Study Finds Costa del Sol One of the Best Value Beach Destinations in Europe

Study Finds Costa del Sol One of the Best Value Beach Destinations in Europe

There are 100's kilometres of fantastic beaches on the Costa del sol

A study from the UK Post Office of 19 European beach destinations discovered the Costa del Sol is the third-most affordable resort in Europe.

Even though Sunny Beach in Bulgaria was the top of the polls, it was still impressive for the Costa del Sol to come in third behind the Algarve in Portugal, especially given that the region comes with some of the most luxurious and family-friendly resorts in the world.

The Post Office survey analysed the cost of a basket of the everyday items a family would need on holiday. They found that it would cost £61 for all these items in the Costa del Sol. The basket includes 10 holiday staples such as ice cream, sun cream, and evening drinks and meals.

At the Sunny Beach of the Bulgarian Black Sea, the basket cost just £37, and £58 in the Algarve.

An interesting statistic is that the most expensive location in Europe can also be found in Spain. This shopping basket would cost £131 in Ibiza. So, by comparison, the Costa del Sol is incredible value.

While Marbella and Puerto Banús might not have the reputation and the nightlife of Ibiza, they are still able to stand their ground as far as glamorous clubs goes. In terms of theme parks, beaches, weather, restaurants, transport, choice and culture; there’s a wealth of choice in Costa del Sol.

Not far away from Cosat del Sol is the Costa Blanca, where the tourist basket would be £76; over 25% more expensive than in the Costa del Sol. It’s £89 in Majorca, around 47% higher than in the Costa del Sol.

The top five was completed by Marmaris in Turkey and Paphos in Cyprus. The five most expensive resorts of Europe were Ibiza, Sorrento of Italy, Nice of France, Zadar of Croatia, and the Lisbon coast in Portugal.

Study Finds Costa del Sol is Home to Most Accessible Airport in Europe

Study Finds Costa del Sol is Home to Most Accessible Airport in Europe

Malaga Airport is now one of the top airports in Europe

While it could not be the most scientific study ever performed, the millions of tourists expected to hit the Costa del Sol in 2017 are unlikely to care. Travel info and comparison platform GoEuro has ranked the Malaga airport as being the easiest one to access with public transport in Europe.

The Malaga-Costa del Sol terminal got a total score of 99.9 out of 100, putting it ahead of the other 29 busiest airports in the continent as far as accessibility goes; in particular with regards to public transport.

Even though the airport doesn’t have overground and underground railway connections like other major airports in Europe, it is appealing because of its sheer simplicity; there are quick, affordable, and regular buses connecting the terminal to the centre of Malaga for just €2 (or €1.80 for the train), with fleets of coaches ready to ferry holidaymakers over to Marbella, Torremolinos, Fuengirola, and even further.

Since the Malaga-Costa del Sol airport received an upgrade in 2010, it has become one of the unsung heroes in the record-breaking success the Costa del Sol has seen with tourism, efficiently moving thousands of holidaymakers to and from southern Spain with barely any hassle.

Passenger numbers for this year are already up 18.4% compared to the same time period in 2016, suggesting 2017 is going to be another record breaking year.

While many of the arrivals will head straight for the coast, the Malaga-Costa del Sol airport is also top of the charts due to its location near a city centre, as you can be in the heart of Malaga with a short trip o a bus or train. Second and third place in proximity to the city centre went to the Lisbon and Nice-Cote d’Azure  airports respectively.

Elsewhere in the country, the Palma de Majorca airport came in ninth for accessibility, with 10^th and 11^th place taken by El Prat in Barcelona and Madrid-Barajas airports for their quick, convenient, and affordable public transport.

The study found that Warsaw airport in Poland was where the cheapest public transport airport journey could be found in Europe.

Spanish Economy Outperforms Much of Europe with 3.2% Growth

Spanish Economy Outperforms Much of Europe with 3.2% Growth

The Spanish economy is booming.

It’s not often that individuals care all that much about GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Individuals are often more concerned about issues such as cost of living their wages, their job security, their ability to buy the things they need and, of course, their personal happiness.

Given the way that Spain endured a double-dip recession a few years ago, however, one could hardly blame Spaniards for feeling proud and happy of the way that Spanish GDP grew 3.2% during 2016.

The reason why this growth happened is because of the hard work, positivity, and stoicism of the Spanish people. They kept the country moving through the dark times, with some help by government reforms that breathed new life into the labour market.

