Sometimes they will be wearing cardigans. Often they have on their hats.
Sometimes they sit in the shade and other times in the sun (depending on the time of year).
One thing´s for sure – if there´s a bench in one of the white villages of Andalucía – there will be some old men sitting on it!
Bless ´em!
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Whenever I travel, I´m always interested to know how much things cost and, every day, people from around the world find my blog by searching for the cost of living in Spain.
Back in August and November 2012, I posted some receipts for groceries I had bought here in southern Spain, which proved to be very popular articles.
But I wanted to do something a bit different, so I decided that rather than post the prices of random items of shopping that you may, or may not be interested in, I would come up with a list of standard grocery items, which I will update the prices of, two or three times a year. This list can easily be changed, so if there are any other basic items you would like me to include, please let me know in the comments section, below. This way, if anyone else wants to do something similar, we can have a direct comparison between countries.
To make such direct comparison simple, I have once again used the Spanish Supermarket – Mercadona in Torrox Costa.
This month’s prices are a bit of a mixed bag, with some prices remaining stable, yet others increasing or decreasing.
So, here´s the Standard Grocery List I used previously. The first prices are as they were in August 2012 – the second prices (in bold) are as they were last November, with this month’s prices in RED alongside.
Milk (semi –skimmed UHT, own brand), 1 litre 0.54 € 0.54 € 0.53 €
Loaf (white, baguette 250g) 0.45 € 0.45 € 0.45 €
Eggs (12, own brand caged, medium) 1.35 € 1.35 € 1.35 €
Chicken breasts (1kg, boneless, skinless) 5.50 € 5.50 € 5.80 €
Apples (1kg, green, Golden Delicious) 1.35 € 1.00 € 1.65 €
Oranges (1kg) 1.39 € 0.89 € 0.79 €
Bananas (1kg) 1.25 € 1.15 € 1.35 €
Potatoes (1kg) 0.92 € 0.89 € 0.96 €
Lettuce (1 head, Iceberg) 0.85 € 0.85 € 0.85 €
Water (1.5 litre bottle) 0.45 € 0.36 € 0.42 € (for a 2 litre bottle)
Domestic Beer (1 litre bottle, Cruzcampo) 1.29 € 1.20 € 1.20 €
Fish (1kg Salmon steaks) 8.75 € 8.75 € 9.50 €
Toilet rolls (pack of 6, own brand) 1.95 € 1.95 € 1.95 €
Washing powder (Box, 35 washes, Elena brand) 5.94 € 4.87 € 4.87 €
Olive oil (1 litre, extra virgin, own brand) 3€ 2.75 € (5 litres 12.99€) 2.99 € (5 litres 13.99 €)
Coca-Cola (1.5 litre) 1.09 € 1.00 € 1.00 €
Butter (250g, own brand) 0.98 € 0.98 € 0.98 €
Sugar (1kg, white) 0.95 € 0.93 € 0.93 €
The following two items were only introduced in November’s grocery list:
Coffee (ground, 250g, Santa Cristina) 1.79 € 1.89 €
Beef mince (Store brand, pre-packed, 1kg) 5.43 € 3.80 € (for 700g)
New items added to the list:
Red Peppers (1kg, loose) 2.29 €
Green pointed “Italian” Peppers (1kg, loose) 1.99 €
Tomatoes (1kg, loose) 1.19 €
Currency Conversion from XE €1 = 1.31 USD
0.85 GBP
1.24 AUD
1.33 CAD
1.53 NZD
11.66 ZAR
Gas: We don´t have mains gas here – we use bottles of butane gas. In August, a 12.5kg bottle of Butane gas cost 16.45 € – falling to 16.10 € in November. They are now 17.15 € . One bottle used to last (on average) 21 days (for two people… though around 4 weeks in summer) for all hot water, showers and cooking on a gas hob. Last September we had a new gas water heater fitted and, even though it has a larger capacity for water heating than the previous one, it appears to use significantly less gas. It´s early days yet, but the first bottle lasted five weeks (rather than three weeks). I´ll keep my eye on how that goes.
