Update please Cost of a weekly shop

Ask any Brit expat on a sterling pension who has lived in Spain longer than this curent financial crisis.

Micky thats why I said,  So the cost of living, based on sterling, has varied tremendously.  At its height my OAP was about 800 euros per 4 weeks, at its lowest 500. 

That's the problem with threads like these. People start making unreal comparisons, making things up, exagerrate things to score points and treat the Costas as if it were the whole of Spain.

Average wage in Spain is €1615 a month net. Yes, it probably is less on the Costas because it's a relatively poor part of the country. Water is not more expensive in Spain (water rates in the Thames area is £318 a year for a 3 bed house, mine is around €234). The Spanish do not, and neither do we, buy branded baked beans, cheapo mousetrap cheddar or Pataks curry mixes. One could easily turn that around and say that Jamon Iberico is 5 times the cost in UK, fresh prawns are 3 times are much and a decent bottle of Rioja if 5 times as much so it must be expensive there. All a bit silly, really.

Personally I think that anyone who goes to a foreign country and complains about the cost of UK food should have stayed in UK in the first place. And who the heck uses bottled gas in UK? 

All by the by. I like it here, find it cheaper for day to day living when all the bills are taking into account including shopping. To equate what the average Brit expat spends his money on with what the average Spaniard spends his money on is also rather silly.

The OP asked a question and it got out of hand (sorry, I didn't mean it like that when I responded to Floella's post). I think they've been answered so could we leave it at that?

 And who the heck uses bottled gas in UK? 

Couple of 21 years olds who work for me and just started to rent a flat together and cant afford to run the heating 24/7, but with the Superser heater as and when they want it, about £26.00 per bottle.

My reception Lady has one in her office which she use's when she wants to.

I am sure the UK don't just make three for these people to use.