# Monthly costs



## 44danno (Sep 25, 2011)

Hi everyone. 
I'm sure this has been asked before but I'd like some up to date help with monthly costs of living.
It's a work in progress, with maybe a full time move.
We Have access to a free property near Xativa. There are 3 of us all adults 
50+.
What would you estimate our monthly costs to be.
We would probably be going out to local restaurants 2 x per month.
Food + wine (we all like red wine lol).
Mobile phone minimum use, internet would be good.
Gas electricity water.
Small car, insurance 
Anything else you think is important. 
Thanks in advance.
Iv asked the same question in the Portuguese forum as we also can go to Portugal.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Impossible to estimate even approximately.
So many variables such as 
size of house
type of heating
quality of insulation
type of car
frequency and length of journeys
eating out - type of restaurant...posh, middle of the range, cheapo
ditto wine
how often you eat out
health cover - 'free' or private

plus all the 'extras' like dental care, replacing house-hold appliances, car repairs etc

This month was horrendous. I had to replace dishwasher and swimming pool pump, had new steering rack on my Freelander plus replacement remote (that was 150 euro, just for the remote, total garage bill 840 euros), had to have a tooth 'rebuilt', car insurance renewal comes up and it's time for the quarterly water bill.
All in all I estimate an extra 1500 for these unexpected repairs and I've yet to fork out for the water bill and car insurance, probably around 500 euros at least.

So you can't really count just the everyday expenses. You need a cushion for these extras.

As a rule I'd say reckon on what you'd need in the UK.


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## 44danno (Sep 25, 2011)

Hi thanks for your reply.
I hear what you're saying. I can understand how things pop up to stretch things. Just like home.
Anyway it was worth an ask.
Thanks again karl


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

With no rent or mortgage you should be able to live quite well on €1000 a month each (excluding extras such as repairs, trips to UK, dental work etc). Learn to love home-cooked seasonal Spanish food, and put on a jumper when it gets cold in winter rather than turning on the heating.

If you aren't yet getting state pensions, you won't qualify for free healthcare so you'll have to pay for health insurance, prescriptions etc. You can get quotes online (try Sanitas to begin with, they are the Spanish subsidiary of BUPA).

The pound is very weak against the euro at the moment, so your income won't go so far. Might be sensible to base your predictions on €1 = £1.


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## 44danno (Sep 25, 2011)

Thanks that's great, definitely give us something to consider.
Really grateful.
Kind regards karl


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

This is a couple of years old but gives you a rough guide:
Guest Info-graphic: Cost of Living in Spain vs UK


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## 44danno (Sep 25, 2011)

Thank you. Looks like about a third cheaper.
To be honest as we all share a rent free home here, it only costs us about £1000 a month.
Thanks again k


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Madliz said:


> This is a couple of years old but gives you a rough guide:
> Guest Info-graphic: Cost of Living in Spain vs UK


This isn't much help unless you know what exchange rate was used to convert all the Spanish prices to sterling.

Also house prices and rents vary enormously depending where you are - in both countries. You can rent a 3-bed townhouse where I live for €300 a month. You'd struggle to get a bedsit for that on the costas.


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

Alcalaina said:


> This isn't much help unless you know what exchange rate was used to convert all the Spanish prices to sterling.
> 
> Also house prices and rents vary enormously depending where you are - in both countries. You can rent a 3-bed townhouse where I live for €300 a month. You'd struggle to get a bedsit for that on the costas.


As I said, it's a rough guide.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Madliz said:


> This is a couple of years old but gives you a rough guide:
> Guest Info-graphic: Cost of Living in Spain vs UK


Where do they get the prices from, centre of London? Fortnum and Masons? Marks and Spencer? About the only thing under priced on that list was a packet of smokes.


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

bob_bob said:


> Where do they get the prices from, centre of London? Fortnum and Masons? Marks and Spencer? About the only thing under priced on that list was a packet of smokes.


Yes, a joke really. Probably made up on the back of a *** packet.:lol:


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

My wife hates food shopping, I love shopping and and OTB with prices...prices just stick in my head.

Food prices in Spain may be cheaper for some items but overall Spain is no way cheaper than the UK and UK quality control is often much higher than Spain.

We won't be back to Spain until winter 2017 and I'll be in a better position to compare pricing.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

bob_bob said:


> My wife hates food shopping, I love shopping and and OTB with prices...prices just stick in my head.
> 
> Food prices in Spain may be cheaper for some items but overall Spain is no way cheaper than the UK and UK quality control is often much higher than Spain.
> 
> We won't be back to Spain until winter 2017 and I'll be in a better position to compare pricing.


Well it depends on your lifestyle of course, but no way could I afford to live in the UK with my 3-bottles-a-week Rioja habit. :lalala:

What do you mean about quality control? Can you give an example?

