A Few Really Good Reasons to Move to Spain

So we're back in Valencia Spain again, where we live half the year. Why were these people outside our door yesterday? We don't know, there are too many parades here to keep track of. 

And while we're still on the fence about going full-time, it's hard not to notice that there is a lot to like about living here.

I realize that not everyone is as alarmed as we are about the bizarre and horrifying changes happening in the Good Ol' U.S.A. I'll refrain from any sort of recap, because I don't have the thousand or so hours it would take to even get started. Let's just say the political climate is not to our liking.

I also recognize that we're coming from a place of privilege: there are not a ton of folks who can just pick up and move to new country. If you're just trying to make ends meet, or have overwhelming work and family obligations, it probably sounds like debating whether or not to hop on a rocket ship to the moon.

Of course this post will be followed by a bunch of Really Good Reasons NOT to Move to Spain, because I always have a long list of "cons" for any proposition more complicated than "shall I have another cup of coffee?" But let's start with just a few of the most obvious factors that make Spain an appealing choice when compared with the United States.

Note: these are all generalizations. Not all Spaniards, Not all Spanish Cities, etc. But it's so fun to generalize, isn't it?

Public Services: Parks, Transportation, Healthcare, Arts, and Education

 

Tax dollars do a very strange thing here: they end up paying for services that everyone can take advantage of in their daily lives! They are not funding detention centers or militias that are then turned on the country's own citizens to quell protests, to think of a couple of totally random examples. Spain is full beautiful parks and museums and public squares. And also a huge network of bike paths, cheap subways, buses and trains. Compared with the U.S., their parks and other facilities seem meticulously well-maintained. Because, get this: they actually allocate enough money to pay workers to keep things all spruced up!

We don't have kids, but from what we hear there's a good public education system, and private options are much cheaper here than in the United States. However, if you have young'uns, better to ask an actual Ex-pat parent.

And, oh my goodness, healthcare.

 

The public system is free for citizens and permanent residents, and private insurance is cheap and all-inclusive. My private policy (required with our kind of residency visa) has no copays and costs less than $150 a month. I had surgery here, and stayed in a suite-like private room for a week, with a swanky bathroom and fold-out sleeper couch for my wife to spend the night with me. Also, tons of imaging and bloodwork and specialist follow-up. I paid: zero.

(I did, however, lose the use of my parathyroid glands, which turned out to be a pretty high price to pay!) But in general Spanish health care is considered to be excellent. So unless you are as spectacularly unlucky as I was, you are highly unlikely to leave your Spanish medical encounter without all of your organs intact and fully functional.

Cost of Living

Okay, so we're funny this way: we spend a good chunk of money traveling to and from Spain every year and cheerfully ignore those costs, in order to savor the sense of economy once we're here.

 

For example, you can enjoy a multi-course midday meal at a decent cozy neighborhood restaurant for about $12, or have a more gourmet experience in an upscale area for $15- $20, including tax, and with very minimal tipping expected. Most "menu del dias" include an appetizer, bread, a main course, a beverage (including soda, beer or wine) and a dessert.

 

Our grocery costs in Valencia are roughly a third or what they are in the U.S., and most other prices, from household goods and cleaning products to our phone and internet bill, are far lower here as well. Some exceptions: electronics, designer clothes and shoes, vitamins and supplements, and weirdly, coffee beans outside of grocery store brands. I'm sure there are others, but overall we are always happily surprised how much less it costs to live here.

Real estate and rental prices have become an issue in Spain, especially in premium areas, but that's true all over the world and it's still cheaper here than in the United States. 

Natural Beauty and Historic Architecture 

 

Whether you prefer mountains, rolling hills, rocky coasts, sandy beaches, whatever... Spain's got it. I will spare you the 47,000 pictures, mostly poorly lit and off kilter, that we took when we first got here. And when in the U.S. we talk about being a town or neighborhood being "historic" we usually mean at most a couple of centuries, and it usually only a few blocks or so that have been preserved with any sort of quaint ambiance.

 

 Spain definitely has us beat in that department. Everywhere you look: things that are old and pretty.

 

The Rest of Europe is Right There Waiting to be Explored!

When you don't have to make several tricky connections and cross a huge ocean just to get to Europe, you can explore it at a more sensible, leisurely pace, and really get a feel for each destination. You don't need to do that frantic cramming-in of every landmark you've ever heard about, barely unpacking your suitcase before its time to pack it back up again because who knows when you'll ever be back?

If you live in Spain, you will be back! Take your time.

 

 

Lifestyle

This is a hugely important difference between countries, and why so many ex-pats discover that they love it here. Spanish culture does not seem to revolve around the pursuit of money and material possessions nearly as much as in countries like the U.S. There is a much stronger and wider social safety net, so much less terror around making ends meet. There is a lot more paid vacation time and in general, an expectation that people need time with their families and friends.

It feels incredibly safe here. People do not have the right to own and carry weapons and use them to express their feelings by maiming or killing people who may have offended them. Here, they gripe, yell, honk their horns, or use colorful and confusing obscenities. "Oh yeah? Well, my dick sweats. And I shit in YOUR milk, you cuckolded goat!"

And they don't tend to have the huge population of disgruntled misogynist loners and incels that we do, staring at their screens, nursing their grudges. Family, friends, and community have a high priority, and this is a population that loves to socialize, particularly outdoors. I don't know if it's still true or ever was, and don't want to look it up and find out I'm wrong, but I read at one point that Valencia has more restaurants, bars and cafes per capita than any city in the world. Even if it's not true, it certainly feels that way. And the "vibe" of groups of people of all ages hanging out chatting and laughing and shouting and enjoying each other's company is strangely contagious, even if you're just walking by on the way to the grocery store you feel like you're part of the party.

Because Spaniards do like to party, and put on costumes, and attend festivals and parades of various sorts.

 

Valencia is famous for Fallas, which goes on for weeks and culminates in the simultaneous torching of giant beautiful sculptures that take a year to build. And that's just one of many throughout the year.

 

And finally, another part of the Spanish lifestyle is the "mañana" attitude: don't be in such a rush, don't expect things to happen immediately, have patience and chill, it will all get done eventually! Which is why you are reading this post a week later than I originally thought I'd be getting around to writing one. A blog post once a week? Or every other week? Once a month? Does it really matter?

Now if you'll excuse me it's about time for my siesta... 

Ever contemplate moving to another country? What would lure you away from the United States or wherever else you might live?