1000 Euros per month

Hi All,

See that the original thread for living on a 1000 Euros per month in Spain was 3 years ago, just wondering now if people thought that this was still possible, either for a couple or if single ?

Lets get the ball rolling !!

If you income is derived from the UK the exchange rate is probably at leat 20% better than 3 years ago, this coupled with low inflation which during 2014 was around zero means, that for Brits,1000€ will go further than 3 years ago.

Wouldn't €1,000 now be the same as €1,000 three years ago? Can only see how exchange rates would figure if the question was living on £1,000 a month.

 Can only see how exchange rates would figure if the question was living on £1,000 a month.

Sorry Mariedav I thought that was the question 

Well someone earning and declaring €1000 per month to the Spanish Revenue will pay circa €1200 tax, so they obviously consider that folk can survive on less than €1000 per month.

S'orlright.

Anyway, whilst inflation has been stagnant in Spain, some things have risen in price. Our IBI has gone up (OK, only about 5 euro a month but still a rise) and electricity prices have risen quite considerable in the last 3 years. Our "average" €70 from 3 years ago now regularly top €100 a month. Car and house insurance have also seen rises (never seem to get a discount for loyalty).

Day to day shopping has, in some cases, actually gone down but things like olive oil have seen a marked increase. If one likes the "Brit" stuff and does a lot of shopping in Iceland (or any other market that caters for Brit tastes) then you will have seen a marked increase. Iceland, 3 years ago, use the exchange rate of 1.25 for goods but this is now 1.5 (in some cases, 1.75) so English butter with £1 written on it can now cost €1.75 instead of €1.25 as it did 3 years ago (of course, shopping for Spanish butter and it will still be €1.15 as it was 3 years ago).

And yes, Team GB, we are in the position of having our income from UK so the price rises here (for what they are) are more than compensated for by the exchange rate. Our house insurance may have risen €30 a year but the €217 we paid 3 years ago was (on 16/2/2012 at 1.20 to the pound) about £181. This year the cost i is €247 but that is now £177 so it does make a difference.

I still reckon €1,000 a month is more than ample to live quite well on providing you don't have a mortgage or take rent out of that.

1,000 eu = £720.00 =£180 pw the only way you would live on such a low income in Spain , if you owned your property and did not go out the door.- elec/ ibi/ water /food / transport what do you think. 

Bloody beggars earn more than tha in Madrid

I would hate to live on such a Paltry sum bloody proper Poor

Love Hugh

Spend nearly that on Rioja

Spain has overtook UK on cost of living last five years

@windtalker. They are called mileuristas and there are more than eleven million of them in Spain..

In our area they have a lunch break but kindly leave a little note in explanation and ask that clients still leave coins in the container provided.

Windtalker:  1,000 eu = £720.00 =£180 pw the only way you would live on such a low income in Spain , if you owned your property and did not go out the door.- elec/ ibi/ water /food / transport what do you think. 

It was 1,000 GBP  not euros,  so around 1,370 euros p.m 

A mate if mine lives on a basic UK pension, about £120 p.w.and has done so for several years. 

Mileuristas I call them a bloody nusiance hanging around waiting for a handout there is work if you look ask Maggie Thatcher get on your bike and find it

Hugh 

It was *** 1,000 GBP  not euros, ***  so around 1,370 euros p.m 

Hi All,

See that the original thread for living on a *** 1000 Euros per month *** in Spain was 3 years ago, just wondering now if people thought that this was still possible, either for a couple or if single ?

Did i miss something?

The thread title says 1,000 euro, not pounds.

Pointless using exchange rates, anyway as they go up and down. 

Hep, where do you get the 1200 euro a year tax? After the tax allowance there is also a tax allowance for single income on low pay (13150 is low pay) which cut that tax liability to zero.

Hugh, your posts are funny, you make oi larf.... but my monthly outgoings here just about equal my council tax in UK. 

