# Cost of living in Almeria/Andalucia



## edmelissa

As I've mentioned in a couple of other threads, I'm researching a possible move to Spain for my British expat family living in the Bahamas.

We haven't been to Spain for over 10 years and I understand some of the low prices we remember enjoying are a thing of the past. Yet many of the posts I've read here still suggest things are cheaper than in the UK (rent in particular). I was just wondering, in general, about the cost of living in Almeria/Andalucia. Examples of standard grocery items (bread/milk etc) would be great. And what about other things - furniture/clothing/eating out etc? 

It costs a small fortune to live here in the Bahamas but we pay no income tax, something my husband would have to start doing if I become resident in Spain - so I'm trying to work out whether we would be better or worse off financially.

Thanks


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## Leper

HI EDMelissa, You have asked a question and you can expect a plethora of differing answers. How much is this? How much is that?

For a start rental costs less in Costa del Almeria; expect to pay €500 per month. Budget for about €100 per month for electricity and water.

Foodwise:- If you want your UK brands be prepared to pay a little more than you would in the UK. Buy the Spanish equivalents and you will pay much less.

Clothing:- If you are a slave to brands, then it will cost you bigtime. If not, you can buy clothes/shoes much cheaper than in the UK.

Cigarettes:- Much cheaper in Spain.

Eating Out:- Much cheaper in Spain.

Spanish Laws/Taxes etc:- Mind boggling in Spain


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## angil

I'll have to pip in again! The rent depends on area, property type and your taste (standards). I think you can get something very cheap (you can in my hometown in the UK) but I probably wouldn't want to live in it. Have a look at Kyero.com to get an idea of rents.
We pay waaaaaaaaaaay too much for rent! But the duplex was built in 2008 so is new ish and almost frontline beach in Andalucia. I have been told that folks around these parts would rather have a property empty than reduce the rent! crazy!
I would budget for closer to €200 per month for water and electricity as you have a large family & may (like us!) be paying waaaaaaaaay too much for that as well! Again expect the worst & hope for the best.
Our 'big' family shop is more or less the same price as the UK. A bit cheaper than Korea. I have not picked anything up, other than wine!, & thought wow that's a bargain. Again, unlike Korea, I haven't thought anything was particularly extortionate either.
The clothes, again, same as the UK, I think. H & M, Primark (ewww!) seem to be the same. Such a long time since I shopped for clothes in the UK. But H & M is the same price here as Korea. Reasonable for what it is! I haven't once thought, bloomin hec that was cheap! For clothes or shoes.
Ciggies - couldn't comment, they are practically free in Korea with fab brands just for the ladies!! Truly awful! but use to bring a bucket load to the UK for my sister!
Eating out - not a fan of Spanish food. Not a fan of bacon butties or Sunday roast! either. We are finding eating out over priced and on a whole a major disappointment. Love a cafe in Gibraltar but a bit of a trail for a roast pepper & humus wrap!!
So there you go my two pennies worth again! I honestly don't think that Spain is a cheap alternative, but it is not an overly expensive one either with regards day to day cost of living, now the tax well that is off the scale!!!
(FYI - I pay €1.85 approx for a large white loaf for my kids morning toast. One of those pre packed deals! I am sure I will be told if I want to a local bakery it would be half the price. But I have better things to do, as I would anywhere else in the World!).
I think you can live on a shoestring just about anywhere not sure I would want to (or even could) now I have kids. But once the blighter's leave home me and hubby will be living in a studio on a beach somewhere!! Probably Thailand for next to nowt!!


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## angil

Forgot to mention there is an Ikea in Malaga! Which seems to be the same price as the rest of the Europe? Cheap, cheerful and practically disposable! For furniture, beds etc.


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## Alcalaina

Spain's had almost zero inflation over the past few years and most prices have fallen (with the notable exception of electricity, gas and fuel). Internet access is a third of what it cost us when we arrived in 2008.

Another factor affecting the cost of living is that wages are about two-thirds what they are in the UK. So you should be paying less for anything that includes labour costs - mechanics, hairdressers, painters, vets, plumbers, dentists etc. If you aren't, you are being ripped off, so shop around!

For example, I was charged €5 for a wheel-change when I had a puncture the other day. I pay €18.50 to get my hair cut and the roots done. My friend in London paid over £100 - she now gets her highlights done over here and it pays for the cost of the flight!


