exile
New member
- May 12, 2009
- 1,219
Mrs W E and myself are considering Gran Canaria. She knows she can get work, but what is employment like for an older brit? I don't want to be selling boat rides or working in catering. Not looking for a high salary, just to supplement pensions.
Ecosse Exile
New member
If you stay away from the coast and touristy areas property and rental prices are far cheaper, i moved from Alicante to a far superior property near Albox in the Almeria region. I am renting because that suits my circumstances but the price i am paying is two thirds of what i paid on the coast for a bigger property.
As others have said, i would rent before you buy, your first year here still feels like a holiday, once things settle down and things become more routine you may find that things aren't as you first expected or maybe just that another area you didn't previously know about is more suitable.
Dont be put off by moving away from the coast due to language barriers, many many ex-pats have made the same move, the area i am in, i expected to be very Spanish and actually expected to struggle despite speaking a little Spanish (not nearly enough) but my first day here, i sat down at a pub and the first person to walk past smiled and said "alright mate?". There is actually quite a lot of Brits around here and much more of a community feel than i ever felt on the coast, that's not to say there isn't a community feel there, there definitely is, it's just maybe a bit more togetherness here.
As for cost of living, mine is comparible with others, basically almost everything is cheaper, even allowing for the falling pound, if you smoke and drink, a pint will normally cost between €2 to €2.30, a bottle of Mahou or Alhambra is about €1.30. A pack of cigs is normally anywhere between €4 and €5 depending on what you smoke, tobacco is about €8.50 for 50g. So less than half of UK prices even at £1 = €1.
Spain isn't for everyone, so make sure it's right for you before you buy, as selling seems to take forever in many cases, but most people you meet are very happy to have moved here and wouldn't move back, as i said, not everyone but most, i certainly have no intention of going back at this time.
As others have said, i would rent before you buy, your first year here still feels like a holiday, once things settle down and things become more routine you may find that things aren't as you first expected or maybe just that another area you didn't previously know about is more suitable.
Dont be put off by moving away from the coast due to language barriers, many many ex-pats have made the same move, the area i am in, i expected to be very Spanish and actually expected to struggle despite speaking a little Spanish (not nearly enough) but my first day here, i sat down at a pub and the first person to walk past smiled and said "alright mate?". There is actually quite a lot of Brits around here and much more of a community feel than i ever felt on the coast, that's not to say there isn't a community feel there, there definitely is, it's just maybe a bit more togetherness here.
As for cost of living, mine is comparible with others, basically almost everything is cheaper, even allowing for the falling pound, if you smoke and drink, a pint will normally cost between €2 to €2.30, a bottle of Mahou or Alhambra is about €1.30. A pack of cigs is normally anywhere between €4 and €5 depending on what you smoke, tobacco is about €8.50 for 50g. So less than half of UK prices even at £1 = €1.
Spain isn't for everyone, so make sure it's right for you before you buy, as selling seems to take forever in many cases, but most people you meet are very happy to have moved here and wouldn't move back, as i said, not everyone but most, i certainly have no intention of going back at this time.
Can't help there I'm afraid. I'm in Tenerife and don't work. Given the nature of the islands I'd expect pretty well anything is going to be casual, tourism related. Might be admin type work in car rental, estate agents, hotel back office, that sort of thing, but will require a bit of leg work
Good luck
Cadiz Seagull
Grey bearded old man
Depends very much where you are. If you want the real Spain, 97% Spanish, very traditional, very friendly, very beautiful and peaceful then forget the Costas.
Extremadura ticks all those boxes.
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/10-things-you-should-know-about-extremadura/
Cost of living considerably cheaper than UK . Decent size house equivalent of UK Council Tax (IBI) about 15-20 euros per MONTH, as an example
I sell property there so if you need more info just shout. http://www.extremacasa.com/general/mainpage.php See video on first page
But if you are looking for English pubs and nightclubs then you're looking in the wrong place
AmexRuislip
Retired Spy 🕵️♂️
Parents did the same for the last 20 years. If I were going on that many holidays I'd rather go to different places, but it worked well for them as they were always playing golf over there. In the end though, the cost of looking after it and the general ineptitude of companies in Spain (like trying to have a working phone line and internet) meant they sold it.
If I were to buy, I'd look at second hand places that should sell well in another decade or two, rather than a new place that's been sold with lots of marketing, and won't have the resale value.
Live by the sea
Well-known member
- Oct 21, 2016
- 4,718
I think Spain is like most other countries , if you want to holiday in Marbella or Barcelona then you will be paying roughly similar to Brighton. If you are happy to go to somewhere less upmarket in spain there is lots of choice and yes the cost can be 50%-75% less.
