Tag Archives: Andalucía

Cost of Living in Spain: August 2013

Posted on by under Axarquía, Cost of Living

Edited to add: When you’ve read this article, make sure you also look at my up-to-date Cost of Living in Spain: (Málaga edition) for July 2015, now available HERE.

Shopping trolley in Mercadona supermarket, SpainMany people find themselves reading my blog because they have searched for the term “Cost of living in Spain“.  In August 2012, I posted my first article about the cost of living here in the Axarquía region, east of Málaga, and have continued to write updates every four months throughout the past year.  They have proved to be some of my most popular posts. Of course, all the information is relative.  What is right for one person will be totally different for another. We have found that living like locals – eating seasonal fruits and vegetables, buying Spanish brands and eating out in bars and restaurants full of Spaniards, has enhanced our experience of moving abroad. If you move to Spain and your choice is to buy only international branded food and drink, or dine out at tourist restaurants, then your cost of living will be considerably more expensive than mine. Bear in mind that the costs I will publish are relevant to me, living here on the eastern Costa del Sol.  Prices in other areas of Spain may be different. Competa village, Spain

ACCOMMODATION: Buy or rent?

We moved to Spain eight years ago, and for the first twelve months rented a townhouse in the village of Frigiliana.  We wanted to experience a full year, during every season, before we committed to purchasing our current home.  I would recommend that course of action to anyone considering moving abroad. Most people know about the financial crisis affecting Spain at the moment, so I wont go into the price of houses or apartments.  Search Google for estate agents in Spain if you´re interested, and you´ll find out far more information than I can give you here.  If you do decide to purchase, you will most likely need a sizeable deposit and may find difficulty obtaining a mortgage, should you need one. Bear in mind also the fluctuating currency exchange rate between your home currency and the Euro if you need to transfer large amounts of money into Spain.  Fortunately for us, when we bought our house, the exchange rate was  €1.51 for each British pound sterling (£1).  Today’s rate would only give  €1.16 for each British pound – a considerable difference. You can find a lovely apartment to rent, with 2-3 bedrooms, 1-2 bathrooms and a communal pool, on the coast but away from the main tourist area, for €450- €500 per month (on an 11 month contract).  In more rural areas it would cost less, or in urban/touristy areas the prices would be higher. It’s easy to find a detached villa with a private pool and a large garden for €1000 a month (and often less). So, when you compare the price of some rented accommodation, in a not very nice area of many cities in the UK (for example), you can see the attraction for people wanting a cheaper option, living in Spain. MY TOP TIPS:  It´s only when you are actually here in Spain that you can discover the full selection of rental options that are available.  Almost everyone you meet knows someone who has an apartment to rent, and many of these will never find their way onto any English language website.  If you´re serious about renting a place in Spain, get yourself over here and start asking around. You could also try haggling over the cost of the rent – the worst they can say is ¨No”! Cepsa butane gas bottle

