spain- Rich or Poor?

[princess peach]

I know a lot of people often comment and say Spain was or is a very poor place.
Do you really think it is?

Would be interesting to hear your views.

[country boy]

Read any Statistics about average national take home pay Princess, it put's it in a nutshell, Andalucia is very poor and near the bottom, if not at the bottom. There are a lot of very poor people and a few fat cats.
http://www.euroresidentes.com/Blogs/200 ... spain.html

[princess peach]

thanks Country B,My hubby says the spanish men come in herds looking for work in Gib,he says its a sorry state for them at the moment.poor guys eh!
I dont think the majority of the spanish people look poor tho,they are always 99% of the time dressed immaculate,always eating out or having coffee,have nice cars,beautiful villas etc..maybe they just cope with their money better than we do.Or maybe just up to their eyes in Debt.
Learner drivers just passed their test with brand new Golf GTIs and top of the range Audis to drive around in.Nice eh!

[country boy]

Don't judge the entire Country by what you see on the Coast PP. The vast hinterland is proper Spain and the majority there are mostly on the poverty level and bring the statistics down...lovely people though.(They deserve a better government however!).

[princess peach]

Don't judge the entire Country by what you see on the Coast PP

No i suppose you are right,I have never seen any poverty where i live,only the odd down and out,and they are mostly british.

[silver]

maybe they just cope with their money better than we do.Or maybe just up to their eyes in Debt.

Most are up to their eyes in Debt... but there are a few who are loaded... just as its always been.

[oliveview01]

Unless we have access to their bank accounts or they tell us, how can we know they are up to their eyes in debt?

[wagon ropes]

According to the statistics the monthly average mortgage is greater than the average wage in Malaga province. If that is not up to their neck in debt I don't know what is!

[silver]

oliveview01 one thing is the country..not a poor country..and another is the population.
the great majority of workers take home less than 1000€ most on contracts of 3/6 months..a few like civil servants get 200/300 more but also get 14 months pay per year.. others like doctors, dentists, lawyers ect take home around 5 times that..and a few big guys who are rolling in it.. a lot of self employed work all hours just pay the bills.
When I first came to Spain.. everyone looked poorer than they do today..but all lived to a higher standard of living than today..the cost of a home was around a years total pay..today one needs over 15 years total pay to buy the same home...and kids today(Im talking kids of 25/35 years old) have to stay living with there parents because there is no way they can get/pay a mortgage..meals at home were alway 3 or 4 courses lunch and dinner (this has now dwindled to 1 or 2) money went a lot further.
there is a popular and often heard saying here..malos tiempos buena cara ( bad times good face)maybe this is why..

99% of the time dressed immaculate

as a nation they are very proud, but what you see in the street does not always reflect reality.
The quality of life for the spanish today is nowhere near as good as it was in the good ol days..

[oliveview01]

...........the cost of a home was around a years total pay..today one needs over 15 years total pay to buy the same home...and kids today(Im talking kids of 25/35 years old) have to stay living with there parents because there is no way they can get/pay a mortgage..

And how many ´kids´ can afford to buy their own home back in the UK too? My niece has recently, only because her inlaws gave them 25,000 pounds towards the house, otherwise they would still be living with the inlaws. She is very lucky to have very wealthy inlaws!! I wondered if they would like to adopt my sons?

Our son is living in the South East of England and there is no way he can afford to buy a house at the high prices first time homes are still at.

We were both reasonably well paid back in the UK but we worked to survive, and we did not ´live it up´ we could not afford to! I wouldn´t say we lived to a high standard of living, we lived to within our means- with difficulty at times I must say. Here we still live carefully within our means, some months it is hard- just depends on what bills are due and if we have any guests. Luckily the overheads are a lot less here (council tax etc)

Where we live there are lots of locals with 2nd homes, most look very nice and I would say 95% or more have a pool. Our neighbours have a brand new flat in the town and a very nice ´country house´ But they both work to get that luxury.

[ashtondav]

her inlaws gave them 25,000 pounds towards the house

That so explains why we have endured the most damaging housing boom and bust in living memory. Parents p*ss away £25000 then Northern Crock lends 'em 125%! Are people totally s*dding barmy?

Parents do kids no good by bunging 'em £25000 for a house. Why don't they save up, or just rent. What's the problem.

Bloody stupid behaviour!

[katy]

Silver is right, even in the poorest country there is always some who are earning above average. That is only a snapshot though. A friend has two jobs, office admin by day and three evenings teaching Spanish! Her Husband is a hospital technician. They have 3 children and hardly ever go out or on holiday. Another is an eye specialist at the CDS hospital and they have a tiny apartment.

Even in the poorest Caribbean Islands the kids are immaculate even though they have just left the equivalent of a garden hut.

[oliveview01]

Parents do kids no good by bunging 'em £25000 for a house. Why don't they save up, or just rent. What's the problem.
Bloody stupid behaviour!

Actually thay have saved up hard towards the house themselves too, it is just that the parents are able to ´help´ them before they die, most of us have to wait for our parents to die to inherit anything! A touch of green eyed moster perhaps Ashtondave? I find your comment quite stupid, still takes all to make a world, if we all had your attitude we would all be totally boring. And YES you have got me at a bad moment

[oliveview01]

Just re-read my sisters email re my nieces soon to be new house and the in-laws- the in-laws gave them 15,000 and they niece and hubby had saved up 10,000 (making 25,000 pounds)