A list of things that are cheaper in Spain compared to the UK

Team GB it seems that road tax possibley varies from province to province, is possible for me and Guslopez to travel to your neck of woods to tax our vehicles!

actually it varies from council to council, each set their own figure. Here in Lorca it's quite expensive but down the road in Águilas or Mazarron it's a lot cheaper.

Hi Gus

So as Roddy says, can you buy your tax from another area to save money?

S

Hi, Team GB, in a word ,no. It is taxed in the area you live in so you are stuck with whatever your local council charges. I know a few people who moved inland from Águilas & Mazarron who were quite put out that when they re-rgistered to their new address, to find that their next car tax was a lot dearer.

Hi Guslopez

Interesting that the cost can vary from 37 - 90 euros for the same vehicle, are these figures the top and bottom charges. Also how do say the local council tax rates compare with each other?

 As with everything there are some things cheaper in Spain and some things cheaper in UK at least perhaps we have the possibility of getting the cheaper stuff from the UK whereas the Spanish may well be stuck with paying more.

Picking up on what Tamsin pointed out that furniture in Spain being expensive, I would have to disagree.We have bought all our furniture out here in Spain and have to say to get the same quality hand built furniture and same style (that's if you can find the same) in the UK would have cost me considerably more.

Infact most of the main stream furniture outlets in UK do not have the same quality or style furniture most keeping cheap Chinese imported stuff which rarely differs from one shop to the next. You really have to seek out the specialist boutiques in the UK to get the same stuff as here and then pay sky high prices. Do not also forget that Spain is one of Europe's largest manufacturers and exporters of furniture.

If you want cheap imported furniture you can still get this if you search out the poligonos.

Hi all,

what about ITV (MOT) every two year 55€ depending on the age of the car think it changes over 10 years old. My favorite is Cava or similar, ranges from 1€ to 2.50€ and good stuff,in the UK the cheapest is £5,leather sandals at the markets half the price of UK

Hi Roddy 1, I don't know about the highs & lows, maybe the smaller councils don't charge as much ? That's the only thing I can think of. Re: the IBI most of the people I 've spoken to come under Lorca & the only other one I know ,who comes under Huercal Overa, has an old finca like me & pays very little.

ms 51, The ITV is only 47€ , here in Lorca, & yes after 10 years it goes to once a year, except for vans, where it goes to every 6 months.

Dental work is a lot cheaper here. Shoes, slippers also.

Hi Guslopez

Thanks for the info on car tax & IBA, you mentioned dental work is cheaper is that general dentistry (ie fillings & extractions etc.) or cosmetic dentistry (veneers etc.) 

Renting property is becoming extremely cheap in many parts of Spain, especially in areas where overdevelopment has taken place.  When we first cam to Manilva nearly 2 years ago, you were looking at 600 euros per month to rent a decent 2 bed apartment.  Now you can get a really nice 2 bed for 400 euros or less, beach side.  A girl I work with looked at one place that was 375 euros per month!

Although saying that, in the big cities like Madrid and Barcelona, it is still expensive to rent, especially relative to what people earn.

Hi Roddy , where I go it's 35 for an extraction, 75 for a filling & cleaning ( all white fillings) & I paid 225€'s for root canal is it ? where they take the nerves out ? Absolute state of the art equipment as well. Don't know about veneers or cosmetics though.