As many of you know, I've moved to Spain to live in my wife's hometown of Valladolid.
Rather than hijack other threads (e.g.), I'm happy to answer any Q's here.
My general thoughts:
Positives
- Great food (Spanish food is totally underrated).
- Lots of regional cuisine and products (with a good system of denomination of origin so you actually know what you're buying/eating).
- Grocery store food is very good quality, affordable, and the EU has much better protections over labelling / additives than in Canada or the US.
- Families are super close. Friends and family mean a lot to each other and much more priority is placed on those relationships than in Canada/US.
- Booze is cheap.
- Basic coffee, beer, cocktails, wine, tapas, etc. are good value.
- Great beaches (and titties).
- After Switzerland, Spain is the 2nd most mountainous country in Europe - lots of great hiking and outdoor activities.
- People are generally relaxed and up for a good time.
- Capital Gains/Dividends taxed at 19-23%.
- Cities/Towns are built for walking. No need to drive everywhere.
- Long life expectancy due to quality food and lifestyle habits.
Negatives
- Crazy socialist.
- Bureaucracy is a nightmare. Tons of regulations and most administrators don't even know how they work.
- Accountants/Lawyers also don't know how the rules work, and they're not liable for giving incorrect advice.
- Taxes are ridiculous. There are sales taxes for buying used houses/cars, gift taxes, inheritance taxes, wealth taxes, high income taxes (44% for only 60k+ Euros).
- Autonomo fees if you want to freelance (i.e. you pay ~300 Euros/month just to work for yourself - supposedly towards healthcare and social security, even though you pay numerous other taxes as well).
- Costly and lots of administrative hassles to start an LLC.
- Because of the above, most people want to work as functionarios, which are basically unionized government positions stacked with high salaries and benefits.
- Young people are generally over-educated due to the large unemployment but are also typically close-minded and just want to get a cushy government job. Not much innovative spirit.
- Any "luxuries" are very expensive due to the 21% VAT and other duties/taxes. By luxury, I mean anything that's not a basic necessity. Think appliances, electronics, cars, tools, craft supplies, clothes, etc.
- Because of the cost and lack of space (most people live in apartments), people don't have many hobbies.
- Difficult to make friends outside of big cities like Madrid/Barcelona/Valencia where there is a more transient/international crowd. Most Spaniards are very close to their childhood friends and closed-minded to outsiders.
- Over-populated. Difficult to enjoy nature in peace. No camping options where you're not pitching tents 2M from your neighbour, for example.
- Lots of racism/chauvinism still exists.
Overall, I'd say Spain is a great place to live a simple life where you focus on good food, friends and family, and maintaining a healthy work/life balance. On the flip-side, it's a terrible place to start a business or try to develop a career or save money.
Northerners tend to be less friendly but the nature and food is more impressive. Southerners tend to be more relaxed and friendly.
Of course, the above are all generalisms and every town/region has its own peculularities but if anyone has further questions feel free to AMA.