A basket of goods...

[wallpaper]

Well, the time has come for me to seriously start planning some time away from work, and I am considering the pluses and minuses of many cities, countries, and continents. My only reservation about travel to Europe is the expensive Euro, which makes me consider Australia, South America, Asia to be more cost effective alternatives. But it has always been a dream of mine to discover Spain and this is a dream that will not go quietly...

Could anybody in Spain/Portugal tell me about the cost of living out there, for a typical basket of goods in the grocery store for example?

I would also appreciate any insight from someone who has travelled spain on a budget, ie hostels and cheap food, regarding the costs to expect on a trip like that.

I have heard that its pretty much 1 to 1 without considering the stronger euro, but Id like to hear from somebody who is living there now or has been there recently... especially considering the economic climate out there at the moment.

[carebrennan]

Hi Wallpaper

I am currently living in Valencia. I would say grocery costs are almost equal to if not maybe a little less than Canada. The fruit and vegetables are for the most part cheaper here just because of the proximity of these items coming from local farms, etc..They are not being flown in due to the winters we have at home so this is a bonus.

Things that are more expensive here are things like runners, electric goods such as DVD's, players, stereo stuff, etc...As long as you bring those essentials with you it shouldn't impact you as much. We have kids in school here so we definitely found the costs with school supplies, textbooks and uniforms to be quite expensive.

They are in what call the "crisis" here but funny enough it doesn't seem to affect them as much as you think it would. People are shopping all the time for the latest clothes, etc...I am sure some people are out of jobs, etc..but I can't say I see the crisis affecting most people. *On that note it is almost impossible for non EU citizens to find work. If you were planning on working here I would try to get something from that end and not just come here thinking you can get something as it is almost non-existent. Maybe depending on your background, schooling something is out there.

As far as Spain on a budget for sure it can be done. Stay in hostels or pensions, eat a big lunch for the deal or "menu of the day" and then have a light supper. The menus range from $6-20Euros depending on restaurant and food quality. You get alot of food at lunch for that menu and then just a salad or something light does the trick for supper so you can save money on that basis alone. There is no menu of the day on weekends so then its best to eat in or eat pizza! Check out pensions or hostels on the net and I;m sure you will find some prices to make comparissons to give you an idea depending on exact towns and where you plan to visit.

Hope this helps you. Ask more questions if you need. Good Luck!

[wallpaper]

Well, I appreciate your invitation for more questions as I have quite a number of them! But most are just logistical things I need to work out for myself, so Ill try and keep it brief!

One thing you may be able to help me with is destination planning. Have you travelled much outside of Spain? We are planning to start near San Sebastian in August and move counter clockwise along the coast through Portugal and ending up near Barcelona (Or maybe the other way around, who knows!). What drives me is seeing some areas off the beaten path, some small towns that are tourist friendly, full of personality but not tourist hot spots. These are a little bit more difficult to plan for with no knowledge of the area... do you know of any areas that fit this description?

In that same context, are there any destinations in Spain/Portugal that you think are a "must see"?

[carebrennan]

Hi back Wallpaper.

We have travelled extensively in Spain over many years and have also travelled within Portugal. I think your idea to start in San Sebastian is a great one. It is so awesome there! Lots of tapas and great little eating spots and also such a nice situated place with awesome views! Definitely suggest going to Bilbao even if for the day to see the Guggenheim Museum. Next I would stop in Asturias. It is so beautiful. A hidden gem if you don’t know about it. Great food (big portions) as this is mountain eating. Tonnes of cheese and wine around here. We stayed in Nueva. Not on the beach but a short car ride away. Cute town. Some of the nicest beaches. Some are hidden so find the hidden roads to discover them.

Definitely recommend you stopping in Santiago de Compestela in Galicia . It is one of my favorite places in Spain. Really good wine and cheese here too! Very historic and a hugely travelled catholic pilgrimage site with a beautiful cathedral.

In Portugal we started in Porto and went down the coast to the Algarve. Of course in Porto, there are lots of port tastings if you like that and also it is a very nice city. Faro is a nice spot in the Algarve.
Seville is a great city to visit too.

Eating, for the most part try to see where the locals are going. We are back door travelers so this is a regular thing for us to do, to go down the roads off the beaten path. We have had huge portions, great service and lower prices. Always worth exploring and asking questions.

In the south of Spain check out the old white town of Mojacar. The Alpujarras and Granada are definitely worth visiting too.

Coming up the coast stop in Valencia for a great mix of old and new. South of Valencia are some great beach towns like Denia, Altea and Calpe. Teruel is a really nice city famous for its Serrano ham (jamon). It is in the province of Aragon and has a mountain feel to it.

Closer to Barcelona is a beautiful wine region with a town called Falset. If you go stay with Paco and Quima at Mas Figueres. You won’t regret it. Beautiful grounds and a hearty Catalan breakfast for you each morning. So impressive. If you go tell them Garth & Carolyn told you about it. Our kids loved it there too and keep asking when we will go back to Paco's!

Good Luck!

[wallpaper]

Carebrennan,

Thanks for such a wonderful response!! This will really help to make our route planning much more familiar!

Again, I really appreciate the time youve taken to help.

[carebrennan]

No problem. Good luck with your research. We use tripadvisor alot when trying to locate places to stay. We stick to the family run small places and usually find such nice people running the places. More to it than just a hotel stay.

One other place I will mention as I realized I hadn't as it is beyond Barcelona in the Pyrenees mountains. We have a friend up there too so thats what took us there but if you like mountains check out Taull. It has one of the oldest romanesque churches and is in an absolute stunning spot. It is all about relaxing and the great outdoors there. Very quiet. Hiking, skiing in winter. If you go drop me a line about it.

Happy researching. It will be well worth it!

Care

[wallpaper]

Carebrennan,

Thank you again! What you just described is exactly what Im looking for out of this trip... I really want to spend alot of time in the mountain areas, hiking and enjoying the landscape. Hopefully this latest suggestion falls along the route of the Eurail!

You seem to be quite an expert on the area... Maybe once I start to finalize things and coordinate this more with what my girlfriend wants to see, Ill tell you about my route and make sure I havent done anything stupid!

[Vito Niraj]

I would say grocery costs are almost equal to if not maybe a little less than Canada.The fruit and vegetables are for the most part cheaper here just because of the proximity of these items coming from local farms, etc..



Consider a basket of consumer goods. The basket of goods costs $100 in the United States. The same basket of goods costs 300 ringgit in Malaysia. The nominal exchange rate is 4 ringgit per dollar.