Survey Shows Choosing the Right Supermarket in Spain saves Up to €3,000

The cost of living in Spain is still 

considerably cheaper than Northern Europe

Survey Shows Choosing the Right Supermarket in Spain saves Up to €3,000

The price differences between the cheapest and most expensive supermarkets in Spain could be as much as €3,013 per year for some regions according to a new consumer group study.

If you’re shopping at Alcampo – the cheapest Spanish supermarket chain – in Madrid, then you could be spending an average of €2,850 a year to feed your family; much less than the €7,329 per year you would be spending with Sanchez Romero; the most expensive supermarket chain.

The survey was performed by the Organization for Consumers and Users (OCU) and it found that the average disparity between the cheapest and most expensive stores in Spain is €909 per year.

Madrid and Barcelona are where the most expensive Spanish supermarkets can be found, with the city of Granada in Andalucía is home to the cheapest; the Dani Supermarket of Melchor Almagro Street, which is beloved by students for the cheap prices. Alcampo in Vigo is the second-cheapest Spanish supermarket, followed by an additional three Dani chains in Granada.

The city of Granada has the distinction of being the cheapest city in Spain for grocery shopping. The average shopping bill is around €4,051 per year for the city. The figure could be lower if more people stuck with Dani, but the OCU analysis wished to paint a broad and realistic picture of Spanish grocery prices.

The data analysed over 164,000 prices across 1,137 stores across Spain, covering 233 different products in total including fresh food, hygiene commodities, and drugs. There’s less choice in the smaller cities, making Crudad Real and Segovia two of the most expensive Spanish cities.

The cheapest chains after Alcampo were Mercadona, Simply Market, Carrefour, Maxi Dia, Eroski, and Lidl. Mercadona was the cheapest option for around half of all the Spanish cities in the study.

El Corte Ingles, Carrefour Express, and Supercor were some of the more expensive chains.

The data from the OCU shows that the German supermarket chain Lidl increased their prices by 4.3% compared to last year – the highest such increase in Spain – while Lupa, BM Urban, and Mas y Mas dropped their prices by between 2 and 3% compared to last year.

Spain Takes Third Place in Expat Quality of Life Survey

Spain Takes Third Place in Expat Quality of Life Survey

The weather, food and welcoming people of Spain,

help keep Spain as a top destination

The latest InterNations survey places Spain as the third best place in the world to live as an expat. The poll, which is conducted each year, surveyed 12,500 expats to rate 43 aspects of life in their new home on a scale of one to seven.

InterNations – the largest expat network in the world – take the data and calculate average scores for each country with it. They published their top 17 ranking last week, with Portugal taking top place. The country climbed up 13 places, scoring well in terms of climate and leisure. Second place went to Taiwan.

Spain reaching third place was an improvement on the fourth place it reached last year, with expats praising the Spanish climate, cultural attractions, leisure options, and ability to support high levels of personal happiness. The other countries in the top five were Singapore in fourth place and the Czech Republic in fifth. The other noticeable rankings were Germany in 10^th place, Canada coming in 13^th, and New Zealand coming in 15^th.

Spain always performs well in surveys like this, as it always scores well when it comes to health, happiness, and leisure. The country would score poorly on economic and employment factors for a while though. As the economy of Spain continues to improve, the concerns about the job market and pay are much weaker than they used to be.

It goes without saying that the climate, cuisine, beaches, landscape, safety, security, and overall accessibility of Spain – the blend that makes it such a hot spot for tourism – forms the foundation for a number of successful and happy expats.

Survey Finds Spaniards are More Confident About Economy

Survey Finds Spaniards are More Confident About Economy

Spain is back and every sector is on the up.

Over half of Spanish people now believe that the economy of the country is doing well almost a decade after one of the worst recessions to ever hit the country.

The survey was carried out by international consulting firm GAD3 and it showed 52.5% of Spaniards had confidence that Spain will be one of the best-performing economies of Europe, a claim supported by leading economists who believe the country really is leading the way for growth.

This represents an 11.3% increase in optimism since the survey was put out last year, and it reflects the experiences of the average Spaniard, as more jobs and improved job security are becoming reality for many people across the country.

A poll that covered just Barcelona conducted by the City Hall discovered Barcelona residents no longer consider being employed and their working conditions to be their primary concern. This is the first that job security hasn’t been the main concern since 2009.

