Some of you might be interested in what we are actually paying for groceries over here. I mentioned in a previous post that food is cheaper and the beer and wine more so, but we thought it might be helpful to show some actual numbers. Especially for our favourite diet foods – beer, bread, cheese, wine, and chorizo. I’m not kidding about the diet. This will probably piss a few people off but, we are losing weight.
Anyway, here’s a photo of some typical items: (The Euro/Dollar conversion is rough, but it will give you an idea)
· 6 pack o’ beer (Heineken) – $5.75
· Bottle of wine (decent Rioja Crianza Reserve) – $7.00
. 1 round of French Camembert – $2.20
· 3 Baguettes of Rustic Country Bread – $2.00
· 1 specialty Quinoa loaf – $2.00
· 2 litre bottle of water – $0.35
· Pkg of dark chocolate cookies – $1.40
· 1 kg bag of muesli with dried fruit – $2.50
· Cauliflower (1.5 kg) – $3.80
· 1 large red pepper (and they are nice here) – $1.30
· 1 large pineapple – $2.75
· 1 chorizo (a decent size) – $3.15
. 7 on the vine Tomatoes – $1.20
(I’m not sure if the chorizo is a better price or not since we’re mostly vegetarian, but it’s the law here, so one of us is forced to eat it.).
Other things though are not so cheap. The big-ticket items, the commodity items, are pricey. Cars, gasoline, utilities, appliances, etc. cost more so it’s a trade off, but one can definitely live on a lot less here. It’s more about lifestyle and less about stuff. One of the nice perks in Spain is the deep discounts for retired people. Transportation especially but also admission into things like museums and galleries. In Valencia, the monthly transit pass for the retired is $15. All retired persons, not just low income and it’s good for all public transit everywhere.
Obviously, we will have to figure it out at some point, but right now we are having fun, seeing new things, and just generally living day to day. And there will be questions about healthcare down the road. It’s not for everyone but it suits us for now. Our money goes further, and the weather is better.