alexmani

Hi everone

I posted a previous enquiry to find everyones views on the best and worst things of Spain.

I will be moving to Spain around mid Jan and want to know about average earnings for a typical expat and cost of living.

Please can you kindly give me a rough idea to the following and just fill in the subject with a number that will give me a good indication to the hard facts of costs and earnings in Spain.

For Andalucia not too far from Malaga or Marbela

Income ......... ?

Rent for an average 2 bed appt ..........?

Shopping.........?

Leisure and Social Life........?

Savings(if any)........?

Real appreciate your replies and many thanks

Alex
London

Andy Pipken

Income ? what do you plan to do for work ?
rent ? what area do you wish to rent ?
etc etc
please post a bit more info if you wish for answers

jackytoo

Are you actually asking members to post their income and savings on here or have I got it wrong?

Andy Pipken

HEY THERES A THOUGHT.........HE MIGHT BE A ROBBER

Andy Pipken

I BET HE WANTS US TO SAY OHH I HAVE 40,000 EUROS UNDER MY PILLOW AND THE BACK DOOR KEY IS UNDER THE MAT !!

keithwalters

As you have chosen the Costa del Sol, I would say EXPENSIVE for everything.

You'll need a higher income there than other areas. What is your job going to be?

alexmani

Andy thanks for the reply and everyone else's.

This doesn't ask for specific personal information that some readers can not work out. Its states clearly AVERAGE. And it gives an idea info for anyone contemplating a move about whether you will struggle or whether its worth moving.

Although I can appreciate it depends on what you do but what I am asking is average rent near malaga or marbela for a typicle appt and average salaries for lets say someone in sales within real estate. You can that work out an average cost ratio against earnings.

And no I am not a financial advisor nor do I want to rob your savings.

Regards

Alex

jackytoo

Average salary in real estate is NIL unless you make a sale and not many are managing that these days. Average cost of an apartment near marbella would be about 800 euros a month.

alexmani

Hi Keith

Thanks for your reply. Hope life is good in Spain as life in the UK right now is damp, cold, dark and miserable.

I am trying to targets earnings of around 1200 - 1500 euros as I heard this is what I could probably earn as a base salary working within real estate or financial services.

I also heard you can rent an appt for a 2 bed for around 600 euros which leaves you around 50% of your income for the costs (food, travel, social) so I wanted to get a 2nd opinion on these estimates.

regards

Alex

keithwalters

I would guess rent for a half decent apt in a half decent area would be anywhere between 700 - 1100 euros per month. Beach is expensive.

Real Estate is not usually a salaried job. It is commission based so you would not get regular income.

A "typical" spanish salary is only about 900-1200 euros per month, but unless you can speak spanish you will not be getting one of those jobs. You will have to go to the expat market.

I don't live on the CDS, but my monthly outgoings fluctuate between 1200-2000 euros per month. That is for everything - mortgage, petrol, food, leisure, etc. I manage to live well on that money.

alexmani

[QUOTE=keithwalters]I would guess rent for a half decent apt in a half decent area would be anywhere between 700 - 1100 euros per month. Beach is expensive.

Real Estate is not usually a salaried job. It is commission based so you would not get regular income.

A "typical" spanish salary is only about 900-1200 euros per month, but unless you can speak spanish you will not be getting one of those jobs. You will have to go to the expat market.

I don't live on the CDS, but my monthly outgoings fluctuate between 1200-2000 euros per month. That is for everything - mortgage, petrol, food, leisure, etc. I manage to live well on that money.[/QUOTE

Thanks again keith

I think I may have to hit the expat market. My experience is within financial services and real estate.

Can you recommend any reputable financial or real estate companies that may not command a great deal of the spanish language, although I can order a cup of coffee and ask where the bank is and say I speak a little spanish.
un pocco hable de espanol.

And would it be possible to live on the coast on 1200 a month and have an ok 1 or 2 bed appt and have a reasonably relaxed financialy comfortable life if watch your outflows.

thanks

Alex

tim hortons man

currently it's cold wet and damp here, I've been asking around and this has been one of the wetist falls they've had in years, rain rain and more rain. Feels like London. One positive is everything (around Madrid) is green something that I haven't seen since we moved here. When the sun does shine (which is usually most days) the weather is lovely and you want to be out all the time.

If your interested (and not to many people are) about the easist way to get to Spain is to teach English. Loads of work and the pay is around 1000 to 1500 a month (take home) depending on how many hours you work. If both of you work than you can make a decent living. Main negative to teaching English is your bouncing around the place, an hour here, two there etc. But there is more than enough work for everyone.

keithwalters

Will you be living on one or two salaries? Two salaries at say an average of 1000 a month I think would be ok. One salary of 1200 a month would mean no luxuries. Rent an apt away from the golf and beach - preferrably a little inland. That way you would leave yourself more money for other things.

Chiclanagir

We spend a lot more than I had anticipated, and we don´t have a mortgage or rent. I had been told before coming out that it would cost about 600 euros a month to live comfortably. Well I would double that. We tend to eat out once a week and entertain once a week but not lavishly. So goodness knows where the money goes. I expect to Telefonica to pay for this broadband!!

Andy Pipken

Glynis you must be the richest person in Pago