Why I moved to Spain
I am a U.S. citizen who officially retired from Corporate life in 2007. Since then, I embraced partial retirement with my own business as a Strategic Planning Consultant while living in Houston for 8 years then Miami for 7 years. During those years and almost every single year, my wife and I vacationed in Spain’s Costa del Sol to visit family during the Holidays. On those trips, we frequently thought that one day, we were going to move permanently to Andalusia. In January 2022, we finally decided that it was time. We sold our home, moved our stuff to storage, packed 12 suitcases and boarded a flight from Miami to Malaga with our two dogs, Chiqui our Maltese and Buddy our toy poodle.
Moving to Spain from the U.S. is not for everyone but the pluses outweigh the minuses. Among the tangible benefits are the cost of living and one of the world’s best healthcare services. Just imagine paying 50 euros (around $58) for a dinner for two at a nice restaurant, shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables that taste natural and not synthetic and carry home a full cart of groceries without breaking the bank. A nice bottle of Spanish wine can cost anywhere between 4 to 6 euros and a baguette cost one euro.
Now let’s talk about healthcare: I pay a monthly premium of 86 euros (about $100) for private healthcare with a company called Sanitas. My plan includes dental with two cleanings a year at no cost and certain procedures are totally covered. My medical plan has no pre-existing conditions and no co-pay. I had a pace maker surgical procedure six months ago and the cost of the surgery, hospitalisation in a private room, anestesia etc was ZERO! In addition, I use my public health care coverage to get my blood pressure meds for 1,26 euros ($1.50) a month when in the U.S. I used to pay more than $25 a month for my meds and pay for a visit to the medical practitioner to renew my prescription every three months with a co-pay of $50 for the visit. And I could only get my meds at one assigned Walgreens location. With my Public Health Care app in Spain (on my iPhone), all I do is ask for a telephone consultation with my assigned medical practitioner once a year, so he/she can renew my prescription. With my public HC card, I can buy my meds at any pharmacy in Spain for one year.
When it comes to physical activities to keep healthy, Costa del Sol has a lot to offer. With 300 days of sunshine a year, it is the paradise for outdoor sports: padel (a modified tennis game invented in Spain (yes in Spain and catching on in the U.S.), tennis, golf and hiking. I am a golfer and compared to green fees I used to pay in Texas or Florida, it’s like night and day. This coming weekend, I will pay 45 euros ($52) for a green fee at Cerrado del Aguila Golf Club. In the U.S. this would be more like $120 at a similar golf course. There are so many golf courses on Costa del Sol that it earned the nickname Costa del Golf!
Driving in Spain can be a problem for holders of U.S. driver’s licenses. I drove with an international Driver’s permit for a year knowing that at some point I would have to pass a written and practical driving test to obtain the Spanish driver’s licence. Imagine yourself taking driving lessons at age 70+ to learn all the tricks you need to pass the test, which I did the very first time, not without a warning from the examiner that I made a few mistakes like not yielding to some pedestrians that were at one of the hundred crosswalks along the test area. By the way, on a positive note, I am saving a lot with my leased Kia Stonic for which I pay 300 euros a month including insurance (no deductible) and maintenance costs. In Miami, this would be cost me more than double.
Taxes can be another minus. I am a resident of Spain and as such must file my taxes here then with the I.R.S. to get a credit for the amount paid in Spain. I end up paying more than I used to in the U.S. but you know what? It is worth it when I get Free Healthcare, have a lower cost of living, great infrastructure, like roads that have no potholes, airports that are ultra modern, train systems that include bullet train between major cities, cultural events sponsored by the municipalities at a fraction of the cost that you pay in the U.S. (the best seats at a concert with the Malaga philharmonic orchestra in a top class theatre cost less than $20)…
Spain is a culturally rich country with a history of thousands of years. I visited different regions and have enjoyed witnessing the heritage left by the previous inhabitants (Iberians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Celts, Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths and Moors). There are more public holidays than in the U.S. either patriotic or religious, some regional or local. Sometimes, we learn that there is a holiday when we find the supermarket is closed, and it may be because it is a municipal holiday not a state wide one. If you need to go shopping on Sundays, most supermarkets are open but only during the summer high tourist season. From October to May, the biggest chains are closed on Sundays.
I have lived in Spain close to four years and would not move out for no reason. Most of the people that I have met here who come from the U.S. or from other European countries share the same feeling. Costa del Sol is now one of the largest melting pots in the world. Some of the foreign born citizens either call Spain their second home or have moved permanently here.
If you want to know more about living in Andalusia, or have a client or friend who is thinking about moving from the U.S. to a great country where they want to enjoy life and relax (either to retire or work from home), I will be happy to tell you more about Costa del Sol and assist in the process of settling here. I can ease their pain and help them avoid mistakes about immigration and home buying. I am a phone call away +34-638-83.95.45