# retiring in Spain on US social security



## toddamparo (May 17, 2015)

I'm sure this must have been covered many times in previous threads, but I don't know how to search. My wife and I are considering retiring in Spain on American Social Security, of about $2,300 a month. She is a Spanish citizen, I'm an American citizen. Does anyone have inside about whether or not that would be substantial enough to retire and live moderately?


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## booksurfer (Apr 21, 2018)

How long is a piece of string?

I'm going to caveat my answer with the following: it's impossible to give a definitive answer to this due to the number of variables involved. I don't know what your lifestyle expectancy is or what your definition of 'live moderately' might be.

I would say that for a retired couple living inland in a one bedroom rented apartment a combined income of €2k a month would be more than adequate for a comfortable, moderate lifestyle.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

booksurfer said:


> How long is a piece of string?
> 
> I'm going to caveat my answer with the following: it's impossible to give a definitive answer to this due to the number of variables involved. I don't know what your lifestyle expectancy is or what your definition of 'live moderately' might be.
> 
> I would say that for a retired couple living inland in a one bedroom rented apartment a combined income of €2k a month would be more than adequate for a comfortable, moderate lifestyle.


Maybe a bit picky, but as the OP has not been very precise, we should probably say "some inland areas"... you wouldn't want to try two people living in Madrid with only 2k€ / month.


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## Elyles (Aug 30, 2012)

toddamparo said:


> I'm sure this must have been covered many times in previous threads, but I don't know how to search. My wife and I are considering retiring in Spain on American Social Security, of about $2,300 a month. She is a Spanish citizen, I'm an American citizen. Does anyone have inside about whether or not that would be substantial enough to retire and live moderately?




Madrid or Barcelona, no. We are American and have no problem with a bit more than that and travel regularly. It depends on how you live. We gave up owning an auto when we moved here from the US and that helps. We discovered that one does not need it here. Also, since your wife is Spanish, you might be able to ride on her healthcare. We also sold out stateside and paid cash for a place here. One can rent cheaply here too. We live in the Pyrenees in a small community where very little English is spoken and love it here. 


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## toddamparo (May 17, 2015)

Thanks for the comments. I realize my original post wasn't very clear. My wife is from Valencia, and we would probably want to live within 50 miles of the Valencian capital. Is there anyone here from America who now lives in that area and can comment?.

Regarding healthcare, I'm told that the moment she arrives back in Spain that she is eligible for Spanish healthcare. I imagine that at some point I would qualify to "ride on her healthcare". I'm also not sure how much of an advantage her being Spanish would help in buying a property. 

Our lifestyle is very modest. In theory we would pay cash after having sold our US house. So assuming we pay cash for a property, I'm still wondering whether the 2300 US dollars would be adequate.

Thanks for the additional thoughts!


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## Elyles (Aug 30, 2012)

As I have said before, it depends on your must haves. It should be enough but if you do without a car you will save a fortune


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## skip o (Aug 1, 2011)

I live in Barcelona centro but pondered living in Valencia centro. I like Valencia a lot. There is a nice, but not extensive metro to get around a bit quicker, but it is a very walkable city. I lived in one area of one state in the US for my whole life and the biggest money related things I have noticed coming to Spain have been: 

The healthcare system in Spain is superior in almost every way. I am in my mid 40s and pay about 70 eur a month to Sanitas for the best insurance coverage I have ever had in my entire life. Doctors usually call the shots in Spain, while insurance companies usually call the shots in the US.

Public transport is much better in Spain, hence I do not own a car here. Barcelona city has half the population of Chicago roughly, but twice the public transport usage, and much better coverage. I love being able to hop on train and get to Valencia or Madrid faster than if I was driving.

Groceries are cheaper here (and food has less preservatives). Electronics and crap I don't need are more expensive. While income taxes are higher, property taxes are much, much lower. I pay less property & income taxes here than I would in the US.

This isn't money related, and I am not a fan of the PP, but conservatives here are way, way less extreme than conservatives in the US. That has been much more beneficial to our lives than I would have expected.

My biggest complaint is the siesta and the goofy business hours. Hours often aren't posted anywhere, and if they are posted, aren't really adhered to. Spending money locally has been harder than I would prefer. I buy tools, renovation materials, garden supplies online more than I would like.

My wife and I could live off of your income for sure, but I am a tightwad. I would want some savings for emergencies though.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

skip o said:


> I live in Barcelona centro but pondered living in Valencia centro. I like Valencia a lot. There is a nice, but not extensive metro to get around a bit quicker, but it is a very walkable city. I lived in one area of one state in the US for my whole life and the biggest money related things I have noticed coming to Spain have been:
> 
> The healthcare system in Spain is superior in almost every way. I am in my mid 40s and pay about 70 eur a month to Sanitas for the best insurance coverage I have ever had in my entire life. Doctors usually call the shots in Spain, while insurance companies usually call the shots in the US.
> 
> ...


I found the first 2 years that the shops timetables frustrated me. After that, when it became evident I was going to be here long term I had to either embrace it or live life grumpy and out of sorts. I decided on option A.
Do you live in Barcelona city, or in a nearby own/ village? I ask because I'm surprised you can't get the supplies you want locally. Is it stuff that is beyond the usual materials? Here every small town has it's building supplies merchant, local or multinational like Leroy Merlin or similar.
Sorry have just seen, Bar. central


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## Tucsonsteve (Mar 26, 2013)

One thing to think about when determining whether your income is enough is what would happen if the exchange range becomes less favorable. The euro has been as low as $1.05 and as high as $1.45 in the past 10 years, if I recall correctly. If your buying power drops 20% for an extended period, can you weather that? If you have savings you can exchange when the rate is good, then that would give you some flexibility to smooth out fluctuations. If not, you might find yourself in a bind.


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## skip o (Aug 1, 2011)

In my opinion, the siesta & the horrible business hour practices are bad for Spaniards & the Spanish economy, they just don't know it. It's no different than healthcare system in the US... Americans don't realize just how bad it is. I'm not grumpy about it, I am resigned to buying things online when I don't have the time to navigate crappy business hours & business practices.

I lived in a town in the US with a population of about 100,000. If I wanted orange juice at 3am on a Sunday, I could go to 3 or 4 different stores and have about 15 different oJs to choose from. In gigantic Barcelona city, no real grocery stores are open on Sunday, just the little liquor stores that sell some chips and whatnot. There is a better selection of tools & hardware & materials at a single Home Depot in my small US town of 100k than in all hardware stores in Barcelona combined. I'd also say that Spanish companies I have used or tried to use are generally are less interested in making sales and making the customer happy than the US companies I have dealt with. Not that America's obsession with capitalism is ideal (I can criticize that all day long), I just think an American coming to Spain might be in for a bigger shock than a British person.

I live in Barcelona city. Most non tourist stores don't post hours on the door or window. If they post hours, they don't even stick to them. I have been in stores that claim to have a siesta that starts at 2pm, and at 1:30 they are turning off of the lights. 

However, if I wasn't renovating my apartment myself and needing to go to lighting, electrical, lumber, tile, plaster stores etc, I probably wouldn't notice the bad business practices as much.


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## Elyles (Aug 30, 2012)

Tucsonsteve said:


> One thing to think about when determining whether your income is enough is what would happen if the exchange range becomes less favorable. The euro has been as low as $1.05 and as high as $1.45 in the past 10 years, if I recall correctly. If your buying power drops 20% for an extended period, can you weather that? If you have savings you can exchange when the rate is good, then that would give you some flexibility to smooth out fluctuations. If not, you might find yourself in a bind.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Well said


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