Hey all,
We were recently contacted by Reuters, looking for our opinions about Spain. Unfortunately this writer assumed we were British - sadly we’re not - and so I put it to you, the Brits of Spain, to respond to her questions in a timely manner. Note that almost all of this has been previously discussed, but for those of you who’ve been following along perhaps you can add your two cents.

I’m currently writing a story for Reuters international news wire on the number of Britons migrating abroad, as it has increased in recent years. It would be fantastic if you could answer a few questions for me, namely:
  - is the number of British expats in Spain increasing? Why do you think this is?
  - is the cost of living in Spain much better than in England - could you give me some examples?
  - what do you think is the most compelling reason for Britons to move to Spain?
  - which age group is most likely to move to Spain - retired Britons seeking a leisurely retirement, or young adults after the sun and mediterranean lifestyle?

As I am writing to a tight deadline, I would really appreciate it if you could answer me as soon as possible.
Many thanks in advance for your help!

Kind Regards,

Sarah

From my Canadian perspective, a speculation:

- Apparently so. The number of Brits outnumbers all the other expat nations, with perhaps the exception of Germany. As I understand Brits are continuing to be able to sell up and move to Spain to take advantage of…

- the cost of living, which, indeed, seems much better than in England. I always quote the cheap tobacco, food and alcohol prices - all previously discussed on the forum.

- The weather seems to be that which most Brits name as their primary reason for moving to Spain. I doubt they’d discuss the appeal of living a high-on-the-hog lifestyle (by comparison to England) until they’ve had a few beer.  I also know a number of sophisticated Brits who enjoy the culture and challenge of an expat lifestyle. Many expats are either looking for adventure (the young ones) or are running away from a relationship and la mala cultura occidental (the slightly older ones).

- I’m not sure if I understand the last question. “More likely?” What does that mean?

I’d say the widespread view of the Brits in Spain as a homogeneous group is inaccurate.  I don’t live there yet but have a house in a mountain village and plan to move in a few years.  There is a sizeable and growing ex-pat community around the mountains and they certainly gravitate together to work and socialise as a group, but they tend to be young-ish, they speak Spanish, and most importantly their kids are all in Spanish school and are already helping to form the next generation in the villages.  I think most of these Brits are motivated by the appealing culture and natural environment just as much as sunshine and cheap fags. A lot of them hope to make money on building or restoring old property - with what success remains to be seen in most cases - and many more want to be small-scale farmers or run eco businesses. There is also a contingent of people who’ve made a small fortune out of the ridiculous house-price boom in the South East of England and are just pissing it into the wind in a delightful place where there money will go a long way.  I have limited experience of the ex-pat community on the Costa del Sol, and that’s a different world.  Down there it’s a parallel life of golf, estate agents, service industries and retirement homes - I have a friend who spent seven years in Marbella without learning Spanish, and another who runs a TV production company with almost no Spanish staff and rarely a Spanish client.  Different again is the population of ex-pat young professionals I met when I was working in Barcelona - those people were doing jobs in a major European city and it could as easily have been Frankfurt or Amsterdam, although many of them would certainly choose BCN even if it weren’t for the job because it’s such an appealing city.  So numerically I guess most Brits in Spain are retiring to sun, golf and cheap G&Ts;, but please don’t think that’s what everyone’s here for.

- is the number of British expats in Spain increasing? Why do you think this is?

I think it is always growing, although where I live in Granada province, there seems to be more existing expats moving inland from the coastal areas, than a new influx of people in the UK.

As to why, I think that mainly it’s dissolusionment with life in general in the UK, with a variety of factors such as weather, social issues, cost of living, to name a few.

- is the cost of living in Spain much better than in England - could you give me some examples?

This would depend on the individual circumstances of the individual and is quite open ended.

For those retired (a long way off from that for me!) I believe their money goes alot further here in retirement than it would in the UK, across the board. Cheaper properties, cheaper weekly shopping, cheaper alcohol & tobacco.  For younger families (like myself), it can be more difficult, because having to work, wages will be relative to the equation. If you are earning average Spanish wages for example, there will be a parity in the cost of living. Although outgoings are alot cheaper, wages are lower, meaning perhaps only a little more disposable income than in the UK.

More personalised to myself, I have a trade background and work with property reforms. Generally speaking, my earnings are roughly double the Spanish national average as I run my own business. Although I am earning in a year, far less than I would for similar projects in the UK, I am actually better off given lower overall taxes, lower labour costs, lower materials costs and decidedly lower administrations costs.

Key differences in outgoings and costs of living for me, living in a 5 bedroom village house in Granada province:

Rates/Council Taxes

UK 900 GBP per annum - Spain 80 EURO per annum

Water & Sanitation

UK 800 GBP per annum - Spain 150 EURO per annum

Electricity

Only slightly cheaper in Spain for me, but I use more power perhaps than in UK.

Weekly Shop

Far cheaper. Fruits and vegetables, meat and fish, far better quality and much cheaper. I would guestimate that our weekly shop costs roughly a third of an equivalent weekly shop in the UK.

- what do you think is the most compelling reason for Britons to move to Spain?

Again, quite open ended question as can be for a variety of individual reasons.

For my own part, and possibly many others, the general quality of life is far better. Examples for me would be that my working environment is less pressured, there is more of a family and community orientated feeling here - which I enjoy being part of, affordability to get on the property ladder as a first time buyer, less crime (certainly within rural communities), traditional values (which older expats knew 30 years ago or more in the UK but are a thing of the past now), and finally the weather - more blue skies than dull grey!!

- which age group is most likely to move to Spain - retired Britons seeking a leisurely retirement, or young adults after the sun and mediterranean lifestyle?

There are many retired Britons here, especially in coastal areas, but increasingly inland over a number of years now. I’m meeting more people in my own age group (30 somethings), who have moved here in hope of a better quality of life, comparable to my own mentioned above.

Hope that helps a little!

Regards,

Heath

A message for Sarah at Reuters - I just read your comment on my site and it may be too late for your deadline, but I answered your questions anyway!