Bit like France, you can buy a huge detached house in normandy for £400,000 but in the more fashionable cote de zur you will be lucky to get a tiny one bed flat for that You usually pay for amenities close at hand. Nice restaurants boutique shops dont usually come cheap ! Irish style pubs and mainly kebab places and fast food places usually mean cheap housing.
Sounds a bit snobby i know but it is true
Bit like France, you can buy a huge detached house in normandy for £400,000 but in the more fashionable cote de zur you will be lucky to get a tiny one bed flat for that You usually pay for amenities close at hand. Nice restaurants boutique shops dont usually come cheap ! Irish style pubs and mainly kebab places and fast food places usually mean cheap housing.
Sounds a bit snobby i know but it is true
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BensGrandad
New member
On a flight back from Malaga we sat next to a chap wgho told us that he worked at BAE Farnborough but lived just north of Malaga. He said he flew to Gatwick and drove to his parents house in Farnham then worked 4 x 13 hour days on flexi hours, staying at his parents then flew back to Malaga fort 4 days and then repeated it. When asked what the advantages were he said his 4 bedroom house was far better than he could get for the same money in England. The weather on his 4 days off and most importantly the discipline for his 2 children was far better in a Spanish school. He knew his work rota so booked his flights with Easy jet well in advance and at the best prices.
Each to their own but I’d be dead for 4 days after working 4 13 hour shifts back-2-back.
hillianseagull
Member
We brought an apartment in Mojácar, Almeria about 18 years ago when our kids were young. We’ve spent loads of time there over those years. Now they’ve grown up and prefer not to holiday with us, we try to get a 4 or 5 day break there every month. We love it. Although I’d never move out full time, the aim would be to spend longer breaks, especially in the winter. Our area is typically around 20c in Nov, Dec and Jan. Cost of living is miles cheaper, fresh produce from markets is amazing quality. We pay community charges for pools cleaning and gardens €80/month, €25 local tax, water/air con/electric €50. Internet is about €15pm and can be turned off when not required, so only pay for when we use it. Never had any regrets about buying it.
Boroseagull
Well-known member
Been living here 10 years now. Situated inland but only 20 mins from Malaga Airport. It's a Spanish town, no English bars etc. Very friendly neighbours and very quiet - except for barking dogs! That's always a problem in Spain. Costs, well we live in a large house, 6 beds, 4 bathrooms, pool. Outside we have a mix of 30 orange, lemon, grapefruit, avocado, fig, mango, plum & peach trees, the IBI (rates) on this are 750 euros a year. Rubbish is collected from outside our gate 3 nights a week. We are fully incorporated into the Spanish health system and our town/village has a 24 hour health centre. Appointments for this can be made either by phone, in person, by email or using the phone App. Normally seen the same day or within 24 hours. We don't use bottled gas (hate the stuff as it's 'wet' fuel and causes mould in most houses), but cook etc using electricity. Water is solar via an energy panel. Winter heating - yes Spanish houses get very cold in the winter - is by pellet burner & wood burner. Electricity, with Nordic Energy, averages 70 euros a month but that includes pool pump etc.
Our village/town has some great ventas offering menu del dia for 7 euros inc a bottle of wine, and the most expensive one is 8.50. Living costs have risen drastically since 2016 caused by the £ devaluation, but it's still good value.
Local transport is cheap, compared to the UK, with plenty of buses and super high speed train connections to the rest of Spain, and beyond.
Television is now served with providers like TVmucho or a Firestick with a good VPN, plenty of options now.
Do I miss anything? Yes. The Albion & real ale!
Our village/town has some great ventas offering menu del dia for 7 euros inc a bottle of wine, and the most expensive one is 8.50. Living costs have risen drastically since 2016 caused by the £ devaluation, but it's still good value.
Local transport is cheap, compared to the UK, with plenty of buses and super high speed train connections to the rest of Spain, and beyond.
Television is now served with providers like TVmucho or a Firestick with a good VPN, plenty of options now.
Do I miss anything? Yes. The Albion & real ale!
happypig
Staring at the rude boys
- Thread starter
- #39
Thanks for the info.
Wife retires next May so we're going to rent a place (location to be decided but probably somewhere between Murcia and Almeria) for jan/feb/mar 2021 to see how we like it and scope out a few locations.
My preference is a Spanish town with a few facilities (couple of bars, cafes, doctors etc). I've started to try and learn Spanish too .
Wife retires next May so we're going to rent a place (location to be decided but probably somewhere between Murcia and Almeria) for jan/feb/mar 2021 to see how we like it and scope out a few locations.
My preference is a Spanish town with a few facilities (couple of bars, cafes, doctors etc). I've started to try and learn Spanish too .
Added to what will be at least another 5 hours door to door twice a week