The National Statistics Office (INE) of Spain reported that the GDP in Spain grew another 0.7% during the fourth quarter of 2016. This means that 2016 was one of the best years for the Spanish economy in over a decade.

This growth stems from the third quarter of 2013, when Spain experienced growth for the first time in over three years. Once the upturn had begun, the growth steadily increased, with only the occasional fall during particularly economic stress.

The resilience of the Spanish economy means that the country has outperformed much of the rest of Europe. It’s expected that this growth will continue through 2017, even if it’s at the smaller rate of 2.7%.

Even so, it would mean that living in Spain could no longer be thought of as a recovering economy. Instead the country is one where growth and confidence are assured. This means great benefits for individual Spaniards, including better job prospects, wage growth, an increase in confidence in the tourism and real estate industries, and just a general improvement to the national mood.

The Spanish economy is doing so well that it’s now performing at 80% of the output of 2008; just a few short months before one of the largest economic crashes in Spanish history. That is certainly worth celebrating.

Data Shows Half of Retired British Expats Living in Europe Are Registered in Spain

Data Shows Half of Retired British Expats Living in Europe Are Registered in Spain

With the wonderful weather and low cost f living

its no wonder why so many Brits want to live in Spain

The BBC issued a freedom of information request and the results show just how many British retirees living in the European Economic Area (EEA) – which includes every EU state, along with Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway – are registered for reciprocal healthcare in each country. From the looks of it Spain is quite popular indeed.

The BBC found that, across the EEA, 145,000 British expat pensioners are registered for healthcare provided by the EU reciprocal agreement.

Over 70,000 of these people are registered in Spain; way more than the 43,000 registered in France.

On the other hand only 201 French pensioners and 81 Spanish pensioners are registered to receive reciprocal healthcare in the UK; showcasing the factors retirees consider when choosing a destination; the sunshine, warmth, and slow pace of life. There’s a lot of good things about the UK but it seriously underperforms in these three categories.

Spain, by comparison, boasts an incredible climate, great healthcare and infrastructure and, of course, the world-renowned Mediterranean diet.

Given how many retirees from the UK are living in Spain the amount of retirees registered for healthcare in the country might sound a little low. However this can be explained quite simply; many of those retirees are wealthy and will likely choose private healthcare; something else Spain handles incredibly well.

The report also showed the BBC that just £674.4 million was spent providing these pensioners in the EEA with healthcare; which should put to bed the arguments about how these pensioners are draining the services of their host countries through cost of living expenses.

Britain also received £49.7 million from other EEA countries to cover healthcare costs for their citizens.

The Wall Street Journal Says Marbella is Southern California of Spain

The Wall Street Journal Says Marbella is Southern California of Europe

Marbella has always been considered as the California of Europe

with its 320 days of sunshine a year

Over the past few weeks media from both sides of the Atlantic have been going crazy about the Costa del Sol; both for its potential as a cultural holiday destination but also because it is one of the best places to own a place in the sun. Malaga city in particular has had plenty of articles praising it showing up all over. The Daily Mail declared Malaga the “New Barcelona” at the beginning of April and now Marbella is back in the spotlight after being compared, in a good way no less, to Southern California by the Wall Street Journal.

Beneath the headline declaring “Marbella Makes a Splash” the article focuses on, expectedly, the high-end homes of the resort including places in the Golden Mile, Los Monteros, Sierra Blanca and La Zagaleta, where price tags can begin as “low” as €5 million. The report noted that new-generation homeowners will head to Central or Northern Europe to take breaks in the sun. It also included a brief look at how the town has evolved since the 60s and 70s, along with a gallery of images and videos feature some of the most famous landmarks and luxury mansions of Marbella.

The property prices in Marbella have recovered from their 15% drop and are now back at pre-crisis levels. It also goes on to say that there is more interest from buyers in Scandinavia and the Middle-East, along with an improved infrastructure and plenty of year-round appeal to younger buyers. All of this goes together to create a town on the rebound that is starting to look more like south California than south Spain.

Spain is the Most Libertarian Country in Europe and The Best Place to Get a Drink

Spain is the Most Libertarian Country in Europe and The Best Place to Get a Drink

People often use the term “nanny state” to mock laws and policies that are designed to nanny the population of a country and stop them from being able to do and think what they want. Many British people feel that the UK is quickly becoming a Nanny State. Most of Scandinavia is also stuck with that label. Even though Scandinavia and the UK do have strong economies and are seen as nice places to live, they are also thought of as being too controlling.

