Shopping in UK o Spain

[Mowser]

Bottom line is if you feel the need to compare bread and milk etc.You can't afford to live in a foreign country with no safety net

Agreed. Silly topic anyway.

[frank]

Bottom line is if you feel the need to compare bread and milk etc.You can't afford to live in a foreign country with no safety net. More important is utilities, taxes and one thing money can't buy, peace of mind.

Correct, and I find it all a bit sad that so many blokes know the prices of things to the nearest cent. You can't beat a good day out at the supermarket.

[Mowser]

Correct, and I find it all a bit sad that so many blokes know the prices of things to the nearest cent. You can't beat a good day out at the supermarket

I posted prices as I thought that was the point of the topic. Normally I chuck out the receipts, but I got a 32Gb card in ALDI and the receipt is for the 3 year guarantee. I therefore checked the receipt and posted a few prices out of interest. That would be the reason I knew the prices to the nearest cent.
ps ... how does one spell "smarmy?" I trust this is correct.

[olive]

Bottom line is if you feel the need to compare bread and milk etc.You can't afford to live in a foreign country with no safety net. More important is utilities, taxes and one thing money can't buy, peace of mind.

As for regions, when we went north to San Sebastian area we found prices were higher but lower in Madrid than Marbella. I have also lived in inland Andalucía and found small shops a rip off, generally the same as in UK....why do you think those large families travel to Alcampo in Marbella from inland pueblos

A bit simplistic. Sadly there are thousands of Brits living in Spain for whom the price of bread and milk is important. They generally don't make themselves known on forums such as this for fairly obvious reasons. They came here with "enough" money and for one reason or another they now do not have enough or perhaps only just enough. Here are some of the reasons for those that aren't aware.

Exchange rate on Uk pensions has dropped a lot
Maybe a partner has passed away.
Separation
Increased taxation (removal of the 400 euro allowance)
Loss of regular income from a job.

Not everyone has a crystal ball OR a substantial financial cushion to fall back on ( in either the Uk or Spain). If they own their house not everyone can sell and "escape".

[Lavanda]

"You really can't resist any chance to have a pop at me can you"

Try reading what I wrote — I was being supportive of your right to post.

[Mowser]

Also I don't have any hidden interests to talk the place up, eg. selling and renting houses in Spain

So you reckon that's why some posters prefer Spain? So we can talk the place up? Utter tosh.

[katy]

Bottom line is if you feel the need to compare bread and milk etc.You can't afford to live in a foreign country with no safety net. More important is utilities, taxes and one thing money can't buy, peace of mind.

As for regions, when we went north to San Sebastian area we found prices were higher but lower in Madrid than Marbella. I have also lived in inland Andalucía and found small shops a rip off, generally the same as in UK....why do you think those large families travel to Alcampo in Marbella from inland pueblos

A bit simplistic. Sadly there are thousands of Brits living in Spain for whom the price of bread and milk is important. They generally don't make themselves known on forums such as this for fairly obvious reasons. They came here with "enough" money and for one reason or another they now do not have enough or perhaps only just enough. Here are some of the reasons for those that aren't aware.

Exchange rate on Uk pensions has dropped a lot
Maybe a partner has passed away.
Separation
Increased taxation (removal of the 400 euro allowance)
Loss of regular income from a job.

Not everyone has a crystal ball OR a substantial financial cushion to fall back on ( in either the Uk or Spain). If they own their house not everyone can sell and "escape".

Yes, I realise that. I know some who are struggling. However, comparisons are irrelevant if you are committed to the place you are living. I was mainly thinking of people looking to make the move who ask the price of coffee or menu del día.

[katy]

Also I don't have any hidden interests to talk the place up, eg. selling and renting houses in Spain

So you reckon that's why some posters prefer Spain? So we can talk the place up? Utter tosh.

Perhaps not you but I had a few in mind.