UTILITIES

Like many places in the world, the cost of household utility bills has risen considerably over the past few years. Electricity:  For a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom detached house in the countryside with a swimming pool, we pay around €100 per month.   The cost of consumption for us in winter is for heating and lighting, whereas in summer it’s for lighting and the swimming pool pump running for 8 hours a day.  Added to that, we also have air conditioning units in the living room and master bedroom, though we use them sparingly – preferring to open windows during early morning and late evening.  Sometimes though, especially in July and August, you just have to put the air-con on! Gas:  We are not connected to a piped gas supply here, so we use bottles of butane gas.  This is a common feature throughout many areas in this part of Spain. A year ago, a 12.5kg bottle of Butane gas cost  €16.45.  They are now  €17.50.   For us, one bottle lasts (on average) three to four weeks for two people,  although this could be longer in summer, (depending on how many visitors we have), for all hot water, showers and cooking on a gas hob. Last September we had a new, much more efficient gas water heater fitted and, even though it has a larger capacity for water heating than the previous one, it uses significantly less gas. Water: We are not connected to mains water because we live in the countryside, so when we bought our house part of the purchase cost was for a share in a local water company.  We have a 14,000 litre water deposit in which to store our house water.  Our water share gives us an allowance of up to 17,500 litres of water each week at reduced cost, though if we use more than this, the price rises steeply.  Needless to say, we don´t use this amount of water, even allowing for swimming pool top-ups and garden irrigation in the summer months.  Our water company, Patamalara, send out their bills every two months, and some of the cost appears to depend on the amount of repairs that have been undertaken on the system.   Over the past twelve months our annual water bill has amounted to  €97. IBI or Council Tax: Paid yearly to the local council.  This year’s bill is  €337 – the same as it has been for the past five years.  Bear in mind, we don’t have a rubbish collection here as we live in the countryside, so we have to take all our household waste to one of the collection centres in a local village – but this is no problem as we take it when we are on our way somewhere.  When we lived in the UK, we used to pay four times this amount – over eight years ago! Telephone:  Living in a mountainous area of the countryside, Telefónica (the largest fixed phone and ADSL operator in Spain) are unable to supply us with land-line telecommunications.  We therefore rely on Skype (via the internet) for most calls (which are free to other Skype users, or by using credit, if not) and have a pay-as-you-go mobile phone with Movistar (also owned by Telefonica). Internet:  We use a wireless internet option costing €29 (inclusive of IVA tax) per month, with unlimited downloads (within reason).  Speeds up to 3 Mbps. House and Contents Insurance: Based on the re-building costs of the house, including contents, we pay €227 per annum with Linea Directa. Peugot 308 saloon

MOTORING COSTS

The cost of motoring in Spain has risen considerably over the past few years. The price of Diesel (gasoil) at the Repsol garage at Torrox Costa is  €1.42 per litre. Unleaded petrol (gasolina sin plomo) 95 Octane is  €1.52 per litre. As in most countries, branded petrol stations such as Repsol are often more expensive for petrol and diesel compared to supermarkets and hypermarkets such as Carrefour. New cars are expensive in Spain, and even though advertising billboards might seem to offer competitive prices (for example using Plan PIVE – a government help scheme offered when trading in a ten-year-old car for a brand new one), the reality is that many special deals are often only available when taking out expensive finance agreements. We found this out for ourselves this summer when we changed our 9 year-old Peugot 307 for a six-month-old Peugot 308. Cash is NOT king around these parts, it seems. Second-hand vehicles (often with high mileage) hold their values well in Spain, making a comparable model of the same age in the UK (for example) much cheaper. Car tax (Impuesto vehiculos traccion mechanica) is based on fiscal horsepower (which bears no resemblance to the mechanical horsepower of the vehicle) and is a means by which the taxation is calculated.  For our Peugot 308 the cost is €51 per annum. Our car insurance for an almost new Peugot 308 1.6 E-HDI (with Linea Directa – the Spanish equivalent of Direct Line in the UK), for fully comprehensive cover with legal assistance included, and an excess of €150 costs €570 per year. There are some toll roads on the western Costa del Sol, but fortunately none in the Axarquía, east of Málaga. ALSA bus, east of Malaga

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Spain’s public transport system is relatively cheap and reliable. Trains: Because of the mountainous terrain there are no trains running through La Axarquía, though you can catch a train from Málaga to many other Spanish cities, including Granada, Seville, Córdoba, and Madrid.  I can certainly recommend the AVE train (Spain´s equivalent of the Bullet Train) as an alternative to budget flights, with favourable prices being found in advance, online, via state-owned train operator, RENFE. Buses:  The main bus operator here is Alsina Graells (ALSA for short).  Their website is in English, and from here you can study bus schedules and purchase tickets in advance of your trip.  There are generally plenty of buses between towns and cities, and they usually leave on time.  Buses may be infrequent to remote villages in the Axarquía, with often only one bus per day or none at all at the weekend.  The cost of a bus ticket with ALSA,  from Nerja to Málaga, (approx. 60 kms) one way is  4.43 € or €8.02 for a return trip. Glass of wine near the Alhambra, Granada