It's true you often see fruit and veg well past its best, in the UK it would not be on sale. But a lot of people here especially older folks buy and cook food the same day, and are happy to pay a bit less. They just throw away the rotten bits. I've even seen them take bags of rotten stuff for their animals. Nothing gets wasted!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Alcalaina said:


> Well it depends on your lifestyle of course, but no way could I afford to live in the UK with my 3-bottles-a-week Rioja habit. :lalala:
> 
> What do you mean about quality control? Can you give an example?
> 
> It's true you often see fruit and veg well past its best, in the UK it would not be on sale. But a lot of people here especially older folks buy and cook food the same day, and are happy to pay a bit less. They just throw away the rotten bits. I've even seen them take bags of rotten stuff for their animals. Nothing gets wasted!


Agree that fruit and veg in UK often looks pristine but also has very little flavour and doesn't keep very long having spent so long in artificial atmospheres in order to stop it ripening/maturing before sale. Fruit and veg in Spain may not look quite as pretty but the flavour is way ahead of that in UK and it does keep. The best celery I have tasted in years came from Iberplus, it was a whole plant (minus root and top) at 0,99€ - it was delicious and even after having it for three weeks (it was large and took that long to eat it) still had good flavour and was fresh and crisp.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Alcalaina said:


> Well it depends on your lifestyle of course, but no way could I afford to live in the UK with my 3-bottles-a-week Rioja habit. :lalala:
> 
> What do you mean about quality control? Can you give an example?
> 
> It's true you often see fruit and veg well past its best, in the UK it would not be on sale. But a lot of people here especially older folks buy and cook food the same day, and are happy to pay a bit less. They just throw away the rotten bits. I've even seen them take bags of rotten stuff for their animals. Nothing gets wasted!


In Wales all the smaller shops are knocking out Echo Falls and Blossom Hill (red, white, rose) three for a tenner 

The UK stores run a much tighter ship than typical Spanish supermarkets, the meat here is better cut/jointed than the hack job you see so often in Spain (or Greece for that matter).

" _But a lot of people here especially older folks buy and cook food the same day, and are happy to pay a bit less. They just throw away the rotten bits._ " poor ******s.

You buy and cook the same day because the fresh food has been stuck in the back of a van for a couple of days and has to be used that day. I will say Spanish tomatoes overall are better tasting but spend a little more in Tesco and the toms are just as tasty.

My wife has had a Spanish guy working in her team for a while and he is amazed at the quality of UK supermarket food and how cheap it is compared to Spain across the board. He's been teaching about and cooking Spanish food (and the staff and patients have loved it) but he said he's cooking with better quality items for less from UK supermarkets. Sadly he's moved to southern England and his cookery classes will be missed


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

I don't buy into this 'Spanish fruit, veg, meat are 'better' than in the UK. Very many people in the UK are into the trendy 'foodie' culture and expect and get quality ingredients. A lot depends on the area but UK supermarkets can provide fresh, quality locally sourced produce which in every way is equal to or surpasses that of much available in Spain whether in shops, supermarkets or local producers' markets.
I've eaten well in the UK and Spain, some restaurants better than others.
Anyone expecting to find everything being of unsurpassable quality here will be very disappointed.
We like to eat out a lot and we've found that eating out with friends is always more expensive than eating out a deux, that is if you split the bill equally.
Probably because OH is vegetarian and doesn't drink and I don't drink a lot.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

bob_bob said:


> In Wales all the smaller shops are knocking out Echo Falls and Blossom Hill (red, white, rose) three for a tenner
> 
> The UK stores run a much tighter ship than typical Spanish supermarkets, the meat here is better cut/jointed than the hack job you see so often in Spain (or Greece for that matter).
> 
> ...


We're not comparing like with like. As I said, it's about lifestyle. Call me old-fashioned, but I don't want to go to Tescos or any other supermarket to buy fruit and veg that's been warehoused, chilled and gassed to stop it going off in transit from Spain or wherever. I want to go to the tienda del barrio or the local market and get stuff that has come straight from the producer down the road. I can guarantee you it will cost less and taste better.

As for meat, here you can point to a slab of beef or pork and the butcher will ask how you want it cut and show you exactly what you're getting before you pay. If you want he will mince it for you. A far cry from the polystyrene trays in Tescos where they tuck the gristly bits out of sight underneath. Yes, this happens in the UK if you are lucky, but most family butchers have been put out of business by supermarkets. We have four independent butchers in our village (pop. 5,500) - and three fishmongers.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Alcalaina said:


> We're not comparing like with like. As I said, it's about lifestyle. Call me old-fashioned, but I don't want to go to Tescos or any other supermarket to buy fruit and veg that's been warehoused, chilled and gassed to stop it going off in transit from Spain or wherever. I want to go to the tienda del barrio or the local market and get stuff that has come straight from the producer down the road. I can guarantee you it will cost less and taste better.
> 
> As for meat, here you can point to a slab of beef or pork and the butcher will ask how you want it cut and show you exactly what you're getting before you pay. If you want he will mince it for you. A far cry from the polystyrene trays in Tescos where they tuck the gristly bits out of sight underneath. Yes, this happens in the UK if you are lucky, but most family butchers have been put out of business by supermarkets. We have four independent butchers in our village (pop. 5,500) - and three fishmongers.


