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While I would LOVE to live abroad for a year or more with my kids, my husband has a job that doesn't permit it...so I'm looking to move abroad with the kids for just 3-6 months (ages 11 and 9). Looking for a town that would allow them to mingle with lots of other local kids, maybe play soccer, or other extra curriculars, etc. Not sure about the school situation--either an international school they could attend or local school, though my kids Spanish is not fluent at this point (I'm hoping 3-6 months will be the tipping point), but both are academically strong, so if they were a little lost for a few months, I don't think it would be a big deal.
I'm thinking a smaller town would provide a more intimate setting for getting a taste of local life on a shortened timeline, but open to all suggestions. My son, probably prefers Spain, but may be I can get him excited about another location. Also, we're very active as a family--hiking, rock climbing, etc. so mountain or beach access would be nice.
While I would LOVE to live abroad for a year or more with my kids, my husband has a job that doesn't permit it...so I'm looking to move abroad with the kids for just 3-6 months (ages 11 and 9). Looking for a town that would allow them to mingle with lots of other local kids, maybe play soccer, or other extra curriculars, etc. Not sure about the school situation--either an international school they could attend or local school, though my kids Spanish is not fluent at this point (I'm hoping 3-6 months will be the tipping point), but both are academically strong, so if they were a little lost for a few months, I don't think it would be a big deal.
I'm thinking a smaller town would provide a more intimate setting for getting a taste of local life on a shortened timeline, but open to all suggestions. My son, probably prefers Spain, but may be I can get him excited about another location. Also, we're very active as a family--hiking, rock climbing, etc. so mountain or beach access would be nice.
Thanks for any ideas or things I should consider.
Think about the region of ValparaÃso, in Chile.
Chile is a safe and stable country in both politics and economics, has a mild climate in almost all of its territory. This region is located on the coast and just a few kilometers of the Andes, and not so far of Santiago. The only issue is that the knowledge of English amongst chileans is not so good - Argentinians in general speak English better. This may be good or bad depending on the point of view.
I would say Spain first due to it being the safest Spanish speaking country and then probably Chile or Argentina. I think finding a proper school would probably be the biggest factor.
Spain has everything, beaches, forests, islands, and even deserts.
Many people don't realize is that the cost of living in Spain is pretty reasonable, maybe slightly more expensive than Mexico but still far cheaper than most U.S cities. Just because Spain is in Europe doesn't mean it will cost an arm and a leg.
Spain has everything, beaches, forests, islands, and even deserts.
Many people don't realize is that the cost of living in Spain is pretty reasonable, maybe slightly more expensive than Mexico but still far cheaper than most U.S cities. Just because Spain is in Europe doesn't mean it will cost an arm and a leg.
Spain is, with France, the most visited country of Europe. Doesn't this inflate the prices of real estate?
I don't know much about Spain, but France is expensive.
Spain is, with France, the most visited country of Europe. Doesn't this inflate the prices of real estate?
I don't know much about Spain, but France is expensive.
Most tourists concentrate in a few popular destinations like Barcelona, Madrid, Canary Island, Valencia, to name a few. The housing shortage in Barcelona is getting really bad. But if you are more adventurous, you'll find less touristy places significantly cheaper.
Tourists don't really have a huge impact on the real estate price in Spain, except for some beach destinations.
The economy in Spain is far worse than France, the unemployment rate is over 20% nationwide, over 35% in the south. You'll be surprised to learn the average income in Spain is also very low for an European country. After the collapse of real estate price in late 2000s, the market hasn't really recovered yet.
I thought about buying a property in Spain earlier, so I did a little bit research. The real estate price in Spain is relatively low, but not that low. What amazes me is that the rent can be very low in Spain compared with the US. The market seems to be more friendly for renters.
The economy in Spain is far worse than France, the unemployment rate is over 20% nationwide, over 35% in the south. You'll be surprised to learn the average income in Spain is also very low for an European country. After the collapse of real estate price in late 2000s, the market hasn't really recovered yet.
I remember that Spain was one of the most affected countries during the crisis in 2008 and the unemployment rates reached very high peaks at that time, especially amongst young people. But I didn't realise that the situation is still so bad...
I remember that Spain was one of the most affected countries during the crisis in 2008 and the unemployment rates reached very high peaks at that time, especially amongst young people. But I didn't realise that the situation is still so bad...
Spanish bureaucracy is among the worst in the developed world. It's not competitive in global market, so the real estate market won't come back within decades.
The economy in Spain is far worse than France, the unemployment rate is over 20% nationwide, over 35% in the south. You'll be surprised to learn the average income in Spain is also very low for an European country. After the collapse of real estate price in late 2000s, the market hasn't really recovered yet.
What? You can't be more wrong... are you serious? Average income very low for an European country ?!? lol, it surpasses the vast majority of Europe in wages. 70-75% more than it's neighbor Portugal...
- The economy of Spain is almost as good as the French one. In fact it's growing much more.
- The unemployment rate is 16%, not sure how it's over 20%, if it isn't over 20% since the end of 2014...
- The average income of Spain is 1.836€ per month (EURES) so surpasses the average of the EU and it's higher than Italy and the vast majority of Europe, it's only 250-300€ less than in the UK or France lol.
- The prices in Spain are much cheaper than in the UK or France, with 1.000€ in Spain you can do much more than in the above mentioned countries and the life, climate, lifestyle, etc are much better.
- Yes the market has covered as in 2017 Spain has actually the biggest GDP of their history, recovering at 100% the loss in the past crisis and even surpassing it.
lol, it's the 3rd year in a row when Spain grows more than double of the EU average and this is the 2nd year in a row when the economy is the 2nd in growth in the Eurozone, just surpassed by Ireland...
What about Ecuador? There are many expats in Cuenca (Ecuadorian 3rd largest city).
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lol, it surpasses the vast majority of Europe in wages. 70-75% more than it's neighbor Portugal...