ENTERTAINMENT

Eating out:   Menu del Día (menu of the day, usually at lunch time) 3 course meal, including bread and one glass of beer, wine or a bottle of water) 8 – 10 € Evening dinner for 2: (three courses) at a mid-priced restaurant, including a glass of wine  40 € Tapas – small beer or glass of wine including a tapa 1-2 € (depending on whether it’s a tourist area or not). Cinema ticket  (International release, Yelmo cinema, Malaga)   8.60 € Round of GOLF  (2 players + buggy, Baviera Golf course at La Caleta de Vélez)  97 € Cigarettes (pack of 20, Marlboro)  4.75 € Food shopping

STANDARD GROCERY LIST

This is the Standard Grocery List I have published previously.  The first price shown is as it was in August 2012, with this month’s prices in RED alongside.  If there is only one price indicated, this is a new introduction to the list.  For the sake of comparison,  I used the Spanish Supermarket – Mercadona. Milk (semi–skimmed UHT, own brand), 1 litre  0.54 €      0.59 € Loaf  (white, baguette 250g)   0.45 €    0.45 € Loaf (white, Bimbo brand, 460g 100% natural)   1.49 € Butter (250g, own brand) 0.98 €     1.05 € Sugar (1kg, white) 0.95 €    0.93 € Coffee (ground, 250g, Santa Cristina)  1.79 €      1.89 € Eggs (12, own brand caged, medium) 1.35 €    1.35  € Olive oil (1 litre, extra virgin, own brand) 2.75 €   (5 litres 12.99€)    3.35 €   (5 litres 15.50 €) Rice  (1kg, long grain, own brand)   0.71 € Pasta  (1kg, own brand)  0.79 € Pasta  (500g, wholewheat)  0.99 € Tinned tuna  (6 x 80g, own brand)  3.39 € Chicken breasts (1kg, boneless, skinless, packaged))  5.50 €     5.80 € Pork chops (1kg)   4.60 € Beef mince (Store brand, pre-packed, 1kg)  5.43 €    3.80 € (for 700g) Fish  (1kg Salmon steaks) 8.75 €    13.50 € Fish  (1kg Dorada, Gilt-head bream)   6.95 € Apples (1kg, green, Golden Delicious) 1.35 €     2.00 € Oranges (1kg) 1.39 €     1.19 € Bananas (1kg) 1.25 €     1.29 € Potatoes (1kg) 0.92 €     1.25 € Lettuce (1 head, Iceberg) 0.85 €      0.85 € Red Peppers (1kg, loose)  2.29 €   1.95 € Green pointed “Italian” Peppers (1kg, loose)  1.99 €    1.35 € Tomatoes  (1kg, loose)  1.19 €     0.99 € Coca-Cola (1.5 litre bottle) 1.09 €    1.09 € Water (1.5 litre bottle) 0.45 €      0.42 € (for a 2 litre bottle) Domestic Beer (1 litre bottle, Cruzcampo) 1.29 €    1.25 € Imported beer (6 x 25cl bottles Heineken)   3.05 € Bottle wine (medium priced)   3.00 € to 3.50 € Colgate toothpaste (100 ml)  1.75 € Pantene shampoo  (300 ml)   3.00 € Toilet rolls (pack of 6, own brand) 1.95 €    1.95 € Washing powder (Box, 35 washes, Elena brand) 5.94 €    4.87 € Currency Conversion from XE €1 = 1.34   USD 0.85     GBP 1.48     AUD 1.40     CAD 1.70     NZD 13.70   ZAR So, tell me – HOW DO PRICES COMPARE WHERE YOU LIVE? Whilst you’re here, you might be interested in these articles: Cost of Living in Spain Series: Watching The Currency Market When Buying And Selling Spanish Property AVE: Taking the Fast Track from Málaga to Madrid

East of Málaga: Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s Day in England?

Posted on by under Axarquía, Slice of Life

summertime east of malaga

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, 
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

~ William Shakespeare ~

Most of us are familiar with at least the opening lines of Sonnet 18 by English playwright and poet, William Shakespeare, in which he compares his beloved Fair Youth to that of an English summer’s day.

