Spain - cost of living, etc. Thread poster: TranslateThis
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Dear fellow translators,
I have been offered a job in Madrid. I am very tempted to accept it as I’ve always dreamed of living in the beautiful country of Spain. I have a few questions, though, that I would like to get answers to before accepting the offer. Well, many, many questions, actually. Here are a couple of them:
1. Living expenses. I would like to know a bit about the cost of living in Madrid
(mainly for budgeting purposes: costs such as average monthly... See more Dear fellow translators,
I have been offered a job in Madrid. I am very tempted to accept it as I’ve always dreamed of living in the beautiful country of Spain. I have a few questions, though, that I would like to get answers to before accepting the offer. Well, many, many questions, actually. Here are a couple of them:
1. Living expenses. I would like to know a bit about the cost of living in Madrid
(mainly for budgeting purposes: costs such as average monthly expenses for housing, food, cell phone contract, regular house phone, internet (DSL), etc.)
2. Apartment listings online.
Do you know of any reliable websites where I could find apartment listings in Madrid? I will be looking for a one bedroom apartment, somewhere in a nice neighborhood close to the center / university, shops, libraries, bookstores, etc.
3. Tax rate and work permit. Does any one know what the situation is in terms of employment for citizens of EU member countries? In particular, how to find out what the tax rate is and should I get a special work permit? So far, I have only worked in Latin America and in the US, so I am clueless as to laws that apply in Spain… Will I need to apply for a work permit, and if so, is it a lengthy process?
4. University tuition. Would you happen to know whether there are special tuition rates for citizens of EU member countries? I very much like the idea of studying in Spain as well. I have read in another recent thread that the costs of studyng are much lower than in the US. I am just wondering whether the rates depend on the country of citizenship, more specifically, are the costs for non-Spanish citizens much higher?
I have many, many more questions, but I guess I better stick to the major ones . Thank you for any advice you might provide.... In the meantime, I can’t sleep as I can’t stop thinking about this great opportunity!!
-K. ▲ Collapse
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2. http://madrid.loquo.com/
Housing is expensive...
3. No work permit needed for citizens of EU member states. http://ec.europa.eu/youreurope/nav/es/citizens/guides/working/es.html
"Finland, Portugal and Spain are set to follow Britain, Sweden and Irela... See more 2. http://madrid.loquo.com/
Housing is expensive...
3. No work permit needed for citizens of EU member states. http://ec.europa.eu/youreurope/nav/es/citizens/guides/working/es.html
"Finland, Portugal and Spain are set to follow Britain, Sweden and Ireland in opening up their labour markets to workers from new member states.
The three recently announced that, from 1 May, they will end the transitional measures applied to workers from Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Slovenia. The restrictions do not apply to Cyprus and Malta which also joined the EU in 2004."
Tax rate depends on your income.
HTH ▲ Collapse
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Andy Watkinson 
Spain
Local time: 05:06
Member
Catalan to English
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[Editado a las 2006-07-16 00:57]
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Irene N
United States
Local time: 22:06
English to Russian
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| How do you mean "offered a job" then? | Jul 16, 2006 |
if you must take care of work permit etc. yourself?
Your prospective employer will have to help you with tons of things, including getting a rental apartment as a resident - in Europe it is very hard for a newcomer from out of EU without tenant history and references - either a 6-month payment upfront or some kind of a guarantee satisfactory for the local owners will be required. As a minimum, you should check this nuance out in advance. I'm talking from a US project manager experi... See more if you must take care of work permit etc. yourself?
Your prospective employer will have to help you with tons of things, including getting a rental apartment as a resident - in Europe it is very hard for a newcomer from out of EU without tenant history and references - either a 6-month payment upfront or some kind of a guarantee satisfactory for the local owners will be required. As a minimum, you should check this nuance out in advance. I'm talking from a US project manager experience, had to deal with those things in England and Netherlands.
This November I'm going to Spain for the first time:-) Can't wait to see Barcelona! ▲ Collapse
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Andy Watkinson
Spain
Local time: 05:06
Member
Catalan to English
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Hi,
Work permit:
You will definitely need a work permit and I'd enquire at the nearest Spanish embassy/consulate in the US.
Paperwork in Spain is as bad (often worse) than other places. France, I've heard, is even worse.
Not insuperable, just a pain in the .......But come prepared from the outset.
Housing would be, in my opinion, the main problem.
Madrid is not cheap.
I trust the moderators will not object to my posting... See more Hi,
Work permit:
You will definitely need a work permit and I'd enquire at the nearest Spanish embassy/consulate in the US.
Paperwork in Spain is as bad (often worse) than other places. France, I've heard, is even worse.
Not insuperable, just a pain in the .......But come prepared from the outset.
Housing would be, in my opinion, the main problem.
Madrid is not cheap.
I trust the moderators will not object to my posting something which I know should be in English but, frankly, at 2:41 in the morning I don't really feel like translating.
TranslateThis will understand it, no doubt.
"El precio medio mensual de la vivienda en alquiler en Madrid capital alcanza los 1.211 euros, según refleja un estudio realizado por la sociedad de tasación y valoración Euroval, que ha analizado un total de 2.544 pisos situados en los 21 distritos de la ciudad.
La investigación sostiene que los distritos más caros para alquilar una vivienda en Madrid son Moncloa, Retiro, Chamberí y Salamanca, que llegan a ofertar precios máximos superiores a los 6.000 euros.
Por el contrario, los más baratos son Villa de Vallecas y Villaverde, con precios máximos de alquiler inferiores a los 900 euros y que como media oscilan entre los 755 y los 796 euros.
