moving to spain

Hello peeps,

I'm planning on moving to Murcia, early next year.I'm just trying to work out how much living cash I'll need until my business takes off.

Can anybody help. I'd like to know general cost of living plus all the other bits like national insurance,medical,any hidden taxes like poll tax or anything,etc.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Alfie

Probably more than you anticipate - social security here is 240€ per month - there is community charge (poll tax I think you call it) if you own your own property - if you are renting not salient - if you own the property there are community fees - then there are the normal living expenses such as eating and drinking - you dont say what your business is but if you need things like opneing licences etc they are all added expense - really too vague a question to answer in depth but it will probably be more than you anticipate.

Check out this previous thread on cost of living in Spain.

http://www.eyeonspain.com/Secure/ForumPosts.aspx?thread=20&dev=FB25&name=Cost of living in Spain

Smiley lives like a king, so don't take too much notice of what he says! My main advice would be, don't start living a totally different lifestyle from usual, just because you're in Spain. Try to avoid the trap of spending every night in restaurants and bars - that's for holidays, not real life. I think you will find your overall cost of living satisfyingly lower than in UK.

Welcome to EOS, and all the best with your move.

Roberto well you know that I live like a Queen - not a King - I am insulted now - going to go and sulk in a corner sucking my thumb! The point I was trying to make was exactly the one you made - in my experience which is not eating out every night and going to all the best places (I am a menu del dia man ordinarily) it can be easy to spend more than one anticipates - I think the cost of living has gone up here quite dramatically since inception of the Euro. Agree that one can live here on less money but a lot depends on what big Alf is going to be doing about establishing a business etc - business start ups here can cost more than UK with opening licences and legal costs etc. - agree or no?

No idea re: comparison costs of setting up businesses - never done it inUK (at least, not legally!) But basically, as usual my dear, we agree. I think alas, perhaps we are just too alike to be compatible, but we can still be friends?

I have been following a hilarious thread in A.N.Other forum (some insignificant website dedicated only to some region in the south of Spain beginning with A) about cost of living. It got extremely heated, because some dimwit who lives in the campo insists that they can live comfortably (2 adults, 8 cats, 4 dogs, 2 cars etc) on €500 a month. Naturally others disagreed, at which the original poster became offended, and defended their right to survive by going to local bars and ordering 1 euro beers in order to get a free tapas, rather than cooking a meal at home! BTW, same place I found the one-legged semastress thing!