I’ve suffered endured experienced many cool and rainy summer days in England over the years, when the BBQ I had planned for friends has been a total washout, or no-one could sleep at night because it was too humid, despite being only 17 Celsius.

Of course, it’s not always like that in England but, here in southern Spain, the weather, whilst retaining distinct seasons, is much more reliable.  

The outdoor lifestyle was one of the main influencing factors for our move here, eight years ago.

wandering around the garden

So, what is a summer’s day in July or August like – east of Málaga?

We would typically expect the temperature to be between 30 – 35 Celcius (that’s 86 – 95 Fahrenheit) during the day, with overnight temperatures rarely dropping below 21C (70 degrees Fahrenheit).  Clear blue skies are virtually guaranteed, with little or no rainfall and low humidity.

During August, the thermometer can sometimes touch 40C in the shade, so it’s vital to adapt your lifestyle accordingly.

August days often see me wandering around the house and garden in a swim suit and loose-fitting sarong, with my hair tied up, wearing no make-up. Carefree. And, because we live in the countryside a few kilometres from the coast,  days often go by without seeing another soul – and that suits me just fine. my office for today Not only do many northern European tourists head down this way for their annual vacation, but the rest of the population of Spain seems to end up around these parts, too.  So, we tend to stay at home, out of the way of the crowded restaurants and the lack of parking spaces, only venturing out when we need to buy groceries or if we choose to stroll along the promenade on a Saturday evening, before visiting a local chiringuito (fish restaurant).

I’m an early riser, so the first thing I do when I get out of bed is to throw all the windows and doors open, allowing the cool morning air into the house.  Any chores that need doing are always completed well before 11am, by which time, the windows are closed to keep the warm air out. As the sun continues it’s journey around the house, various blinds are pulled down over the windows to stop the heat from penetrating. Sparkling water with fresh limequat My days are spent writing, wandering nearby taking photographs, sipping cool drinks, trying to catch up with my list of books to be read, or simply taking a dip in the pool when I get a bit overheated.

We have several cool, shady terraces where I choose to to locate my “office” for the morning.   Today’s lunch will be fillet of salmon with patatas a lo pobre, prepared earlier this morning, and made all the tastier knowing that the onions and green peppers have been grown in our vegetable patch.  I’m pretty sure that we’ll have a chilled glass of wine with lunch, too. 🙂

This afternoon, there could be a siesta, another swim or time to catch up reading blogs I enjoy.   I might even plan more of our next trip (to Portugal in October) or chat to friends around the world on the internet.

After sunset, the windows are once again thrown open, and it’s a delight to feel the cool evening air, as the delicious perfume of the night-scented jasmine pervades the surroundings.

One thing I love about hot, summer nights is the chance to have a swim after dark before hopping into bed.  I always make sure that there are no outside lights shining from the house and, because we live in the countryside, there is virtually no light pollution.  It´s quite surreal floating about in the pool on your back on an airbed watching the stars twinkling overhead. Sleep comes easily after such a carefree day, with the open window and overhead ceiling fan keeping me cool.

So, east of Málaga, shall I compare thee to a summer’s day in England?  NO, I’ll just enjoy every day spent in this beautiful country I have adopted as my home, and take English summers as, and when, I choose to find them.

You might enjoy these summer related articles, too:

Phew – what a scorcher!

Flying the Blue Flags on the beaches

Hummamole Dip – perfect for a summer’s day

The Eagle Aqueduct, Maro

Posted on by under Axarquía, Places

Eagle Aqueduct, Maro, Spain

The Eagle Aqueduct (El Puente del Águila) was built in the 19th century as a means of supplying water to the San Joaquín sugar factory on the outskirts of the town of Nerja.

Damaged during the Spanish Civil War, but recently restored, the Eagle Aqueduct comprises four storeys of superimposed brick arcades with 37 arches.   Soaring high above the spire at the central point of the structure is a weather vane in the shape of a double-headed eagle, from which the aqueduct takes its name.  The structure is 40 metres tall and 90 metres wide, with it’s design being typical of the period of construction, when the Mudéjar-style was very popular.

