Originally Posted by Fortaleza

Well, if it's Puerto Banus, there are lots of girls who work those sort of hours, especially in summer!

Originally Posted by Fortaleza

It's the usual bias slant that you hear in British media recently. Apparently all prices have gone up massively in Spain because of the recession. It's trotted out on the radio and TV all the time and it's usually by people who only visit Spain and not live here. Just last month I heard on a Five Live SPORT (yes, sport!) programme the commentator lamenting how expensive it had gotten:

(In a discussion about transfer fees etc) "The Spanish are really suffering. They seen prices rocket since the credit crunch. I just got back from there and I restaurant we always visit it cost us 90 pounds. The last time we were there just over a year ago it was just 60 pounds"

NUMPTY!!!! The prices haven't gone up. Your pound has gone down. A year or so ago €90 may well have been just 60 pounds. With the euro and pound at near parity, well €90 will be 90 pounds or thereabouts. So how exactly are Spanish 'suffering'? We're still paying exactly the same.

This is why a lot of people are trying to offlad their mortgage laden properties. People who signed on to a Spanish mortgage two or three years ago but paying for it out of their UK bank accounts may well have been paying 500 pounds a month but with the current exchange rate that will have jumped massively. Had they been in Spain paying from funds in a Spanish bank, this jump would not have happened.

Originally Posted by Fortaleza

Well, if it's Puerto Banus, there are lots of girls who work those sort of hours, especially in summer!

Originally Posted by lynnxa

actually I don't know if it's so much that prices have risen dramatically here - risen yes - dramatically I think not - so much as prices in the UK have dropped a lot in comparison

an acquaintance went to visit family in the UK a few weeks ago - just a short break - had no intention of returning to live there - has a proper job here - doing OK - not making a fortune but OK

discovered that they could rent a 3 bed house with a biggish garden for around 2/3 what they are paying here for a basic 3 bed flat here - everything - food - clothes - electrical goods cheaper there

were offered their old job in the UK back (3 years after leaving)

returned to spain - gave a month notice on everything & will be returning to the UK in a week or two..............

Originally Posted by Fortaleza

I'm not saying prices have gone up. I'm pointing out that in all parts of the British media at the moment they are trying to tell us that prices in Spain are rocketing when it just isn't the case. For a Brit who only works with pounds coming anywhere in the eurozone will feel more expensive as the pound is so weak. In this town, the price of beer - my yardstick!!! - has remained the same in most places for the last 5 years. Meals in restaurants are pretty much the same. Prices haven't changed here at all. Flat rentals are the same as they were 6 years ago. Everything is much the same

Originally Posted by Fortaleza

In this town, the price of beer - my yardstick!!! - has remained the same in most places for the last 5 years.