A millennial couple moved to Spain from the United States: We're so much happier now—here's what it costs

After ten years of planning and wishful thinking, we moved from Lawrence, Kansas to Logroño, Spain in September 2021, bringing with us four suitcases, two dogs, and roughly $45,000 in savings. The relocation wasn't the only significant adjustment in our lives. Jessica was seven months along with our son, so we were going to be first-time parents in a foreign land with no family nearby when we got to Spain. Furthermore, the duration of our visas to teach English was limited to two years.

This meant that before our visas expired and our finances ran out, we had to find a long-term way to live in Spain. We had no notion that the key to realizing our dreams would be unintentionally turning into influencers. 

How our Spanish lifestyle together became a new career 

We used our student visas to relocate to Spain. Eric was earning roughly $753 per month as an English teacher.

After six months in Spain, Jessica created a TikTok account as a way to share our experiences with family and friends back home. One day, she decided to post a video about moving from Kansas to Spain. That video got more than 300,000 views, and it inspired us to start posting consistently. After a year, we had amassed more than 10,000 followers. 

One Saturday night in February 2023, we decided to post a video sharing all of the reasons why we loved Logroño. We talked about the friendly people, incredible wine, delicious food and the lower cost of living, when compared to many other cities in Spain. By that Tuesday, the video had received more than a million views.

Majumdar News - Origin Of Authentic News

A glimpse into our daily lives in Logroño

 For us, that viral video marked the beginning of a whole new professional opportunity. Having obtained self-employed visas, we began working as content creators full-time in October 2023. Since then, our business has continued to expand. Since we are still in the first year, our monthly income is subject to change, but it can range from $1,000 to $4,000. We are now in a position where our income allows us to work from home from 9 to 5. In addition, we are currently developing a course to instruct other Americans on the exact steps involved in relocating to Spain. People in the United States who wish to live overseas send us a ton of messages.

For $915 a month, we rent a penthouse apartment with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a rooftop terrace that overlooks the city center. We pay $243 per month for our utilities, which include $162 for gas, $33 for electricity, and $48 for the phone and internet. These are a few of the main reasons we adore residing in this energetic city.

"Within our door is everything we need." We haven't had a car for over two years since we can walk or take widely accessible, reasonably priced public transportation, which costs us approximately $34 a month. Our door is immediately outside everything we need. There are four bakeries, five fresh fruit stands, and twenty pincho bars all within five minutes' walking distance from our house. We no longer have to sit in traffic for hours at a time. I could spend up to ninety minutes in the car getting to and from work when we lived in the States. These days, in addition to our home office, we also like working from a few neighborhood coffee shops and a co-working place that is a fifteen-minute walk away.

Despite having children, we lead an active social life. In Spain, putting family and social connections first is crucial. Despite the fact that the majority of our friends are parents, we still see each other frequently because we all live 20 minutes' walk from our apartment. The language barrier was the biggest obstacle to making friends when we first moved here. Although it wasn't always simple to begin forming these connections, we really felt that it was crucial to make an effort to integrate into this community.

Jessica joined expat social groups and formed friendships through exercise courses. At school, I forged relationships with several of my fellow educators. And we've had a lot more chances to make new acquaintances in the community ever since that video went viral. There are lots of family-friendly events held every weekend, and kids are welcome practically everywhere. We recently went to a large football game and a jazz festival. We also enjoy visiting the park nearby. Several generations of families are frequently spotted out and about, socializing with one another and their neighbors.

We have to push ourselves. Both of us had studied Spanish for two years in high school and two years in college. It did not, in any way, get us ready for life in Spain. The pace, accent, and vocabulary were all very dissimilar from what we had been taught. Since we spoke English at home most of the time and I only spoke it at school, it was challenging during the first few years. We worked on it when we were out, but it wasn't until we started classes at the nearby university that our Spanish really started to get better. For eight months, we attended classes full-time, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to noon. We ultimately completed 450 hours of grammar instruction and 75 hours of cultural instruction.It was a difficult decision for Jessica, 35, and Eric, 37, to return to full-time school while having a toddler, but we are grateful that we did because it has greatly benefited our personal and professional lives.

Majumdar News - Origin Of Authentic News

It feels like an adventure every day here. In the United States, our daily routine consisted of waking up, drinking coffee, driving to work, staring at the clock, driving home, eating dinner, sipping wine, watching Netflix, and so on. Although our lives were comfortable, they lacked excitement and were primarily focused on our jobs. The complete opposite has been our experience in Spain. Even the most ordinary activities, like going to the grocery store, feel like an adventure every day here. That was one of our main obstacles at first. We were unfamiliar with a lot of the brands and options. We were taken aback by little things like the absence of eggs in the refrigerated area.

We have discovered that even when we are experiencing things outside of our comfort zone, they are happy and unforgettable. We would have thought it absurd if you had told us five years ago that we would establish a business here and have a child in Spain. Our recommendation, however, is to pursue your dreams if you have any. We are native to Logroño and have no desire to live anywhere else in Spain. Although there have undoubtedly been difficulties along the road, we are so much happier today that we took this chance.