# COUNCIL TAX in Spain????



## calcaroline (Aug 9, 2014)

Do they have equivalent of council tax in costa del sol ?

How do water rates, gas and electric compare to the UK?

Do you need a TV licence ?

Thanks x:cheer2:


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

calcaroline said:


> Do they have equivalent of council tax in costa del sol ?
> 
> How do water rates, gas and electric compare to the UK?
> 
> ...


everywhere has 'council tax' - it's known as IBI - & it varies tremendously from town to town


water is generally metered, & costs vary from company to company - quite a lot in fact. ( I was discussing water costs with a friend on Lanzarote today, oddly enough) Few areas have mains gas & electricity unit costs are, I believe, higher than in the UK


no, there's no TV licence - that's just a BBC thing


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

We found that:

IBI in the costa del sol is cheaper than the UK.

Water rates in the costa del sol are about the same as the UK.

There is no mains gas, so you buy bottles and central heating is rare, so that works out cheaper.

Electricity is more expensive and unfortunately its quite heavily used for heating, air con, pool pump.

The TV can be expensive if you want to watch british television and very much depends on your provider, as is the internet.

Cars are more expensive, petrol the same, insurance the same

Thats what we found in the area of the costa del sol we lived in, but as xabiachica says, they vary - as they do in the UK

Jo xxx


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

You would not need a TV licence here - but on the Costa del Sol, you would need a good internet connection in order to be able to watch UK tv programmes, because since early this year they are no longer available via satellite dish due to the signal being changed.

The cost of a landline phone and broadband from Movistar (the main Spanish telecoms provider) is around €38 per month, I believe. Depending on how far you are from an exchange, though, internet speeds can be very low which would make watching TV extremely difficult.

In the big cities (like Malaga) fibre optic is now available in some areas, and I am lucky because in the town where I live there is a cable TV provider from whom I can get a 20mb broadband service for €18 pm so we don't bother with a landline, just Skype or use a mobile phone in conjunction with a VOIP service like Localphone for calls to the UK.


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

calcaroline said:


> Do they have equivalent of council tax in costa del sol ?
> 
> How do water rates, gas and electric compare to the UK?
> 
> ...


Apart from the licence, this is one that depends on your lifestyle.
How many appliances- freezers, method of heating, cooking, pool pump?
Swimming pool or not ? 
Big villa or small cortijo?
Live on coast, town or campo?
-Council tax varies tremendously depending on where you live, from a minuscule amount in the campo, to an amount on an urbanisation not far off that in the UK
So, your bill could be big or small!


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

jojo said:


> about the same as the UK.
> 
> There is no mains gas, so you buy bottles and central heating is rare, so that works out cheaper.
> 
> ...


Actually Jo, mains gas (or gas natural as it's called here) is now available in some areas along the coast. They certainly have it in Torre del Mar and even a couple of the newest areas in Velez. But you're right, it's rare for it to be used for central heating, usually just for water heating and cooking, although gas fires which run on gas natural are available. It's usually available only in recently built properties.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Lynn R said:


> Actually Jo, mains gas (or gas natural as it's called here) is now available in some areas along the coast. They certainly have it in Torre del Mar and even a couple of the newest areas in Velez. But you're right, it's rare for it to be used for central heating, usually just for water heating and cooking, although gas fires which run on gas natural are available. It's usually available only in recently built properties.



LOL!! Its been a while and our end of the costa del sol (Benalmadena) didnt have mains gas when we were there!

I know there are one or two properties that have central heating. I saw one when we were looking to rent (supported by 3 big gas bottles in a shed outside), but they are still rare. Now, maybe theres a business opportunity for an entrepreneurial gas fitter??????? 

Jo xxx


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

jojo said:


> LOL!! Its been a while and our end of the costa del sol (Benalmadena) didnt have mains gas when we were there!
> 
> I know there are one or two properties that have central heating. I saw one when we were looking to rent (supported by 3 big gas bottles in a shed outside), but they are still rare. Now, maybe theres a business opportunity for an entrepreneurial gas fitter???????
> 
> Jo xxx


They even have buses which run on gas natural (don't ask me how) in Sevilla and Granada. We stayed in an apartment in Sevilla which had proper central heating run from a gas boiler, I must say it was a welcome novelty! It was in an obviously very recently built mainly residential block, though, not holiday apartments.

