Hola,

  I apologize in advance for the long post, and thanks for your help!

    My name?s Mike and I?ll be graduating from University in America this year.  I plan on participating in an education program in Spain after my graduation.  The program is designed to give recent graduates the opportunity to explore Spanish culture while teaching English and acting as a cultural emissary in local schools. 
  I still have plenty of time before I have to make the physical move but I’m trying to gather as much information as possible so that I can be sure I’m one step ahead of the process the whole way through.  I just returned home from a semester living in Rome (absolutely loved it) and I spent some time in Spain while I was abroad so I have some basis for gauging the cost of groceries, internet cafes, mobile phones, etc?  What I am really hoping to gain a better understanding of is the pros and cons of the different regions of Spain.  One of the catches to this program is that the government does not allow you to choose which city or town you wish to be located.  You can, however, choose a regional preference which they take into consideration when determining your placement.  Also, student teachers are on a stipend of 700 to 1000 euros per month during their stay.  In addition to this money I plan on brining my own savings of between 3000 and 4000 USD.  I will be responsible for finding an apartment for the duration of my stay (which will last at least a year and possibly beyond depending on how things work out) in the city that I am located.
  So now that I’ve given a little explanation, here are my questions.  Can anyone provide me with some general descriptions of Spain’s autonomous regions?  I know that’s a super broad question but just any tidbits you have regarding a region’s cities/history/receptions of foreigners/financial demands and anything else you can think of that speaks to the quality of the region.  For example what are the various cities know for, like in America, for example, when I think of Ohio and Florida I picture to very different lifestyles that are heavily influenced by their geographical locations and the cities that exist within each state.  Which would you consider to be the best, or at least your favorite, region of Spain?
  Secondly, how much can I expect to spend per month in rent in a Spanish town as compared to a city?  The program enables us to coordinate with other participants before arrival so we can try to find roommates in the program, so hypothetically I’ll be looking to live in a 2br or 3br apartment and splitting rent between either two or three people respectively.  Lastly, do you think that it’s possible to be able to live an enjoyable life in Spain on 1000euros a month?  I’m young and I love to go out, I have no illusions that I’ll be able to eat in restaurants every night or anything but we have a TON of free time in the program (we teach between 12 and 16 hours a week) and I really hope that I’ll have some amount of money left after rent and utilities to spend traveling, eating, drinking, and the like.  Since my only real financial obligation is rent (the program provides us health insurance) I think I should be fine but I’ve seen conflicting reports on websites so really I’m just trying to get some clarification.
  Any other information you have or if you think of something that I’ve overlooked please let me know!  I really appreciate any help that you can give me and hopefully I’ll be joining you in Spain in the not to distant future!

Thanks,

Mike