# Cost of living in Spain - jb44s view



## jb44 (May 21, 2010)

Cost of living? is this what it is about? There must be 10s of thousands,if not 100s of thousands spread around the world wanting to get back to the UK or a EU country and simply aghast at the developing situation. China now has bought a lot of Spain's debt which will see China pulling the strings for quite a while, no chance of getting out of the Euro now,Spain should have gone for a straight bail out,then ditched the Euro
Property prices will drop further ,probably 20 to 30%,so just a waste of time even considering the thought. Glad I did not buy a few years ago,same is true here,probably 80 to 90 % of ex pats here are in deep trouble


----------



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I've moved your post from the "sticky"

Jo xx


----------



## nigele2 (Dec 25, 2009)

jb44 said:


> Cost of living? is this what it is about? There must be 10s of thousands,if not 100s of thousands spread around the world wanting to get back to the UK or a EU country and simply aghast at the developing situation. China now has bought a lot of Spain's debt which will see China pulling the strings for quite a while, no chance of getting out of the Euro now,Spain should have gone for a straight bail out,then ditched the Euro
> Property prices will drop further ,probably 20 to 30%,so just a waste of time even considering the thought. Glad I did not buy a few years ago,same is true here,probably 80 to 90 % of ex pats here are in deep trouble


Spot on I think. But the good news for returning outsiders is simply head towards northern Europe. Especially the UK and Germany. The good news just keeps coming. Today massive rises in UK share dividends. 

If you want sun just buy a spanish holiday home, as you say hang on a few more months for a better deal, with cheap property and cheap flights .

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer 

And now better quality Chinese food in Spain


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

jb44 said:


> Cost of living? is this what it is about? There must be 10s of thousands,if not 100s of thousands spread around the world wanting to get back to the UK or a EU country and simply aghast at the developing situation. China now has bought a lot of Spain's debt which will see China pulling the strings for quite a while, no chance of getting out of the Euro now,Spain should have gone for a straight bail out,then ditched the Euro
> Property prices will drop further ,probably 20 to 30%,so just a waste of time even considering the thought. Glad I did not buy a few years ago,same is true here,probably 80 to 90 % of ex pats here are in deep trouble


I don't agree with your 80% plus figure as immigrants from the UK to Spain are not a uniform bunch.
Yes, people who came here on a wing and a prayer may well be begging outside Mercadona for the fare for their Ryanair flight home. But people who came with adequate fall-back, sufficient guaranteed income and an exit strategy are living as well as they would anywhere, especially retirees with good incomes from pensions and investments..
There certainly are many people stuck here with unsold and unsaleable properties, true. It seems that at one time all you needed to get a mortgage was a pulse and a passport. I've heard tales of people making deposits on property with their credit cards!! Small wonder that these people are in trouble now.
It isn't so simple for Spain to go for a bail-out. Why should it, as long as the markets are happy with the current not unreasonable yields on Treasury Bonds?
Going for a euro bailout and then ditching the euro are mutually incompatible. Ditching the euro may be a desireable tool in that it allows depreciation but what about the change-over costs and associated problems? Financial institutions, whether Spanish, Chinese or Ruritanian would exit from Spanish funds and attempt to deposit in German banks and other institutions.
I'm beginning to think the eurozone was an impractical, utopian project but we shouldn't blind ourselves to the difficulties which would be experienced by any member state wishing to leave it.


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jb44 said:


> Cost of living? is this what it is about? There must be 10s of thousands,if not 100s of thousands spread around the world wanting to get back to the UK or a EU country and simply aghast at the developing situation. China now has bought a lot of Spain's debt which will see China pulling the strings for quite a while, no chance of getting out of the Euro now,Spain should have gone for a straight bail out,then ditched the Euro
> Property prices will drop further ,probably 20 to 30%,so just a waste of time even considering the thought. Glad I did not buy a few years ago,same is true here,probably 80 to 90 % of ex pats here are in deep trouble


where's here?

Thailand, where you are, or Spain?


----------



## jb44 (May 21, 2010)

xabiachica said:


> where's here?
> 
> Thailand, where you are, or Spain?


 At the mo Thailand, other places too,but kicking my heels at just when to head for Spain. Seems there is no good time to decide a time scale to move,the situation just gets worse.
Yes got a good income etc etc etc ,but why spend a fiver when a pound should do?,why launch into a house purchase when after a year or so the same thing will be 20% off, seems the ex pat is a sitting target for rip off prices.
People bought here with a view that escalating prices would continue forever,now Johnny Foreigner is not exactly flavour of the month and huge losses are expected
Suppose I will have to grin a stick with it for and while,hopes and dreams vanished


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jb44 said:


> At the mo Thailand, other places too,but kicking my heels at just when to head for Spain. Seems there is no good time to decide a time scale to move,the situation just gets worse.
> Yes got a good income etc etc etc ,but why spend a fiver when a pound should do?,why launch into a house purchase when after a year or so the same thing will be 20% off, seems the ex pat is a sitting target for rip off prices.
> People bought here with a view that escalating prices would continue forever,now Johnny Foreigner is not exactly flavour of the month and huge losses are expected
> Suppose I will have to grin a stick with it for and while,hopes and dreams vanished


ahhhhh

so everything you are complaining about refers to Thailand, not Spain??


----------



## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

xabiachica said:


> where's here?
> 
> Thailand, where you are, or Spain?


That was exactly my point in another thread. But I thought you mods knew where everyone was???


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

thrax said:


> That was exactly my point in another thread. But I thought you mods knew where everyone was???


yeeesssss

& we do know where he is

I didn't know where he was talking about.......


----------



## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

I read that China had backed out of the deal with Spain?


----------



## jb44 (May 21, 2010)

Erm the tread is ex pats in Spain,not the fact I'm in Thailand at the mo,just commenting on the situation that will befall me when re-location to Spain comes due.

Even here (in Thailand) when I state my intentions to leave the Land of Smiles and head for Spain I'm met with a crescendo of "am I barmy ?", seems everybody from anywhere is offering advice on staying a million miles away from Spain.

Mention of property crashing in Spain,it is the same here (in Thailand) but most people here in Thailand are holding onto prices they paid some years ago ,hoping for at least a break even figure,never in a million years will that be achieved,and I know the same situation exists in Spain. I sold cheap some two years ago,now that figure seems absurdly expensive comparing now to then,still gives me a shot at getting something reasonable from prices a few years ago.


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jb44 said:


> Erm the tread is ex pats in Spain,not the fact I'm in Thailand at the mo,just commenting on the situation that will befall me when re-location to Spain comes due.
> 
> Even here (in Thailand) when I state my intentions to leave the Land of Smiles and head for Spain I'm met with a crescendo of "am I barmy ?", seems everybody from anywhere is offering advice on staying a million miles away from Spain.
> 
> Mention of property crashing in Spain,it is the same here (in Thailand) but most people here in Thailand are holding onto prices they paid some years ago ,hoping for at least a break even figure,never in a million years will that be achieved,and I know the same situation exists in Spain. I sold cheap some two years ago,now that figure seems absurdly expensive comparing now to then,still gives me a shot at getting something reasonable from prices a few years ago.


that's all I was trying to establish - not where you are - but where you are talking about

if things are indeed worse there than here I can see why you'd choose Spain - so it is relevant to you

how things are in Thailand aren't relevant to Spain though - which is why I was trying to work out where you were referring to

have to admit I'm still confused:confused2:


----------