Situated on the Barranco de la Coladilla and spanning a ravine close to the Nerja Caves and the village of Maro, the aqueduct is visible from the old N340 coast road linking Nerja with Maro.   With a backdrop of the Sierra Almijara, it´s easy to see why this is one of the most photographed images of the local area.   There is a lay-by at the side of the road where you can leave the car to get a good view or to take photographs of the monument.  The area surrounding the aqueduct is public land and free to visit.

Strangely, the facade visible from the viewpoint is the rear of the construction, as the aqueduct faces north.   The Eagle Aqueduct was NOT built by the Romans, as many believe, though the remains of a Roman bridge and the old Roman road to Malaca (Málaga), were unearthed nearby.

Despite the closure of the San Joaquín sugar mill many years ago, the aqueduct continues to be used for the irrigation of local farmland.

Related articles:

Sweet memories: San Joaquín sugar mill

La Viñuela reservoir: Water levels

Travel theme: Architecture

Should Seville’s barefoot nuns have faith in my cake-baking skills?

Posted on by under Recipes

Just out of the oven

When I was in New Zealand earlier this year, I stayed with a lovely lady called Val, who introduced me to Herman the German Friendship cake.  Val was only part way through the 10-day cycle of making the cake, so I wasn’t able to join in with the fun.  Besides which, I was travelling at the time, so it wasn’t very convenient.

Herman the German is a sourdough cake, often received from a friend as a “starter mix” and which sits on your kitchen counter for ten days, bubbling away, covered with a tea towel.  Along with your starter mix, you also receive written instructions on how to proceed.  On the tenth day, you divide the mixture to share with your friends, and bake your cake.

To be honest, since returning home to Spain from New Zealand, I’d forgotten all about Herman.

A few weeks ago, Sue, a FB friend and fellow expat blogger from Extremadura in Spain, asked if anyone was interested in sharing some of her starter dough for Herman’s Spanish equivalent: Bizcocho de las Carmelitas Descalzas de Sevilla (The Barefoot Carmelite nuns of Seville cake).  I should imagine you were wondering where the nuns came into it!

Anyway, how could I refuse?

All we had to figure out now was how she would get the starter mix to me when we live about 500 kilometres apart!

Fate stepped in – in the form of The Open-Air Theatre Project, a small, rural community from the Alpujarra mountains in southern Spain with their dream of building an open-air theatre.  To cut a long story short, Sue was on her way to meet up with the group, and she kindly diverted from her route to deliver my starter cake-mix, together with a sheet of instructions in Spanish (of course).

She also brought me five jars of the most delicious home-made plum, cherry, fig and loquat jam.  YUMMY!

How lucky am I?

As soon as I got home from meeting Sue, I tipped the bubbling dough mix into a large pot bowl, covered it with a tea towel and, over the next ten days, followed the written instructions to the letter – sometimes adding ingredients, often doing nothing.

Today is the tenth day – so, this morning I set about dividing the mixture into four, in order to be able to give away three “starter mix” portions to friends and neighbours, added the extra ingredients and made my cake!

If you want to have a try yourself, you can get the recipe for Herman the German cake by CLICKING HERE.  Don’t worry if you don’t have any friends anyone to give you the starter mix.  You can always start the cake off, yourself, but I really liked the idea of the sharing bit.  If you live near me and would like one of my starter kits, let me know!

Herman’s Spanish sister cake can be found by Googling “Bizcocho de las Carmelitas Descalzas de Sevilla”, choose one of the links and click on “translate this page” and Bob’s your Uncle – so to speak!

MY TOP TIP: After cooking for 45 minutes, take the cake out of the oven, cover with foil to prevent the top from burning, and pop back into the oven for a further 15 – 20 minutes to make sure the middle is cooked well enough.

So – should Seville’s barefoot nuns have faith in my cake-baking skills?  

I think so – but I’d love to know what you think!