However, the poll also showed that Barcelona residents are starting to feel the pressure of tourism. The city continues to grow as a cultural, beach, and party hub of the world. It’s bringing plenty of prestige and money to the city, but it’s also starting to infringe on the livelihoods of residents.

Tourism concerns hit the top of the polls for the first time in history, causing Deputy Mayor Gerardo Pisarello to declare that the issue has nothing to do with some kind of “tourism phobia” ad that people in Barcelona remain fans of travel and seeing tourists. The condition is one of concrete malaise caused by overcrowding.

Barcelona recorded nine million official overnight stays in 2016, but the City Hall estimates that the real number is closer to 30 million after accounting for rental options including AirBnB and private lets.

Barcelona famously announced that they planned to limit tourism numbers; as the city council have begun to refuse to grant new hotel licenses.

Barcelona’s success has been great for the economy of the city – as it has been great for the entire country – but, much like with the improved job market, the country needs to do some additional work to ensure as many people as possible are helped by the economic benefits.

Costa del Sol Still Among Cheapest European Holiday Destinations, Survey Shows

Costa del Sol Still Among Cheapest European Holiday Destinations, Survey Shows

Fantastic weather, food lifestyle and the welcoming Spanish people 

The annual Post Office Travel Money survey is a great way for holidaymakers and homebuyers alike looking to see where they can get the most for their money.

Over recent years, Bulgaria has emerged as a viable holiday destination for those in western Europe, propelling the country to the top of the charts. Bulgaria may not have the most charm, the best food, or the most family-friendly attractions; it does have great weather, better beaches, and incredible value for money.

Even though prices in Spain are up an average of 25% compared to 2012 when Bulgaria entered the Post Office survey, prices have dropped in the Costa del Sol.

The survey shows that the cost of holiday essentials has dropped by an average of 14% compared to 2012 in the Costa del Sol. It’s expected that prices have dropped by 3% in the past year alone.

This is coupled with the fact that property prices are an average of 40% below the peak values of 2008 to make the Costa del Sol an attractive when it comes to choosing a holiday or investing destination.

This reduced cost of daily essentials is connected to the improved economic performance of Spain. While the economy is strengthening and growing at one of the fastest rates in the Eurozone, there is a “lag” in the costs of good catching up, meaning that prices in coastal regions such as the Costa del Sol are expected to remain cheap for another two years at least.

Survey Finds Brits Looking for Property Abroad Still Prefer Spain

Survey Finds Brits Looking for Property Abroad Still Prefer Spain.

Costa del sol continues to be in such demand with its fantastic weather

and amazing Mediterranean lifestyle.

Ever Since the EU Referendum of last June, doomsayers have been predicting the fall of the British pound and that UK buyers would never consider investing in overseas property.

While it is true the sterling has fallen a little, there’s not been a shred of evidence to suggest that British interest in foreign property has abated. Sales continue to grow in fact, even if they are growing a little slower than before. A survey published recently by the Spanish Legal Reclaims legal firm shows that British desire for Spanish property remains high.

The survey showed that 55% of the people surveyed said that Brexit had not affected their decision to purchase property overseas. In fact, 10% said that their interest in European property had only increased following the vote.

45% of those surveyed said that they were most interested in Spanish property, with France coming in second at 37% and Italy coming third on 20%.

It’s hardly surprising that Spain remains the destination of choice for British people looking for European property. Spain has always delivered on a great lifestyle, great property prices and, of course, the stunning climate.

There’s more propping up the Spanish property market than just British buyers, however. Scandinavian, French, and German interest remains high, while interest from domestic buyers has been on the up for the past two years.

This has been shown by the sales data from April. Spanish notaries have shown that sales decreased in April 2017 by 2% compared to 2016 thanks to the Easter effect. The Semana Santa fell in April this year, meaning that banks, notaries, and mortgage lenders were closed for longer this year than last year, which means it was harder for Spaniards to make their deposits or take out their mortgages, which hobbled sales growth.

The excellent sales from March – an increase of 20-30% of last year – could also be a testament to the Easter effect. The trend going past these anomalies is one of positivity, showing the market is moving in the right direction.