Personally I think the market for gas central heating on the CDS would be fairly limited unless the size of the Northern European expat population really takes off, as I don't believe very many Spanish families would think the cost of installation for only 4 months or so of the year would be worthwhile. It's different in the North, of course.

I would certainly like a proper gas fire though, if we could get natural gas. But I can't ever see it getting to an area like mine, or out to the inland villages.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

I live in a 3-bed detached house in inland Andalucia, with no pool. The combined IBI (council tax), water, sewage disposal and rubbish collection is about €650 a year. 

No chance of us ever getting mains gas, unfortunately. We use the bottled propane for cooking and hot water all year round and a gas stove in the winter. Probably about €200 a year depending on how cold the winter is.

Electricity averages €100 a month, internet and phones about €65. So total cost about €2,000 a year.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Alcalaina said:


> I live in a 3-bed detached house in inland Andalucia, with no pool. The combined IBI (council tax), water, sewage disposal and rubbish collection is about €650 a year.
> 
> No chance of us ever getting mains gas, unfortunately. We use the bottled propane for cooking and hot water all year round and a gas stove in the winter. Probably about €200 a year depending on how cold the winter is.
> 
> Electricity averages €100 a month, internet and phones about €65. So total cost about €2,000 a year.


I live in a largeish detached house on the coast in Andalucia. We have a pool and large gardens.
We are two adults with two dogs.
Electricity, water and phone/ internet come to around €300 a month, but I think this year our water bills will push this up as we've had a very hot summer which means more water for the lawns and pool top- up. In winter we heat with bottled gas which costs around €200 extra. We don't use air con or fans as thehouse is well ventilated but if we did our electricity bills would be enormous.
So we reckon on annual utilities of around €4000 before anyone eats or puts diesel in the car. 
As Xavia says, costs vary enormously depending on location, type of house, lifestyle. It's impossible to make comparisons without knowing a lot more information.

I would say this, though...if cost is such an important factor when decidingto move, it might be better to stay home as fluctuations in the exchange rate as well as increases in domestic taxes or prices can have an impact on a finely- balanced budget.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Our electricity is €1,77 daily, no gas, no aircon, no heating, our pool is the second largest, but we have to share it with others, it is called the Atlantic. Quite a lot of the water we use is free, it's wet and falls from the sky and we collect it in a big underground tanks. Our drinking water is also free, we collect it from a well on the other side of the island.

I do not live on the Costa del Sol, so my post is completely irrelevant


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

I live in a 3 bed, 2 bath 169sqm house (effectively detached, only the rear wall of the patio adjoins a neighbour's house) in the historic quarter of a large town. We don't have a garden nor a pool.

My outgoings on bills are:-

IBI €570 per year (but I only actually paid €296 this year because of discounts
No separate basura charge here
No community fees as we're not on an urbanisation
Electricity (we don't have air con) €45-50 pm
Gas (butane for all cooking and nearly all heating €175 per year
Water €15-18 pm
Broadband 20mb €18pm
Phone (mobile used in conjunction with VOIP diverter service) €10 for 6 weeks, including 100 free mins)
House insurance €220 per year

I'm sure the OP will realise now what we mean when we say it's impossible to give any meaningful "typical" figures because everyone's bills are so different.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Lynn R said:


> House insurance €220 per year


That insurance figure you quote, is that both contents and buildings insurance? Seems very cheap to me.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

snikpoh said:


> That insurance figure you quote, is that both contents and buildings insurance? Seems very cheap to me.


Yes, it is. I don't have cover for cash or jewellery in the house (don't keep any large amounts and don't have any jewellery - not since the last burglary!).

We're insured with Allianz, via Banco Popular. Have found their service excellent when dealing with claims. One for the burglary when they paid out in full within 12 days of making the claim - plus a €60 additional payment for claims under a certain amount. I think they do that to deter people claiming for things they never had in the first place eg Rolexes and diamond necklaces! Another claim when the cistern on one of our wc's cracked for no reason resulting in a water leak. It didn't faze them at all, the young lady I spoke to said it often happens when there is a sudden change in temperature. They sent their own plumber round, he verified it, they had to order a replacement from the manufacturer in Portugal as it was an unusual brand, they rang me to advise how long it was likely to take to arrive, then the plumber rang to say he'd got it and to fix an appointment, and the company rang me again afterwards to check it had been done and that I was happy with the service. I really can't fault them.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Snikpoh, I checked the price to make sure I hadn't misremembered it. I paid the renewal in May and it was €214.39.

