Dear Clever Expat,

This is the first of a series of posts about what I have learned while living abroad. It’s a long list, and I plan on spreading this out fairly logically.

I live in Valencia, Spain, and this is my second time living here. My first run was in 2013-2015, and this time I’ve lived here since 2021. I moved back for a job and held a space in my life for moving back to Spain. When the time was right, my husband and I moved back to Spain with a passion for new adventures.

As with any move abroad, it takes a lot of courage and fortitude to withstand the challenges of living in a new country. With every challenge we have figured out or overcome, we have become stronger and more resilient. There is still a lot of room for growth, but I am so happy to be where I am now.

So let’s get into it!

The Cost of Living

Being in Spain means that there are differences in economies. The dollar and Euro are in a tight dance as I write this, making some minor and not-so-minor shifts in how far my American money will go. That’s true for every country, even in countries that use the US dollar as their standard currency, like Ecuador, El Salvador, the British Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Zimbabwe. (Did you know that? And there are dozens of other countries that use the US dollar along with the local currency!)

In terms of buying power, our money tends to go further. Inflation has hit here, too, and there is a housing price bubble that has expanded to be out of reach for most local people. This is due in part to the tourism industry, and people owning multiple homes without living in them. As a result, the supply of homes is down, and the prices go up.

Still, our grocery bill is much lower than in the US, and other services are significantly less expensive. We knew we were going to have a “lean” budget when we moved here, and that mindset has set us up for longer-term success.

I love public transportation.

In the US, public transportation is not perceived as a positive thing. Here in Europe, and in other countries, public transportation is a fantastic option for all sorts of travel. Conveniently, one ticket works for multiple modes of transportation: city-wide bus, longer-distance bus, metro train (subway), and trams. And you know how much a ticket for 10 rides costs? About $4.

Public transportation here is clean, fairly frequent, and very handy. I much prefer it to having to own a car where there is a real parking shortage, in a city like Valencia. Plus, do you know how many rides I would have to go on to compare to a car payment and insurance? I really like those economics, and if I want to splurge and take a taxi somewhere, I do that, too.

Medical care is different

I know, this this not much of a shocking revelation. But my thinking about medicine has changed since moving here. I have a private insurance plan that gives me relatively inexpensive access to dozens of local private hospitals and a plethora of clinics. And copays don’t exist here.

Okay, that last statement is a lie. I pay a copay of 3 Euros every time I go to the dentist. That is a far cry from the $100 I would spend on copays going to my regular doctor for a checkup in the US.

And recently I was approved to get the public healthcare, too. I’m still trying to figure that out successfully, but I’m paying 60 Euros a month to access healthcare with no additional costs and no preexisting condition clauses.

The care I have received from doctors here has been quite satisfactory, although sometimes it’s a challenge to get the doctors to listen to me. I’ve had a few blunders, but it was all straightened out eventually. Let’s be honest, the problem is probably my limited Spanish and medical vocabulary.

The lifestyle is healthier

There are three components to this lesson for me: movement, eating, and community. The first, movement, is baked in to the way the city is built. It’s absolutely normal to walk 20 to 30 minutes to a coffee with a friend, a store, or an appointment. Valencia is fairly flat and walking is easy. You’re also in good company on the sidewalks, because lots of other people are walking, too.

And that’s just the beginning. Movement, whether it is going to the grocery store or the gym, is more common. You’re not stuck in your car for hours a day, or confined to your office or home environments. There is a life to be enjoyed outside.

And then there’s the food. The quality of the food here is ridiculously high compared to the US. Fruits and vegetables are readily accessible and follow a seasonal pattern of availability. There’s much less pre-prepared food available in the supermarkets. What you can buy is ingredients to make a meal. Frankly, I like that. And eating out is often inexpensive enough to enjoy a satisfying meal without breaking the bank.

Which brings me to my last point: community. Spain is an inherently social country, and friends and family are deeply intertwined. Social time together might be having an afternoon bite to eat together, or a beer after work. It might be going for a walk in a scenic area of town. It might be going to a nightclub to see a performer who is visiting the city.

One of the things we learned early on is just how connected people are here. There are so many connections of friends and it’s not unusual to see neighbors on the street stopping to share the latest news on pretty much anything. We have worked hard to live up to the community standards that we perceive, but we have so much more to learn.

In my next posts, I’ll be sharing some other lessons that I have learned about my adopted culture and country. There’s so much more to tell about food, language barriers, bureaucracy, and even vacation expectations. 

Want to learn more? Check out the book recommendation below!

Keep exploring!

The Clever Expat