poshnbucks

I have spoken with a number of people who have returned from a break in the UK of late stating how much cheaper things are in the UK than here in Spain. I notice chocolate ie Mars and Kit-Kats that are made here are nearly one pound each. They say electrical goods are cheaper too. I was looking at an old article in Costa News....See below and it states Spain is cheaper however that is not reflected in the readers comments. Why have prices not dropped here...If they wish to sell the goods and keep people in manufacturing in work sell em cheap.


http://www.costa-news.com/index.php?...=2638&Itemid=1

GrapeEater

Good Point and one that is reflected here in Hondon Valley (Costa Blanca). It's a common topic these days, especially when returning back from UK. I have been back many times recently for work and know too well you are probably right. Indeed I buy many item there (that are sized for the 'suit case').

In deed this very day I am buying £100's worth of musical / electrical goods from the UK because they compare as much less (about £200) than locally. Even with delivery (only £25) it's worth it !!!

Maybe if I was Spanish I would be considering moving to UK to save money !!

cricketman

I read an article in El Pais recently saying that inflation has dropped to 0% in Spain and we are now entering times of deflation.

Some goods are very much cheaper in the UK, as you say electrical goods, household appliances, cars, chocolate bars etc. Some of this is down to weakness of the pound, but some things have always been cheaper (CDs, DVDs etc). There is also a wide variety of cheap palces to eat in the UK, although the quality is much worse (imo). If you know where to go, it is possible to find good, cheap places in Spain

However, going for a café or canya I'd say is much cheaper in Spain

Given that El Corte Ingles is the most popular store in Spain and is pretty expensive (probably like John Lewis in the UK), I'd say price isnt the main motivator behind Spanish consumers, so stores dont have to reduce their prices. I know the Spanish place a high priority on customer service, which I find excellent here in the good stores and terrible in the cheaper ones.

pete_l

As far as I can tell, the headline products in Spain that are cheap are booze/cigs and houses. The booze etc. gets reported by holiday makers: "we got 3 large vodkas and they only cost 1 euro each" without realising that cheap drinks are frequently watered down (although to be fair, booze is cheap in Spain) and house prices get reported by "A place in the sun" programmes - which are years old and haven't kept up with the times - although house prices in Spain, like elsewhere are falling.
The only other thing that's cheaper in Spain is wages, which kinda negates any cheapness in goods (see later).

Everything else: food in shops, cars, (petrol is cheaper but not by much), white goods, internet, furnishings - i.e. the things you buy as a resident - are either the same, or more than in the UK. When the euro was at 1.40 to the pound, the price difference was absorbed by the exchange rate. However now, it's much more apparent.
Prices tend to be higher in countries with less developed economies, as people don't consume so much and therefore taxes/overheads take up a greater proportion of the price. This is why goods in the USA are cheaper than in the UK: yanks buy more stuff. In Spain, because people don't get paid so much, their ability to buy goods is much less, so the fixed overheads have to be recovered from a smaller number of sales, which in turn means people buy less - as things are more expensive.

GrapeEater

Don't you think El Corte Ingles is full of browsers not buyers.. it is in my opinion, like many department stores, people browse / dream of what they'd like.

And as for 'cheap' food - I now consider the "menu del dia" poor value (about exchange rate €8 / €9 here) for money considering the generally poor quality compared to UK's lunch offerings.

(i.e. salad, grilled fatty meat + few chips & cold tinned veg + frozen/chilled postre + bodega wine - round here not that good any more )

I have visited elderly parents in Lincolnshire and taken them to the Carvery for lunch - eat as much as you like of freshly cooked, piping hot meat, veg and trimmings for £3.49 + a drink = £5 - And YUMMY !!

cricketman

Yes menus del dia can vary tremendously. The best ones I've had are a little more expensive 10-12 euros. Yes I agree the English food can be very good value as long as you enjoy it. The best roast beef I've ever had was up a mountain in Asturias

On another point, I see a lot of Spanish families eating parillada de marisco at 40-50 euros a head on a Sunday. A price most English people wouldnt dream of spending never mind their income. But then you'll probably find the same Spanish family live in a modest flat with an old TV etc...

Anyway, yes I agree many things in Spain are expensive when compared to the UK equivalent

CBANDY

Where do you buy your electrical goods from? All the web companies I use will not ship to europe. ie. play.com etc....

juliajavea

I agree, Spain hasn't been a cheap place to live for years now but it seems a lot worse now that the exchange rate is so rubbish and what with the mortgage rates all only being changed once a year if you are still on the higher rate from last year it can seem like money has a lot further to go round making the situation worse. I really don't know how the Spanish afford to live!!



I go back to the UK twice a year with an empty suitcase and it comes back very full, plus a lot more UK online stores are now shipping to Spain at very reasonable prices so I do use those an awful lot as well.

Lionda

Talking about prices going up...how very true! A 70cl bottle of L'Antigon white wine is now 95c ... it was only 75c when we came here 2 years ago

jdr

OMG disaster, lol

Lionda

Saw a bottle of Emperado for 1.50 in Consum

GrapeEater

.OMG indeed ... well it's a relatively high 25% ish increase then ? - That's pretty awesome inflation is it not !

but because we can't help comparing Spanish prices with UK prices it still seems dirt cheap for a bottle of wine. If beef (or anything else) goes by 25% we see it differently... e.g. electricity , petrol !

So is the cost of living is a measured by a glass of alcohol

me me

The thing that really hacks me off about Spanish prices is the price of a SPANISH NEWSPAPER compared to what the Brits pay in the UK.

I buy an English paper and a Spanish one every day, I dont mind paying the 2euro for the English one because it can be classed as a "luxury item".
I really find it hard to believe that a Spanish paper is 1euro or more when the equivalent in the UK can be as little as 30p.
Is this a case of the Spanish being ripped off in their own country?

Regards,

JLFS

scampicat

We always drive over and bring back a carful of things in our Seat Alhambra (with all but two of its seats removed).

We have brought computers, printers, flat pack furniture, paint, DVDs, TONs of toiletries at £1 each instead of the 4-5 euros they are here, bedding, towels, once even a three-seater leather sofa.

I don't find apart from wine, car tax and Council Tax it IS any cheaper to live here in Spain now and some things are horrifically expensive. I think the prices have gone UP in the recession instead of down and I think it's because they are trying to make more profit on selling less stock.

One example of ridiculous prices here - we went to Leroy Merlin for floor paint (garage paint); it was 70 euros for five litres and you had a choice of dull grey or dull maroon. Back in UK at B&Q, the same amount, £15 in about eight colours (we chose a nice yellow). So that's something else we brought back in the car.

We're due to go again in two weeks, our toiletries have only just run out so we will restock. We will however, take tons of wine TO the UK.

livit

Prices in Spain have always been similar to the UK, some items in Spain far higher than the UK.

Many have argued on sites about it, but if you facture out exchange rates, the outcome is obvious.