Hello to all from foggy Dunfermline.

We are new to the Spanish part of expats but have previously posted on the Australian section. We are a young family of four myself and my wife and two boys aged two and four.

We have done a fair bit of research and have visited Spain on a few occasions too check out areas that we would like to live in. We are planning another trip at the end of April to look at rental properties and decide on a final location.

Currently I have a few questions regarding the old favourite living costs.

The budget we have so far is as follows PCM for the Nerja area.

Rent 3 bed villa/townhouse 900 euros
Community Charge 18 euros.........is this an urban myth?
Gas/Elec ?
Water?
Phone?
Internet?
Medical Care?
International Schooling 575 euros
Food?
Internet?

I have tried contacting the international school in Almunecar but they haven't responded so far, does anyone know the fees for year 1 primary?

The costs I have budgeted for are based on the EIC in Marbella, is this likely to be more expensive than Almunecar?

As you can see we have quite a few blanks that require filling, any advice would be welcome.


Looking forward to your responses.

The munros

Answers above, based on rural area, Northern Costa Blanca though

Your kids are very young, is there any reason why you feel the need for international schooling. Couldnt you consider state education first and save a fair bit of money?!

Have to agree here! Kids can start state schools in their 3rd year, has to be better for them. I have a 7 year old and a 3 year old, both at the local village school, both travel on the school bus and do a full day from 9am to 4.30 and have their lunch there too. The language will be an absolute doddle for them, the only thing is that you have to maintain their English language and writing skills.
Regards
Tim

Thanks for the replies folks.

We have thought about Spanish schools and haven't ruled anything in or out, we are also exploring international schools and the associated costs so we can budget for the all eventualities.

The munros

So are you in the UK or OZ?

Hola to you munros, welcome to BE, I am sure you will receive some good advice here and hopefully it will help you in your decision.

I don't have children here in Spain and I have not had to consider education for them but watching children in this area of Spain (Costa de la Luz) I think it is much more beneficial for young children to go into the Spanish education system. If you are hoping that you and your family (especially your children) intergrade into the Spanish way of life then I would think being accepted into the local community would be at the top of the list and an excellent way to achieve this is through the school gate.

If you are worried about the children learning the language and local customs then there would be no better way, if it the level of education that they will receive that worry's you then hopefully some parents that post on here will be able to discuss that with you. I know here in Chiclana keeping the level of English both written and oral has been a concern for some parents but I do believe many have solved this problem by having private English lessons at weekends and through social activities.

I wish you all every success in what you decide to do, just take your time and listen to advice that is offered and then compare this to your research and I am sure you will succeed.

Must be UK, unless there is a foggy Dunfermline in Oz as well, see their first post.

I was trying to ascertain why they are posting in both forums to be honest.

We have flirted with the idea of Oz in the past and to be honest if we had been given the go ahead regarding visas thats where we would be heading, however it wasn't to be.

We are now at a stage where we can make the move to Spain later this year and we intend to do so.

The preference for local schooling is interesting as it would appear that the majority on the boards recommend this. As I said we are open to both, ultimately we do want to become part of the Spanish community. My wife and I are making the tentative steps with beginners Spanish and intend to get a tutor soon, it seems good fun but a real challenge.

Thanks again all for the advice

The munros

We had the pleasure of meeting Twyntub and his wife and children a week ago, adorable children aged 6 and 3+1/2 - both speaking Spanish fluently as they are in Spanish school. Amazing!!

I agree that having the kids speaking the lingo is beneificial to us all. They could teach their parents a thing or two as they pick it up quicker and will be surrounded by native speakers during the school day.

Hola los munros,
Fred James is from Granada costa, so he might be able to give more info on the local area.
Have you phoned the school in Almunecar to make an appointment to visit?
I visited Almunecar a few times, liked it, too! Not far from Malaga, and the new road should shorten the journey time.
Carol

Hi, the costs vary from area to area, rental for a house can be as little as 300 euros per month up to about 600 in the murcia area. Gas we have from a bottle of butano, costing 12 euros and that lasts about 6 weeks with two people showering, and cooking. Water we pay 38 euros 2 monthly. electric is normally about the same depending on whether the aircon is on or not...The cheap rates you mention are NOT an urban myth. A house in the country is only 38 euros per YEAR.... My husband pays 60euros per year, and my friend on the coast with an apartment pays 100 euros per YEAR. Phone is variable depending on provider.. we have telefonica for main provider, citrus red for calls, and orange for internet (but I havent got round to ADSL yet, in the country we dont find it to be very fast here ) Medical care, not sure about that, just check out the schemes available. Food, brilliant. You can live on the best food, for really cheap. Prawns at 6.50 per kilo, etc.,the best fruit and vegetables, meat can be a bit pricey, but not compared to UK.

Do you have any plans for work/income? The reason I mention this is that you are clearly too young to be retiring and that earning a living wage is frequently difficult for Brits who move to Spain.

Whilst Spain looks cheap when living on a Sterling income, it frequently looks a lot less cheap when earning euro's in the local economy.