Living The Semi-Retired Life: Can You Guess How Much This Apartment In Spain Costs?

Some numbers and thoughts on trading rent for a mortgage payment

My girlfriend and I spend a lot of time browsing listings on Idealista—the main site to see for rent and for sale listings from across Spain.

As much as it’s market research, it’s also motivation for us to make good on our ambitious goal to move to Spain sooner rather than later and buy an apartment shortly after we arrive.

In a second, we’ll look at an apartment for sale that caught our eye on the platform. You’ll never the guess the price. Or maybe you will. Either way, it illustrates a major reason why we’re moving. Because we want a minimal housing expense as we approach and enter relative old age. And this is literally an impossible task in the United States.

Before we see the apartment that makes me wish we could make the move tomorrow, some interesting, if not sad data on making the transition from renter to homeowner in 2023 America. I had to force myself to consider this study from a perspective other than my own to fully appreciate its importance.