Of course, your buildings and contents cover amounts might well be higher than mine, which would put the premium up.

Some friends of ours changed to Allianz earlier this year though, on our recommendation, and they saved quite a bit.


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

it's important to have accidental cover for contents and building, which isn't routine.
A lot have it for contents only: costs a bit more but worth it.
As for cheap premiums, if it seems too good.........


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Three adults and two dogs. 5BR 2Ba house (225 m² built) in an inland village in Andalucía. Our IBI (council Tax) is €131 per year; water, refuse (collected daily!), sewage amounts to about €42 per quarter. Fuel (diesel) €1.27 litre, (our car does 19km/litre). Electric about €350 per year. Bombonas (for cooking and hot water in winter) last about 6 weeks in spring summer and autumn and about 2-3 weeks in winter and currently cost €17.50.

In UK we had a 1 bedroom flat and the Council tax was £1000 p.a., water and sewage were,* each* £50 p.m. (and we are miserly with water)

Here we can live comfortably on €650 per month.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

extranjero said:


> it's important to have accidental cover for contents and building, which isn't routine.
> A lot have it for contents only: costs a bit more but worth it.
> As for cheap premiums, if it seems too good.........


Ours includes accidental damage.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

We pay around €11 a month for water. We rent but we know the IBI on this house is €112 a year which includes basuras. Total gas bill per year is about €200. We use diesel and it is quite a bit cheaper than UK. Electrickery is more expensive and our bill is around €100 - €150 a month. But overall living here is considerably cheaper than where we lived in UK.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

I haven't checked but one thing I forgot to mention is that I believe loo rolls are more expensive here than UK. I noticed that a new sewage plant is being built in Nerja and therefore I intend to try and get work there just so I can get my own back....


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

thrax said:


> I haven't checked but one thing I forgot to mention is that I believe loo rolls are more expensive here than UK. I noticed that a new sewage plant is being built in Nerja and therefore I intend to try and get work there just so I can get my own back....


Don't forget your paddle


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## calcaroline (Aug 9, 2014)

mrypg9 said:


> I live in a largeish detached house on the coast in Andalucia. We have a pool and large gardens.
> We are two adults with two dogs.
> Electricity, water and phone/ internet come to around €300 a month, but I think this year our water bills will push this up as we've had a very hot summer which means more water for the lawns and pool top- up. In winter we heat with bottled gas which costs around €200 extra. We don't use air con or fans as thehouse is well ventilated but if we did our electricity bills would be enormous.
> So we reckon on annual utilities of around €4000 before anyone eats or puts diesel in the car.
> ...




Just wanting to research every aspect before deciding and that includes daily living expenses, i think cost of bills is an important factor for any average family these days unless you have won the lottery. Before making our move we have to decide how wages and bills compare as no point moving if you are going to be skint as we live a comfortable life now with three holidays a year, two cars, a motorbike, a quad and a three bedroom house with two good incomes. So a lot to loose if life in Spain didn't work out. Thanks for the advise x
:couch2:


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## calcaroline (Aug 9, 2014)

Hepa said:


> Our electricity is €1,77 daily, no gas, no aircon, no heating, our pool is the second largest, but we have to share it with others, it is called the Atlantic. Quite a lot of the water we use is free, it's wet and falls from the sky and we collect it in a big underground tanks. Our drinking water is also free, we collect it from a well on the other side of the island.
> 
> I do not live on the Costa del Sol, so my post is completely irrelevant


what part of spain do you live ? x


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

calcaroline said:


> Just wanting to research every aspect before deciding and that includes daily living expenses, i think cost of bills is an important factor for any average family these days unless you have won the lottery. Before making our move we have to decide how wages and bills compare as no point moving if you are going to be skint as we live a comfortable life now with three holidays a year, two cars, a motorbike, a quad and a three bedroom house with two good incomes. So a lot to loose if life in Spain didn't work out. Thanks for the advise x
> :couch2:


You're asking the right things and we've tried (with a bit of banter) to answer as best we can. Sadly things arent good in Spain right now.