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## StevejR1

I find these threads on costs of living in Spain very interesting...as someone hoping to live out there as soon as possible, it is the one area that research can't really give a definitive answer....as costs/usage/lifestyle are very personal, and so very variable.

I think Alcalaina makes a good point about labour costs. If you think that in the uk, if your car breaks down, labour costs are very high everywhere, and so the bill high....it is those unforeseen expenses that can tip a budget over the edge....in Spain one (me!) would hope those unforeseen expenses might work out more reasonable?

The hair dressing example is amazing when you think about it!......but a bit of a quick calculation worked out I only pay about £80 for the whole year in the UK! Hahaha


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## edmelissa

Thank you very much for your replies - they were very helpful  And thank you, angil, for all the great info you've given me in every thread


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## Sirtravelot

This website is good for a general idea.

Cost Of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom And Spain

You can pinpoint it to any cities you wish, as long as there is data on them.


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## mrypg9

This whole question of the cost of living is so subjective and therefore variable. It depends on region, taste and lifestyle.
To take one instance: hairdressing. I pay €80 for a cut and colour.
Could I get it cheaper? Yes, in the same village. I choose not to. I prefer the products my cutter uses, the cut is good and I enjoy the chat. Besides, I paid a lot more in Prague and in the UK.
Eating out..sometimes we eat out for €10 a head, other times €50. 
Rents vary a great deal even within the same town or village for similar pisos. Location is key. Our house would be 50% cheaper to rent thirty km inland or up the coast.
Our electricity, water and phone/ internet costs average €300 a month. Again, that depends entirely on what you use and the frequency.
Angil has got it about right. It's not that much cheaper to live in Spain, perhaps a little less than in the UK but not that much.


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## Sirtravelot

mrypg9 said:


> This whole question of the cost of living is so subjective and therefore variable. It depends on region, taste and lifestyle.
> To take one instance: hairdressing. I pay €80 for a cut and colour.
> Could I get it cheaper? Yes, in the same village. I choose not to. I prefer the products my cutter uses, the cut is good and I enjoy the chat. Besides, I paid a lot more in Prague and in the UK.
> Eating out..sometimes we eat out for €10 a head, other times €50.
> Rents vary a great deal even within the same town or village for similar pisos. Location is key. Our house would be 50% cheaper to rent thirty km inland or up the coast.
> Our electricity, water and phone/ internet costs average €300 a month. Again, that depends entirely on what you use and the frequency.
> Angil has got it about right. It's not that much cheaper to live in Spain, perhaps a little less than in the UK but not that much.


Good luck eating out in the UK for 8 pounds!


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## Lynn R

This is a comparison site for prices in various Spanish supermarkets, which you could use to check prices of stuff you regularly buy in other countries:-


El Comparador de precios de Supermercados Online número uno.


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## Alcalaina

mrypg9 said:


> This whole question of the cost of living is so subjective and therefore variable. It depends on region, taste and lifestyle.
> To take one instance: hairdressing. I pay €80 for a cut and colour.
> Could I get it cheaper? Yes, in the same village. I choose not to. I prefer the products my cutter uses, the cut is good and I enjoy the chat. Besides, I paid a lot more in Prague and in the UK.


Very true. Clearly the nearer you are to Marbella, the more expensive things are! 

There are four hairdressers in Alcalá and the maximum price for cut & colour is €25. When I went there she cut my fringe too short and burnt my ear with the drier, so I went back to the cheaper one!


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## edmelissa

Thank you for all your comments and useful links. They've been really helpful


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## brocher

Sirtravelot said:


> This website is good for a general idea.
> 
> Cost Of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom And Spain
> 
> You can pinpoint it to any cities you wish, as long as there is data on them.


i wouldn't have too uch faith in that website. I was playing with it the other day, and found it really inaccurate with lots odf items. It shows a one bed in Marbella as 440e- you'd be hard pushed to get a half decent one for less than 600/ month. It also shows Aberdeen as being more expensove than London, which could well be true!


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## brocher

Alcalaina said:


> Very true. Clearly the nearer you are to Marbella, the more expensive things are!
> 
> There are four hairdressers in Alcalá and the maximum price for cut & colour is €25. When I went there she cut my fringe too short and burnt my ear with the drier, so I went back to the cheaper one!


