05 Mar 2010 10:47 AM:

Interesting to read all these messages and it is funny how each side comes up with exactly the same arguments for or against the UK or Spain.

I lived for over 10 year in Spain and in the UK and if you drill down to the bits you will find that the main problem is based on the language.

In the UK you can talk, you can understand, you can reply, you can interfere, you can complain. You most likely live in a established area, have friends and family and go to your local to moan or party if you feel like it.

All very reasonable points

In my experience, in Spain you live around other expats, a lot of them are crooks trying to cash in on you, you miss your family and friends, you watch English TV and at the beginning you tell yourself how great it is not to live in the UK anymore. You make an effort to learn the language, but it is just too easy to call the English plumber and anyway why don't they all speak English, it would be so much easier.

I think it is important to compare apples with applies. If you live around Madrid or Barcelona you rarely have issues with water or electricity. Everything is very much organised and a proper structures in place. Try to get Broadband or 3G in rural areas of Britain? No chance there.

In the end it depends what you really want. Because of the very bad work situation in the UK, the horrendous house prices, the incredible high crime rate, the terrorist thread at your house door and the total bankruptcy of most councils, I now live in Brussels, where it is still possible to find a well paid and good job. But I only work for one thing, to return back to Spain, back to my Spanish friends which are all suffering at the moment, to the healthy, pollution free air, the healthy food and to Juan's bar around the corner for a good old chat about all the things wrong in Spain.

Thread: Is living in Spain really that bad now???

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