It’s become such a problem that the European Policy Information Center (EPICENTER) has developed their own Nanny State Index to show how much government control each European state exercises.

Come to Spain its the best country in Europe !

The results of the latest index will be interesting to many. They prove that some of these stereotypes do hold true. Finland, Sweden and the UK and Ireland do indeed exercise the most control over their citizens. Unsurprisingly perhaps most former Soviet nations have the most lax policies.

The index would rate nations based on their free-market and libertarian ideals across numerous factors. This included their stance on alcohol, healthcare, food and smoking. The ranking showed that Spain was the most carefree when it comes to alcohol. They have duty-free wine and low taxes on spirits and beer and great Spanish restaurants. They also have no statutory closing time on bars, pubs and clubs. This makes Spain the best destination in Europe to enjoy a great drink.

Spain also ranked best for food. The Spanish have a similarly lax attitude to dining late. They also eat anything they want when they want and don’t care so much about health and safety, making Spain the freest country for people looking to eat a hearty meal with one of the lowest cost of living.

Overall though Spain was let down in other areas and still ranked in the lower half. It was actually the Czech Republic that was ranked the freest nation in Europe. In a surprising turn Germany was ranked second.

The report says that most of the laws and taxes in Spain that make up the Nanny State Index were introduced with the idea that they would improve public health. This is surprising considering that Spain is the country with the second highest life expectancy after Japan. As a result the index went on to conclude that there is no direct correlation between these nanny state regulations and a higher life expectancy.

So there you have definitive proof that the government doesn’t know what it’s talking about after all. None of these rules improve your life expectancy. So go to Spain and eat, drink and be merry.

Spain-is-best-Place-to-get-a-drink

As per survey, Spain is the best country in Europe to give expats a home like feeling

As per a new survey, Spain is the best country in Europe to give expats a home like feeling

It is not only the literal warmth that draws tourists to Spain. The moment you step foot at the Malaga Airport in Spain, you will be pleased to meet the warm and friendly people there and will be glad of your decision to move to Spain permanently.

Best country in Europe for expat to feel at home

As per a recent survey conducted by HSBC Expat, Spain stands at the top of the list of how responsive a country is to make guests feel at home when they visit it.

Named as the Expat Explorer Survey, it took the opinion of nearly 22,000 people from all over the globe and asked them to rate their country of residence on how friendly and warm the locals have been ever since the time they have started living in the respective country.

However, the shocking and least expected country, Bahrain, topped the list with nearly 2/3^rd of the people saying that they as expats have felt very comfortable and welcome in Bahrain. India took the second position, while Malaysia stood third. The top spots were taken by far Eastern countries predominantly, leaving only Mexico, Russia and Spain as exceptions.

The only European country to feature in this list was Spain, which had a score of 56%, well over the global average of 48%, which clearly indicates its ability to be warm and welcome to expats despite the turbulence as far as immigration is concerned, prevails across Europe.

The survey also indicated that due to the advent of social media platforms and telecommunications in Spain, people are able to connect better and has helped expats significantly when they plan to settle in Spain. The sizeable community of expats in Spain also reflects how welcoming and friendly Spain is for expats from all over northern Europe. Most of the expats stay in the Costa del Sol region and the British and northern European have been able to settle easily in this region in comparison to any other country or region in Europe with Spain adapting to their new neighbours with even having films in English at the cinemas accompanied with a whole host of amenities in English that help the British and northern Europeans feel at home.

A “Death Map” of Europe Shows Living in Costa del Sol and Spain can Provide a Longer Life.

Life expectancy longer in the Costa del Sol. 

Studies have been proving for a long time the health benefits of eating a Mediterranean diet and local cuisine in Spain, but it’s only now that a “Death Map” has been compiled by the British Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. This map shows that the people living a Mediterranean lifestyle really do live longer than other European people especially it seems with the climate of southern Spain that has w an average all year temperature of 20C and have less environmental concerns in Spain than other parts of Europe.

Death Map

It’s a rather morbid thing to look at but it does show the clear divide in Europe, especially between the richer west side of Europe and the poorer Eastern Europe. It also shows a divide between the colder, if not wealthy and high spending Scandinavian countries, and their sunnier, more southern relatives.

The study shows that people who live in the warmer climates of Spain, Italy, Andorra and the southern and western parts of France can expect to have longer and healthier lives than people living in the UK, Scandinavia and the Netherlands.

