Hi - I’m looking to move to Spain next year and, at the moment, I’m considering Barcelona (although I need to do more research to see if I would like somewhere else better).

I’m currently living in Bangkok, Thailand.  I’ve been here almost 4 years, teaching English for 3 years and recently opening my own EBay business selling Thai products.  I like Thailand, but I’m getting really tired of the Thai government’s attitude towards Westerners (ie: they’ll tolerate us if we have money but they’re sure not going to make it easy for us - we can’t buy houses, have to leave the country every 3 months to do a ‘visa run’ in many circumstances, it’s a nightmare getting a work permit etc), so I’ve decided living in an EU country would probably be easier and I love Spain.

I’m a British citizen (and also a US citizen, so actually have the best of both worlds 😊  I’m considering teaching for a while when I move, just while I decide what else I might like to do - as the EBay business is only feasible in Thailand where products are so cheap.  I’m also beginning to learn Spanish so that I have more options job-wise.

Four quick questions though:

a) what’s a reasonable amount of money that I would need to BRING to set myself up for the first two or three months?
b) anyone know what an average teaching English salary is? (it’s really good in Thailand and I’ve heard it’s not very good in Spain)
c) I’m presuming if I lived in Barcelona, I wouldn’t need to buy a car?
d) What would be the average salary needed every month to have a nice lifestyle ie: decent apartment, eating out a few times a week, drinks now and again, buying books, cds etc and a bit of travel now and again?

Any help would be gratefully received.  Thanks 😊

Bye bye BKK?

So Bangkok wasn’t doing it for you. Sounds like quite the adventure you’ve been on for the least several years. Why not set something up for the eBay company where you sell Spanish goods or have a Thai supplier continue supplying and shipping on your behalf? In Barcelona there’s a LOT of thai/southeast asian-esque stores, with a big chain of them called Natura. Very very popular. You might be able to set something up for that.

You’re right about the government. The government of Spain is going to be a lot easier as far as your legal status is concerned, after all, you have a right to work here and a right to live here, as a UK citizen.  The bureaucracy of the Spanish government is infamously difficult though, so be prepared, and no bribes are going to get things done any quicker here 😉.

As for your questions, you should really spend some time looking around the site here. We’ve answered your questions exactly, knowing how common your situation is.
a) See the To Do list for teaching in Spain

b) You make what, 35,000 baht/month teaching in Thailand? You’ll make about the same amount in Spain, directly converted (ie. 900 euro-1000euro per month) but the cost of living is somewhat higher here than it is in Thailand. Bangkok can be surprisingly expensive at times, but once you get yourself sorted out and off of the tourist trail it’s cheap. Spain, Barcelona in particular, can be very expensive too, but similarly once you get off the tourist trail it’s much more reasonable. 

c) No, you don’t need a car in Barcelona. The metro is amazing (much more comprehensive than the BTS). A scooter helps though, and the roads aren’t nearly as psycho as Bangkok’s.

d) Again, already answered on the site. See cost of living for Spain