Cost of Living: East of Málaga, Spain – November 2012

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Marianne under Axarquía, Cost of Living

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, I posted some receipts for groceries I had bought here in southern Spain, which proved to be a very popular article.

I also 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, three or four 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.

For this month´s prices, and to make direct comparison simple, I have once again used the Spanish Supermarket – Mercadona in Torrox Costa.

I must admit – I was pleased that I had noted down these prices in August, or otherwise I wouldn´t have known about the pleasant surprise awaiting me – THERE HAD BEEN NO PRICE INCREASES AT ALL, AND MANY OF THE ITEMS HAD ACTUALLY COME DOWN IN PRICE! YAAY!

This was even more of a surprise as there was a hike in IVA/VAT tax rates at the beginning of September. Whilst it´s fair to say that four of the price-reduced items are “seasonal fruit and veg” , six others are not, including a whopping 1.07 € off a packet of washing powder!

So, here´s the Standard Grocery List I used last time (with prices as they were in August) – now with November´s prices in RED alongside.

Standard Grocery List

Milk (semi –skimmed UHT, own brand), 1 litre 0.54 €      0.54 €
Loaf (white, baguette 250g)   0.45 €    0.45 €
Eggs (12, own brand caged, medium) 1.35 €     1.35 €
Chicken breasts (1kg, boneless, skinless) 5.50 €     5.50 €
Apples (1kg, green, Golden Delicious) 1.35 €     1.00 €
Oranges (1kg) 1.39 €     0.89 €
Bananas (1kg) 1.25 €    1.15 €
Potatoes (1kg) 0.92 €    0.89 €
Lettuce (1 head, Iceberg) 0.85 €    0.85 €
Water (1.5 litre bottle) 0.45 €    0.36 €
Domestic Beer (1 litre bottle, Cruzcampo) 1.29 €    1.20 €
Fish (1kg Salmon steaks) 8.75 €    8.75 €
Toilet rolls (pack of 6, own brand) 1.95 €    1.95 €
Washing powder (Box, 35 washes, Elena brand) 5.94 €   4.87 €
Olive oil (1 litre, extra virgin, own brand) 3€    2.75 € (5 litres 12.99€)
Coca-Cola (1.5 litre) 1.09 €    1.00 €
Butter (250g, own brand) 0.98 €    0.98 €
Sugar (1kg, white) 0.95 €    0.93 €

New items on the list:

Coffee (ground, 250g, Santa Cristina) 1.79 €
Beef mince (Store brand, pre-packed, 1kg) 5.43 €

I´ve also included my store receipt for a few groceries I bought from the German supermarket Lidl which has stores throughout Spain. Most of these items not included on my standard grocery shopping list.

Currency Conversion from XE €1 = 1.27 USD
0.80 GBP
1.22 AUD
1.27 CAD
1.55 NZD
11.15 ZAR

Other household expenses

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 € – they are now 16.10 € . 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. During 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: Last time I told you that for a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom detached house in the countryside with a swimming pool, we paid an average of 90 € per month. I may have underestimated this a bit. 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. Our electricity company Sevillana Endesa has raised their prices significantly recently and monthly bills now appear to be averaging 120€.

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 water deposit 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, after which 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. This year´s bill is 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 € – now that price has fallen to 1.40 €

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?

You might also enjoy these articles:

Menú del Día: Great food at a budget price

Cost of Living: East of Málaga, Spain – August 2012

Goats on the road: I kid you not

WordPress Photo Challenge: Renewal

Posted on November 10, 2012 by Marianne under Photo challenges

To paraphrase Avery Sawyer in Notes to Self –

I couldn´t imagne living in a place that wasn´t near the sea.

It´s like a giant reset button.

I can go to the edge of the land, see infinity and feel renewed.

This post is my response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: Renewal

East of Málaga: So near, yet so far away

The Buddhist Stupa of the Eastern Costa del Sol

All Things Bright and Geometrical

Menú del Día: Great food at a budget price

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Marianne under Axarquía, Laws and Customs, Slice of Life

For much less than the cost of an evening dinner, most restaurants in La Axarquía have a cheap, fixed-price meal available at lunchtime only.

Because the normal Spanish working day has a 3 hour break in the middle, many Spanish workers take advantage of this time (often referred to as a siesta) by catching up with friends or colleagues over lunch.

Why eat a sandwich at your desk when you can enjoy a leisurely lunch with friends?

Known as “Menu del Día“, you can usually enjoy a two or three course meal, including bread and your first drink, for around 8 – 10 euros. It´s usually a set menu, though there is often a choice of three or four dishes for each course.

A typical menu might include soup or salad to start, followed by fish or pork with flan or coffee to finish. Bread, plus your choice of first drink (beer, wine or water) are usually included in the price.

Look out for a board outside the restaurant, advertising the Menu del Día, which will usually be written in Spanish, and always remember to look out for restaurants and bars frequented by locals rather than tourists.

