Curlygirly

Hi, I'm new to all this so please forgive me if these questions have been covered before. My partner and I wish to relocate permanently to either France or Spain (I've had my heart set on France for many years but my partner has previously owned a second home in Spain some time ago, hence the two options). So having done our research on France we are now seriously considering (Andalucía area) Spain as an option. We plan a scouting trip after Christmas but in the meantime any help from you guys with information or advice on anything from culture; integration with expats/locals would be greatly received. I'll start with a few questions but please feel free to give us your advice?
1. Buying costs of a (detached farmhouse) property. 2. Cost of visiting doctors? 3. Cost of top up insurance for two 57/59 yr olds (both diabetic type2)4. Medication cost for diabetics? 5. Typically how long does a property purchase take to complete? We've read that the cost of living is cheaper in Spain, is this true? Any examples greatly appreciated.
Thank you for any help you can give,

dmu

Hi, and welcome to the Forum! The title of your thread caught my eye and I presume you found answers to the above questions during your research on France. I'm just wondering whether you discovered the quirk of French Law whereby, for couples not legally bound, the surviving partner has to pay 60% Taxe de Succession on the value of his/her share of the inheritance (despite the recent EU regulations regarding Wills). This aspect is often overlooked by "partners" moving to France. No idea whether the same applies in Spain, but it's something to find out about before purchasing property jointly.
I'm butting in on the Spain forum, since you haven't posted on the France forum and I wanted to make sure that you were aware of this.

Moses2013

If you like France and he likes Spain, why not consider Girona area? You'd have the best of both worlds if everything else fits.

Curlygirly

Hi DMU thank you for the reply. Yes we were aware of that tax, but that wont be an issue by the time we do move! Would be interested to know if its the same in Spain though..!

Curlygirly

Thank you Moses2013, yes we have discussed the area, but wanting warmer climate than Girona offers in the winter (one of the main reasons for choosing Spain). But thank you for your reply.

Moses2013

Well really depends where you'll be? Andalucía can get pretty cold in winter too (even snow). Anywhere along the coast (Costa Brava) will be mild enough. On average, we only have a 1-2 degree difference in January, February compared to Almeria. Obviously night time temps can go down further, but you even need heating in Almeria.

cricketman

Well yes. If the OP wants an inland farmhouse property then actually the temperatures will be pretty similar in Girona or Andalucia during the winter

Andalucia only stays warm around the coast

Cats-R-Us

The Costa Brava is up near the French mediterranean border. Andalucia does get snow on the mountains - Granada has a ski resort for instance (think it is one of the highest in Europe) - but I believe the coastal areas of Andalucia (Almeria, Granada, Malaga provinces etc) do have better weather than inland Andalucia. Though I would agree with Moses2013 that you do need heating in winter, I would say that could probably be relevant to most of Spain, especially once you get used to living here. Having said that so far we have only had the log burner going from early November to end of March and then only in the evenings but we do live 800 metres above sea level.

Moses2013

And the thing is that Andalucía is a pretty big area with various micro climates. It's not always the case that the further south you go the better it gets. Some areas would even see a lot more rainfall than where we are on the Costa Brava. The area around Gibraltar is actually a lot wetter in January, February. I agree, no matter where you are (apart from Canary Islands), most people will have heating on during winter, because anything below 10 will feel cold.

Fredbargate

I had never considered that fact until I read this post.

So a little Googling found:-

Weather Averages for Gibraltar, United Kingdom

Weather Averages for Costa Brava, Spain

cricketman

Yes the area around Grazalema in Cadiz province is the wettest in Spain and one of the wettest in Europe

Moses2013

Give or take 2 days of rain and I'd say that data is not too far off, but don't forget that Costa Brava is over 200 km, so it can really vary. I think the winter rain in Gibraltar makes it a subtropical Mediterranean climate, otherwise you'd probably have a desert climate with hardly any rain in summer. We have a Mediterranean climate between Tossa & Lloret, but it's not too bad for gardening.

Moses2013

And sorry to the OP for starting another weather thread, but I think it's important to consider all these things. You can also be in the sunniest and hottest part of Spain on paper, but it wouldn't be good if your land is in an area that gets flooded when the first bit of rain comes.

Curlygirly

Thanks guys for the helpful weather info. How to find out where the micro-climates are?


We don't want to be too far inland, 30mins max, so we hope the weather should be ok. But don't mind using a log burner etc if needed (very used to it in UK). Just don't want freezing conditions and seeking a better quality of (outdoor) life...!So,ooooooo many questions..... How much does it cost to visit a doctors? - Cost of top up insurance for two 57/59 yr olds (both diabetic type2) - Cost of Medication for diabetics - Typically how long does a property purchase take to complete? We've read that the cost of living is better AND cheaper in Spain, is this true? Any examples greatly appreciated please?
Thank you for any help you can give,

Fred James

To some extent, yes, it is the same.

The IHT rates are on a sliding scale so 60% would imply quite a large inheritance. If the inheritor is not a close relative the tax is doubled. There are also exemptions and allowances relating to the home. A surving spouse is exempt from almost all the tax if the ownership is retained for 10 years.

Some regions, particularly Andalucia, do recognise registered "civil partnerships" and give the couple the same tax rates as a married couple.