Alca, have you got a spare bed for me, please, when I come over for my 5 euro cut! That's the best justificatiob for a trip I've ever heard!


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## mrypg9

Sirtravelot said:


> Good luck eating out in the UK for 8 pounds!


But I would neither expect nor wish to.

Try renting a large house on a double plot with pool in a 'nice' area in the UK for what we pay here in Spain!

We didn't expect to save money when we came to live in Spain.


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## mrypg9

Alcalaina said:


> Very true. Clearly the nearer you are to Marbella, the more expensive things are!
> 
> There are four hairdressers in Alcalá and the maximum price for cut & colour is €25. When I went there she cut my fringe too short and burnt my ear with the drier, so I went back to the cheaper one!


Just because something costs more doesn't mean it's better value, I agree.

I've seen cut and colour in Marbella for €29.99 though.

But as I've said before, at my age I need all the help I can get


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## Lynn R

mrypg9 said:


> Just because something costs more doesn't mean it's better value, I agree.


Very true. Over the years, I've gone from paying £85 for highlights, cut and blowdry at a "famous name" city centre salon (in about 1987) to £55 for colour, cut and blowdry in a small town salon (just before I left the UK in 2006) to €30 now for colour, cut and blowdry. All were of a quality I was (and am now) happy with. I'm especially happy with the price now, though!


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## thrax

I pay €0 for my hair cuts as the OH does it for me. And I also enjoy the chat...

We have many friends visit from UK and various parts of the UK but without exception they are all staggered at how much cheaper things are here, in particular food shopping. And it does depend on where you are in Spain. I went to a Mercadona near Fuengirola and everything in that store was considerably more expensive than the same stores where we live. I often check Tesco and Waitrose online shopping websites to compare and I would say that for the most part everything is cheaper here. I think electricity may be more expensive; petrol is a bit cheaper; gas is much cheaper; water is silly prices; and because we rent we don't pay council taxes although if we did they would be (for where we live compared to where we were in UK) about one tenth what we paid annually in UK. Alcohol prices are ridiculously low and maybe the government could consider raising taxes on alcohol to raise revenue.


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## edmelissa

thrax said:


> water is silly prices


In a good way or bad?


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## portygirl

I thought I would have to give up my 5 weekly cut and colour when retiring to Spain and just do the colour myself and get a 5 weekly trim. At my Inverness hairdressers it's £ 65 for the whole lot, colour, highlights, cut and blow dry and £51 for roots cut and dry which is much cheaper than the city centre salons.
I'm delighted to know that I can maybe continue my current regime ( I too need all the help I can get ) on retiring to the Axarqiua, any good reasonable salons out there ?


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## angil

edmelissa said:


> In a good way or bad?


We pay between €100 & €150 per 3 months for water. Now the leccy! like the tax, is a law unto itself!

As for haircuts etc. That would vary wildly whatever country you were in! From Tony & Guy to some canny little woman with a pair of scissors and half a dozen outdated Heat magazines!

I am on the Sinead O'Connor side of short! & dye it myself! €20 per 3 wks for a cut with an additional €3.70 for a box of dye!


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## edmelissa

> From Tony & Guy to some canny little woman with a pair of scissors and half a dozen outdated Heat magazines!


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## Lynn R

portygirl said:


> I thought I would have to give up my 5 weekly cut and colour when retiring to Spain and just do the colour myself and get a 5 weekly trim. At my Inverness hairdressers it's £ 65 for the whole lot, colour, highlights, cut and blow dry and £51 for roots cut and dry which is much cheaper than the city centre salons.
> I'm delighted to know that I can maybe continue my current regime ( I too need all the help I can get ) on retiring to the Axarqiua, any good reasonable salons out there ?


I don't know whereabouts in the Axarquia you are going to be, but the one I use is Peluqueria Sole in Velez-Malaga (by the side of the Parque de Andalucia tree-lined walkway in the centre of town). They only speak Spanish, but you will find prices substantially higher in any salons which cater to foreign residents.

Last summer when I was in the UK a woman I'd never met asked me where I got my hair done and admired the colour and cut, so they can't do that bad a job!


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## Alcalaina

brocher said:


> Alca, have you got a spare bed for me, please, when I come over for my 5 euro cut! That's the best justificatiob for a trip I've ever heard!


