# love living in spain? hate it? why?



## griz616 (Sep 9, 2008)

is it still good, living in spain, with the present financial cimate?
If you hate it or have health or financial worries how do you get home, if you have property in spain?


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I absolutely love living in Spain, the present economic crisis hasnt affected me as such. There's no work here and my husband is having to commute back to the UK, so maybe you could say its affecting him, but he likes going back!!!

fortunately, i have no health worries at present, but we have private medical care and would face that if it were to happen I guess. From what I've seen i would sooner be ill here than the UK any day, the health system here isnt a crimbling farce like the UK,

however, due to the property crisis, both here and the UK, we rent here and have our UK house, It gives my husband a base in rhe UK and there seems little point in buying in Spain until house prices have finished falling - then we will. I dont ever want to go back to England ( I dont even want to go back to visit!), this is the best place on earth

Jo


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

griz616 said:


> is it still good, living in spain, with the present financial cimate?
> If you hate it or have health or financial worries how do you get home, if you have property in spain?


The health service here is excellent by all reports.
Financially its not as advantageous here now because of the rate of exchange ... but its still cheaper to live here by far. The cost of living in the UK is shooting up!

All in all I'm quite happy here at the moment and have no desire to retuen home


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## SunnySpain (Jul 30, 2008)

griz616 said:


> is it still good, living in spain, with the present financial cimate?
> If you hate it or have health or financial worries how do you get home, if you have property in spain?



Life in Spain is as good as you make it and the financial climate affects some people more than others. Much depends on whether you have a decent job or if you need to work and many expats do not need to work, so it affects them less than others

I consider life in Spain to be of a higher quality than the UK and have no interest in returning to the UK full-time, but will continue moving between the two.

Many expats face financial worries and a lot will return home (and do so each year), whereas a lot of expats have been living in Spain for 20 years or more and most enjoy the fact that its more sunny and warmer than the UK.

So I suppose most expats care more about the weather (climate) than the financial (climate) and thats why they tend to prefer to live in Spain and I think what worries expats the most is the thought of having to return home one day.

You pays your money, you makes your choices (in life)

Regards, Dave


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## crookesey (May 22, 2008)

We have thought things out and have no fears about moving to Spain. However we live in a very nice area bordering the Peak National Park and I for one would find it hard to severe my links with it. 

We have one son aged 29, when he was born and the midwife cut his umbilical cord it wafted around for a while until it attached itself to my wallet, where it has remained ever since. Moving to Spain would save us a fortune, that is if we didn't give him our address or phone number. 

I have spoken to folk who thought long and hard prior to making the move, the ones who appear to be most content are the ones who bought a house and not an apartment. If you have not tried apartment living in the UK it is likely that a change of country coupled with a change to your style of living could be unsettling. 

Health service, well my mother recently had such bad NHS service in the UK she was considering digging an escape tunnel. On the other hand my son has recently undergone a serious head operation in a different NHS hospital and the treatment and service were second to none. I have a mate who pays into a private scheme connected to Marbella General Hospital. He hasn't used it yet but prior to signing up they gave him the grand tour, he told me that he had never seen anything so sparkling and clean in his life. 

Whether we come out full time or part time we will not be seeking work in Spain or the UK, I suppose that this makes a big difference.


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## chris(madrid) (Mar 23, 2008)

Wow - I've been living/working here so long I cant imagine living anywhere else. Healthcare here is excellent - State or Private.

The ONLY main bugbear really is MONEY. Always!. 

If you don't depend on exchange rates being favourable to get by, or NEED to work to get by, or need a Mortgage to get a roof it's fine. If you depend on any of those - then there's naturally uncertainty.

As everywhere if you cant afford a roof or food - life's dire. And this has been the last nail for many who came expecting Utopia. Housing here imo is NOT cheap. Salaries imo/e are not high. There was a time when a GOOD professional here earned as much or more than in the UK - not any more. In 2000 many professional pay grades halved - and since have not risen much IF AT ALL. Housing meanwhile has risen a GOOD 300% (maybe even as much as 500%) depending on zone and type of property. This results in disillusion for many newcomers. Those who've been here a while are substantially better placed. They bought cheaper and those working may well have higher salaries. 

Crookseys comments on HOUSE/FLAT living is ime a VERY VERY VALID ONE too. If you're unaccustomed to living with communal walls/floors/ceilings - it can quickly wear you down. 3 months at my sister in laws when we came back to Spain, reminded me how much I dislike it.


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## Pasanada (Feb 5, 2008)

Love living in Spain, thoroughly enjoyed brushing up on my Spanish language skills, met some amazing people, seen some beautiful places BUT no financial security!! I ended up moving to the Middle East to earn a decent living and now back in the UK pondering on my next country of residence. I still have a home in Spain so won't be severing my links.

I'm back "home" next week, can't wait for a proper cafe con leche and a plate of magra!


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