Costs of spending winter in Spain compared to the UK

[Guest pelmetman]

Accepting that you have to get there and pay for a campsite ;-)...............Has anyone worked out the difference in costs...........ie how much more expensive is it to spend the winter in Spain compared to staying in the UK?

 

We are now spending £35 a week on coal for the log burner, as we've burn't my stash of free wood 8-)..............So that's a £140 a month saving straight away :D

 

Add in the saving on electric and oil heating just being on frost setting, along with the cheaper costs of eating out food drink etc.................not to mention being able to wander around in Shorts and T shirts in January B-)

 

At a rough guesstimate I'd say it maybe cost's us an extra £100 a week :-S...............

[almanac]

Hi.

We winter in Spain & Portugal and last year we did a check, 15 weeks £1500 this included everything except food and entertainment.

We included Tunnel, Fuel, Tolls but only where necessary, campsites and gas.

 

Alan

[BGD]

Nothing scientific, and not directly comparable to UK v Spain, but........

 

Even though we live on the Costa Blanca, in Jan/Feb is usually very cold (at least, for us!) at nights, down to maybe 2, 3 or 4 degrees at our house, which is about 15kms inland:

http://www.eltiempo.es/orba.html

 

We don't have central heating.... almost no Spanish houses do, as for maybe half of the year the issue is all about keeping the suns heat OUT not in....and Spanish houses are not built with any sort of heat insulation in mind. Single skinned, single glazed, no ceilings below rafters into which you could add loft insulation etc.

Thus, when it's down to 4 degrees outside, unlike a UK well insulated and centrally heated house, it's quickly 4 degrees INSIDE the house too, unless you've got gas/paraffin/wood fires going all the time.

 

Some our friends have got gas central heating fitted (it works using a bank of big, 35 kg Repsol butano bottles over here). Just spoke to them a couple of days ago, and it costs them 375 euros for each "swop"of bottles; and they use up a bank of bottles every 3 to four weeks. Or costs are nowhere near that, perhaps 40 euros per week for gas/parafin to heat parts of the villa and cook/domestic hot water.

 

The hearing season here is short of course, maybe only early November to mid- march, and mainly only during hours of darkness......but the ability of buildings to retain the heat from any source that you add, is rubbish...you may as well have a fire going but leave a window open.

So staying warm in the villa in deep winter is a combination of BIG coats and gas/parafin fire running for hours and hours constantly. And lecky blanket on the bed too.

 

Thus, for the past couple of years, and again this coming Jan, we head south in the Motorhome through Jan and early Feb, over to the Algarve coast of Portugal.

Ambient temperatures significantly higher there than inland Costa Blanca at that time of year, and of course the cost of gas-bottle heating the comparatively tiny air volume inside the MH is miniscule.

So, as we almost exclusively wild-camp, and mostly eat-in in the MH, and use the scooter rather than the MH to whizz about once based somewhere in Portugal/Costa del sol, I reckon there's very little additional cost, if any, in having such a 6 week holiday in Portugal at that time of the year.

 

It's also great fun to have a holiday at that, otherwise pretty boring, time of the year.

 

 

[Guest JudgeMental]

Its pretty obvious that living in Spain cheaper, cost and quality of produce far better then here, as is eating out, drinking, entertainment, whatever...and then you have the wonderful weather which is the major factor I think. But you still have to run your UK house and that aint cheap even if you do save a few quid on gas/electric, cancelled out by fuel costs getting there I would imagine... *-)

 

EDIT: Jeez Bruce, paraffin stoves? get a wood burner, they are wonderful....life's to short to be cold!

 

when I look at property programs, most of the Spanish houses seem to have wood stoves

[ips]

Thats a good point judge.

Cant see it being cheaper unless you either sold up or rented your uk house for the winter.

Still sounds very appealing though, winter in the sun would be fantastic for my sciatica :-D

[Guest JudgeMental]

ips - 2012-12-06 9:58 AM

 

Thats a good point judge.

Cant see it being cheaper unless you either sold up or rented your uk house for the winter.

Still sounds very appealing though, winter in the sun would be fantastic for my sciatica :-D

 

Believe me if it wasn't for my health I would spend all winter there...

[Guest pelmetman]

almanac - 2012-12-06 9:45 AM

 

Hi.

We winter in Spain & Portugal and last year we did a check, 15 weeks £1500 this included everything except food and entertainment.

We included Tunnel, Fuel, Tolls but only where necessary, campsites and gas.

 

Alan

 

That'll be a £100 a week then ;-)

[BGD]

Eddie - what those "Home in the Sun" programmes don't tell you is that the costs of the different fuel types are VERY different in Spain than the UK.

 

Over here, firewood is VERY expensive (as is ANY sort of wood) compared to the UK.

