I had one of the most interesting conversations yesterday with a woman who had lived on the Costa del Sol for three years. Her position was terminated, and she eventually had to move back to Finland because she could no longer find a well-paid job in Spain. Once back in Finland, she was able to return to the same company, just on the mainland instead of abroad.
The Costa del Sol is sometimes nicknamed the southern part of Finland because there are so many Finns living here. What struck her most, after arriving back in Finland, was how similar the cost of living has become. Groceries cost almost the same in Finland and Spain now. There is no meaningful difference anymore. The only things that are cheaper in Spain are alcohol and cigarettes, and that is basically it.
Then we talked about rent. In smaller Finnish cities, rent is currently much lower than on the Costa del Sol. In Spain, most of your salary goes directly into rent. If you are single, life here is simply unattainable. You cannot realistically live here without earning at least 2,000 euros per month, and hardly anyone is paying that.
She was very critical of Finnish companies that pay Spanish minimum salaries while selling people the idea of a cheaper life in Spain. That promise is no longer true. There is nothing stopping these companies from paying higher wages. They just choose not to, because offshoring work to Spain is good for business. The problem is that those salaries no longer allow people to actually live here. Everything goes into rent. That’s it.
Unless you live in a shared apartment or have a partner to split costs with, life here does not work financially. This naturally led us to talk about the influx of wealthy people, and we agreed that the Costa del Sol has become a paradise for the rich. She felt sad about it. Still, she said that if she could find a job paying 2,000 euros per month, she would move back immediately. Culturally, life here feels richer than in Finland, and the weather alone makes an enormous difference.
Interestingly, Finns who live here tend to be more social than the stereotypical reserved Finnish personality. You almost have to be. You cannot survive here otherwise. At the same time, many people who move here never truly adapt to the culture or the rhythm of life, and eventually they move back because the difference feels too big.
I mentioned that I could see Spanish people moving in large numbers to smaller Finnish cities in the future. In Finland, you can still buy an apartment or even a house. That is nearly impossible here. She agreed. We even talked about berry and mushroom picking. In one good autumn season, you can earn what you might make in an entire year working in Spain. That comparison alone is absurd.
We ended up agreeing on many things that feel broken in Spain right now. We also speculated about whether a crash is coming. I said I don’t think so, unless something truly drastic happens, climate disasters, massive storms, war. Something that would scare people enough to leave. It’s a grim thought, but history shows that this is often how shifts happen.
I don’t know where the world is heading. I just hope that in seven years we will see some kind of reset. Right now, everything feels strangely unsustainable, and in many ways, hopeless