You're welcome any time!


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## portygirl

Lynn R said:


> I don't know whereabouts in the Axarquia you are going to be, but the one I use is Peluqueria Sole in Velez-Malaga (by the side of the Parque de Andalucia tree-lined walkway in the centre of town). They only speak Spanish, but you will find prices substantially higher in any salons which cater to foreign residents.
> 
> Last summer when I was in the UK a woman I'd never met asked me where I got my hair done and admired the colour and cut, so they can't do that bad a job!


Many thanks, we will hopefully settle near Velez Malaga although we are going to visit the west side of Malaga on our next trip too, just to cover all areas.


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## Lynn R

portygirl said:


> Many thanks, we will hopefully settle near Velez Malaga although we are going to visit the west side of Malaga on our next trip too, just to cover all areas.


I forgot to mention, the woman who used to do my hair here (her parents are Spanish but she was brought up and trained in London before moving back here) now works at a salon in Torrox Costa called Eleganza. Angela is a good hairdresser, I only changed because she went back to the UK for a time and then I was just as happy with the new one which was cheaper too.


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## thrax

edmelissa said:


> In a good way or bad?


very good compared to UK; but it does vary region to region...: we pay about €12 a month. In UK we paid around €450 a year...


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## angil

thrax said:


> very good compared to UK; but it does vary region to region...: we pay about €12 a month. In UK we paid around €450 a year...


Do you have your own well and you are only being charged for the use of the bucket!?!lol

Embesa (water co.) bills so far; lowest just over €100 for 3 months & highest just over €150. On the 31st of May we will have been in Spain for exactly 12 months.

We have friends in Torrox, can't wait to go visit them and 'go compare' (prices that is; even at Mercadona?!).


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## neddie

.....my suggestion to OP is that you Google a few stores, e.g. El Corte Ingles, Aldi etc and see what there prices are......admittedly some of the prices may be "sale" prices but at least they will be accurate and up to date.


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## xabiaxica

angil said:


> Do you have your own well and you are only being charged for the use of the bucket!?!lol
> 
> Embesa (water co.) bills so far; lowest just over €100 for 3 months & highest just over €150. On the 31st of May we will have been in Spain for exactly 12 months.
> 
> We have friends in Torrox, can't wait to go visit them and 'go compare' (prices that is; even at Mercadona?!).



my last water bill was just over 36€ for two months - that's me & two teenage girls - so you can imagine how much washing & how many showers that it!


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## kalohi

angil said:


> Embesa (water co.) bills so far; lowest just over €100 for 3 months & highest just over €150. On the 31st of May we will have been in Spain for exactly 12 months.


This is comparable to what we pay. Our last bill, for Jan-Mar, was 99.99€ (that one stood out to me so I remember.) There are 4 of us and I don't think we go overboard with washing or showers. We are just a normal family using water in a normal way. I am always amazed to see how cheap water is in other places.


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## mrypg9

Our water bills over last year average €60 a month. Electricity €150.
There are two of us.
We have a pool and a lot of lawn to water in summer.
We cook with electricity, don't ever need air con anduse about €200 of bottled gas to heat in winter evenings or wet miserable days.
Can't remember exactly as it's now over nine years ago but if I compare what utilities cost in the UK for a smaller detached cottage it sems roughly the same.


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## Alcalaina

xabiachica said:


> my last water bill was just over 36€ for two months - that's me & two teenage girls - so you can imagine how much washing & how many showers that it!


Ours averages out about €5 a month. Two adults, no pool but a roof garden that needs watering every day in summer.


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## matdavidson

Lynn R said:


> I forgot to mention, the woman who used to do my hair here (her parents are Spanish but she was brought up and trained in London before moving back here) now works at a salon in Torrox Costa called Eleganza. Angela is a good hairdresser, I only changed because she went back to the UK for a time and then I was just as happy with the new one which was cheaper too.


Well, I have been also to Cost Cutter shop where the name Angela is a hairstylist who use to help me and my wife out with a different hairstyle all time which would look good on me and my wife good. I use to be always happy but probably we might having shifted to another location and need to find out the Cost cutter here also.


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## kaipa

Apart from drinking and eating and out I dont find that much difference in fact last time I was in UK and went to Tesco and was amazed how cheap it was!


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## Isobella

This thread is 6 years old😗


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