I found this the other day and wondered how much it has changed since 2008:

he results of our Cost of Living in Spain survey are in. On average, a couple can live on ? 644 per month in addition to any rent or mortgage payments.

Taken from a wide range of locations in Spain and calculating average (median) monthly figures, visitors responding to the weblink deleted by admin survey gave the following figures:

Monthly Charges in 2008
Buildings Insurance:  ? 17
Contents Insurance:  ? 8
Council Tax:  ? 20
Community Fees:  ? 20
Administrative Fees:  ? 7
Electricity:  ? 50
Gas:  ? 12
Telephone Standing Charges:  ? 20
Telephone Calls:  ? 30
ADSL:  ? 40
Mobile Phone Calls:  ? 28
Car Insurance:  ? 35
Car Road Tax:  ? 7
Car Service Costs: ? 30
Grocery Bill:  ? 300
Satellite TV Subscription:  ? 20
________________________________
Monthly Total   ? 644

Can anyone update it to read 2011

Might be a big big change….....

All pretty much the same surprisingly except perhaps for groceries, probably up by around 20% and leccy bills up by around 25%. My car insurance is 530 euros pa fully comp.

However, I don’t think we could live on 644 euros since there is no figure for incidental expenses and these incidentals mount up quickly; for instance, we have to provide for 9 abandoned dogs that we have taken in, so food and vets bills add a substantial amount to our expenses!

Don’t forget either that expenses for trips back to the UK have to be met; more often than not and even avoiding Ryanair like the plague, the taxi from the airport home can cost more than the airfare… OK so it only happens once or twice a year but they are expenses that have to be met from the same pension or salary.

Cant speak for community fees and admin fees since these generally apply to life in an urbanisation, something that doesn’t apply to us. Neither do sat. tv subscriptions.

fb

could fine the survey on that website ? so link been edited Don

jurdyr - 01 October 2011 04:54 PM

could fine the survey on that website ? so link been edited Don

Thank you I shortened the link because I was not sure it could be posted.

Regards

foxbat - 01 October 2011 04:50 PM

All pretty much the same surprisingly except perhaps for groceries, probably up by around 20% and leccy bills up by around 25%. My car insurance is 530 euros pa fully comp.

However, I don’t think we could live on 644 euros since there is no figure for incidental expenses and these incidentals mount up quickly; for instance, we have to provide for 9 abandoned dogs that we have taken in, so food and vets bills add a substantial amount to our expenses!

Don’t forget either that expenses for trips back to the UK have to be met; more often than not and even avoiding Ryanair like the plague, the taxi from the airport home can cost more than the airfare… OK so it only happens once or twice a year but they are expenses that have to be met from the same pension or salary.

Cant speak for community fees and admin fees since these generally apply to life in an urbanisation, something that doesn’t apply to us. Neither do sat. tv subscriptions.

fb

Interesting it’s “pretty much the same”

My wife say’s “bless you” for looking after the dogs.

Wonder what others will find after reading the post.

everywhere is getting more expensive it seems ...

muddyleopard - 10 October 2011 09:30 PM

everywhere is getting more expensive it seems ...

I’m surprised no one has psoed the currect prices….. but yes it’s all going up and up…..

We were in Costa del Sol recently & various friends suggested it would cost between 1500 - 2400 Euro per month to live “comfortably” on basis of owning own property (without mortgage) & excluding holidays.  Clearly, much higher than 644 Euro estimate above - which might perhaps be based on basic survival.

Would appreciate any first hand feedback (& perhaps breakdowns !!) since this is a crucial aspect for anyone making the big jump !!

Many thanks in advance,

Andrea

Andrea,

I would be inclined to agree with your friends comments; it all depends on what lifestyle you want. We have been out here for five years and costs have risen dramatically.
On the CDS and CB particularly in the main resort areas, one would tend to take advantage of the opportunities for eating out and entertainment, just as you would if on holiday; the realisation that these facilities come at a cost particularly in the long term is definitely a limiting factor.

1500? is doable, 2400? much more so!

fb

Hi Foxbat,

Many thanks for feedback.

To clarify, our friends who provided the data are mostly retired professionals who live a “comfortable” (not super luxurious) lifestyle. Most live in newish 3 bed apartments/villas & typically eat out about twice a week. They also use air con as required & most appear to have private health insurance. As mentioned, the estimates ranged from 1500 - 2400 Euro per month (net of tax) on basis of owning own properties (mortgage free) & excluding holidays.

Would welcome further feedback re whether these estimates are appropriate or perhaps too high !! Any budget breakdowns would be extremely helpful.

Many thanks,

Andrea

Hi Andrea/others (who are thinking of taking the plunge),

I sent Andrea a break down (very roughly) of our monthly budget.
Eu 1,900 for 2 people, 2 cars, fixed monthly rent/bills, food, med expenses, and ‘ermergencies.’
(Oh and a cat 😉

I think this is quite modest? 

We do not eat out much, live a good life, have almost everything we could want/need.
I go for my ‘hols’ to Uk twice a year to visit family (so only need costs there, back and few squids for
shopping/treats.) 
We drink cava each day, eat very well (but we do suppliment it with home grown 😊

A few Euros extra are always welcome, but we manage on 1 salary (plus top up of UK pension.)

I guess if we had more though, we would spend more 😉  (Unless we put some by for a rainy day/ the unforseen.)

Having been in Uk recently where it was Eu 15 for three pints, the train fare had risen by 25%, etc, etc. I still think we
are better off in comparison. 

IMO You just need to be aware of your budget and stick to it.

PS - Our major expense is the rent - Eu550, which we have asked landlady to reduce to to economic climate, but she will not - so…
We are going to rent to buy -which is going to be nearly half of this (giving us the opportunity to save for the purchase price 😊  Then we will also be rent free! (And hoping the fixed property costs - IBI etc will be far less than the Eu550 pcm.)

Many thanks Susan for extremely helpful feedback.

You are a STAR !

Andrea

Hi Guys

This is a really useful thread. I’m moving out to Spain with my family over the next couple of months (got a job in Barcelona). We’ll be living off of my salary and I’m trying to sort all the numbers to make sure we’ll be ok. I think I’m pretty much there but am not sure about contents insurance (we’ll be renting) and whether we have to pay a TV license.

Can anyone tell me whether contents insurance is still around 10 euros per month? We’ll likely be in a four bed with standard stuff (TV, sofas, beds, laptops x 2, the usual). Nothing to fancy or pricey 😊.

Also, if you have sky/freeview do you have to pay a TV license on top? I’ve budgeted 50 euros per month for sky/freeview and then 15 euros per month for TV license. I’ve also budgeted 50 euros per month for internet, which it looks like might be more than enough?

Any help you guys can offer would be greatly appreciated. We’ll hopefully be living just outside Barcelona (Sitges, Sant Pere, Alella, El Masnou etc) if that’s of any help with regards to costs.

My next step is to work out where I get the two months upfront deposit for the rental propert!! Yay.

All the best

Al Bryant