Hi…
Depends entirely on your lifestyle. On whether you intend to rent or buy a property. Life in the Brit enclaves along the CB coast can be just as expensive as the UK particularly if you fall into the trap of using Brit based shops such as Iceland…
Electricity is expensive; moreso than the UK. We have a little 2 bedroom end terrace house in a village in inland Granada province, halfway up a mountain, our monthly leccy bills vary between around 120? during May and September / October but can reach as high as 350? during January / February and again during August when the aircon is going almost 24/7. Gas on the other hand is much cheaper. We get through two 14Kgms gas bottles per year at around 14? each, but we only use gas for a 4 ring hob.
Food is approximately the same price as the UK. Domestic white goods such as washing machines, fridges / freezers are more expensive than the UK. TV’s are more expensive here, so if you have a decent recent one you should consider bringing it over with you. If you cannot survive without Brit TV programmes you will need access to a Satellite system and depending on your location you may need a big dish (1.9 to 2.4 metres diameter again more expense.
Rates / Council Tax are much less than the UK and much better value for money, BUT if you are in a urbanisation you will probably have monthly or annual maintenance charges to pay for community features and these can be quite expensive.
Second hand cars are expensive to buy but cheaper than the UK for servicing provided you stay away from main dealers. Diesel is currently around 1.30? / litre. Road Tax is cheaper than the UK but traffic fines (on the spot) are expensive particularly speeding.
Bringing your own UK registered car over is a possibility but getting it onto a Spanish registration, (compulsory if you become residents) can be expensive and time consuming. In any event a UK reg car over here MUST be street legal in the UK, ie UK road tax and MOT must be current. The police in the CB area are clamping down heavily on illegal UK reg cars and more than a few are being confiscated and scrapped. In any event a UK reg car can only be used for a maximum of six months in any one year in Spain.
You should also be aware that employment here is virtually non-existent for expats. Spain’s unemployment figures are much worse than the UK; 21% of the working age population are unemployed and this figures rises dramatically to over 40% in the 18 to 30 year old bracket. This was one of the principle reasons for the demonstrations in Madrid, Barcelona and many other big cities.
If on the other hand you are retiring out here you need to know that UK pensions paid in Sterling are very much subject to the exchange rate variations. Your income could vary as much as 10% each month so budgeting can be difficult. When we came out here 1000? got us 1450 euros now that same 1000? will only realise 1145 Euros.
Hope some of this helps…
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