Conversely, and perhaps weirdly, bottled gas is much cheaper; and paraffin is really cheap.

 

You'll indeed see a lot of posh show-houses with a wood-burning fore in the lounge, but the cost and hassle of fuelling it and lighting it etc means that they don't get used much. Honestly.

 

We had a wood burner in our lounge when we moved into this house, but I took it out after the first winter and replaced it with a gas fire...........the cost of the firewood was more than gas.

Also the hassle of carrying it all up 33 steps from the road to the level of the villa, and having to tend the thing even though we are often in-and-out through day/evening were just too much as well.

 

The paraffin heaters people use here are really modern things, don't think 1950's UK type ones at all . They have electronic ignition, totally smell-free fuel...last for days and days on one fill of the tank...thermostatic controls, timers etc; and the fuel really is very price-competitive too.

They also don't give off the water vapour that using bottled gas "estufas" ( portable fires) do.

 

They really are very widely used in Spain, both for fuel price, and ease of use reasons.

 

 

[Guest pelmetman]

ips - 2012-12-06 9:58 AM

 

Thats a good point judge.

Cant see it being cheaper unless you either sold up or rented your uk house for the winter.

Still sounds very appealing though, winter in the sun would be fantastic for my sciatica :-D

 

I doubted it would be cheaper unless as you say you rented out your house, or wild camped all the time ;-)...................Its a how long is a piece of string question, but I was just trying to get an idea of how much more a week on average it costs to be in Spain when compared to the UK.............and if its about £100 a week then I'd say its worth every penny :D

[vindiboy]

Just paid £89 for a return ticket to Calais, three Months away going to Spain / Portugal, will wild camp all the time , so I have to buy Diesel , food costs will be  less than here for sure as some great Markets to buy fresh  goodies, and at home we all tend to buy too much food  and stock our Freezers don't we,  Drinking is much cheaper  " over there " only entertainment costs we have is a few  good cheap meals out and said drinks so all that is cheap enough.

  At home my Electricity  is mostly turned off , Water is  not being used { metered ] and gas is off so big savings there so work it out, we always save money by being away  we usually go for about 6 month trips too.Any way  whatever it costs it is a great way of life and we love doing it.  I have been to four weekend Rallies  over the past 8 weeks and on average I spent  £25 each weekend in fees not cheap to Rally here any more  and I hate to see my van sitting idle on my drive it is  meant to be rolling.

[ips]

and if its about £100 a week then I'd say its worth every penny :D

 

as would i :-D

[Guest JudgeMental]

I could live like a king in Spain If I rented out our London house!...5 star all the way, never mind the glamping...Just for one unfortunate fact, Miss baby Mental has decided to spend her last year of Uni at home *-) :-S

[BGD]

JudgeMental - 2012-12-06 1:19 PM

 

I could live like a king in Spain If I rented out our London house!...5 star all the way, never mind the glamping...Just for one unfortunate fact, Miss baby Mental has decided to spend her last year of Uni at home *-) :-S

 

 

 

Just charge her the normal market rate of monthly rent then mate. ;-)

[Guest pelmetman]

BGD - 2012-12-06 1:24 PM

 

JudgeMental - 2012-12-06 1:19 PM

 

I could live like a king in Spain If I rented out our London house!...5 star all the way, never mind the glamping...Just for one unfortunate fact, Miss baby Mental has decided to spend her last year of Uni at home *-) :-S

 

 

 

Just charge her the normal market rate of monthly rent then mate. ;-)

 

Might even be able to claim housing benefit ;-)..................

[Guest JudgeMental]

pelmetman - 2012-12-06 4:00 PM

 

BGD - 2012-12-06 1:24 PM

 

JudgeMental - 2012-12-06 1:19 PM

 

I could live like a king in Spain If I rented out our London house!...5 star all the way, never mind the glamping...Just for one unfortunate fact, Miss baby Mental has decided to spend her last year of Uni at home *-) :-S

 

 

 

Just charge her the normal market rate of monthly rent then mate. ;-)

 

Might even be able to claim housing benefit ;-)..................

 

Indeed........... :D

 

she is a beautiful intelligent girl with a formidable temper, I live in fear:-S ....not a clue where she gets it from! :-D

 

Honestly was chaeper paying for her rent up town then having her at home.. insists on the best of everything and Mrs Mental indulges her! :-|

[lennyhb]

JudgeMental - 2012-12-06 4:05 PM

 

 

Honestly was chaeper paying for her rent up town then having her at home.. insists on the best of everything and Mrs Mental indulges her! :-|

 

Know the feeling our little one (she is 27) has gone back to Uni at Brighton so stays with us Monday to Friday our outgoings seemed to have doubled. (lol)

[bolero boy]

We have been in Spain/France for the past 15 weeks (go home on Sunday) and, notwithstanding the travel and camping costs, we have found that you can get the equivalent of £20 goods/services for €20 so it is roughly 20% cheaper on a day to day basis.

