the unknown

Hi,

My husband and I live in Oak Park, IL and would like to retire in Spain. We fear we will not be able to afford it, however, since the dollar is so low. Our daughter wants to move to Valencia and so that will be our first destination. Any advice about the cost of living and steps to take for us?

Thanks,

Merle

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Hi Merle.

Not too sure about the cost of living in the US, but the cost of living in Spain is certainly a fraction of what it is in the UK.

There is NO WAY we (my wife and I) could even contemplate being able to retire full-time in England with costs the way they are here, but now we've bought in Spain and are looking forward to retiring EARLY to a far more stress-free and comfortable life!

Sorry can't be more spacific about the cost comparisons with the US, but I would say to anyone GO FOR IT! Perhaps avoid the big city ares, though, and look just a little way out into the country.

Cheers.

Steve.

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Not too sure about the cost of living in the US, but the cost of living in Spain is certainly a fraction of what it is in the UK.

Sten46 although we do not live permanently in Spain I would disagree that the cost of living is a fraction of the UK I don't think in fact that it is that far behind now where we are.

 

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I suppose realistically, it does depend to some extent on your location. For instance,  our Suma bill and community charge totals 650 euros per anum, against the council tax in the UK - for a smaller property - of £1300. Our Spanish electricty and gas costs work out, on a pro-rata basis. less than 40% of the UK costs. Buying food etc in the local shops and drinking in the Spanish bars, the costs are well down on costs in the UK. Also, petrol and diesel - about 1.05e against £1.07 a litre. If you're retired and don't use your car that much, then the MoT (IVA) is every two years against yearly. It all adds up!

Yes, I have to say, if you want to shop in the British shops for British goods then you are going to pay more, purely because the stuff has to be imported, but I can only reiterate - from our personal experience, we have found the cost of living to be MUCH lower than in the UK - not to mention the laid-back, stress-free way of life!

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Steve & his wife live "very well" in Spain cos we've socialised with them.

Good to see you again, recently, Steve & J, even though briefly. Bet our phone no. is still missing that elusive "0" in your mobile.  Happy New Year.

We missed having you all to us. Hope the new TV is excellent.

All the very best from us both x

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Hello again.

Just checked to make sure - deffo got the requisite number digits on now!

Yes, thanks - the new TV is now hanging on the wall and is working very well (pity at the mo it's all in Spanish!).  Got the DVD connected up now and propose to get the satellite installed sometime over the summer ready for the dark winter nights.

How was the Three Kings? I think you said you weren't flying back 'til after.

Popping over for a long weekend towards end of Feb, and a short visit for three or four days over Easter, otherwise it's back to the grindstone for a bit! Ah well, only eighteen more pay-days - sounds much nearer like that!

Cheers for now.

S + J.

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Steve, maybe see you Easter. Over March 17th till April 10th.

Took ill last few days so didn't see Three Kings, sadly.

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Hi, I'm interested to get a better understanding/advice of the typical costs for gas used at home in Spain.

The house we recently purchased has a large(1000 litres)  gas tank which from empty cost 1100Euros to fill up with Repsol. In addition there's a monthly fee from Repsol of 30 Euros for "maintainance" of the tank. I'm not sure what maintainance this refers to as we've seen none! 

Does anyone know how this would compare with going over to using the approach of having 5 large gas bottles with 5 others as backup in a small gas casita which seems to be a common approach also. I've no idea of the costs involved in this approach.

At this stage we don't really know what the real annual/monthly running costs will be as we don't have a clear view on usage levels yet, but as we're living here in Spain so also interested to know how gas costs compare with UK.

 

Any info would be appreciated, cheers, Pete.

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Hi Merle,

As someone who has friends and family in the US I would say that  the cost of living in Spain is not too much different from the US. In recent years we have spent at least 5 weeks a year in the US and it is much cheaper than the UK. I would guess that Spain is a little dearer than US but that really would depend on what part of Spain that you choose. We have only owned in Spain for the last 6 months and do not live there so can't be difinitive on actual cost.

Just one question- why, when you have all of the US to choose from would you want to relocate to Spain?

If I had the choice I know which one I would choose!

Gloria and Mike

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How I agree Xetog.  With the whole of the USA why Spain?  We debated about buying in Florida (year round sunshine) but Spain won as it's closer for a short break and as we get older the long haul flying gets less attractive.

Difficult to compare cost UK vs Spain as I think dependent on the actual areas you are living in (both countries).  We live in London so get lots of choice in everything and can pay as much or as little as you want but have just bought in CDS so finding really expensive everywhere!

We had shock at the prices and choice available for furniture- very similar products and not that cheap. Got a lovely bed though!! Also little things like a cheap kettle. All the ones we looked at were at least twice if not more than the UK price so brought one over but gave in a bought a TV locally. As you say petrol prices are fantastic. We're also pleased with the fresh fruit and vegetables.

