I was talking to a guy yesterday about moving abroad, and how I had recently repatriated from Spain to the UK. Like most people, his first question was “Why?”
“I bet you see a big difference in the cost of living,” he went on to add.
“Yes,” I said. “There are so many things that are much cheaper in the UK.”
Of course, it wasn’t what he expected to hear.
This morning was a case in point. Being a health-minded kind of person, on top of my breakfast cereal I sprinkled a handful of blueberries. Despite their ‘superfood’ properties, we rarely ate them in Spain. At approximately €4.00 (£3.50) for a small pack they were too expensive. By contrast, the ones I scoffed this morning came from an Asda supermarket (which is owned by Wal-Mart), where you could buy two packs for just £3.00.
And where were the Asda blueberries grown? You guessed it, Spain.
It’s not just blueberries. Wal-Mart’s purchasing power, and the fiercely competitive supermarket trade in the UK have brought a plethora of great deals onto the store shelves – for food, clothing, electronics, toys, toiletries and a host of other goods.
It’s the same across much of the retail arena. As a result, our weekly expenses are considerably less than they were in Spain.
And for items where Spain remains cheaper, the gap is closing in many cases. Petrol prices are a case in point.
Only housing in the UK, it seems, remains appreciably more expensive.
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