# Poorest town in Spain



## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

Bit surprised at this


Resort of Torrevieja once again named Spain’s poorest town | In English | EL PAÍS


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

We were discussing this on another thread, probably the massive one about the EU.

It's because (a) there are lots of retired Brits and Germans living there on their pensions and (b) like many other coastal resorts, employment is seasonal and badly paid.


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## Naomira (Feb 25, 2015)

I don't know what it's like now but I spent a couple of winter months there a few years ago. There appeared to be only a handful of tourists. There were a lot of retired people and I'd guess that many of them are getting by on a basic pension and so wouldn't be big spenders.


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## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

I didn't think the €14k income referred to was that bad


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## Naomira (Feb 25, 2015)

I wouldn't think so either but I suppose it's relative to what the average is elsewhere.


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## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

I suppose so and if rent had to be paid it would indeed make it tight going


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

I think it depends which information you look at . I'd always heard that parts of Seville are indicators of real poverty, not just low incomes, in Spain and a quick read of the report reveals this


> The poorest neighborhoods in Spain are to be found in the south of Seville: Polígono Sur, Los Pájaros and Amate, where average income is little over €12,000 a year


So I don't know where "normal looking Torrevieja " comes in to it. I suppose there are different things being looked ie the wealth in the Ayuntamiento and the wealth of the people


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Rabbitcat said:


> I didn't think the €14k income referred to was that bad


The figures are for household income though, aren't they? Not per capita.
I wouldn't like to have to pay rent, utility bills, put fuel in my car, put food on the table, replace clothing/household items like washing machines for a family of four on that income, just over £10k a year...


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

mrypg9 said:


> The figures are for household income though, aren't they? Not per capita.
> I wouldn't like to have to pay rent, utility bills, put fuel in my car, put food on the table, replace clothing/household items like washing machines for a family of four on that income, just over £10k a year...



This might also give another clue as to why Torrevieja comes out bottom. It's not so common for less wealthy Spanish pensioners to live on their own. They often live with the rest of the family, making the household income relatively high, or they live in retirement homes, which possibly don't figure in the statistics.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Chopera said:


> This might also give another clue as to why Torrevieja comes out bottom. It's not so common for less wealthy Spanish pensioners to live on their own. They often live with the rest of the family, making the household income relatively high, or they live in retirement homes, which possibly don't figure in the statistics.


So we could be talking of a family of six or even more living or rather existing on that income.


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## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

Pah! €14k for a family of 6 is luxury

We are a family of 27 and live on £4 a year, people don't know they're born these days!!

My father started work when he was 3, did 27 hr shifts blindfolded, paid his employer to be allowed to work and lived in a cardboard box etc etc


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## EdofWigan (Jun 28, 2015)




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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Pesky Wesky said:


> I think it depends which information you look at . I'd always heard that parts of Seville are indicators of real poverty, not just low incomes, in Spain and a quick read of the report reveals this
> So I don't know where "normal looking Torrevieja " comes in to it. I suppose there are different things being looked ie the wealth in the Ayuntamiento and the wealth of the people


It could be that they are just quoting figures for the city or town as a whole, though, rather than individual areas within in, and that other parts of Seville are relatively prosperous which brings the average income up, whereas Torrevieja (and I don't know as I've never been there) has less difference between areas of the town so a lower average.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Here's the original article in Spanish with more details and information
Renta familiar: Pozuelo repite como la ciudad más rica y Torrevieja como la más pobre | Economía | EL PAÃ�S




> En el extremo opuesto, destaca Torrevieja (Alicante) como la población con la menor renta familiar de los municipios analizados (13.977 euros). Esta población alicantina tiene la peculiaridad de ser un icono del turismo residencial de aluvión, donde solo se trabaja la mitad del año. Durante los meses de otoño e invierno, una parte importante de la ciudad permanece casi vacía. Los ingresos familiares de Torrevieja son casi la mitad que la media nacional (26.755 euros


Useful info for those who want to go and find work in the tourist industry in southern Spain

With reference to Seville that I made in another post


> Por su parte, las rentas más bajas se localizaban en la ciudad de Sevilla, concretamente en las zonas 5-A (barrio Polígono Sur del distrito Sur) y 4-E (barrios de Los Pájaros y Amate del distrito Cerro-Amate), con algo más de 12.000 euros.


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