Estate agents on the Costa del Sol

Spanish consumer prices among lowest!

If you needed any further persuasion to head to Spain,there's great news about the cost of living.

According to the Spain Buying Guide, Eurostat, the EU statistics agency, has reported that Spain’s residents and visitors enjoy some of the lowest prices in Europe, especially for clothing, alcohol and cigarettes. The agency looked at household spending in all of the EU 28 countries in 2016 and found that Spanish prices were at 91.5% of the EU average. The UK was 121% of the EU average, and France and Italy joined most other northern European countries with above average prices. Most eastern European nations were considerably cheaper than Spain, while Cyprus, Greece and Portugal were all between 85 and 88% of the EU average.

Spain is the cheapest for unbranded clothes and shoes despite the country being in the forefront of high-end fashion and exclusive shoe design. Cigarettes carry a huge amount of tax as do alcoholic drinks, which contribute to their price, but they still cost less in Spain than many other countries. Interestingly, Spain is the fifth cheapest for all types of personal transport from cars to bicycles.
On the other hand, the agency describes Spanish telecommunications as “unnecessarily expensive”, in fact Spain is the sixth most expensive country in Europe. Lack of competition and a traditionally high cost contribute to this. Furniture is also expensive in Spain as there are fewer mass-produced Spanish outlets such as Ikea. Most Spanish furniture is of high quality and pricey, sold in small exclusive privately owned shops, which is why it is more expensive here than at its neighbour Portugal.  What better excuse for hiring a van and going over the border to kit out your new summer home?