Is Spain now much cheaper than UK?

Coffee last Saturday in Spain was €3.20 while a large red wine was €3.40 the night before. Electrical things are pricey here. I’ve just spent €116 on a light switch (with dimmers, so not a basic one) and €55 for a manual timer for the pool hose. The price of bottled gas has gone up big-time over the years, and water has never been cheap. On the whole I think it’s much cheaper to eat out over here but otherwise swings and roundabouts. (I say”over here” because I’m in Spain now, but will return to the UK fairly soon).

We found Portugal cheaper for many things, but their wages and taxes are different so that might not be true if I was living there. We also had to factor in the cost of actually getting to, and from Portugal to buy the cheaper goods.

We have a property in Spain and are considering applying for a Non-Lucrative Visa to enable us to stay there more than the allotted 90 days in a rolling 180 day period.

We find the cost of living there far less than here in UK. And much better weather too!

I too have just returned from staying with a friend in the Costa Del Sol. I too founds things pretty cheap, but what actually blew me away was my friend’s cost of living budget - she’s lived there now for just over 4 years, has residency and her livings costs overall are a third of that in the UK, plus she looks better, she walks everywhere, the climate is so temperate she eats most meals on her balcony and only in Jan/Feb/Mar has to pop a cardigan on ! She took early retirement at 56, I was out there celebrating her 60th birthday and she looks and feels amazing.

sorry don’t agree. We visit Germany and Spain a lot - tourist area in Spain - but prices in both countries are quite a bit less. Trick is probably to buy what locals eat and alcohol definitely cheaper. Buying anything in Venice you are bound to pay through the nose.

Holidaying in Spain probably is cheaper, but living there would be a completely different matter. Especially if you were earning your salary there.

2 euros for a coffee is not remarkably cheap - I pay about the same if I have a coffee when I pop over the German border. It is cheap for me, as in Denmark drinking a coffee in a coffee bar would cost me six times that, so I gave up drinking coffee anywhere but at home years ago!

Comparing prices between countries does not really tell one anything, as prices have gone up everywhere and wages have not, nor have pensions, so everywhere people are complaining that their standard of living has deteriorated.

Certainly, reading Gransnet I get the feeling that you are very hard hit in the UK, but then again, we all tend to complain about rising prices - no-one starts a thread about things, if indeed there are any, that now are cheaper than they were before Russia invaded Ukraine.

I thought Oz was quite a bit cheaper when I was there at start of year, Brisbane,including fuel.

The fuel is cheaper but food prices have gone up tremendously.
House prices in cities like Sydney, Brisbane, have gone right up in the last few years.

Of course, the first time we went the exchange rate was very favourable for us 🙂. It did go down a lot but has gone up again recently.

I thought Spain has always been cheaper than the uk. That’s why we went there in droves and still do.

silverlining48

I thought Spain has always been cheaper than the uk. That’s why we went there in droves and still do.

Yes.

^ I found Spain "cheaper" (and friendlier) than France^ yes, you're paying more for the moody waiter attitude!

I found Spain "cheaper" (and friendlier) than France .... not my quote!

Have been going for years renting for up to 3 months. Yes prices have gone up but still cheaper than UK with the exception of utilities and Internet.

Just back from Portugal where we stayed in apartments in Lisbon, Porto and Faro. Food and drink was cheaper than here. Not just coffees but also supermarket shops.

At our daily bar, a café is 1.50 € ..

Benidorm is very cheap.
We have friends just returned from there.
On a daily basis they reported just about everything they ate and drank because we were interested to know.

We just couldn’t believe how much cheaper everything was compared to UK.

Definitely going there next year for a holiday.

They rented an air b&b apartment for a month but ate out a lot.

I am married to my Spanish husband 32 years and we live in the Madrid Capital.

Spain has become more expensive over the years .. Especially the electricity ..

For Cossy and her Costa del Sol experience, yes, I can believe it. We've stayed in Torremolinos, and Malaga (lovely), and apart from the vicious (to us) height of summer heat, I'm sure you can have a great quality of life. Oh, with El Corte Ingles too!

I'd guess the drawback to all that lovely sun and coffee would be issues getting UK things like marmalade, digestive biscuits and the like (I'm guessing!!), and the BIGGER question of healthcare, though my initial enquiries looked more hopeful than I expected in that regard?

I don't think marmalade is a problem Dr Watson. You can just pick the Seville oranges up from the pavement (the Spanish call them "funny" oranges). 😂😂😂
There are Iceland shops in several towns including Fuengirola, plus lots of supermarkets have British products. When we visited from France we always stocked up on all the stuff we can't get here.

Surely it’s horses for courses judging by all the posts on here and really hard to judge some things cheaper, some things dearer… wages, housing cant be judged by a two week stay

It’s even harder to judge different areas in Uk city prices, some small but elite towns and then the more disadvantaged areas There are two small posh towns near me I cannot shop in them the prices are way way higher than my ‘disadvantaged’ town The North /South divide i m sure happens in other countries

Spain and every other country have tourist areas, tourist prices and local prices and local problems A lot of Portuguese have come to my town to work and seem to like it here although Brexit spoilt so much for so many and probably put paid to that
When I was young Spain was always the cheap place to visit
then it was more Eastern Europe maybe it’s changed again

Yes re the UK BlueBelle. In Buxton last week we had 4 lattes for under £5 altogether. In Manchester, I’d be lucky to get 2 for that price.

Mollygo

Yes re the UK BlueBelle. In Buxton last week we had 4 lattes for under £5 altogether. In Manchester, I’d be lucky to get 2 for that price.

And yet I think Buxton as rather upmarket!

On average Spanish average wage is 54% lower than the uk= that’s why it’s so much cheaper for most of Europe to holiday/ live there.

Does that cover all sectors MerylStreep? I know that a lot of my son's students are taking English exams at the highest level for entry into professions and the civil service. I would be surprised if it is true for their potential salaries.
Housing is a lot cheaper in Spain of course and the cost of living lower overall.
My son has lived there for more than thirty years and is shocked by UK prices. My Spanish DiL loves UK charity shops for clothes though. 😊

Have been in The Capital of Madrid 32 Years.

CAFÉ: a hole in the wall great café = 1.45 € - 1.50 €uros

CAFÉ: Fancy terrace upscale: 2.00 € - 4.50 € depending on location.

A menú del día served between 13.00 - 15.00:
A 3 COURSE LUNCH CAN RANGE FROM 10 € per person including bread and wine or beverage & dessert ..

And if at a upscale establishment can go from 13 € a person to 35 € for a business lunch.

It all depends on where you select.