Hey,
I am thinking about moving to Spain.
myself and a partner, we dont speak Spanish at the moment,
but we will learn soon
we are living in UK right now, we are both Poles (EU)
so we can travel and work anywhere in EU,

we are not looking for a work in Spain - this is important
as I own very small business, Internet oriented - so it does not matter where I work,
I need Internet and some equipment to work - thats it;
plus I need quiet place

so we are not seeking a place in urban area, quite opposite
we are looking in a rural/village area (although connection to cities with airports, trains, etc) would be welcome

I know it will take a time (planning to move in 1 or 2 max), so we have time for learning Espaniol
looking for a best place to stay

we cant afford to buy anything there, so renting is only option,
we dont need anything big and expansive
and we are big fans of vegetarian and homemade food,
and sun and blue sky,
I am kind of old hippie guy (but without a long beard), I love nature, music, food, silence, sky and sea…
I dislike lack of sun, and that’s one of reasons I’d like to move away form UK,
plus live in UK is terrible expensive

another important factor is food - we like to grow veggies and fruits and herbs,
nothing better then fresh food from the garden,
not to mention it would be great to ‘get into’ Spanish food and wine:)
so our aim would be a small village house (max 2 bedrooms) with a garden,
must have fast internet, and quiet area (I work with audio)

I completely do not have a clue where to start from,
logically it would be Spain’s south,
but maybe I am wrong, so best is to ask locals- Spanish folks,

Most village houses only have back yards and you are very lucky if you can find one with a garden. From what you say about yourself it sounds as if village life would suit you, integration is easy in a small village, if you try so will the Spanish!!

for what I’ve found so far, Andalusia is nice, inexpensive place (I thought about something up to 100km off Barcelona, but prices and climate ...)
as I am thinking about staying in Spain for longer, 5-10 years, maybe longer,
it really depends how easy it would be to work and live there,
I love sea, so I’d like to be in like few km off coast - not further,
any links to website ( I need to find the region first, then village/small city)
then start looking for prices to rent property, and all administration work..
where I should start to look for ?

I know I need to know Spanish, and I will be very happy to learn it:)
at the moment any english websites will do,

thanks

I live about an hour Inland from Malaga in a small village, so I can’t really tell you much about the coast. If you want any info on Inland I know about quite a lot of areas. Rental is cheaper Inland, as is the cost of living. I sometimes here of properties to rent, that are being offered privately, but like I say they will be Inland.

cazzy - 29 May 2012 10:52 AM

I live about an hour Inland from Malaga in a small village, so I can’t really tell you much about the coast. If you want any info on Inland I know about quite a lot of areas. Rental is cheaper Inland, as is the cost of living. I sometimes here of properties to rent, that are being offered privately, but like I say they will be Inland.

thank you,
I really appreciate your help,
my information about where to live in Spain is very little…
I wish to live close to the coast, but maybe I can’t afford it:(
it’s all in plans for future,
anyway could anyone tell me what is average monthly cost of living in Spain
for a 1 couple
- house rent
- taxes (we have council tax here in UK, possibly theres something like this there)
- bills - electricity, gas, water, phone, internet (I know about solar panels, and generaly in warm climate you should use less energy),
also insurance, health insurance (if any), anything else ?
- food (we dont eat red meat, sometimes chicken, once per month; that’s the plan to grow some basic veggies&herbs; in own garden
- any extras for going out to cinema or music concert once in a while:)

zen mastering - 29 May 2012 07:13 PM

cazzy - 29 May 2012 10:52 AM

I live about an hour Inland from Malaga in a small village, so I can’t really tell you much about the coast. If you want any info on Inland I know about quite a lot of areas. Rental is cheaper Inland, as is the cost of living. I sometimes here of properties to rent, that are being offered privately, but like I say they will be Inland.

thank you,
I really appreciate your help,
my information about where to live in Spain is very little…
I wish to live close to the coast, but maybe I can’t afford it:(
it’s all in plans for future,
anyway could anyone tell me what is average monthly cost of living in Spain
for a 1 couple
- house rent
- taxes (we have council tax here in UK, possibly theres something like this there)
- bills - electricity, gas, water, phone, internet (I know about solar panels, and generaly in warm climate you should use less energy),
also insurance, health insurance (if any), anything else ?
- food (we dont eat red meat, sometimes chicken, once per month; that’s the plan to grow some basic veggies&herbs; in own garden
- any extras for going out to cinema or music concert once in a while:)

In my area you can rent a 2 bed house from 200 euro a month
Electric in a small house 40 euro a month approx
Internet 25 euro a month
Phone depends what you use
Food for 2 40+ euro a month
Council tax about 200 euro a year
If you are retired you get free healthcare if not it can be expensive

are you sure food is +40 EUR, not 400 ?
anyway considering London’s prices for rent, bills, council, and food
and weather:)
that seems to me like fantastic place to stay
we are average young, Iam 41 yo.
but as we are EU citizens, we have (theoretically) health insurance as any EU citizen in EU country
we have NHS here, and it’s same like for UK born citizens (it’s ours 8th year here in London)
is there anything else to consider ?
as extra costs
my business is very small, income around 800?/per month,
but I hope to get around 1200? within a year
it’s not much, but for me enough to live and still enjoy life!
it has to be enough for 2 people to rent house pay all bills etc

seems it could be possible in Spain,
as little life expectations help to have good life:)

zen mastering - 30 May 2012 06:46 PM

but as we are EU citizens, we have (theoretically) health insurance as any EU citizen in EU country
we have NHS here, and it’s same like for UK born citizens (it’s ours 8th year here in London)

Sorry Zen Mastering, but that’s not correct.
To get state health care in Spain, you have to be paying into the system.

For UK citizens on state pensions, that is usually not a problem, as they can get a form S1 from the UK (Newcastle) and use this form to claim their Spanish health card. This means that the UK pays a yearly sum to cover their health care in Spain.

For anyone under pension age moving to Spain from the UK, they can claim for a maximum of 2 years state health care also under the S1 system, if they have been paying national insurance in the UK for a qualifying period.

Anyone else wishing to get state health care has to pay into the Spanish system, either through deductions in their wages from an employer, or, as it would be in your case as self employed, by declaring themselves Autonomo and paying a minimum of around 260 euros a month national insurance, plus taxes on their income. This is a lot to pay out each month, especially when you are on a small income, but if one of you were Autonomo, the other should also be eligible for state health care under this.

So in theory it would be possible for you to get state health care in Spain, but the cost of achieving this may well be something you have to add into your monthly calculations.
(and as you are in your early 40s, if you have no long term health problems, it may be better to apply for private health insurance from a Spanish company - these are usually cheaper than their UK equivalent).

than you very much for info!
I didn’t realize that it’s so much money,
atm moment her in UK I pay around 30?per month for health insurance,
I am self employed
as my income is small, I also pay 0 to minimal taxes,

260EUR per month, per head it’s more then for a rent a house inland:)
need to check situation of autonomo,
self employed, maybe low income companies like mine can pay minimal taxes too