Hi, Hope everybody stays save. Only a quick and I think easy question I plan to relocate to Spain and would like to rent a small flat at first but don't know where at present.
Can anybody tell me how much approximately the bills (electricity, water, council tax and other things) for a single person in a small flat are???

I had already a look on the internet but get always very different figures, so thought the best is to ask the people they live there and know it.

Thank you in advance and greetings from rainy Paignton

We are a couple who live in a 2-bedroom apartment in Nerja. The electricity bill has been around 40 to 60 euro per month, and water around 20 euro. In addition I pay for gas cylinder for hot water around 1.5 cylinders per month which comes to around 25 euro, and 30 euro per month for fast broadband (fibre). We pay for nothing else, as landlord pays for community charge (like service charge for a UK flat dweller), tax and insurance. For a single person it may be around 30% less.

There was a very detailed thread on living costs recently posted on this forum - I have had a quick look and can't see it but it had a lot of posts.

Exactly the same as the UK the location will make a huge difference to your actual rental payments as will quality and size.

We are also a couple living in a 2 bedroom apartment, but ours is all electric and so we use no gas for hot water or cooking. Our electricity bills have ranged from €46 (in summer) to €76 (for December) per month, with air conditioning being used for heating. Our water bills are always approximately €30 for two months. Our fibre broadband is €19.90 per month and in addition we each pay €12 per month for a Lobster SIM card which gives unlimited calls and texts to Spanish national landline and mobile numbers plus unlimited calls and texts to landline and mobile numbers in a number of other countries including the UK, and 6GB of data. We don't need a landline for our broadband so we don't have one.

Thank you so much you're very kind so I've a clue what to expect.

spainrico > I know that people sometimes ask the same over and over again, so I've used the search option at first but could not find anything :-( but will have another look thank you

Joppa > I've been to Nerja and the first impression was really good unfortunately I have been there with a travel group so not a lot of time to go around but I'll definitely come again and stay there for longer. Is there an expats community and maybe groups of U3A????

QUESTION FOR LYNN.R PLEASE. Who supplies you fibre broadband ? that sounds a good deal at only 19.90 a month ?????? or is it compulsory to have a landline as well to get that ??

Thanks
Keith

Yes, there is a large expat community with nearly a third of population of 22,000 and British is the largest (over 3,000) , followed by Irish, German, Dutch, Scandinavians etc. There is U3A Axarquia U3A Axarquia - Groups. Like all groups, activities are likely to have been impacted by the pandemic but I hope they will get going again when we come out of it, hopefully soon. Soltalk Magazine - Nerja | Your favourite English language magazine on the Eastern Costa del Sol has lots of local information and listings.

Sorry Keith, it is a very small local company who only serves this particular town, so not applicable to anyone who lives outside this area (Vélez-Málaga in La Axarquia). They have been in business quite a long time and started off as a cable TV provider then branched out into phone and internet services (we only have the broadband with them). No, we don't need a landline to have their broadband service so we don't bother with one. When we first took out our contract (about 8 years ago now) it was fibre optic to a box in the street then copper to the property and it cost €18 per month (and the price never changed for years). Then last year they upgraded it to fibre to the property and increased the price by a whopping €1.90 per month! The speed is much lower than what Movistar offfer but then again so is the price, and it's more than adequate for what we need. We also like the fact that if there are any problems (not that there are many, it's very reliable) we can just walk into their office in the centre of town and speak to someone rather than having to deal with a large "computer says no" type of company over the phone.

Maybe there is a similar company somewhere in your area. There are actually two in my town, ours and one which offers a very similar service.

Joppa> Thank you so much for the information you are very kind. I hope I'll be able to come this year or early next year to have a look around Nerja and maybe there is the possibility to visit some of the U3A groups to meet some people now I've the contact details thanks to you.

Thank you once again

For LYNN. R - Thanks for getting back to me. I'm at Costa Esuri ( Ayamonte). I had a line of sight wireless system for wifi supplied by a local company for six years. Ultra slow speeds, but last year the big networks rolled out fibre at last ! I cancelled the wifi system due to lockdown and will take up fibre whenever we eventually get back out there. My target price is 20 euros a month, hence my interest in your provider. No worries. KeithBT

I have a three bed town house in Inland Andalucia, and it cost me( and my wife) just over 750 Euros for all Gas, ( heating and hot water, ) Electric ( cooking and additional heating in winter) and Local taxes ( including water/refuse /waste disposal etc) for Last year ( 2020) We have our refuse collected from our door 6 days a week( except Fiestas)
Pete

teuchterpete> Wow that is really good thanks a lot for the information. I think/hope I should be fine when I calculate about 100 Euros/per month for the bills for a single person in a small flat. Really great this forum and that people take time to help each other and people like me they want to relocate to Spain THANK YOU

Wow. Im going to move near to you.

Here in Xirles (a tiny village in the hills inland of Albir) My IBI is around 400e a year for a 3 bed/2 bath 2nd floor flat with a garage space and a store room in the garage area.
We are electric only and monthly bills are 32e without any electric we use. We only arrived in late August and our total was over 500 for the year.
No gas.
Water is about 25e a quarter.
Internet at 600 Mb (its not) is 40 a month, TV is provided by the community (just Spanish version of freeview though)

Hi Tictac, So far everyone that has replied seems to have tiny bills. I wish mine were. I bought a 3 bed duplex apartment on a gated community beside a golf course on Costa Esuri, near Ayamonte, Andalucia. The purchase price back in 2014 was a bargain but the bills are much more than above. Due to Covid the property has been uninhabited in 2020 other than 10 days in late feb. The water bills paid to Ghiasa incidentally include the charge for rubbish bin collection. Electric charges are 95% standing charges for a low current supply. Hence as for the year as follows :

WATER ............................... 286 euros
ELECTRIC ( endesa).......... 253
IBI ( council tax) ..................566
EUC ....................................171 ( sort of unadopted road maintenance charge)
TASA de RESIDUOS .......... 74 ( no idea what this is for)
BLOCK MAINTENANCE..... 980 ( covers garden maintenance / upkeep, stairwell cleaning, pool maintenance etc)
INTERCOMMUNITY FEE ...240 ( covers the upkeep of internal roads, fencing, electric gates, minimal security.)
NON RESIDENT TAX..........270 ( government assumes you rent it out on the sly even though you don't hence the charge just in case ??? )
BBVA bank charges............126 ( needed to pay for all the taxes and charges)
TAX REPRESENTATION.... 55 ( someone has to deal with the tax authorities to tell them we don't rent it out and receive income )

GRAND TOTAL................. 3021 euros. One year for a property we used for ten days due to covid. Bargain !! only 302 euros for each day. Sarcastic !!

OH I forgot....... plus 180 euros for ultra slow WIFI internet - now cancelled.

Don't get me wrong - it's a nice apartment, nice gardens and pool, very little concrete unlike some developments and we love it. But it's not cheap. I have no idea why the charges are so high, but each of them are compulsory. No opt out possible.

Keith

its always "upto" 600mb. technically, if you have a 1mb connection they would not be breaking their contract


I think its been said before, around €1000 is plenty for a couple, although im not sure if that was including rent or not.