La superficie media de estas viviendas es de 102 metros cuadrados, un 5 por ciento más que lo que reflejaba el mismo estudio el año pasado. Hortaleza, Centro, Retiro, Chamberí, Salamanca, Chamartín, Moncloa y Fuencarral son los distritos que ofrecen viviendas con mayores superficies máximas, llegando a superar los 200 metros cuadrados.
El 45 por ciento de las viviendas en alquiler que existen en la capital se concentran en los distritos de Salamanca, Centro, Chamartín y Fuencarral. En el otro extremo se sitúan Moratalaz, Villaverde, Puente de Vallecas, Usera, Vicálvaro y Villa de Vallecas, que no superan el 4 por ciento de la oferta de la capital.
La tipología de vivienda en alquiler más ofertada de la capital es la que tiene dos dormitorios (29 por ciento), seguida de la que tiene tres (28 de cada cien) y de la que sólo tiene uno (27 por ciento)."
So, basically you're looking at US$ 1,500 approx. a month.
Bear in mind that both agencies and individuals renting property will probably ask for anything from 2 to 6 months in advance, plus the contract expenses, usually also equal a month's rent.
Min.- US$ 4,500
Max- US$ 9,000 or 10,000.
Happy to be corrected by anyone from Madrid - I only really know BCN.
Can't think of anything else for the moment.
Cheers,
Andy ▲ Collapse
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TranslateThis
Local time: 22:06
Spanish to English
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TOPIC STARTER
Thanks everyone for responding as I am trying to figure it all out... Kind replies in Spanish containing useful information are more than welcome (I don't know if this is against the rules. I guess I might as well post in Spanish seperately. Anyone wishing to contact me via my profile is more than welcome to do so. ) Well, the cost of living in Madrid seems a bit higher than I expected (especially when you consider the deposit requirement equivalent to 2-6 months of rent  ... See more Thanks everyone for responding as I am trying to figure it all out... Kind replies in Spanish containing useful information are more than welcome (I don't know if this is against the rules. I guess I might as well post in Spanish seperately. Anyone wishing to contact me via my profile is more than welcome to do so. ) Well, the cost of living in Madrid seems a bit higher than I expected (especially when you consider the deposit requirement equivalent to 2-6 months of rent  ) Ouch!
Irene,
Thanks for your comments. Just to clarify: the offer is on the table so I can either take it or turn it down (or perhaps negotiate a bit - and that's why I am asking about costs, etc. to get a better idea about finances before I plunge into this without taking into consideration the real costs of living). The employer will certainly help out with the proper paperwork and permit, etc., although it's a small company and they do not know much about this process, either.
Thanks, again! ▲ Collapse
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| EU national and 'los mileuristas' | Jul 16, 2006 |
You mentioned you were a national of one of the EU member states, residing in the US. If that is the case, a work permit is not necessary (see my previous post). If you are a US national, things will be considerably more complicated.
Salaries for in-house jobs are generally low in Spain. There are many graduates having to survive on EU... See more You mentioned you were a national of one of the EU member states, residing in the US. If that is the case, a work permit is not necessary (see my previous post). If you are a US national, things will be considerably more complicated.
Salaries for in-house jobs are generally low in Spain. There are many graduates having to survive on EUR 1000/month!
http://www.elpais.es/articulo/elpdompor/20051023elpdmgpor_1/Tes/
"A mediados de agosto llegó una carta a este periódico que anunciaba la aparición de una nueva clase social. Se titulaba Soy mileurista y decía, entre otras cosas, lo siguiente: "El mileurista es aquel joven licenciado, con idiomas, posgrados, másters y cursillos (...) que no gana más de 1.000 euros. Gasta más de un tercio de su sueldo en alquiler, porque le gusta la ciudad. No ahorra, no tiene casa, no tiene coche, no tiene hijos, vive al día... A veces es divertido, pero ya cansa (...)". La autora, Carolina Alguacil, de 27 años, reside en el centro de Barcelona y trabaja en una agencia de publicidad. Inventó el término -y decidió escribir la carta- después de pasar unos días en Alemania y comparar, con un sentimiento a medio camino entre la rabia y la envidia, cómo vivían sus amigos berlineses y cómo vivían ella y sus amigos españoles.
Carolina comparte su casa con otras tres chicas de 25, 29 y 29 años. Ninguna gana lo suficiente como para alquilarse un apartamento. " ▲ Collapse
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TranslateThis
Local time: 22:06
Spanish to English
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TOPIC STARTER | thanks, Anjo | Jul 16, 2006 |
Anjo Sterringa wrote:
You mentioned you were a national of one of the EU member states, residing in the US. If that is the case, a work permit is not necessary (see my previous post).
Yes, and thanks for the link you provided. Very useful.
Salaries for in-house jobs are generally low in Spain. There are many graduates having to survive on EUR 1000/month!
Fortunately the job pays considerably better; it is not a translation job although it does require good language skills. I'm not sure if I could survive on EUR 1000/month in Spain, even though my spending habits switch to a so called "essentials only" mode when necessary.
I am thrilled with this opportunity! So far I have only known Spain from travel and history books, movies, pictures and through literature and my friends' eyes. Now it would be a whole different story!
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Parrot
Spain
Local time: 05:06
Spanish to English
+ ...
TranslateThis wrote:
4. University tuition. Would you happen to know whether there are special tuition rates for citizens of EU member countries? I very much like the idea of studying in Spain as well. I have read in another recent thread that the costs of studyng are much lower than in the US. I am just wondering whether the rates depend on the country of citizenship, more specifically, are the costs for non-Spanish citizens much higher?
Don't worry. And Jackie's reference is still good.
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