As autumn is here and the weather is turning, more Brits will start to worry about the colder weather.
It’s common for energy bills to grow as we use more gas and electricity to keep their homes warm. And because of this, some people might be looking to move elsewhere in order to escape the high bills.
At the moment, there are already 403,925 UK nationals registered as residents in Spain, according to Statista. While many of them moved there to chase the sun, some might also have moved in order to live somewhere with cheaper bills.
This was the case for one mum named Jodie Marlow, who moved to Murcia in Spain four years ago along with her partner and their two children.
While the sun and new lifestyle has been great for them all, Jodie also revealed that they no longer have to worry about their energy bills.
In an eye-opening TikTok video, Jodie went on to share how much she pays for her household bills every month.
Firstly, the family doesn’t have to worry about rent or mortgage payments as they own their property out right. Even better, houses on their street have doubled in value since they snapped up their home a few years ago.
Moving on to electricity, Jodie said switching to a cheaper provider has been a game-changer. The month prior, they’d paid just €37 (£32).
But as they’d just started having their air con on overnight, the bill had gone up to €55 (£48), which she claimed was ‘nothing’ as her two sons had kept their air con on every single night as they slept.
As for water, the family spends around €99 (£86.41) in three month instalments. This is equivalent to €33 (£28.80) per month.
« Our house actually runs off of a gas bottle, » Jodie added. « I thought it was really weird at first, but actually it’s pretty normal in Spain. And a gas bottle costs around €16 (£13.97). »
These bottles last a long time, especially when it’s warmer as they’re not having as many hot showers. Then, instead of using the gas hob, Jodie often cooks on the BBQ that has a hob.
What’s more, using the air fryer also saves her gas. Jodie added: « So that gas bottle honestly could last us three months. »
For the equivalent of council tax, Jodie sets aside €250 (218.24) per year, which is around €21 (£18.33) a month. She continued: « So again, not a lot. I know some people who pay that literally a month what I pay a year. »
Wi-Fi costs €24.99 (£21.81) per month, while sim cards are €12.99 (£11.34). Then for home insurance, they are covered for €250 (£218.24) per year. This works out as approximately €22 (£19.21) per month.
People were shocked to learn how much cheaper things were in Spain and took to the comments section to share their thoughts.
One viewer was shocked about the electricity bill, as they wrote: « 60 euros a month!! we spent £40 per week for a 4 bed house in England. »
However, other Brits living in Spain went on to share that their bills were higher.
Another viewer shared: « I live in Malaga, my electric is around €180 a month, water for the last three months was €1260 and we use gas bottles €200 for three, so not cheaper than the UK. »
To this, Jodie replied: « I guess depends where in the uk the same as where in Spain as Malaga is more than where I live. It’s all relative. »