You now have to weigh it all up and work out what you've got to lose and what you'd gain and is it worth it

Jo xxx


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Lynn R said:


> Snikpoh, I checked the price to make sure I hadn't misremembered it. I paid the renewal in May and it was €214.39.
> 
> Of course, your buildings and contents cover amounts might well be higher than mine, which would put the premium up.
> 
> Some friends of ours changed to Allianz earlier this year though, on our recommendation, and they saved quite a bit.



I've just had a quote of over 700€ - that's for a rebuild cost of 400k and a contents cost of 42k with accidental damage. Without accidental damage cover it was a little over 600€

I currently pay about 450€ but from two separate companies and I don't want this any more. I've had problems where each company blames the other and says "it's not covered by contents insurance but by buildings" and vice versa.

:focus: - sorry, mustn't take thread off topic!


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## calcaroline (Aug 9, 2014)

Lynn R said:


> I live in a 3 bed, 2 bath 169sqm house (effectively detached, only the rear wall of the patio adjoins a neighbour's house) in the historic quarter of a large town. We don't have a garden nor a pool.
> 
> My outgoings on bills are:-
> 
> ...


all very varied but a great help and giving me some ideas , a very useful list. That you for your time, this is a great forum, very helpful and friendly xxx


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## calcaroline (Aug 9, 2014)

thanks all, seems Spanish living is higher than i expected but all useful to help in our decision, one that we wont take lightly, especially as i have a son to think about too. xx


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

snikpoh said:


> I've just had a quote of over 700€ - that's for a rebuild cost of 400k and a contents cost of 42k with accidental damage. Without accidental damage cover it was a little over 600€
> 
> I currently pay about 450€ but from two separate companies and I don't want this any more. I've had problems where each company blames the other and says "it's not covered by contents insurance but by buildings" and vice versa.
> 
> :focus: - sorry, mustn't take thread off topic!


My figures for buildings and contents are way lower than yours so I'm really not surprised your premium is so much higher. Would your rebuild cost really be so high? I always work on the basis that even if the house were totally destroyed for some reason, I'd still own the land so the value of that shouldn't be counted.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

calcaroline said:


> what part of spain do you live ? x



I live on the Meridian Isle of El Hierro, which is the smallest and least known of the Canarian Archipelago. We are two of the four English residents, follow the link below for a view of the island.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

calcaroline said:


> thanks all, seems Spanish living is higher than i expected but all useful to help in our decision, one that we wont take lightly, especially as i have a son to think about too. xx


Don't forget also that the exchange rate from sterling to euro has a huge effect on our expenditure if we have income, pensions or savings interest from the UK. 

Nine years ago when I bought my house £100 was worth 148€; five years ago it was almost one to one. Now it's back up to £100 = 125€ or thereabouts. It's impossible to predict the future!


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

calcaroline said:


> Just wanting to research every aspect before deciding and that includes daily living expenses, i think cost of bills is an important factor for any average family these days unless you have won the lottery. Before making our move we have to decide how wages and bills compare as no point moving if you are going to be skint as we live a comfortable life now with three holidays a year, two cars, a motorbike, a quad and a three bedroom house with two good incomes. So a lot to loose if life in Spain didn't work out. Thanks for the advise x
> :couch2:


I personally think it would be hard to attain that standard of living in Spain..but not impossible..
We too,had a comfortable life in the UK as I had a good professional salary and my partner owned businesses. No way were we going to downsize when we moved away...in fact we wanted an upgrade in our retirement. We are unrepentant SKINs, son and dil are well- off and we want to die penniless. 
Whether or not a life here or anywhere will be enjoyable depends on ...money. Sad but true, whatever your chosen lifestyle. It will need funding.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

calcaroline said:


> Just wanting to research every aspect before deciding and that includes daily living expenses, i think cost of bills is an important factor for any average family these days unless you have won the lottery. Before making our move we have to decide how wages and bills compare as no point moving if you are going to be skint as* we live a comfortable life now with three holidays a year, two cars, a motorbike, a quad and a three bedroom house with two good incomes*. So a lot to loose if life in Spain didn't work out. Thanks for the advise x
> :couch2:


I doubt you'll match that in Spain, stay where you are end enjoy your holidays.


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## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

bob_bob said:


> I doubt you'll match that in Spain, stay where you are end enjoy your holidays.


I tend to agree with Mary and Bob, although we don't know what Caroline's husband does for a living. that could influence our answers, either way.


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