Retirement in benidorm

Hi,

Villamar is a fair way from the night life of Benidorm and it would entail a bus or taxi ride to the entertainment areas.

As you are not yet at retirement age you will need to apply for a non lucrative visa from the Spanish consulate in London, Manchester or Edinburgh. 

You will need to meet the income and healthcare requirements. As a couple you will need an income of around €34,000 per annum and full private healthcare paid for a full year. You will need to prove that you still have the required income and healthcare at years 2 and 4 to keep the visa valid. 

Some areas will accept a lower annual income as long as you keep a very healthy bank balance. 

With a non lucrative visa you will not be allowed to work and earn money otherwise you will make the visa invalid. 

There are other documents that you need to get together such as marriage certificate translated into Spanish and a police background check. 

Have a look here:

How to apply for a Non-Lucrative visa (NLV)

Here is a post from someone going through the application:

Non Lucrative Visa application

Steve 

Hi Steve thank you, the links you have sent were extremely helpful 

Gaynor

Look at point 5 on the second link Steve sent, it appears that depending on how much your house savings are it could be enough.

Some expenses will add up over the 5 years such as site fees which could be anywhere between €3-400 a month, usually with electric on top. Private medical insurance will have to be paid for at least the first year and then you can join the Convenio Especial which will give you access to Spanish healthcare at the same rate as a local but it goes up from about €60 a month each to €157 at 65 which you will have to pay until state pension age is reached.

https://upsticks.es/

These have had a few reommendations on the forum lately.
Good luck with everything and I hope you get some recommendations for good sites but as Steve says, if you are wanting Benidorm for all year round entertainment then you need to be able to get to it. 

https://www.google.es/maps/place/Av.+Severo+Ochoa,+39+%5BBenidorm%5D/@38.5513216,-0.0971035,16.75z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0xd62046bfb457f15:0xd73e9d4903cf5e31!8m2!3d38.5526357!4d-0.0977055

If you look on google maps you can click on the nearby bus stop and get timetables. None of them seem to run past 11 pm.

Hi thank you for your reply . We are planning to come out for a week next year have a good look round and make this is what we both want . Our plans to date were quite simple but the more we look into the move the more complicated it seems, but I feel it will be worth it for a better pace of life . We were planning on selling our home living off the proceeds which we should be able to comfortably until our pension starts. Then just live of our government pension do you think this would be feesable. Thanks gaynor

The full rate for the new State Pension for the 2021/2022 tax year is £179.60. If both you and your partner have built up the full 35 qualifying years, then you'll get double this amount as a married couple. This comes to £359.20 between you.Apr 28, 2022 

That is roughly €1800 per month. Take off site fees, possibly €1400 left or about €320 a week between you.
You will probably have to pay just 10% of your medication costs but all dental work is private although cheaper than the UK in general.
Food prices are not hugely different from the UK but there are bargains to be had in the markets. British brands are very expensive.
Alcohol in supermarkets is a fraction of the cost of the UK at the moment but there is talk of increasing duties on this and tobacco products. My husband has just bought canned lager at Carrefour on a 3 packs for the price of two offer which works out at 18 cents a can but you would have problems getting it back home without a car. He shares a litre bottle at the local cafe  with a friend for €1.30.
Eating out with a menu del día can be very economical at between €12-15 for starter, mains and sweet, sometimes with a coffee, small beer or wine as well.
Without a car, provided you're not gadding about in taxis and eating and drinking out all the time, I think it is perfectly feasible especially if you still have some house money in reserve.
Importantly, if you do decide to go ahead, you need to arrive in Spain in the second half of any year to avoid having to pay Capital Gains tax on the sale of your UK home......no main home exemption here. This way you will not become tax resident until the new tax year here in Spain on January 1st.

Thank you cheryl  that’s very helpful. Am I right in thinking we need private medical insurance each year until we actually retire when we can claim Spanish nhs ? 

Gaynor

https://upsticks.es/healthcare-in-spain-what-is-the-convenio-especial/

Hi,

As you are under pension age don't forget that Private healthcare and the Convenio Especial requires you to pay full cost of medication. At retirement age and receiving UK government pension you can apply for the S1 healthcare scheme which is paid for by the UK government. 

You can get a nice 2 bedroom apartment in Benidorm for the same cost of living on a camp site. Most of the camp sites here in Benidorm have hidden costs such as charging for visitors, extra use of the pool, Internet etc. 

Steve.