Still get frustrated with the pace of life but I'm sure with practice it'll all come back (lived in rural Wales for years and that's the same pace)

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 Yes I agree with the other posts, the only thing I can see is that your daughter wants to live in Spain is that the reason?     I must admit we have been to America a few times but not a place I would like to live.  I find  Staying in Spain is a lot cheaper than England,   BUT how Spain compares with US now I am not sure when we went it was cheap but it could be prices have gone up like UK , although your  economic climate is not very good, but at least you have had a rate cut today.      I know we could not afford to live in America because of the high medical costs and it would cost a lot for insurance I know a few people that have family in America and have looked into moving but cannot afford to do so.      It might be better to wait till your daughter moves and see how she gets on.  Well good luck Merle what ever you decide.  Pat

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Also Merle's daughter wants to move to Valencia which, I would think, is expensive compared with the places many of us have properties in, in Spain. CDS, for instance, is more expensive regarding buying property than the CB. Big decision.

How old's your daughter, Merle ?

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Thanks for all the help. Yes, mainly to be close to my daughter and to live where we had hoped our fixed income would go further. The dollar was not quite so weak when we decided this! My husband wants to go to Malta where they speak English and that is still a possibility as is returning to the US. Our health insurance is eating up a big part of our income. Also, we are upset with blatant greed of our politicians, with their insensitivity to poor people and minorities, with an unwarranted war that has killed thousands of innocent people, and more. In the 60's we protested loudly and changes were made. Protests are not possible with the Republicans owning the media and telling lies to Congress and the public. This is not the America my mother loved when she immigrated here. Also, we are an interracial couple (40 years) and tired of all that entails. As you can see by my question, we are still unsure but at least we will get to travel and if it doesn't work out, we will return to the US. At our age a little adventure stimulates the blood!!!

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Hi Merle,  Yes I am afraid you are like a lot of the people leaving England at the moment fed up with the country and politicians.    I have never been to Malta but have always wanted to go Roy was stationed their for a while before he went to Hong Kong he did not enjoy it their so does not want to go back.   But do not worry about not speaking Spanish you soon pick some of it up we seem to get buy.  But you are right Travel stimulates you as you get older go and see what you think you should have some adventures as you get older go for it. I can understand about the medical insurance the prices some of my friends have been quoted just could  not believe.    Good luck keep us all informed Pat

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Hello Merle. I have to echo the thoughts of Xetog and Sonia. I know many Americans feel their country has gone to the dogs (as many Brits feel their's has), but if you want to speak Spanish and feel the sun on your face year round - for goodness sake go to Florida and spare yourself the grief of trying to adjust to the inefficiency and hassle of life in Spain! I speak as a Brit who has lived in both Spain and the US. Believe me, if I could get a Green Card, I'd be on the first flight to Miami. To me it's a no-brainer. Having said that, I do know a few Americans who have made the move and settled here and are very happy (apart from the current Dollar-euro rate!)

One of the main reasons so many Brits (and other Northern Europeans) choose Spain, is it's proximity to our families and friends. You mention your daughter wants to move to Valencia, so maybe your idea is motivated by that, but I wonder what her reasons are? Studying? Trying out another culture? How old is she, what are her plans, is it likely to be permanent or just a temporary thing? If you are in a position to move over here without severing your ties in the US (i.e., keep hold of your property there so that you can easily return if it doesn't work out), then by all means give it a go.

As for the relative cost of living - everyone has their own opinion of what this means. The cost of certain items, such as furniture and electrical goods may not be noticeably different from the UK (and are probably generally dearer than the US), but personally I don't believe this is a resonable indicator of cost of living. These are one-off costs, not day to day expenses. Supermarket prices are, I think, generally lower than the UK, and probably comparable to the US, and eating/drinking out is cheaper than the UK but probably similar to the US (NYC excluded!) I have no doubt that the overall cost of living in Spain is lower than in the UK. But, I think this may be largely related to climate. Heating costs are far lower here, naturally, and I definitely had to spend more on clothing in the UK! This probably would be true if comparing the cost of living between Illinois and Florida though. Property taxes are far lower here than UK, as is road tax on cars. Petrol & diesel are cheaper in Spain than the UK, but as with anywhere in Europe, significantly higher than what you are used to in the US.

But perhaps one of, if not the most important thing for you to consider, is healthcare. I'm assuming you are US citizens of course, in which case the wonderful free Social Security healthcare that we all enjoy will not be available to you, so it's imperative that you check out private health plans. (Start by Googling Sanitas, for example) It may be that your existing plan covers you for emergency treatment in Europe, but check if there are limitations on length of stay etc. If you are going to live here, you will probably need to take out private insurance here to cover you for doctors visits etc., and remember, any prescription medication will have to be paid for in full. Compared to the US, you may find the costs refreshingly reasonable, but you would be wise to check all this out first.

 

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