Need advice on choosing where to live in Europe

LAMTCE · 20-05-2012 8:43pm #1

My husband is a Pilot and we are relocating to Europe. He has a choice of where he would like to be based (3 choices) so we are trying to chose but do not have a lot of experience living in Europe other than Ireland/U.K.

We have a family, so a family friendly country, education etc.. is important. The cities in question are..... (it's long so I really appreciate it if you take the time to glance down the list!)

We would really appreciate your feedback.... if there is anyone out there who has done this, your experience would help greatly.

Many Thanks
LAMTCE

jester77 · 21-05-2012 8:35am

You don't give much info. What languages do you speak, is weather, healthcare important?

There would be a big difference between living in a low tax country like Ireland compared to Germany or Sweden. Would you get a higher salary in these countries to compensate?

Burning Eclipse · 21-05-2012 8:56am

I'm going to assume your husband is a pilot with Ryanair (based on airport list - no French bases). I have a little experience here because of family in same situation.

First piece of advice, pick a country that uses the Euro. My brother-in-law lives in UK, but gets paid in Euro, which can be really bad, depending on exchange rates, etc.

If your husband works for another airline, find out what currency he will be paid in.

jester77 raises the most important issues... What languages do you speak? Your husband's salary is likely not going to change based on the country you move to either.

LAMTCE · 21-05-2012 7:58pm

Thank you both for your replies. To answer your questions, my husband will be paid in Euro and the rate of pay will not change no matter where we will live. Thanks for the advice on living in the U.K. and being paid in Euro... that makes alot of sense. Neither of us speak a language but are open to learning and are keen for our children to speak languages. Our children are not going to school as yet but obviously Education will be important in the future for them. We like the sun, the beach, the outdoors, skiing, immersion in culture and learning/living/exploring

.

Thanks again for your help with this. Very much appreciated!
LAMTCE

n900guy · 21-05-2012 9:21pm

LAMTCE wrote: »

Neither of us speak a language but are open to learning and are keen for our children to speak languages. Our children are not going to school as yet but obviously Education will be important in the future for them. We like the sun, the beach, the outdoors, skiing, immersion in culture and learning/living/exploring .

Thanks again for your help with this. Very much appreciated!
LAMTCE

Barcelona is a major and cosmopolitan city, and considerably more attractive for sun, beach and outdoors than a lot of the list.

Karlsruhe and Baden-Baden will give you access to the super Black Forest area of Germany, you will be within driving distance of the alps to go skiing and there is great outdoors culture (biking, hiking). A lot quieter than Barcelona but also potentially miles miles better for settling in as it's a very nice part of Germany, with major links for travel everywhere. I also think it's a lot easier for north western europeans to integrate into Germany than it will be if you move to Italy or Spain.

After that, perhaps Stockholm as it is a major capital city, very very high standard of living but earning euros and spending Kroners will not be useful. If it wasn't for that, Stockholm would be a great choice.

LAMTCE · 21-05-2012 9:26pm

Thanks Guy900. That is great information. Ill look up those places in a little more detail.
LAMTCE

eurofoxy · 21-05-2012 9:35pm

can i ask what nationality you are?
the reason i ask is quite simple, where i live in the netherlands, there is a very large nato base next to us, and hence a lot of foreign troops especially american. this is actually a very nice thing as most shops etc will insist on speaking english to you when they hear you speak dutch, although this is true for most of the netherlands its also true for most of the frankfurt area of germany for much of the same reason. maybe something to keep in mind..

also the area that i live limburg in the netherlands is within 4-5 hrs drive to most central european cities, amsterdam,frankfurt,dusseldorf,koln,brussels,paris etc...so everything is only a short drive away and if you really want you can hop in the car and be somewhere nice within a few hours but that can be said for most european cities not really the case with stockholm..

SimonLynch · 21-05-2012 9:45pm

Manchester - plenty of nice suburbs right near the airport, Cheadle Hulme, Bramhall, Offerton, Heald Green. Bit further out and you're almost in the countryside but half an hour to the airport. Derbyshire - Buxton, New Mills, Chapel-en-le Frith and the villages nearby, nice part of the world and good people.

murtr · 26-01-2015 12:38pm

Hi I'm just wondering where you moved to and how it is going? We are in a similar position and would be very interested in your experience.
Thanks

seachto7 · 26-01-2015 1:09pm

This might be of use: http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/generation-emigration/cost-of-living-infographic-how-countries-compare-globally-1.2079819

That list is hard to reply to really. Limerick is going to be 100% different to Bologna. Bari will be different to Bologna, and both in the same country.
Bristol will be different to Manchester. Etc.

LAMTCE · 26-01-2015 1:32pm

murtr wrote: »

Hi I'm just wondering where you moved to and how it is going? We are in a similar position and would be very interested in your experience.
Thanks

We ended up in Portugal and love it. If you give me a little more info on your situation I.e. If you have kids etc , what your interests are I could probably offer a more detailed response. Good luck with the move either way

uli84 · 02-04-2015 11:33pm

Hah, i knew you'd choose Portugal. I'm planning to move there in next few years myself so might PM you for some details

browniepoints · 14-04-2015 5:25pm

Having lived and worked in many EU countries including Ireland Al I can say is Spain wins most every time .

I Chose to live near to Malaga but Have lived in other places .The Canary Islands can be tad small after a year .
The weather all year round is superior in Canary islands but the weather in Coastal Spain in the winter is generally the best of Europe.
Madrid can be interestingly cold in winter and real hot in summer but can have more to offer as it is larger city .
There is larger Irish and English population with supporting school systems in Malaga than many other parts of Spain.
I didnt find Valencia so interesting for me but it seemed OK . The larger Spanish Island Palma de Mallorca could be alright many good reports from it but never been there myself .
Spanish School education is very variable The private schools seem to be high level and the highest paid and high profile industrialists bankers will have had private education . The ordinary schools vary a lot from region to region with poorer regions having lower standards .Other regions of Europe might offer better schools without to go the private route . There are now many Irish children here who have grown up talk like the local Spanish with Andalusian accents and then switch back to thick Irish brogue . Very few of them express any interest to return to the sod to live there they are now too Spanish . Spain and possibly Portugal are one of the

b4bmm · 14-06-2015 1:59am

I hear Portugal is a good country to go to if you want to make your euro go further, things can be very reasonable. Would you mind giving a budget estimate on what things would cost to live in Portugal in your area? I presume like most countries some areas can be cheaper or more expensive. How do Portugal and Spain compare?

Need advice on choosing where to live in Europe

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