Hello there,

My husband is in the running for a job in Calvia, Mallorca. We are currently in South America and keen to return to Europe (we are British but spent a long time living on mainland Spain before moving to South America 4 years ago) but I am concerned about the cost of living in Mallorca as we have 3 kids (age 10-12). Please could you, as the experts, advise roughly how much a 4 bed house is to rent, pref rural rather than town. Kids will go to international school so we need to be a driveable distance away. I know it is a bit like asking how long is a piece of string but it would be very useful to have an idea. When i look online they seem to be very expensive (2000 euros a month, etc) but i hope it may be cheaper when not using those estate agents.

My other question is around after school activities as my children are very sporty. Is there much on offer? Is it expensive?

I´d also be looking for a job and from previous posts, i gather this is easier said than done so we are trying to ascertain if we can live comfortably on one salary.

Many thanks in advance!

I am not an expert in Mallorca, but until one arrives, I would say

You could probably rent a nice 3-4 bed house for 1,500 euros per month

International school fees would be around 700 euros per month each per child

So that totals 3,600 euros per month

Add 1,000 euros for food, transport and utilities = 4,600 euros per month

And another 500 euros per month for bits and bobs = 5,100 euros per month

That is a 100,000 euros per year salary once tax is taken off. Which is an enormous salary for Spain

It just depends how much he is earning. Mallorca isn't that cheap and I know people say you can buy cheap local stuff, but to be honest you can do that anywhere. Something like this would be €800 with a 40 min commute each way (although 3 bed).
Finca rústica en Santa Eugènia en Plaza Es Puchet 135097884

Depends entirely on where you live.

As you have kids who (presumably will neccessarily attend international schools) you will probably decide to live in the expensive southwest where the international schools are. So, yes, €1500 per month for a suburban 3 bed flat and €20k per year for schools.

On the other hand, if your kids speak Spanish, you could live in the rest of the island, pay €600/mo for a 3 bed house with land and possibly even a pool, and school would be included in your taxes. And still be only 20 mins from the airport or the beach.

There's a reason why expats always pay more.