cost of living - Page 4

Hi aitch,

The original question posed by the OP of this thread was, "It would be interesting to know if anyone in Spain or in UK has been significantly affected by cost of living."

To answer your own query, I think it's somewhat naive to assume that those of us who are better informed aren't aware that UK opposition parties were calling for a Windfall Tax in February.  You may think it's acceptable for BoJo and his cronies to delay agreeing it until July for their political convenience, but I care about the people who were struggling to make ends meet last winter, as well as what they're facing in the next.

As for the price of beer, in common with the UK (and the rest of the world!), many of Spain's bars and restaurants are desperately trying to stay in business.  They can't absorb the huge cost increases in energy and produce without passing at least some of it onto consumers.  Personally, I'd consider myself lucky if my most difficult daily decision was in which bar I could get the cheapest pint, when there are others choosing between heating or eating.

Kind regards,

Kim

Hello 

 Exactly Kim, I watched it too.   Paying €3.50 or any amount for a pint, is a choice, it is a Want not a Need, unlike electricity which is essential to life.

 There will always be somebody trying to defend the undefendable , i guess it depends what your priorities are!

Cheers

Elinspain

Kim,

    personally I don't see what political convenience there would have been by delaying any decision on windfall taxes until July.  The UK government has been working a raft of measures for months, all of which were in the link I sent you the other day. The next round of help is in the pipeline. The money needed to fund this will have to come from a variety of sources, mostly the taxpayer, and will be sourced in the coming months and years.

  The opposition parties come up with alternative proposals on a regular basis, that is part of their role in life. The government in power has to implement plans and finance them, not so easy.

People in the UK are rightly worried about what might happen in the winter so the next support package detail will be critical. Let's see what that brings. 

AItch.

The cost of living in the U.K. is higher than it is in the Costa Blanca but the salaries/ wages are a lot higher than people earn in the Spanish costas.  The cost of petrol has come down drastically here in Northern Ireland   The cost of food has increased by 20p extra on so many items. Eating out is far more expensive than eating out in Spain. My son bad a birthday lunch last Friday for 20 adults and 7 small children all family members. Starter and Main courses only snd lots of wine and beer. Cost £950   The same party if held in a good restaurant in La Mata would not have cost anything like that.  
No need for a tumble dryer, few people have central heating. Massive savings there .yes, food has become more expensive but shop wisely and you can still eat well for less  ( market fruit and veg in Spain)

This winter people will simply have to spend their money wisely. Less dining out or visits to the local. The big expense in the U.K. is heating our homes all day long!  So many people have chosen to work from home and will save money on travel but they’ll have to heat their homes all day long otherwise they’ll be frozen. That’s going to cost them a lot.  Big changes afoot. People will return to their place of work 

When I was a child, I wore a woollen vest and warm woollen sweaters not to mention pure wool socks.  Never cold.  Doubt if you can buy these vests in today’s world. Cotton will never keep you warm. Invest in a good woollen sweater and you’ll be snug as a bug in a rug!  Don’t forget a woollen scarf. 

Take a look at what the people of Scotland wore years ago. Tweeds (wool). Kilts( wool) thick knitted socks and all the rest. Buy less and buy quality and you’ll never feel the cold.
For anyone who can’t afford to buy these, charity shops are well worth a visit. 

Spanish homes deserve good warm rugs on the floors. Roll them up in the summer but get them out in November. If we prepare for winter and have the right clothes, we’ll survive. 

Wages are higher in UK ? What type of jobs are you referring to ?

Besides, what about pensioners ? whose pension is higher ?

I get the same retirement pension from the UK government in Spain as I would in the UK. The difference being is that its cheaper to live in Spain therefore I'm better off. 😁

Steve 

I meant, Spanish pension compare to UK pension.

There are differences but:

https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN00290/SN00290.pdf

UK list down near the bottom.

V

This only shows pension in Ireland, Holland and Denmark are higher than UK.

Any idea what Spanish pension is for a single person ?

As I stated re differences ie: (dependent on age & how the pensions are calculated etc) it compares on (Income sources of older people in OECD countries). I used only UK stats. There are other sites.

V