[ips]

Judge

yes i know the feeling mini miss ips still costs me a fortune and she has full time employment and lives in Windsor. Is there no end lol

[Mike B.]

ips - 2012-12-06 7:35 PM

 

Judge

yes i know the feeling mini miss ips still costs me a fortune and she has full time employment and lives in Windsor. Is there no end lol

 

Nope-there isn't an end. Once Uni is finished, they want their own place, then it's the wedding, then it's weekends back home with husband, then it's 'can we borrow the van' then it's grandchildren and finally 'Have you thought about a bigger van for the future?' when grandkids are getting bigger.

Then it starts all over again with grandkids and 'Grandpa, I need some help..................'

So No it never ends but god bless 'em would we have it any other way? No pockets in shrouds are there? :-D

Mike

 

PS That's why we're off to Spain for the winter months!

[Wooie]

ips - 2012-12-06 7:35 PM

 

Judge

yes i know the feeling mini miss ips still costs me a fortune and she has full time employment and lives in Windsor. Is there no end lol

 

 

 

Our outgoings more than halved when the daughter finally left home !!!

 

You wouldn`t think 1 person could make so much difference.

[Barryd999]

Its bloody expensive leaving a house behind empty. This thread just made me work it out.

 

We were away six months this year in the summer. By the time you add up all the utilities, council tax etc our house sat empty doing nothing still costs £500 a month to run and I dont even have a mortgage. So that little trip in the summer despite what it cost me to do the house still cost me £3000!

 

I think I need a lie down.

[Guest JudgeMental]

Mike B. - 2012-12-06 8:51 PM

 

ips - 2012-12-06 7:35 PM

 

Judge

yes i know the feeling mini miss ips still costs me a fortune and she has full time employment and lives in Windsor. Is there no end lol

 

Nope-there isn't an end. Once Uni is finished, they want their own place, then it's the wedding, then it's weekends back home with husband, then it's 'can we borrow the van' then it's grandchildren and finally 'Have you thought about a bigger van for the future?' when grandkids are getting bigger.

Then it starts all over again with grandkids and 'Grandpa, I need some help..................'

So No it never ends but god bless 'em would we have it any other way? No pockets in shrouds are there? :-D

Mike

 

PS That's why we're off to Spain for the winter months!

#

Ha ha ha..Love it! But After all its nice to be loved and wanted ....All simply the buddhist wheel of life

[BGD]

Barryd999 - 2012-12-09 12:25 PM

 

Its bloody expensive leaving a house behind empty. This thread just made me work it out.

 

We were away six months this year in the summer. By the time you add up all the utilities, council tax etc our house sat empty doing nothing still costs £500 a month to run and I dont even have a mortgage. So that little trip in the summer despite what it cost me to do the house still cost me £3000!

 

I think I need a lie down.

 

 

OUCH! 8-)

[PJay]

Mike B. - 2012-12-06 8:51 PM

 

ips - 2012-12-06 7:35 PM

 

Judge

yes i know the feeling mini miss ips still costs me a fortune and she has full time employment and lives in Windsor. Is there no end lol

 

Nope-there isn't an end. Once Uni is finished, they want their own place, then it's the wedding, then it's weekends back home with husband, then it's 'can we borrow the van' then it's grandchildren and finally 'Have you thought about a bigger van for the future?' when grandkids are getting bigger.

Then it starts all over again with grandkids and 'Grandpa, I need some help..................'

So No it never ends but god bless 'em would we have it any other way? No pockets in shrouds are there? :-D

Mike

 

PS That's why we're off to Spain for the winter months!

 

Know what you mean, we have contributed to Grankids learning to drive!, just on the seventh one in January, then 2 more to go! Now have 1 great grand son, not sure if we will be around for him learning to drive!

[Barryd999]

BGD - 2012-12-09 11:58 AM

 

Barryd999 - 2012-12-09 12:25 PM

 

Its bloody expensive leaving a house behind empty. This thread just made me work it out.

 

We were away six months this year in the summer. By the time you add up all the utilities, council tax etc our house sat empty doing nothing still costs £500 a month to run and I dont even have a mortgage. So that little trip in the summer despite what it cost me to do the house still cost me £3000!

 

I think I need a lie down.

 

 

OUCH! 8-)

 

Actually apparently I got that wrong. £200 of that is some kind of investement plan that I will no doubt never see. Still mounts up though. Mrs D looks after money (She is / was an accountant). dont ask me if Im rich or poor. I have no idea.