Spain Comes in 4th in Survey Assessing Expat Quality of Life

Spain Comes in 4^th in Survey Assessing Expat Quality of Life

Spain is considered to be one of the best places there is to be an expat, at least according to the latest survey by expat network InterNations. The survey included over 14,000 expats from around the world and included questions about living life abroad.

Its confirmed that Spain is one of the very best

countries to live in the world. 

Over 174 nationalities spread across 191 countries were asked how they would rate the quality of life where they live on several key factors such as safety and security, leisure options, health and wellbeing, and their own personal happiness.

When all of these metrics were considered, Spain came in fourth overall in the world. Spain performed well on several fronts; in particular the Ease of Settling in index, which ranks how welcome expats feel as soon as they arrive in Spain.

The friendliness of Spain alleviates many traditional fears expats have, and is complemented by the affordability, safety, climate, and infrastructure of the country that makes it easy to get around and get back home for visits.

There were only three countries in the whole world that ranked ahead of Spain. Japan came in third place, thanks to the peaceful lifestyle and great medical care. Austria came in second because of the clean air, good infrastructure, and great job prospects of the country. First place went to Taiwan; where expats can expect high levels of safety, plenty of choices for leisure, and high paying jobs.

Spain still topped the polls for Europe and is the destination of choice for many expats in the UK and wider European area thanks to the location, weather, and variety of places to live.

After factoring in the affordability and cost of living of the country, even expats who aren’t looking to get a high paying job can find comfort and a good life in Spain.

Spain Comes In 4th in Survey on Quality of Life for Expats

Spain Comes In 4th in Survey on Quality of Life for Expats

Life and is great in Spain

The latest Expat Insider Survey from InterNations is out and the results place Spain as the 4^th best country for expats to live; much higher than other countries including Germany, France, Italy and Australia.

This study was one of the most extensive of its kind and looked into the lives and experiences of expatriates living around the world. 14,000 people were polled about life away from home including the quality of healthcare, safety and security, their personal happiness, leisure options, transport and travel quality, and employment opportunities.

The top spot went to Taiwan, which was highly ranked for their economy, safety, and cultural attractions. Second place went to the European nation of Austria, making Austria the highest ranking European country. Austria scored well for their standard of living and expat employment opportunities.

Third place, one place ahead of Spain, was Japan. Japan coming in third may be a surprise given the infamous hostility that Japan seems to hold for other countries. Japan is great for temporary expats however as it offers safety, leisure, cultural attractions and high paying jobs.

Spain did quite well in just about every category. It scored particularly well on climate, scenery, and the relaxed pace of Spanish life. The country came in second for leisure. Expats were very high on Spain for the way the country welcomes children and the culture that promotes being out doors as much as possible.

The other European countries ranking in the top ten were Malta, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland. Costa Rica and Singapore made up the rest of the top ten. While France has always thought of itself for being the best place for an expat to be it actually came 15^th, between Australia at 15^th and New Zealand at 13^th.

Spanish neighbour Portugal came in 14^th and both the UK and Italy didn’t place in the top 20 at all.

Survey Names Madrid Finest European City for Expats

Survey Names Madrid Finest European City for Expats

 The capital of Spain is friendly and affordable and it comes with great weather. Madrid, the capital of Spain, has come first out of the cities of Europe in the latest poll looking at cities loved by expats around the world.

its no wonder that Madrid has been named

the finest European city

Over 14,000 took part in the latest InterNations poll. InterNations is the largest expats networking service and these results saw Melbourne in Australia come out as the global number one but Spain still did well with Barcelona and Madrid showing up in the top 17.

The survey in question was the InterNations Expat Insider 2016 survey and it’s thought to be the largest and most extensive study looking at how expats live; so the results are likely to treated as gospel by those looking to move somewhere new.

The expats who took part were asked how they would rate several different elements of living overseas including their career prospects, their work-life balance, the weather, their quality of life, and how the local population behave.

Second place came as a surprise because it was taken by Houston in the USA. Madrid came in third with Dusseldorf in Germany taking fourth and Singapore coming in fifth.

Madrid scored well as expats felt that locals in the city would make every effort to make expats feel at home. Throw in the weather and the cost of living and it’s not hard to see why Madrid came in third.

Barcelona came in 11^th overall and received praise for the leisure, social activities, low cost of living and solid prospects on offer.

