Moving concerns
 

I've been offered a position in Spain and have many little niggles and concerns that need to be overcome before I accept. Two in particular are concerning me.
1. I've been offered 30,000 euros pa. Is this enough to support a wife,daughter,dog on the northern outskirts of Madrid. The company is near Barajas airport but i'd rather live in the outskirts somewhere near the mountains and have no idea of costs as most property websites seem to be for holiday rentals.
2. How dog friendly is Spain? I'd need a dog friendly flat or house. Is this possible on 30k?

Re: Moving concerns
 

1.Many would be very happy on 30K, it depends on what you have become accustomed to. What is your UK salary?
2.Spaniards do not pamper their pets.

Re: Moving concerns
 

Uk salary is 23k so at todays exchanges its not a bad rise but that will all be irrelevant if i cant live on it. Basically i have no idea how much of that 30k i would see? seem to find conflicting advice on tax rates/energy prices/rental costs etc.

Re: Moving concerns
 

exactly

don't know about actually in Madrid - but 30k would be quite a high salary around here

unless you want to put your child into international school - even then you could manage

the spanish do have pets - and many keep their dogs in flats - even big dogs:(

so, no, they don't pamper them

Re: Moving concerns
 

My main concern is finding rental accomodation that will accept the dog and have enough space (garden or space outside ie mountains) for her to be happy.

Re: Moving concerns
 

Well, €30k is at least double the "reported" national average wage, so it "should" be possible!

Re: Moving concerns
 

Again it would depend on where you are coming from? 23K would not give you a great stadard of living in London or Madrid. Living costs are comparible, so you would be circa 7K better off.

You really ought to do some research, particularly so when your number 2 concern is whether your DOG will be happy :rofl:

Re: Moving concerns
 

If you don't want a 30k job, turn it down and recommend me in your place :p Apart from accommodation, your money will go twice as far in Madrid than in say London. As to where to live, I'd try and choose somewhere with good transport links to your place of work, preferably public transport. You don't want to be caught up in a traffic jam in the Madrid heat, even with air-con. If driving, there may be good rental opportunities in Alcobendas, which isn't far from Barajas. You may find commuter options close to the mountains in the north of Madrid province over-expensive - if you want this type of lifestyle you could always just stay in a room during the working week, and rent a place in the campo further out, perhaps in Toledo or even further like Soria or Aragon.
As for dogs - loads of dog owners in and around Madrid (can often see the evidence on the pavement, although this has improved) , but I don't know how strict landlords can be. Marisol may be the best poster to ask regarding keeping a dog in Spain.

Re: Moving concerns
 

I'm not sure what to do with this info because of the quotation marks? Are you saying that you dont believe the stats?

I'm getting the idea that most people dont think the salary will be a problem. Does anyone know of a good website for property rentals. As i mentioned before i cant find any good ones as they all seem to concentrate on holidays

Re: Moving concerns
 

30k is more than enough. If the job is near Barajas, I would be inclined to look at Alcala de Henares, a nice University town not far from Barajas with excellent links to the city. Much cheaper here, and roomier. You should be able to afford to rent a house there. Good sized flats seem to go from €500 upwards, a good 25-30% cheaper than Madrid. Train into centre takes around 25mins if I remember correctly. In car to Barajas (without traffic) it is quite close.

Re: Moving concerns
 

Try this site. I've already searched Alcala for you (ignore the first ones as they are just shared stuff)

For other areas, just refine your search.

http://www.fotocasa.es/listar/alquil...g=true&tv=true

Re: Moving concerns
 

That does sound good. Even at 700 a month, it's still cheaper than London would be, and public transport costs are far lower. However heating and lighting costs (la luz) are not cheap, and make sure you don't get stung with unforeseen service charges (try and make sure the owner pays for this or tells you how much he/she expects you to contribute!).

Re: Moving concerns
 

Suggest you look for Spanish sites i.e. fotocasa and idealista:D

Re: Moving concerns
 

Much appreciated. I know everyone compares it to London as its a capitol city. i actually live in another capitol city (Cardiff) so my living costs at the moment are much lower than london.

Re: Moving concerns
 

Excellent choice of capitol city. Just a couple of things to note. Whilst you may not visit the coast at all in Cardiff, it is comforting to know that it is always there. Plus there's the extraordinairy amount of green areas in Cardiff plus the river. Living (not holidaying) in Madrid will be a massive culture shock in that respect. You start to appreciate how lucky you are to have lived on the coast even if you didn't use it.

Also size - there are probably twice as many inhabitants in a Madrid neighbourhood the size of, say, Canton, than there are in the whole of Cardiff!!!! Madrid population is around 5.5m - almost double the population of Wales!!!!!!

That said, Madrid itself with its wide boulevards means that you don't feel too overcrowded. And for a major capitol city, it is surprisingly smaller than you would expect - true, it does sprawl out into suburbs but these are classed as individual towns in their own right.

These satellite, commutor towns are probably a good halfway house if coming from somewhere the size of Cardiff. I always preferred the southern suburbs, as they are generally cheaper, but then they do also tend to attract the cheaper end of the market too, so not to everyone's taste.

Re: Moving concerns
 

Madrid es capital!!!