Our village has a registered population of 1008 -can't be true - and one butcher. One fishmonger.
Quality no better than supermarket fresh fish or meat counter, probably from same source..
Produce at our local market and other village markets nothing special.
Your comments about Tesco aren't accurate, certainly not in any way true of the local Reigate Tesco my dil patronises.
There you can point to your piece of beef or whatever and ask for it to be minced, cut however you like.
The fresh fish will be every bit as fresh as you get in your inland village. True, I can go down to the port early and buy fish off the boat...but I could do that in the UK. 
Bread of many varieties is baked on the premises throughout the day, ditto some cakes.
Vegetables and fruit...an excellent choice of local produce. I'm betting that the Spanish produce in Tesco Reigate gets there in little more time than it would get from farmer to shop in many Spanish towns.
It's not a case of 'if you're lucky' either. You can get excellent quality food of all kinds in any English supermarket. I come from a family with fishmongers, butchers, bakers shops where I grew up. All locally sourced - the pheasants were shot on Lord Montague's estate! We grew all our own fruit and veg, had chickens, eggs....rabbits, eels, salt and fresh water fish caught by gran's many nephews..and I can honestly say I ate every bit as well when I left home.
My ex-husband's second wife is very into locally grown, organic stuff. They have boxes delivered from local growers. I once saw one of their boxes....mangy shrivelled turnips, spuds and carrots, encrusted with earth, presumably to give an 'authentic' touch. Stuff my granddad would have chucked in the compost.
So yes, some local food here costs less but taste often matches price. People on low incomes sadly often can't afford quality. But that's life. If you're lucky enough to grow your own, so much the better. I used to, after I left London, can't be bothered now.
UK consumers have more money to spend and expect quality these days. Some of us always did, though.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

I think on reflection that most UK supermarkets have fresh meat counters where you can ask for meat to be minced, ground, cut and it will be displayed before wrapping. Sainsbury, Tesco and Waitrose certainly do.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> I think on reflection that most UK supermarkets have fresh meat counters where you can ask for meat to be minced, ground, cut and it will be displayed before wrapping. Sainsbury, Tesco and Waitrose certainly do.


Well that's good to hear. They certainly didn't in 2008 when I left!

There are many other reasons why I prefer not to buy fresh food in supermarkets but this isn't really the right thread, which is about the _cost of living._ I still maintain I can get a trolley-full of good quality fresh seasonal fruit and veg at the street market for less than you'd pay in a supermarket. And the leftovers go to next door's goats to help make lovely cheese.


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Alcalaina said:


> We're not comparing like with like. As I said, it's about lifestyle. Call me old-fashioned, but I don't want to go to Tescos or any other supermarket to buy fruit and veg that's been warehoused, chilled and gassed to stop it going off in transit from Spain or wherever. I want to go to the tienda del barrio or the local market and get stuff that has come straight from the producer down the road. I can guarantee you it will cost less and taste better.
> 
> As for meat, here you can point to a slab of beef or pork and the butcher will ask how you want it cut and show you exactly what you're getting before you pay. If you want he will mince it for you. A far cry from the polystyrene trays in Tescos where they tuck the gristly bits out of sight underneath. Yes, this happens in the UK if you are lucky, but most family butchers have been put out of business by supermarkets. We have four independent butchers in our village (pop. 5,500) - and three fishmongers.


Independent Butchers have made a come back in our area. Many villages have award winning Butchers. If any supermarket sold "grisly bits" they wouldn't survive. Yes there are polystyrene trays on the shelves, likewise in Spain. Some of those bloodied vacuum packed meats in Mercadona and Alcampo are very off putting too. I suppose there is good and bad in both countries. Still getting British tomatoes here but the Morroccan ones are popular as they are the cheapest, around 60p for 6 in Tesco.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Isobella said:


> Independent Butchers have made a come back in our area. Many villages have award winning Butchers. If any supermarket sold "grisly bits" they wouldn't survive. Yes there are polystyrene trays on the shelves, likewise in Spain. Some of those bloodied vacuum packed meats in Mercadona and Alcampo are very off putting too. I suppose there is good and bad in both countries. Still getting British tomatoes here but the Morroccan ones are popular as they are the cheapest, around 60p for 6 in Tesco.


If your local Tesco or Sainsbury is in a 'posh' area the quality and range of fresh produce will be impressive. When I did my regular commute from Prague and stayed at a hotel in Bloomsbury I used to buy my coffee to take back from the Waitrose there. 
It was an Islington foodie's paradise....


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

I remember that store Mary when it was Safeways, they always carried a great range of food there.


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