FRANCE VS SPAIN
The French call us perfidious Albion and les rosbifs; we call them craven and Frogs. In the French media, "anglo saxonne" is their code for everything wrong with the modern world. Despite the entente cordiale of 1904, there is no love lost between us. So it should come as no surprise that the French Resistance is back in action, this time saving rural France from British homebuyers.
Tensions are mounting in Brittany and the Dordogne as Brits price locals out of the market while making no attempt to go native ("clinging on to Blighty" as the French Mistress describes it). In Spain, on the other hand, the British get the red carpet. There are no spiteful nicknames, no historical animosities, no modern rivalries and certainly no resistance if the British want to throw money at local properties. Communication factor language The Spanish are falling over themselves to learn English, while the French are still lamely trying to make the rest of the world speak French.
If you must learn a new language, you are better off learning Spanish, spoken by 330m people, than a language spoken only in France and parts of Canada and West Africa. Quality of life The French may have more three star Michelin restaurants and spend more public money on healthcare, but on all other fronts you can argue that Spain offers the better quality of life. CrimeAccording to the seventh UN survey of crime trends, in 2000, France suffered the fifth highest level of burglaries in the world, with 371,000, compared with 24,000 in Spain. In terms of total crimes, France was in fourth position, with 3,770,000; Spain, in 16th position, had 923,000.
Cost of livingComparative figures from the Organisation for Economic Co operation and Development (OECD) show that prices in France are 94% of the OECD average, while in Spain they are just 79% of the average. TaxationOECD figures for 2001 show France had the fifth highest tax rate among selected OECD countries, with 48.3% of average gross earnings given up in tax. Spain was 15th, with 37.9%. The Spanish government is in the process of reducing taxes further.
Property choice and prices Between 1997 and 2005, Spanish property was a better investment than French property, with gross returns 50% higher, according to The Economist's global house price indicators. Looking to the future, there is a risk that property is overvalued in both countries, perhaps slightly more so in Spain, although the difference does not appear to be large.
When it comes to buying property, most Brits want a reasonably priced villa on the coast somewhere warm and sunny. Spain's Mediterranean coastline is twice as long, further south and covered in villas, which is precisely why more Brits choose to buy there. Spain may be less elitist than France, but it's certainly more popular. Climate Most buyers want to escape the winter or enjoy the summer, or both. The summer bit is easy in both countries, but for a good winter climate you need to be south of the city of Valencia, on Spain's Mediterranean coast. Anywhere north of here, and the winter starts to bite, which rules out France as a winter sunshine destination. Spain has more than 620 miles of Mediterranean coastline below Valencia, not to mention the Canaries, Europe's winter sunshine destination par excellence. Presence of other Brits The French national statistics website (www.insee.fr) gleefully offers figures on poverty and social exclusion in the UK, but has almost nothing to say about the number of foreign born residents in France. It takes a lot of internet research to find out that there are some 100,000 British born residents in France. The Spanish national statistics website (www.ine.es), with nothing to say about social problems in the UK, readily reveals that there are 227,000 Brits officially resident in Spain.
So yes, you are more likely to come across other Brits in Spain, largely because Spain is a nicer place to live.
Full story from the times online
found by HOMES & FINCAS - AYAMONTE - COSTA DE LA LUZ - SPAIN
The French call us perfidious Albion and les rosbifs; we call them craven and Frogs. In the French media, "anglo saxonne" is their code for everything wrong with the modern world. Despite the entente cordiale of 1904, there is no love lost between us. So it should come as no surprise that the French Resistance is back in action, this time saving rural France from British homebuyers.
Tensions are mounting in Brittany and the Dordogne as Brits price locals out of the market while making no attempt to go native ("clinging on to Blighty" as the French Mistress describes it). In Spain, on the other hand, the British get the red carpet. There are no spiteful nicknames, no historical animosities, no modern rivalries and certainly no resistance if the British want to throw money at local properties. Communication factor language The Spanish are falling over themselves to learn English, while the French are still lamely trying to make the rest of the world speak French.
If you must learn a new language, you are better off learning Spanish, spoken by 330m people, than a language spoken only in France and parts of Canada and West Africa. Quality of life The French may have more three star Michelin restaurants and spend more public money on healthcare, but on all other fronts you can argue that Spain offers the better quality of life. CrimeAccording to the seventh UN survey of crime trends, in 2000, France suffered the fifth highest level of burglaries in the world, with 371,000, compared with 24,000 in Spain. In terms of total crimes, France was in fourth position, with 3,770,000; Spain, in 16th position, had 923,000.
Cost of livingComparative figures from the Organisation for Economic Co operation and Development (OECD) show that prices in France are 94% of the OECD average, while in Spain they are just 79% of the average. TaxationOECD figures for 2001 show France had the fifth highest tax rate among selected OECD countries, with 48.3% of average gross earnings given up in tax. Spain was 15th, with 37.9%. The Spanish government is in the process of reducing taxes further.
Property choice and prices Between 1997 and 2005, Spanish property was a better investment than French property, with gross returns 50% higher, according to The Economist's global house price indicators. Looking to the future, there is a risk that property is overvalued in both countries, perhaps slightly more so in Spain, although the difference does not appear to be large.
When it comes to buying property, most Brits want a reasonably priced villa on the coast somewhere warm and sunny. Spain's Mediterranean coastline is twice as long, further south and covered in villas, which is precisely why more Brits choose to buy there. Spain may be less elitist than France, but it's certainly more popular. Climate Most buyers want to escape the winter or enjoy the summer, or both. The summer bit is easy in both countries, but for a good winter climate you need to be south of the city of Valencia, on Spain's Mediterranean coast. Anywhere north of here, and the winter starts to bite, which rules out France as a winter sunshine destination. Spain has more than 620 miles of Mediterranean coastline below Valencia, not to mention the Canaries, Europe's winter sunshine destination par excellence. Presence of other Brits The French national statistics website (www.insee.fr) gleefully offers figures on poverty and social exclusion in the UK, but has almost nothing to say about the number of foreign born residents in France. It takes a lot of internet research to find out that there are some 100,000 British born residents in France. The Spanish national statistics website (www.ine.es), with nothing to say about social problems in the UK, readily reveals that there are 227,000 Brits officially resident in Spain.
So yes, you are more likely to come across other Brits in Spain, largely because Spain is a nicer place to live.
Full story from the times online
found by HOMES & FINCAS - AYAMONTE - COSTA DE LA LUZ - SPAIN
posted by HOMES & FINCAS at 6:11 AM
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