Madrid's also a major hub for Latin Americans when they come to Europe. Add in a large Eastern European population (mainly Rumanians, but also Russians, Polish, Bulgarians etc) and you have quite a cosmopolitan city. It's funny, that until recently (and the rise of Easyjet and Ryanair) if you heard someone speaking English in Madrid, there's a good chance it would have been north American. Still quite a few British expats, as you'll realise if you enter one of the many Irish pubs. Incidentally, if you frequent Irish pubs, buy British imported food, read British newpapers etc., you'll think Madrid is quite expensive. Pop in a locals bar, drink a glass of wine for 1 or 1.50 Euro (complete with free tapa) and read the Spanish newspaper provided free in the bar and you'll think Madrid is cheap!
Costs are higher here than in much of Spain; a lot of this is down to the higher accommodation costs.
Best things about Madrid - transport links (Metro and the new high speed links to elsewhere in Spain), the water (comes from the mountains and is great to drink), the museums, the nightlife, the cinemas, free tapas in the bars, the football (!), coffee (my favourite), best place to find work, the people.
Drawbacks - crowds of people in and around Sol, pickpockets in and around Sol (and the train stations), cold winters, extremely hot summers.

It's only my opinion, but it's the best place a working person could live.

Re: Moving concerns
 

One of my original concerns was the size of the city compared to Cardiff. The outskirts is defintily the way to go. I was thinking of the NOrth because its nearer to the office but im happy to go anywhere as long as its not more than 30min commute (ish) and there is somewhere for me to walk the dog. How much greenery is around. I know there are lots of parks centrally but a quick aerial view on google maps doesnt show up much green.

PS cant wait to get a motorbike up into the mountains either.

Re: Moving concerns
 

...... if you like working in big cities. If you've been used to London, then a move to Madrid is fantastic. If your pace of life was slower, Madrid - like any big city - takes getting used to.

As for your point about the recent trend of Brits going there, I'd think I'd differ on the definition of recently but I do agree that when Easyjet etc started mid-nineties to Madrid, more and more Brits started showing up.

Thankfully I left in 2002 as I missed the coast and the quiet life, but still have to visit given that Mrs F is from Madrid. Always try and make it a flying visit though and tend to hang around my old barrio near Vicente Calderon.

Re: Moving concerns
 

I was looking around flats in Madrid 2 years ago. Then you were looking to get a half decent 2 bed flat for 1000 euros a month anywhere

Re: Moving concerns
 

If you are near Barajas, then the North is not really the most practical because although it may look close, the commute would be a nightmare.

Barajas is in the East, on the A2 BArcelona motorway. Being in the north means you would have to join the throngs coming into the city, then navigate your way around thi city to get to where you want. A similar commute I had to do from the South (and we were right near the ring road) to the north would take us around an hour in rush hour (15 mins or less when no traffic)

The benefit of choosing a town nearer Barajas like Alcala I mentioned is that you avoid the ring roads completely. You just go down the motorway a few jucntions and you're there. If you don't like that town there are several others nearby.

Alcobendas was suggested before, and given its proximity to the M40 outer ring road, you wouldn't need to be on it too long to get to Barajas

Re: Moving concerns
 

Whilst there are plenty at that price and higher, there are also decent, affordable places for a bit less. BiL rents a three-bed for €800, not far from Piramides, and a lovely walk up to Plaza Mayor

Re: Moving concerns
 

Of course, if you're a big tea drinker, then the place won't seem so good...

Re: Moving concerns
 

You can get decent tea in certain place in Madrid thesedays.

El Corte Inglés carries quite a few good lines.

Re: Moving concerns
 

Oh yes, you've got the world of El Cortes Ingles to look forward to. Not all good, not all bad. Deserves its own thread really.

Re: Moving concerns
 

Hi
I live in Madrid and i have a big dog. People who have big dogs must know that they spend all day lied down, even if they live in a very big garden. You have to play with them to make them run. We have a lot of parks near home so and take him out a lot. He plays with other dogs and run and walk. There are people who live in the middle of Madrid and have no green near, so i dont know if their dogs are having a very good time
About living in Madrid, i can say that i hate living in a big city. Yes, i have been living here for over 44 years and really, you spend the days in traffic jams and looking for a place to park the car. People, like in big cities, are stressed above all when driving. You are always in a harry and you are always late.
When you are living in Madrid, dont have almost time to enjoy the city, not as if you were living outside and come to Madrid to have fun. If i could i would live in other city and i would come to Madrid because i agree its very beautiful, above all the old part. So, sorry for saying that but its what i think.
the north of Madrid, its the better part for living, at least for me. Alcobendas, San Sebastian de los Reyes, Sanchinarro, las tablas, i like these places to live.
The weather in Madrid its very very hot in summer and very very cold in winter, so at home you must have air conditioning and heating.
i hope not have disappointed and someone has been disillusion with my comments.
I have to add that in Madrid nobody is strange, everybody is going to welcome you and people are very friendly.
so, i hate it and love it, both feelings, as you can see :).

Re: Moving concerns
 

you are right except when you say that its the best place to find work, it was but no at that moment, there are a lot of people unemployed, i hope this situation change.
Madrid is the essence of Spain, you can find people from everywhere and if you want to know Spain you have to know Madrid. Its where you can find the real spanish life :).
marisol