Living in Spain
| Climate | | | Cost of living | | | Health Care | | | Education |
| Golf | | | Other Sports | | | Communications | | | Fiestas | | | Pets |
Climate
With over 320 days of sunshine per year Spain offers you the perfect opportunity to get away from the cold, wet climate we normally experience in Britain. Spain has an extremely low rainfall and the temperatures do not normally fall much below 17°c even in the height of winter. The sunny warm weather means Spain has the ideal conditions for golf and it is played year round with the golfing umbrella being used to provide shade rather than keep the rain off. (See Golf link for further details)
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Average Daily Temperatures |
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January |
18°c |
July |
30°c |
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February |
17°c |
August |
32°c |
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March |
20°c |
September |
32°c |
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April |
22°c |
October |
27°c |
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May |
24°c |
November |
20°c |
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June |
26°c |
December |
17°c |
Cost of Living
| A dozen Grade A eggs | 65p |
| A litre of semi-skimmed milk | 42p |
| A litre of water (take a trip to Polop the spring water is free) | 15p |
| A loaf of bread | 40p |
| Pack of butter | 80p |
| 1 litre olive oil | 48p |
| 1 litre of orange juice | 35p |
| Squeeze your own juice with a dozen oranges | 10p |
| 1 bottle of good red wine | £1.55 |
| A medium jar of Nescafe coffee | £2.40 |
| 1 bottle San Miguel beer | 40p |
| eating out - 'menu of the day' - three courses with wine | £5.00 |
| 1 litre unleaded petrol | 58p |
| 1 litre diesel | 52p |
This table gives the typical prices for a small range of everyday items. Prices vary throughout Spain but these will give you a good indication of the sort of difference in price between that of Spain and the UK.
The cost of living is substantially lower than that of the United Kingdom. Most towns in Spain have regular markets where you can buy your fresh fruit and veg and you can tell the difference. The quality of the fresh produce is fantastic and you might never want to buy from a Supermarket again. Fresh fish can also be bought straight from the quay so if you're a seafood lover you might want to ensure you buy a house near the coast .
Health Care
The slower pace of life in Spain is said to be beneficial to ones health as is the good air quality, which, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is one of the best in Europe. Spanish medical services are excellent. A recent WHO survey into the quality of health care ranked Spain as 8th in the world and the UK as 18th. British citizens of retirement age can generally join the Spanish National Health Scheme for free (form G121), however, each individual is assessed by the DHSS and qualification depends on previous UK national health payments.
If you don't qualify for health care under the public health care system, it's essential to get private medical insurance. Indeed private medical health insurance will also allow you to circumvent any waiting lists and is therefore highly recommended.
English-speaking Spanish and foreign doctors tend to be more prolific around the resort areas and doctors in Spain are allowed to advertise their services. The names and telephone numbers of doctors are usually listed in local English-language newspapers and can also be found on the internet.
Education
State education in Spain is entirely free, from nursery through to University. The children of foreign residents can also use the state-funded school system for no fee. Generally, the younger a foreign child is the easier he or she will cope with the state system. The older child may have problems adjusting to the more demanding school curriculum and may be better off in a fee paying private international school.
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