My choice in Torrox Costa:

** Ferrara Asador on the N340, near to the Repsol garage. At only €8 with great service, good choice and quality of food, it´s well worth a visit, but go before 2.00pm as it gets very busy, especially in August.

** Fancy something a bit different ? Try the Jing Chinese restaurant on the Paseo Maritimo along Ferrara Beach. Their menu del día is even cheaper at €6, but drinks cost extra. Again, excellent food and service.

Where´s your favourite place to eat, east of Málaga?

Love food? You might like to drool over these posts:

Slice of Life: Spanish bars

Let´s talk about tapas!

Fresh Figs Stuffed with Goat´s Cheese and wrapped in Smoked Bacon

All Things Bright and Geometrical

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Marianne under Photo challenges, Places

Last week, it was my great pleasure to pay a return visit to the Mezquita in the UNESCO Historic Centre of Córdoba, where I was delighted to capture these dazzling sunbeams making their geometric patterns against the famous red and white arches.

Isn´t nature wonderful?

This post is my response to the WordPress Photo Challenge: GEOMETRIC ; Travel Theme: BRIGHT and this week´s Sunday Post: WONDERFUL.

CBBH Photo Challenge: BLUE

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Marianne under CBBH Photo Challenge, Photo challenges

This month´s CBBH Photo Challenge is leaving me feeling anything but BLUE – because I just love the colour!

According to this website: “Color is a meaningful constant for sighted people and it’s a powerful psychological tool. By using color psychology, you can send a positive or negative message, encourage sales, calm a crowd, or make an athlete pump iron harder.

Psychology of Color: Blue

Ask people their favorite color and a clear majority will say blue. Much of the world is blue (skies, seas). Seeing the color blue actually causes the body to produce chemicals that are calming; but that isn’t true of all shades of blue. Some shades (or too much blue) can send a cold and uncaring message. Many bedrooms are blue because it’s a calm, restful color. Over the ages blue has become associated with steadfastness, dependability, wisdom and loyalty (note how many uniforms are blue). People tend to be more productive in a blue room because they are calm and focused on the task at hand. Some studies are showing that weight lifters can lift more weight in a blue gym – in fact, nearly all sports are enhanced in blue surroundings.”

The best examples of restored “Don Quixote” Spanish windmills can be found in Consuegra, not far from Toledo in central Spain, where several mills spike the hill just outside of town. I certainly had some tilting to do, to capture not only the sails, but also the magnificent blue of the wide open sky.

This blue painted door can be found in The Lost Village of Acebuchal, situated in the heart of the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Almara Natural Park. The village, which sits on the traditional muleteers’ route between Granada and Malaga was abandoned and in ruins from 1949 to 1998, but has now been beautifully renovated, restoring the original style.

When I bought my new Canon Powershot SX220HS camera back in June, I was playing around with the low-light setting, and managed to capture the beautiful blue plumbago plant growing in my garden. It´s such a pretty colour.

A few weeks ago, I travelled to the village of Colmenar to meet up with another local blogger. Whilst I was waiting in the square opposite the Town Hall (Ayuntamiento) at the appointed time, I couldn´t help but notice this couple sitting on a nearby bench, deep in discussion. My eye was drawn to the colour of the woman´s clothing, which was the most amazing shade of blue.

This street-sign in the nearby white village of Torrox always makes me smile. Beso in Spanish means “kiss” – so this is Kiss Street!

My final image for this month´s Photo Challenge is from my home village of Cómpeta, and shows a pretty balcony, filled with flowers, against the deep blue painted windows as their background.

This month´s CBBH Featured Blogs:

** Alyson at the Algarve Blog is a very talented artist and, along with her hubby Dave (a peanut-butter-loving photographer), give regular glimpses into their expat life in southern Portugal.

I am particularly enjoying reading Aly´s A – Z of Portugal, where she takes each letter of the alphabet and writes a different post using the letter as the basis for a post, about things she cares for in Portugal. This is a very easy blog to read, with many stunning photographs, which always makes me glad that Portugal is an easy drive from my home in southern Spain.

** Talking of a friendly blog with great photos leads me on to my next choice – the Lucid Gypsy. Gilly describes herself as “a middle aged techno hen with a passion for travel, writing, reading and well, life” – and is very busy working full time, studying and crafting pretty things in the beautiful south west of England.

Gilly loves taking part in Word and Photo Challenges and is always quick to leave an encouraging comment. Why not pop over and say HELLO to her?

So that´s the CBBH Photo Challenge for November, folks!

Remember, all you have to do is post your entry by the end of the month, link back to this blog and, most importantly, don´t forget to add links to any two blogs that you´ve commented on during the past month, so that we can all HOP OVER and have a look. Make sure you FOLLOW THIS BLOG so you don´t miss next month´s exciting challenge!

For more information on how the CBBH Photo Challenge works click here.

I hope everyone taking part enjoys the exposure the CBBH Photo Challenge offers to featured blogs and, who knows, you may end up finding a new favourite! I´m looking forward to seeing your interpretations.

[CBBH logo Image credit: (cc) Mostly Dans]