I moved my family from boring Portsmouth to Spain & save £1K a month – I rent two villas with pools & eat out for £11

TEARING open the curtains, Nicola Powles smiles as the warm  sunshine hits her face.

She slips into a pair of shorts for the sunny February day without a second thought of putting the heating on.

But Nicola isn’t enjoying a break away from the freezing UK temperatures with some winter sun.

In fact she’s ditched “boring Britain” altogether, upping sticks for sunny Spain and urging people to “get out now while you can”.

Nicola now wakes up most mornings to sunshine and never less than an average of 17-degree temperatures and says she is better off than ever before.

The real estate agent, from Portsmouth, left the UK city after struggling to make ends meet every month.

“My advice? Get out now while you can,” Nicola says.

“It’s a shame but Britain is quickly becoming a third world country with nothing to offer for the people who live there.

“It’s a scary country with [crime] out of control, you can’t see a doctor and ambulances don’t arrive.

“It’s always grey – where will it end?”

Now Nicola estimates that she saves £1,000 in bills and rent every month.

“It’s so difficult to get stable on your feet, with nothing really to show for it,” she says.

“If you want to live off benefits, then stay in the UK.

“If you want constant sunshine and a cheaper way of living, then Spain is the place for you.

“So many things are much cheaper here, for example; eating out, alcohol and petrol.

“I can get a three-course meal, including a drink, in a local hotel for £11.

“The hospitals here are also amazing, there’s hardly any wait time unlike in the UK.

“And mortgage rates are less, the streets are very safe and I actually feel comfortable walking alone at night in my village.”

According to Kanan, a study abroad company, the average cost of living for a family-of-four in the UK was around £2,200 per month, excluding rent, in 2024.

In Spain, this figure was found to be much lower – around £1,400, excluding rent.

Nicola took the plunge after going on a three-day trip abroad to the Costa Del Sol for just £99.

Three weeks later, she packed up and moved her entire family, including her now ex-husband, two children, two horses and their two dogs – and has never looked back.

The mum adds: “I found a three-day exploration trip to Spain through a travel agent.

“All I wanted was a spot of sun, I didn’t mean to move there.

I don’t fret over whether I’ll be able to pay the bills or working all hours

Nicola Powles

“But in the UK, life was a constant hamster wheel.

“Luckily, my ex-husband, who was on the trip with me, also loved the idea of moving.

“As our kids were only young at the time, it was easy enough to get them enrolled in school and learn the language.

“I was determined to make the gorgeous weather, stunning land and friendly locals an everyday occurrence for us.

“In the UK, we were paying the same amount of rent for one house than what we were doing for two in Spain, which both included a pool.”

Nicola has now lived in Malaga for 24 years and although prices have changed, she says it’s still cheaper than the UK.

She says that she has no plans of ever returning to the UK.

She said: “Life is amazing, filled with warm days and late light evenings.

“I’ve made some wonderful friends and I am so much more relaxed.

“I don’t fret over whether I’ll be able to pay the bills or working all hours.

“If I do miss home, I’m only a two-hour flight away.”

Nicola now runs her own company helping fellow expats take the plunge and move to Spain.

She’s also bought and renovated multiple properties, earning a whopping £100,000 in profit overall.

The only way I’m ever returning to the UK is in a coffin

Nicola Powles

But she says that wannabe expats should be mindful of rules and regulations when it comes to moving to Spain.

She adds: “Always use a local lawyer, as coast and country rules are very different in every town.

“And be aware that nearly all agents share a database of all the properties available, so you can choose just one agent to view anything.”

Nicola’s family have now returned to the UK and while she misses them she says she can’t bring herself to return to the UK.

“I miss my daughter and grandchildren, who live in Britain, but the country has nothing to offer me anymore,” she admits.

“The only way I’m ever returning to the UK is in a coffin.”