# Moving to Spain



## zinaida68 (Nov 10, 2012)

We are going to Spain on the 11th November for a week looking at houses to buy in Spain, would like to hear from UK residents that have made th move and can advise on living in Spain and the medical health situation there, are we covered by NHS in any way, is the cost of living cheaper or dearer than UK, any advise would be gratefully received.
Carl


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

zinaida68 said:


> We are going to Spain on the 11th November for a week looking at houses to buy in Spain, would like to hear from UK residents that have made th move and can advise on living in Spain and the medical health situation there, are we covered by NHS in any way, is the cost of living cheaper or dearer than UK, any advise would be gratefully received.
> Carl


:welcome:

there are tons of us here in Spain & on the forum who have done just that 

have a good read of recent threads & especially take a look at the _FAQs & useful info _thread - you'll find a lot of your questions answered there


the answer to the healthcare one in particular depends upon your circumstances - will you be retiring here with a UK state pension, or will you be needing to work?


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## zinaida68 (Nov 10, 2012)

Many thanks for the swift reply. We are looking forward to looking at houses over there, as there seems to be bargains in house prices at the moment. We would appreciate all the help we can get on living in Spain. We are retiring to there as we are both past retirement age, and recon we can live on our pensions there as we can manage very well in the UK on our pensions.
Is the cost of living in Spain cheaper or dearer than the UK ?.is there a pole tax payable? Is energy prices lower or higher, all these questions answered would be very helpfull from those who have made the decision to live in Spain
Regards Carl


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

zinaida68 said:


> Many thanks for the swift reply. We are looking forward to looking at houses over there, as there seems to be bargains in house prices at the moment. We would appreciate all the help we can get on living in Spain. We are retiring to there as we are both past retirement age, and recon we can live on our pensions there as we can manage very well in the UK on our pensions.
> Is the cost of living in Spain cheaper or dearer than the UK ?.is there a pole tax payable? Is energy prices lower or higher, all these questions answered would be very helpfull from those who have made the decision to live in Spain
> Regards Carl


if you're retiring here then you can access the state healthcare here - there's a reciprocal agreement with the UK - when you're ready to move check out what you need to do, rules have recently changed & might well change again by then!!

for the rest - have a read - all those topics have been discussed & answered recently


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Regarding the cost of living. It all depends on the part of Spain you live, we live in the Canary Islands, where because we only pay 7% VAT our living costs are far far cheaper, than Iberian Spain, diesel today is € 1.11.

However house prices in Northern Spain, where we recently took a holiday, were a lot cheaper than here.

Another issue is heating and air-conditioning, the temperate climate of the Canaries means that we need neither, I have an oil filled electric heater, I haven't used it for over two years, no fireplaces no central heating, no big gas bills, a huge saving compared to England. I do own a pullover though!!

One other thing, wherever your chosen destination is, do rent first, this will allow you to get a feel of the place, we did and eventually bought 200 miles further west on a completely different island.

Good luck with your new adventure,

Hepa


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

zinaida68 said:


> Many thanks for the swift reply. We are looking forward to looking at houses over there, as there seems to be bargains in house prices at the moment. We would appreciate all the help we can get on living in Spain. We are retiring to there as we are both past retirement age, and recon we can live on our pensions there as we can manage very well in the UK on our pensions.
> Is the cost of living in Spain cheaper or dearer than the UK ?.is there a pole tax payable? Is energy prices lower or higher, all these questions answered would be very helpfull from those who have made the decision to live in Spain
> Regards Carl


You are right, there are some real bargains out there at the moment, prices are dropping everyday. Some of our clients are dropping their prices on a weekly basis. It is sad really that so many peoples dream has ended so badly!! It is a real buyers market now. If one person declines your offer the next one will probably take it. I hope you find what you are looking for.
Caz


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

zinaida68 said:


> Many thanks for the swift reply. We are looking forward to looking at houses over there, as there seems to be bargains in house prices at the moment. We would appreciate all the help we can get on living in Spain. We are retiring to there as we are both past retirement age, and recon we can live on our pensions there as we can manage very well in the UK on our pensions.
> Is the cost of living in Spain cheaper or dearer than the UK ?.is there a pole tax payable? Is energy prices lower or higher, all these questions answered would be very helpfull from those who have made the decision to live in Spain
> Regards Carl



Electricity - More expensive, but you use less
Gas - Comes in bottles
Telephone - More expensive
Internet - More expensive
Food - Cheaper
Cigarettes - Cheaper
Alcohol - Cheaper
Council Tax - A lot cheaper, most properties about 200 euro a year
Car insurance - Cheaper
Car tax - Depends on car (similar)
Vets - Very cheap
Water - More expensive
Electrical goods - More expensive
Furniture - About the same
Clothes - More expensive

This is my opinion, I hope it helps!

Caz


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Cazzy said:


> Electricity - More expensive, but you use less more expensive, use just as much
> Gas - Comes in bottles Or town mains gas which is expensive
> Telephone - More expensive More expensive
> Internet - More expensive More expensive
> ...


You see, I think it all depends where you are in Spain


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

snikpoh said:


> You see, I think it all depends where you are in Spain


How very true. If we moved we would save around 1000 euros a month. We spend a lot on rent and because we rent a big house with a lot of lawn we pay more in electricity for the house and pool pump and more for water for irrigating the lawns in summer.

We could rent a house similar or bigger than the one we now live in if we moved away from this area but we like it here. Prices generally are more expensive.

It depends on what you are used to in the UK and your expectations of your life in Spain. It depends on how you eat, where you shop...

All in all I would say that we pay about the same for food etc. as we did in the UK but then we are lucky in that we can have more or less what we want - I am happy to substitute cava for champagne, smoked salmon for caviar..

If we had to economise I would still say we would eat well. Fresh fruit, fish, vegetables are all of a high quality. A very drinkable bottle of wine can be had for under 3 euros.

But as Snikpoh said, it all depends on location.

We sold all our UK properties and rent as we know we won't be going back to the UK and if we were destitute we could move into our family's house here. Don't know if you would want to keep a UK property...as has been said, best to rent. Unlikely as it seems, Spain may not be to your liking.


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

snikpoh said:


> You see, I think it all depends where you are in Spain



I live in Inland Andalucia, where are you snikpoh?


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## spanish_lad (Sep 18, 2012)

as cazzy said - i used to live in a sleepy village in essex, the costs here are pretty much the same, but the sun is out alot more. 



btw, hello cazzy - we´ve spoken on fb before i think, and you have my managers house on your books right now.


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

Oh OK not sure which one that would be!? At least the property market is picking up a bit.


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