Electric -100 a month. Water - 23 a month. IBI - 25 a month. Car ins - 30 a month. House ins - 20 a month. Solicitors (for tax returns and anything else that crops up) 12 a month. 

Total around €210 a month. Council tax in UK was the same but in pounds. And that was 5 years ago so I imagine it's gone up a bit. And I suppose you could spend that on Rioja in UK but I doubt even you could get through 500 bottles or so a month.

So, a thousand a month. Take off 200 for bills leaving 200 a week. Quite feasible, I should think. As mariedav says, unless you use the Brit stores. 

Transport. Well, as I no longer commute my transport costs are a fraction of what i paid in UK.  Buses in Torrevieja are free for over 65s and an annual bus pass is €37 if you're not. If neither, a single trip is a euro. 

Anyway, another pointless thread as some will dine on fillet steaks with avocado and a classico wine, others on pork fillets, tomatoes and a vino de mesa. Some will dine in restaurants at 50 euro a head and some will have the Chinese MDD for €7.50. Some will smoke and spend €30 on fags a week whilst others don't.  Some will have heated pools and aircon blasting out in 5 rooms and others will live in a 2 bed flat. 

Everyone will have a different aspect and spending habit.

See that the original thread for living on a *** 1000 Euros per month *** in Spain was 3 years ago, just wondering now if people thought that this was still possible, either for a couple or if single ?

Did i miss something?

Good to see someone is paying attention.

Nevertheless my mate is living, happily,  on around 700 EUROS a month. (£120 per week basic OAP he says)

One of my friends has pretty much the same amounts, UK pension to Euros every month and for sure he does more, and eats better in Spain then he ever did in the UK.

Seen the Spanish Iceland prices and the Brits with the full trolleys, you can only ask ....Why?

Price's in Spain are far more expensive than the UK I travel to and from Spain every six weeks throughout the year and if you mate can live on 1000eu he is just existing he must be living on ice cubes from Iceland  you will earn more begging outside Iceland.

Price's in Spain are far more expensive than the UK I travel to and from Spain every six weeks throughout the year and if you mate can live on 1000eu he is just existing he must be living on ice cubes from Iceland  you will earn more begging outside Iceland.

What prices are we talking about?  He owns his own 2 bedroom / 2 bathroom bungalow outright, has a car, eats out at restaurants twice a week, one a Chinese Restaurant every Friday night, 3 courses and 3 lots of free drinks, one bowl of those white snappy thingys, comes to about 6.50 euros single person,  just gone up from 5.95, the other Spanish meal think that one is about 9.00 euros, buys plenty of beer, has all the mod cons, internet, phone etc.

I have bought a Chinese takeaway for two, UK, must be doing something wrong because every time it costs me about £18-£20 and I have to sit outside on the fence and eat that.

If he is just existing then compared to my expenses running my UK house and cars in the UK I cant wait to "Just exist" in Spain.

The only ice cubes I have seen him have, are in his cold drinks, but then to be fair he does cut back on these in the colder spells, so thats a saving.

I suppose that the only way is to be honest about your expendature, we live in the UK in a 1450 square foot detached property that is mortgage free. Our expenses are £200.00 p/a water, £1200.00 p/a gas/electricity and £1500.00 p/a community charge, plus £120.00 p/a insurance, our car costs us circa £2000.00 p/a inclusive, making a grand total of £5020.00 p/a. We further spend circa £10,000 p/a on food, drink, holidays etc, with back up investment funds for the luxuries and unexpected bills.

So how does that compare with a couple living an identical life/lifestyle in Spain? We don't smoke but do like a drink (wine and bottled real ales), Spanish brandy is something that we would do differently in Spain, however the real beers aren't there. We very rarely eat out in the UK. pub food is mainly crap and good resteraunts are very expensive in the Peak Park, however my wife loves to cook, and is good at it.

Just an honest appraisal,** EDITED **

This message was last edited by Hephaestus on 23/09/2015.

We have a holiday home in Spain and have visited 4/5 times each year since2007.

From my significant experience Spain is far,far cheaper to stay than Uk