# Our budget - can it be done?



## Jillymac (Jan 17, 2016)

We are thinking of retiring to Torrevieja area and trying to work out our living costs.
If we buy a small house or appartment in a community and run a small car, could the 2 of us live comfortably on 600 euros per week?
Would appreciate any comments!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Jillymac said:


> We are thinking of retiring to Torrevieja area and trying to work out our living costs.
> If we buy a small house or appartment in a community and run a small car, could the 2 of us live comfortably on 600 euros per week?
> Would appreciate any comments!


Will you be mortgage free? That would obviously make a difference.

Mind you, many Spanish pensioners live on not much more than 600€ a month....

Yes, 600€ a week should be fine.


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## EdofWigan (Jun 28, 2015)

I think 2,600 Euros an month, with a house or whatever paid for , will be quite a lot, tbh


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Yes, if you aren't paying rent/mortgage you can live _very_ comfortably on €600 a week.

Don't forget to factor in exchange rate fluctuations. There's a lot of uncertainty at the moment, sterling has dropped over 10 points in the last couple of weeks. But you should still have plenty of leeway with that sort of income.


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## Jillymac (Jan 17, 2016)

Thank you for all replies, that's all very re-assuring.


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## briand6868 (Mar 21, 2014)

Hi, my parents spend quite a lot of time in their casa in the Tarragona area. They have a pension of e450 per week between them with no mortgage/ other loans and actually SAVE money compared to living in Ireland. They enjoy a nice lifestyle, meals out, plenty of good food at home and " holidays" ie weekends in Barcelona, hillwalking weeks in the Pyrenees etc so no problem to you on e600


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

€600 a week and no mortgage?? You are RICH. Please, let me come and clean your shoes. I only charge €50 a shoe...


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## EdofWigan (Jun 28, 2015)

With no mortgage or rent to pay, just the usual bills and costs, it would seem that 600 euros a month is a very generous allowance. 

Are the stories of folk there living on UK state pensions just an urban myth? 

The most you can currently get is £115.95 per week. Although, this will rise eventually to a new flat rate of £155.65 (approx 222.00 euros)

What is the reality on the ground?

So as not to pry in to folks personal financial affairs, what weekly income is needed for an imaginary home owner to:

*Under state retirement age:*

Basic sustenance?
or 
Nice life, member of the golf club, a little bowling, private medical, occasional holidays away, car?

*
Over state retirement age:*

Basic sustenance?
or
Nice life, member of the golf club, a little bowling,private medical, occasional holidays away, car?

Your opinion of a totally weekly figure. So as to compare differing lifestyle expectations and realities and if you could be so kind as to add a geographical location and accommodation type, for your imaginary friend, that would be great.

We can work out the detail from the wealth of great posts already made. Just weekly cost, either or both categories and a location, with accommodation type.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

It.s as others say a generous allowance which allows for extras like car problems, petrol and parking needed for possible hospital visits, an un scheduled flight back to the UK...
Maybe you could look at it as 500euros per week and 100 to be saved per week towards the extras that sooner or later will come.


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## SandraP (Apr 23, 2014)

When we move over, initially we will be living off his state pension and a private pension that is almost double the state, my pension won't kick in until 2031.
We will be wanting to buy property, maybe rent initially, so will only have usual bills to pay.
We will therefore have about €600 a week


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## Lolito (Aug 25, 2012)

I live on that. And it includes all the bills, mobile, petrol for the car, MOT, etc and all the meds and vaccines for the 4 cats and 1 dog. 

My bills are: Water, Electricity, Gas Butano, Internet, Mobile, VPN, Mailfax, Home Contents insurance, Rubbish, IBI, Recycling, Petrol, MOT, Road Tax, other car works, and VET. Some payments are monthly, some bimonthly and some every three months, and some just one off yearly. The average yearly is about 604 euros.... and this includes food (although most vegs and fruits we use from our allotment) and eggs from the chickens!

You will need to find 4 euros somewhere!!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Lolito said:


> I live on that. And it includes all the bills, mobile, petrol for the car, MOT, etc and all the meds and vaccines for the 4 cats and 1 dog.
> 
> My bills are: Water, Electricity, Gas Butano, Internet, Mobile, VPN, Mailfax, Home Contents insurance, Rubbish, IBI, Recycling, Petrol, MOT, Road Tax, other car works, and VET. Some payments are monthly, some bimonthly and some every three months, and some just one off yearly. The average yearly is about 604 euros.... and this includes food (although most vegs and fruits we use from our allotment) and eggs from the chickens!
> 
> You will need to find 4 euros somewhere!!


How many people Lolito?
PS dedicated pavement searching will solve the 4 € problem. I have found £1,20p since I've been back in Britain


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## Lolito (Aug 25, 2012)

Dos people.

4 cats
1 dog
4 chickens
1 rooster
2 mandarin ducks
2 mute ducks
(they all need food!)


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## Lolito (Aug 25, 2012)

Sorry, i meant TWO people... 

yesterday i went to Leroy Merlin and asked the man who spoke English for GRAPES .... rather than STAPLES (grapas)..... lol !


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## EdofWigan (Jun 28, 2015)

I wonder if I can be cheeky and ask what the likely costs are for having my motor-home there? 

Is insurance much the same as the UK? Can I insure it here and keep it there. I know it has to be Spanish plated (Saga) 

Does anyone on this forum have a motor-home there? (with or without a brick home)


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

EdofWigan said:


> With no mortgage or rent to pay, just the usual bills and costs, it would seem that 600 euros a month is a very generous allowance.
> 
> *Are the stories of folk there living on UK state pensions just an urban myth?
> *
> ...


Before SWMBO started her job (and before we acquired two small dogs) we were living quite well on my OAP - we = three adults [suegra, SWMBO y yo]. We have a 4/5 bed, 2 bath house all paid for. We run a modest MPV (was a Berlingo, now a Partner) take two holidays away each year. We don't scrimp and live, what we consider, reasonably comfortably but, on the other hand, we no longer smoke, don't go to bars (other than an occasional pop-in for breakfast following a fasting medical test or if we have to be somewhere early). In general we live economically - for heating we use a logburner which heats half the house and costs about 250€ for logs per heating season, and occasionally the A/C inverter in the unheated rooms. We cook mostly by gas and once or twice per week use a slow cooker and or halogen oven (both of which are very economical).


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

You can live on it, or less. The point is if you have been used to more, say €800 will you find it difficult. The more you have the more you get used to it. Everyone is different.


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