This was a great read, thanks Charlie! As someone who is looking to move out of the UK and into Europe, I resonate with a lot of this. I feel we can seek out a simpler place to live than the UK and create a better work life balance as a result. Good luck with everything and I look forward to reading more about it 😊
My first thought was that it sounds idyllic. I especially love the fact that everywhere is a short walk - living relatively rurally in the UK means that I spend a lot of time driving and I hate it. It's an interesting point too about the baseline tax that different govts can levy on the self employed. I hadn't appreciated that it would vary so much between countries
Haha, yes there are many advantages to rural living but the driving bit is definitely not one of them! The tax does indeed vary, but Spain is (alas) one of the more expensive taxes for self employed people I've come across
Great descriptions and comparisons. You mentioned small business/freelancer social security charges, and that Spain is €350 up front, what does that mean and where do you pay that? (Sorry, USA chiming in). I am looking for the calmer life, but that too involves needing quiet and even silence, which makes an apartment outside my realm of interest for the sound factor alone. Since you have been just about everywhere, do you seek out the places like Porto in general, as that is what you favor? Or did you do a mix of lifestyles to figure out what you wanted?
It's a contribution that the government takes if you're a tax resident and self employed in Spain. And I must admit, I wasn't aware that this has recently changed - I just up some details to answer your question. It used to be that you would pay a flat fee regardless of how much you earn but they are changing this in 2023 depending on how much you earn. It can be anything from €230 to €500 per month. It still penalises low earners however.
In terms of how I choose places, I've definitely got a bit of a list that I look for and Porto certainly hits it all. It's a list I've refined over the years, spending time in all sorts of places to find the ones that work for me the best. But practically, Portugal is also one of the most favourable routes to European residency (it's only 5 years to citizenship for instance) so that had a big part to play too.
This was a great read, thanks Charlie! As someone who is looking to move out of the UK and into Europe, I resonate with a lot of this. I feel we can seek out a simpler place to live than the UK and create a better work life balance as a result. Good luck with everything and I look forward to reading more about it 😊
Thanks Lyndsay! Keep me updated with where you end up in Europe :-)
My first thought was that it sounds idyllic. I especially love the fact that everywhere is a short walk - living relatively rurally in the UK means that I spend a lot of time driving and I hate it. It's an interesting point too about the baseline tax that different govts can levy on the self employed. I hadn't appreciated that it would vary so much between countries
Haha, yes there are many advantages to rural living but the driving bit is definitely not one of them! The tax does indeed vary, but Spain is (alas) one of the more expensive taxes for self employed people I've come across
Great descriptions and comparisons. You mentioned small business/freelancer social security charges, and that Spain is €350 up front, what does that mean and where do you pay that? (Sorry, USA chiming in). I am looking for the calmer life, but that too involves needing quiet and even silence, which makes an apartment outside my realm of interest for the sound factor alone. Since you have been just about everywhere, do you seek out the places like Porto in general, as that is what you favor? Or did you do a mix of lifestyles to figure out what you wanted?
It's a contribution that the government takes if you're a tax resident and self employed in Spain. And I must admit, I wasn't aware that this has recently changed - I just up some details to answer your question. It used to be that you would pay a flat fee regardless of how much you earn but they are changing this in 2023 depending on how much you earn. It can be anything from €230 to €500 per month. It still penalises low earners however.
In terms of how I choose places, I've definitely got a bit of a list that I look for and Porto certainly hits it all. It's a list I've refined over the years, spending time in all sorts of places to find the ones that work for me the best. But practically, Portugal is also one of the most favourable routes to European residency (it's only 5 years to citizenship for instance) so that had a big part to play too.