[markwilding]

You really can't resist any chance to have a pop at me can you For about 7 years I was on this forum I lived in Spain. I have relatives and friends there and FWIW they think Spain is expensive now. I was last in Spain in December, fortunately I did not have to step into a supermarket once. Also I don't have any hidden interests to talk the place up, eg. selling and renting houses in Spain

Katy
There's two completely different things here. One is that food prices in the UK are now cheaper than Spain, which quite a lot of people are disputing and even though Frank,who is being downright obnoxious says that it's sad that we know prices when what has really happened is that before we accepted the findings,we wanted to check a couple of them with recent receipts and low and behold have found discrepancies in the survey.

Even my observation that the exchange rate must have something to with the prices changing between the two countries was put very quickly down but since then quite a lot of people have agreed that it needs to be taken into account.

Having said that, the other point, which in my view has nothing to do with the first one, you have said that prices have risen in Spain,which can't be disputed at all

The last point you make I don't understand at all.Time and time again recently, people have(me included) said they have no plans to return to the UK because basically happy here and for some reason you insist that there are ulterior motives when there aren't any.

[katy]

You are wrong, I didn't say any of that Don't speak for me! My point about some having vested interests was specifically aimed.

I have said for years, even when the xchange rate was good that Spain was not as cheap as the myth. A fairer indication is comparing with other Eurozone countries. When my daughter lived in the Hague I travelled there about 5 times a year. The price of a tomato is clear...euro for euro...and to debunk another myth, the Spanish certainly don't keep the best for themselves One thing I didn't stay in Spain for 15 years for was the quality of the food

TBH I don't know how food compares uk versus Spain right now. I do note comments from friends in Spain and even our Norwegian friends there have started to whinge about rising prices. Also our last visitors from Spain at Easter commented that melons were cheaper in the Uk. They weren't Spanish ones

[markwilding]

I have said for years, even when the xchange rate was good that Spain was not as cheap as the myth. A fairer indication is comparing with other Eurozone countries. When my daughter lived in the Hague I travelled there about 5 times a year. The price of a tomato is clear...euro for euro...and to debunk another myth, the Spanish certainly don't keep the best for themselves One thing I didn't stay in Spain for 15 years for was the quality of the food

TBH I don't know how food compares uk versus Spain right now. I do note comments from friends in Spain and even our Norwegian friends there have started to whinge about rising prices. Also our last visitors from Spain at Easter commented that melons were cheaper in the Uk. They weren't Spanish ones

In the end it doesn't really matter who's right or wrong It's only a bit of fun and often these surveys are only published to get people arguing. What gets on my nerves is the b*tchiness that goes on.The same person tends to start it with put down comments.
Right from the start he made it clear that anyone disagreeing with the article would be speaking rubbish

[Lavanda]

I think, Mark, you just need to let some posters 'contributions' glide over you. Regulars on here know that some people trot out the same old Anti-Spanish / Pro-British mantra every time and it's all quite predictable and boring and, in many cases, wrong. These people do not live in Spain yet I suspect their acidic posts are driven by envy. Of course nowhere is 100% perfect 100% of the time but for most of us life in Spain continues to be good. Gerry's post summed it up. People live within their changing, sometimes shrinking, budgets and the price of this, that or the other in here, there or anywhere becomes irrelevant in the end. We pay our bills and shop for food with what is left, looking for the best, freshest, most seasonal, balanced and affordable we can find. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?

[gus-lopez]

If you cannot afford to live in Spain then you certainly can't afford to live in the UK. To state that you shouldn't live somewhere without a 'safety net' is to encourage poncing off the state. I am , & always have been, quite adamant that there should be no benefits.
" He who does not work , then nor should he eat" Thessalonians 3:10.

Prices in the Uk won't be low for long if they vote to exit the EU as the UK is in now way self-sufficient in food production. That's if there would be any electric as the French wouldn't hesitate to turn it off & increase prices dramatically!