Electricity: For a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom detached house in the countryside with a swimming pool, we pay an average of 100 € per month. The cost of consumption for us is slightly lower in winter with heating/lighting, as opposed to air conditioning/lighting/swimming pool pump running for 8 hours a day, in the summer months.
Water: We are not connected to mains water, 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. The water company, Patamalara, doesn´t always sent out their bills regularly and much of the cost appears to depend on the amount of repairs that have been undertaken on the system, but over the past twelve months our annual water bill has amounted to 92 €.
IBI – Council Tax: Paid yearly to the local council. Last year´s bill was 338€
Internet: 29 € per month with unlimited downloads (within reason). Speeds up to 3 Mbps
Petrol/Gasoline: In August 1 litre of 95 octane petrol was 1.49 €. In November 2012 the price had fallen to 1.40 €. The price is now 1.48 €
Vehicle excise duty: We have a Peugot 307 and pay 51 € per year.
Eating out: Glass of wine or beer, including one tapa is 1 € – 1.50 €. Menu of the day (three course meal, served at lunchtime, including bread and one glass of beer, wine or a bottle of water) 8 – 10 €
How do prices compare where you live?
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Menú del Día: Great food at a budget price
Cost of Living: East of Málaga, Spain – August 2012
Cost of Living: East of Málaga, Spain – November 2012
Goats on the road: I kid you not
“When two friends understand each other totally, the words are soft and strong like an orchid’s perfume.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
Just look at this stunning orchid growing wild in my garden. It is so vibrant! Isn’t nature wonderful?
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Flowering snapshot of a January day
Cost of Living: East of Málaga
Well, we’ve arrived safely home in Spain after being Down Under for the past four months. We’ve had an amazing time, but it’s always good to be back in your own bed, and with more possessions than you can fit into a suitcase, isn’t it?
Although it has just started raining as I write this post, the three days since we arrived home have been sunny and warm, but the evenings soon feel chilly once the sun has gone down. So what better to warm us up than a bowl of hot soup, especially one full of Spanish flavours?
To make this delicious Chickpea and Chorizo soup, you will need the following ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 (340g) chorizo sausages (chopped coarsely)
1 large brown onion (diced)
1 medium red pepper (diced)
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 level teaspoon of dried mixed herbs (or use fresh if you have them)
750mls (3cups) chicken stock
400g jar of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
For the Smoky Paprika Bread, you will need:
1 level teaspoon smoked paprika
1 clove garlic (crushed)
50g butter (softened)
1 loaf of crusty bread (sliced thickly)
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and add the chorizo. Cook, stirring until slightly browned. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the diced onion, red pepper and garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring until the onion has softened. Add the undrained tomatoes and the chicken stock and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the chickpeas.
Remove two cups of soup and purée in a blender. Return to pan along with the chorizo. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (I like to add a few whole black peppercorns to the soup to give it an extra bite).
To make the Smoky Paprika Bread – combine smoked paprika, garlic and softened butter in a small bowl. Spread half of the flavoured butter onto the bread slices and pop under the grill until browned. Turn each slice over, spread the remaining butter and toast the second side until browned and crisp.
Serve the soup with Smokey Paprika Bread immediately.
Que approveche!
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Patatas a lo pobre: Poor man´s potatoes
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The heart of Cómpeta: El Paseo de las Tradiciones
Whilst you are visiting any town or village throughout the Axarquía region, a selection of English language newspapers and magazines is available for you to collect, free of charge.
These publications, including Spanish Insight, SolTalk, Streetwise, Marketplace, Grapevine, Sentinella and Euro Weekly are useful for both tourists and residents alike. Each contains information about ‘what’s on’ in the local area as well as some well-written articles on a wide range of topics, recipes and items for sale – including properties. (You can CLICK on the links to be taken to the online versions of the publications).
Sadly, in order to make-ends-meet with their budgets, these magazines contain more advertisements and fewer articles as time goes by, but I guess that happens round the world.
You will find these free magazines in many estate agents, bars, cafes and other such popular places.
How do you like to discover what’s happening in your local area?
You might also like to have a look at:
Spanish football: Estadio La Roselada, home of Málaga CF
Flowering snapshot of a January day around the garden
The Buddhist Stupa of the Eastern Costa del Sol
East of Málaga 