Is it cheaper to live in Spain?

My Uk council Tax is £1650per year, we get the same services as Spain, for much mor money.

Ok the pavements in Spain leave much to be desired in places, but overall Spain provide the same lighting, police, school, fire brigade etc., etc.,

So where has it all gone wrong in the UK?

Food in Spain is fresher cheaper and tastier. After all, most UK supermarkets sell mostly imports and that hikes the prices.

Spain sell lots more of their own produce, so the prices is kept lower, especially the vino, cheers!!!

I think it's all relative to the lifestyle that you want to live.  Eating out here isn't as cheap as it used to be, prices have definitely increased.  We went to a restaurant round the corner from us and for the four of us (the kids shared a meal) it came to 63 euros which is quite a lot really, and we didn't even have deserts!  When we were in the UK over Christmas we went into a Beefeater and it was excellent value for us all and we were stuffed and really enjoyed it.

The "ventas" which were traditionally very cheap have are no longer so, certainly not around here. 

Fresh fruit and veg, well that depends where you go.  There is a fruit and veg shop on the hill up to Manilva which charges extortinate prices particularly for the non Spanish speaking customers. 

Car insurance we find much cheaper here, we use Linea Directa (Direct Line).

With utilities as there is practically no competition you cannot shop around for the best deal.

For us anyway, we don't think it's significantly cheaper to live in Spain although I'm sure heading inland maybe prices are better.

How expensive is it ? has always been relative as so many have already pointed out,

If  a meal out in the UK is usually fish and chips then don't compare that to a fancy restaurant with all the trimmings,

Likewise ....

what cost do you place on the months of sunshine you experience in Spain compared to the UK ?

what price do you pay for the fabulous beaches where you can spend so many hours with your family ?

From someone who has yet to take ownership of their property, life in Spain whether resident or holidaying is surely about all the other aspects of life that actually has no price tag !!

Noting better than buying a bag full of fresh prawns, warm baguette, tub of butter and dry white wine from the local Mercadona, slip down to the beach, slip of your shoes (and whatever else takes your fancy) and laze dreaming of the wet & windy UK, whilst gazing over that blue Meditteranean...............ah the thought of it, and so chepa for the picninc too.

Oh wake up, get back to the kitchen where the nice curry is bubbling to warm me up, getting in out of that rotten rain & wind of today............!!!

yes

Apparently this evening so my other half tells me, bbc1 tonight 6  30pm are following a retired couple from Kidderminster who moved out to live    South of Alicante last year on the cost of living in Spain.Its a follow up from last December to see how they are getting on. (it may only be on in the West Midlands) take a look if you can.        Any one got the flu out there... its driving me made it just keeps coming back any suggestions.  Come across a bread maker in Spain yet. 

hi Janice missed you toooo catchin up on all the posts not been well sitin up in bed with my lap top working

I am currently in the process of renovating an apartment in Torremolinos. Most of the (hard) work I have given to a Mexican friend of mine, who quoted me such a good

price that I could not believe he would do all that work for so little. Today I went to check on progress, and found that he is employing a Colombian labourer and a Bulgarian

plasterer and his father, paid for out of what I'm paying him. I've heard all about Polish plumbers taking the UK by storm, but if these guys can all make a living out of what it's

costing me, then it MUST be cheaper to live here in Spain!

I agree Roberto,

My Brother bought a villa in Aspe CB

He had to "do" the garden as it was a new build without landscaping.

He used builders from Eastern Europe.

They worked extremely hard, dawn till dusk, no shirking or lengthy breaks for tea and bacon butties.

Thier work was faultless and they left the site clean & tidy.

Price?

Heaps cheaper than the UK dodgy builders with their bums hanging out!

Rgds,

Regardless of all the major expenses...l always have a little conversion rate that has worked well for me over the years that l have been living in Spain. For everything that costs a 1€ in Spain the eqivalent would cost me £1 in UK ....within reason this works,

So l guess we are about 33% better off living in this fantastically sunny (well maybe not this week) place

Plus l have seen people saying that the Social Security of approx 240€ per month is higher than the UK - but please do not forget in the UK - you pay a basic amount per week -THEN at the end of the year - dependant on your profits you pay MORE.

In my experience of self-employed in both UK and Spain there is no major difference in the end cost of both tax & social security BUT the major difference is the life that you can have IF you are willing to find it and work for it.

If you live & work in Spain, what tax rate applies to your salary & are there any other deductions made, like National Insurance etc.

Noreen

Nothing like it.  There is no council tax as such.  There are a plethora of taxes such as:

Spanish yearly property Tax: The Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles (known as IBI) is fixed by the local authorities, depending on both the value of the land and of the property itself. This Spanish tax is paid yearly, and you can either go to the local tax office (called SUMA) and pay it directly when you receive the yearly notice in your postbox, or you can arrange for it to be paid automatically from a Spanish bank account (the best option if you do not live permanently in Spain).

You will be able to find out how much it is from the estate agent or seller you are dealing with at the time of purchase of the house in Spain, but the amount increases slightly each year.

Spanish yearly rates: House-owners in Spain are also required to pay yearly rates, which is a contribution to street lighting, maintenance of facilities and rubbish collection. The yearly amount again depends on the area and is paid to the local council.

These rates are immensely cheaper than UK with the IBI being at around 0.5 to 1% of the value of your property.

I am not sure of the actual costs but this might help.  I have a duplex property with a value of €138,000.  Even though electricity prices have risen in Spain, my total bills including IBI, council rates, wealth tax, the nasty bit they stick on non residents for imagined rentals, electricity including standing charge, water charges, property insurance and personal effects insurance and our community fees comes to about €1,500 per year.  Even with the falling pound, this is still less than my council tax in UK.  All my taxes and bills are either direct debit or paid by my solicitor when they become due and the fee for this is about €150 a year. 

One word of caution, our community charges are €400 a year but I have heard of some communities, especially those on golf courses, being over €1,000 so do your homework.

 Intriguing bit of cut'n'paste, that, Bobaol. (no offence meant, but I'm fairly certain those weren't your own words!) I'm puzzled by this. IBI plus yearly rates??? IBI is the yearly property rates, and I'm not aware of any other tax by the council. There is an additional charge for rubbish collection (basura) but this is usually included on your water bill, and is more likely to be calculated based on your water consumption.

At least, that's the way it is where I am, and I hasten to stress once again that Spain is divided into several "autonomous" regions and each have their own systems, and names for certain things. Outside of the Alicante region, SUMA is not a familiar term and if you ask for directions to the SUMA office, you will draw blank looks! (Same goes for the health card you have up there, which we've never head of!)

All this is just me being pedantic, and to answer Susan's question, it works in a fairly similar way to the UK, in that the rates are based on the property location and size/value. There is no allowance made for number of people living in a property that I'm aware of, though, and the property owner always pays the IBI, not the tennant. And, assuming that by posting on this thread what she really wanted to know was are rates/council tax cheaper here than UK, then, yes, it's cheaper here! Also, it's worth checking if your local council offer a discount on IBI, and the water board on water and rubbish bills, if you sign on the padron at the town hall. Again, depending on where you are, you may or may not need to be a resident to do so.

Good point Bobaol makes about community charges. They can vary widely, depending on facilities and many other things (such as who's on the take, how many bad-debtors there are etc.) so do check this if planning on buying within a community.