[pete_l]

I have said for years, even when the xchange rate was good that Spain was not as cheap as the myth. ... another myth, the Spanish certainly don't keep the best for themselves One thing I didn't stay in Spain for 15 years for was the quality of the food

I do agree with this. The myth about Spain being cheap comes from holidaymakers who's only concern is the price of booze & fags - which undoubtedly are cheap in Spain. Add on to that the low (compared to the UK) cost of housing and you have everything the Spanish estate agents trot out to unsuspecting punters.

Apart from the quality of produce in Spanish shops, they also don't seem to have caught on to selling much prepared food - most of the stuff is "ingredients" rather than meals. I suppose most spanish families still have one adult who stays at home to do the cleaning and cooking and the fewer "solteros" doesn't mean there's so much demand for ready-meals.

[Free at Last]

As the amount of money we spend on food and other household items (cleaning and laundry products, etc) each month is more than the combined total of all our household bills, I think it's reasonable that anyone contemplating moving here might want to get an idea of whether it is likely to cost them substantially more than they are paying at present, particularly if they are pensioners or living on a fixed income.

[Julie]

I have virgin broadband in the uk, unlimited ( nearly all internet access is unlimted in the uk, even on your mobile) I have 60 speed and don't have to have a landline to have internet, thankfully thoses days are gone, I pay 22 pound a month, if I want the landline its 24 pound a month, but I prefer to use my mobile phone, I have a iphone and I use e mobile sim 15 pounds a month unconracted no limit download and can teher to laptop etc 600 mins, calls and 3000 texts a month, and as much as I like Spain as I do the UK you won't beat the internet prices in UK

[Mowser]

Julie. Correct. Internet in the UK is much cheaper than Spain. Including VAT I pay around €47 a month. This is for landline, ADSL of "up to" 10Mb, free calls to landlines in Spain and free calls to mobiles at the week-end.

I could dump the landline and contract with BB4spain for €29 a month but for an extra €18 I like the facility of free calls.

At today's rate that's £40 per month. In the good old days that would be around £33 per month.

[markwilding]

I think, Mark, you just need to let some posters 'contributions' glide over you. Regulars on here know that some people trot out the same old Anti-Spanish / Pro-British mantra every time and it's all quite predictable and boring and, in many cases, wrong.

There are problems with that though, first they drive people away from the forum. I know of at least one person who was really upset when they rounded on her and became quite offensive, luckily shes still posts.There are others who don't post any more and they have made their feelings felt in their last post.

For me it's water of a ducks back but at the same time I'm not going to let them get away with being rude without saying anything.

Julie, for your reference
Ono, are offering 50 mbs for 21.90 euros and my local cable provider is offering 24.95 for 100mbs. Jazztel 19.99 for mobile (limited) + adsl up to 30mbs and Orange 11.95 up to 20mbs
Now you can nitpick all you like but these price are much much much closer to the prices quoted for the UK than the price, about 85 euros, mentioned at the beginning of the thread.

[peteroldracer]

the low (compared to the UK) cost of housing.

At least if you buy a property in the UK you know that a lawyer will check that it is free of debt, will be allowed to be there, and will not have a demolition order placed on it.
If you watch the 'buy at auction' programmes on tv it should quickly be apparent that only in very fashionable areas and in London are prices higher than in Spain, IMHO.
There are plenty of 3-bed semis in nice areas of Leeds for example at the equivalent of 200,000€ - and if you want to sell up and move it will be possible in less than 5 years.

[markwilding]

Of course you are right Peter.
The cost of a house is one thing in certain areas of Spain are much more expensive,even during this housing crisis, than the UK.
Madrid, Barcelona and The Basque country's three main cities are really expensive.
Madrid is the capital so compared to London,it could be considered similar.
But compare Leeds to Barcelona or Bilbao,which are really all provincial cities. A decent house in Leeds can be bought much cheaper.