One of the main causes for this longevity is thought to be the diet of these southern countries. People in Spain, Italy and France eat far more fruit, vegetables, fish and olive oil in the restaurants in Spain. They also eat less processed foods and less red meat.

Combining this diet with warmer climates in Spain and great healthcare systems means that these people enjoy not just longer lives overall, but healthier lives too. The Mediterranean countries have far higher percentages of people aged over 75 and considered healthy than anywhere else. The NHS might be keeping British alive for longer but it’s not keeping them healthier.

The study showed that in the ten years leading up to 2011, the Mediterranean countries saw the largest rise in the number of people aged between 75-84. There was also a rise in the 85-94 age bracket.

Study Finds the Cost of Buying Property in Spain and Living is Cheaper in Southern Spain Over Northern Spain.

The United Kingdom has a north-south divide that can be found in politics, class, and even football rivalries. This north-south divide is something that is no longer found only in the UK.

A study done by Kelisto.es has found that Spain has a north-south divide of their own, especially in terms of the cost of living. It’s different from the UK divide, however, in that value for money is found down south.

            Cost of living in Spain

Research showed that the cost of living in Barcelona was as much as 30% higher than the national average cost of living. However down in the southern cities of Jaén in Andalucía and Cáceres near Extremadura the cost of living is over 10% lower than the average.

Higher living costs were found all the way across northern Spain including San Sebastián, Madrid, and Palma, the capital of Majorca.

The price of property is also cheaper down in southern Spain. It’s cheaper to both rent property in costa del sol and buy property in the south. An 80 m2 home in the northern states of Barcelona or San Sebastián would set you back on average between €241,000 to €328,000. In the south however it costs around €131,000.

Kelisto.se also looked at living costs and took daily living costs into account. These costs are how much tax people pay, the costs for public transportation in Spain, the cost of accommodation and petrol, the average price for daily essentials like bread and milk, and also the cost of leisure activities like tickets at the cinema and a meal for two including beer.

They took a look at 50 cities overall and there was a strong correlation between high wages and high costs of living in Spain.

The research showed that San Sebastián had a cost of living that was roughly 28% higher than the national average, but the average household income was also around 25% higher than the national average.

The inverse was also shown to be true. Teruel is the tenth cheapest city in the country where citizens pay approximately 8% less than the national average, but the average income there is also around 11% lower than the national average wage.

Report on Spanish homes for sale in the Costa del Sol that offer the best value in Europe.

Map of southern Spain

Report on Spanish homes for sale in the Costa del Sol that offer the best value in Europe.

Another system of measuring property valuation conceived by the Organization for Economic Development (OECD) has devised research that Spanish homes show some of the best value for money in Europe.

Taking into account over 10 years of analysis, the OECD has mapped out house costs in a large number of the world's most developed economic nations against the average wage, and studied this data along a long term projection.

Its research uncover that Spanish property is really underestimated when incomes are taken into account– purchasing a home in Spain not only financially viable for the normal Spanish national, as well as remarkably great value for money for British coming over with strong Sterling and a high salary.

The OECD study did set a score of 100 as the 'average'. A score of 110 does imply that property in that location is at present over-priced by 10% against its long term average.

Spain currently has a price income score of only 74, implying that homes in Spain are as of now 74% of price average over long term. It states that homes in Spain are "under the valued price" by 26%. Considering that the current score within the UK is 107, is shows that good value for money is achieved as standard in the Spanish property market.

Another country in Europe, Hungary has a score of 83 – is also close to Spain´s score, with most other countries achieving either the mid-90s or 100´s above.

Spain's real estate sector is vary varied, and properties in the more famous areas for example, the  Property for sale in Marbella Costa del Sol would likely score more like 100, yet the OECD research took into account national predictive trends over a 10 year period.

Also, the property sector has started to take note. Spain's financial improvement in the previous 15 months, fortified by solid economies in northern Europe, have enticed purchasers back to its property market, and 2016 is projected to be an exceptionally solid year for the sector.

Besides, when new tax laws are put into effect in the UK in April, Spanish real estate will have an even bigger appeal. From April 1st, second homes purchased in the UK will be liable to an extra 3% stamp duty on the purchase price, yet this duty applies only to British property, not homes purchased in Spain.

So, if you are a British national and have UK savings, you could be enticed to look to secure your financial future with an astute property investment, there truly is not a more discerning property market in Europe than Spain at this current moment– and the research demonstrates it, concluding that Spain and the Costa del Sol is a great place to buy property.