Have you ever considered move to Spain? More and more people have been looking at the different opportunities that a move to Spain might provide. And, with this in mind, we have outlined some of the key things you should know about the costs of moving to Spain today to help you find the most cost-effective solution for your own move. Who knows: this could play a significant role in helping you decide on the best house move strategies for your own needs!

Of course, there are several obvious expenses to consider when thinking about a move to Spain, such as the cost of flights and buying a home. Additional costs may apply when moving to Spain after Brexit - you should be prepared to pay customs duties and taxes in case you are imporrting goods from the UK. However, you may also incur several other costs during the moving process, which may include the following points. 

Costs of Importing Belongings into Spain

To begin with, we need to consider the potential expenses associated with importing into Spain. Fortunately, if you are only planning to import a handful of belongings for personal use, such as clothes, you might be able to benefit from incredibly affordable importation costs; these could be as low as the cost of your flight, even if the belongings fit within your suitcase. However, if you have more belongings to import than this alone, you will need to consider how this may affect the final cost associated with bringing belongings into Spain. 
Don't forget to check local import rule and procedures, be it when importing food and drink into Spain or personal belongings - we are ready to help you.

How Much Does it Cost to Bring Belongings into Spain?

The most cost-effective and practical way to bring your personal possessions into Spain is to get professional support from a licensed house moving company or local man with a van team. Of course, the exact cost will vary considerably depending with the size of your property, the nature and weight of your belongings, and the like.

However; for a ballpark figure, you can usually expect to pay in the region of €4,000 to €6,000 to move every belonging from an average three-bedroom home in the UK to your new property in Spain by road; contrastingly, for a one-bedroom apartment, the costs may be much lower at around the €2,000 mark. You can easily get our free man and van quote by filling our online form.

Not sure you want to spend that much on importing your belongings into Spain? No problem – why not use this as the ideal opportunity to declutter your home and ensure you're only taking those belongings with you that are genuinely important? Old dusty books that you've not read in years and don't ever intend to read again, for example, could be an ideal candidate; why not give them away to someone who can make better use of them and give them the love they deserve?

What About the Cost of Getting a Visa?

Next up, we need to consider the costs associated with getting a Visa in Spain – indeed, while we all like to imagine that this would be free, there's sadly a fee to pay. There are several different ways that you can get a Visa for your move to Spain, though; we've outlined a few of these options as follows.

One of the first methods you could obtain would be the Golden Visa. To obtain a Golden Visa, you will need to invest €500,000 or more in property. This can't simply come from a mortgage, either; the €500,000 needs to be a hard investment in Spanish property in order to qualify for a Golden Visa, making this a pretty expensive step to consider. Alternatively, you can also make other investments to qualify for the Golden Visa (but these are generally much more expensive and won't come with the benefit of having a property behind you and ready to live in for your move to Spain).

Alternatively, you could apply for a Non-Lucrative Visa in Spain, which requires you to demonstrate the ability to support yourself. The minimum income per year for this goal is €27,115 for an individual; alternatively, if you are looking to move to Spain as a couple, this increases to €33,894 between you. This could be in the form of investment repayments or pensions; alternatively, you can derive this income from existing savings.

On top of these requirements, the fee to apply for Spanish Residency as standard is an additional €57. As such, these hidden costs of Spanish visa applications are well worth considering.

Don't Forget About Health Insurance

One requirement to obtain a Spanish Visa is that you need to hold health insurance – something that isn't so important for Spanish tourists, who can get away with just travel insurance and an E1111 card. However, for new residents, you will need to obtain health insurance through one of several options, which can represent a substantial hidden cost of moving to Spain.
If you've got a job in Spain, you may be eligible for health insurance provided by the employer; if not, though, you will need to obtain private health insurance. Every private health insurance policy is different, and you may end up paying substantially more if you are elderly or otherwise suffer from pre-existing medical conditions.

Banking Isn't Free

A factor that many people don't realise until they arrive in Spain is that holding a bank account isn't free; in fact, most Spanish banks charge a monthly fee to use their services. Always check these carefully when applying for a bank account in Spain to ensure that you aren't going to get caught out with sneaky additional expenses – reading the Terms in full is critical.

Consider your Four-Legged Friends

Many of us have pets, and chances are that you'll want to move with them by your side. However, the costs of transporting your four-legged friend to Spain aren't just as simple as a plane ticket; you'll also need to consider microchipping, vaccinations, medical record proof/health certificates, and more – all of which can add up surprisingly quickly.

Foreign Ownership Must Be Declared

As a final point on today's list, it's well worth considering that any foreign assets totalling €50,000 or greater must be declared with the Spanish authorities, irrelevant of the Visa type you've obtained. As such, before making long-term financial plans, you may want to consider how any alternate ownership could influence your payments.

Final Thoughts

Moving to Spain can offer a huge amount of potential, but there are also several hidden costs you should consider. Luckily, as a leading transporter, this is something we can help with; reach out to our experts to learn more about our services and how we can help!