The rest of the list was taken up by the usual suspects; Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Toronto, Geneva and Sydney. Perhaps the most interesting result is that there were no British cities in the top 20. Britain was let down by the high cost of living and the poor weather that pushed British cities such as Birmingham, Manchester and London off of the list.

London came in 27^th place overall out of 35 cities. London ranked low because of the quality of life in the city and the perceived lack of safety.

Latest Survey puts Spain at Top of the Chart for Expat Healthcare and Social Life

Latest Survey puts Spain at Top of the Chart for Expat Healthcare and Social Life

If you’re an expat looking to find safety, healthcare, culture, and build a strong family and social life then it doesn’t get much better than Spain.

Spain and the Costa del Sol continue to draw

expats as its a great place to live

The latest Expat Explorer Survey from HSBC was published this week and it showed that Spain is considered to be one of the best destinations in the world for expats; at least as far as having an active social life and good quality healthcare goes.

The survey was taken by 21,950 people across 39 countries. According to these participants Spain did well in terms of property value and choice as it ranked in third place overall. Spain also did well in quality of life (coming second) and culture (coming third).

Even though Spain only came in 13^th overall the country still did well in the metrics that families and expats are more interested in; including safety, integration, making friends, and provide for the family. Spain did particularly well in how easy children find it to settle in to their new lives abroad.

This was the eighth annual HSBC Expat Explorer Survey and this year things seemed to favour the financial metrics. Singapore came in first because of their ability to provide expats with well-paying jobs. They also performed well in terms of safety and their scores in culture and integration improved over recent years.

Spain found itself let down thanks to the quality of schools and finance; ranking 26^th and 17^th respectively. It’s interesting that school quality was an issue given that many of the countries in the survey, such as Singapore, are known for doing everything they can to accommodate expats; so the quality of education would develop as a matter of this.

While there is a lot of choice on the Costa del Sol, many expats in Spain feel there are still some regions where there are very few British or international schools, which is why there is such a discrepancy. When it comes to finance many people are aware of the economic problems Spain has dealt with in recent years. Many are also aware of the recovery, which has really picked up steam this year.

The good news for expats is that Spain did above-average in the areas that will matter most to them. Spain is known for providing great healthcare, a welcoming culture that makes it easy to socialise and make friends, and overall a country filled with tolerant people that is easy to integrate into and has a low cost of living.

The areas that let Spain down were job security, entrepreneurship, wage growth and career progression. While these metrics may not be easily fixed, they are at least problems Spain can work on to improve.

The survey took the countries and broke each one into three different categories; Experience, economics and family. Spain may have come in 36^th out of 39 for Economics but it came in second for Experience and fourth for Family – presenting the largest divide between the categories seen with any nation.

The results send a clear message to the politicians of Spain; do something about the job market and the economy and you’ll build up the best country in the world to be an expat in.

To contrast the 13^th place of Spain, the UK came in 23^rd and France came in 29^th. In a disappointing and somewhat surprising move Italy came in 38^th; beating out only Brazil.

Survey Finds the Expat Life is Great for Wealth, Health, and Happiness

Survey Finds the Expat Life in Spain is Great for Wealth, Health, and Happiness

Living in the Costa del Sol is great for your Health.

A new survey by international real estate company MoveHub has discovered that moving to another country such as Spain due to the climate can really benefit your wallet, your body and your mind. They polled 1,000 people from across the UK, half of whom were expats and half that had never lived abroad. Their polling found that 69% of the people that had lived abroad would describe their health as being good or better. On the other hand only 58% of the people who never lived abroad could say the same.

Around 40%, compared to the 28% of people who were, or had been, expats said that they felt they earned a good salary. All of these benefits spread to happiness too. 63% of expats felt that they were happy or very happy. This was higher than the 53% of non-expats.

The study by MoveHub is just the latest sign that living in another country can lead to a lot of benefits. Other surveys have suggested this too. In fact there are barely any drawbacks at all. Expats are better educated, are more open-minded and willing to embrace another culture, and find themselves part of wide and varied social circles. As long as they do a little research before they move anyway.

Moving to Spain is a great way to experience these benefits and more. Spain has a great climate and a friendly culture, as well as the fantastic Mediterranean diet. Spain has quickly become the ideal choice for British and Irish people who want to try living in another country.

Spain is also currently in the middle of recovering their economy and property market. This means that it’s a great choice for people as they are more likely to find themselves living the good life experienced by expats in Spain.

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.