Thanks Karen - yup - the annual costs can add up a bit alright (also seeing that taxes for houses that are in ‘tension’ areas are increasing to free up homes for permanent residents) plus the electricity, annual tax etc …it does add up alright. Definitely something to take into account. Thanks 
It’s the extra fees you will have to pay to and via the notaire on top of the actual property cost I am referring to.
Spain is generally cheaper for food. cf prices Lidl Spain UK more or less equal, France more expensive. 1st class protein chicken, port, fish, more chicken, more pork. There is beef, very little lamb, more chicken, more pork. Tax on wine slightly more in Spain, but tax on spirits is less. If there is a local Coviran very competitive on quality and price plus the benefit of local surplus tomatoes etc. I have seen french cars fill tank and multiple jerry cans with diesel in Spain because 20 - 30 centimes less than in France. My experience is Spanish restaurants cheaper than French BUT it will depend on what and where. Whitegoods are be more expensive (can be 50%) in both France and Spain than UK. Tradesman cheaper in Spain than France and I understand do what the customer wants. Spanish workman work hard. I take my garden equipment from France to Spain for service, cheaper, better work. DIY shops wider range in Spain and France than UK. Spanish prices often cheapest. If there is a Spanish chain and a French chain Expect Spanish chain to be cheaper
Village social life very active especially around Christmas, often several village festivals a year that go on till early hours. Very child focused. The village ladies make a very effective neighborhood watch, they will know the gossip before the misdemeanor has happened
Suggest village rather than villa or apartments ( Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes made of ticky tacky, Little boxes on the hillside,Little boxes all the same. ) Spanish village houses may not have land registration - do not buy until obtained. Estate agents often handle lets as well as sales. May be possible to rent for a month for the same cost as a gite in France for a week. and staying in the area for one - two months before you make a choice recommended
Rates cheaper in Spain, Solicitors rather than Notaires, Spanish are very friendly. There is a national complaints customer complaints that covers from the service station to solicitiors and accountants, ( try complaining about a Notaire in France)
Spanish traffic police hold spot checks. Spanish pedestrians REQUIRE cars to stop at zebra crossing. Spanish do not drive in your boot. Spanish law has zero tolerance to drink driving.
Have no experience of, but told Portugal worth consideration.
Hope the list of pros useful. The con. Often little outdoor space in a village (there may be a an interior courtyard) and in July and August it is HOT.
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That’s not what I have found around us in 72, we use ElectroDepot and Mano Mano and have found white goods to be cheaper in France than the UK.
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A question I am debating for a permanent home! Spain gets HOT. So a 1-hr walk to the beach in 33C is not really do-able, especially if you have to walk back afterwards. The west coast of France gets all the storms and rain from the Atlantic - I have dusty memories of my geography lessons “… warm wet westerlies in winter”. Plus as someone else said, the French coastline towns get very quiet in winter, nothing open. You might find affordable properties in Brittany or Normandy, a bit warmer in winter than Ireland, and drier. I live in Gers, SW France, and have a holiday house in Almansa (inland, non touristy, very Spanish, high up so cold in winter - not what we intended but we fell in love with the house). The heat there is dry. We came back to France a couple of weeks ago after 1 month in Almansa and it felt so humid here. But lush and green. We can be in Spain in 2hrs. With your budget you might do better to avoid the hassle of a holiday home and just do long-term rentals in winter. Where we live in France, Nogaro, the town doesn’t shut down in winter. You can always get a meal in the evening (unlike seaside towns), and the cinema sometimes shows films in English. There are expats around but it’s not “Little Britain” like much of the Dordogne. Good luck with your decision!
Interestingly, I’ve been chatting with English friends who have a holiday home in Fuengirola, Spain in the Costa’s and they AFAIK don’t have a TIE (the equivalent of the French WARP) but intend to spend 6 weeks about between UK and Spain throughout the year. They say that the Spanish authorities couldn’t care a fig about the WA even to the point (seen in another reference) that they don’t bother stamping passports on entry or leaving Spain.
They just want the British spending their hard earned in the bars, swigging lager and eating all day breakfasts to help recover their economy.
If that is true, it perhaps widens the scope somewhat as to choices if someone wants/needs to keep a foot on both camps.
A Brexiteers paradise… (and heaven knows, plenty of Brit expats in Spain voted for it allegedly!)
Except Graham once ETIAS comes in next year it will all be automatic. Some Spanish Border guards may not stamp passports…but they will scan them when coming in via air routes. And it’s a bit far to swim from the UK…
granted @JaneJones I’m in no way condoning it!
" The ETIAS visa waiver has been designed for short-term stays of up to 90 days."
But how/will the 6 weeks about impact the 90 days rule?
A quick check using this Schengen calculator produces the following result
suggesting that after 3 such 6 weeks about visits the 90 day rule has been exceeded…
We lived in the Minervois near Cuxac d’Aude for several years. You can find inexpensive housing as you can in most areas but if you want any land it is certainly going to cost you unless you move inland to Bedarieux or Lamalou Les Bains which are further north and about ninety minutes from the coast.
We are all individuals but for me it was uncomfortably hot for a large part of the year while the winters could be absolutely freezing. I doubt I have ever been as cold. The Tramontagne whips off the Pyrenees causing there to be frequent windy conditions which I found to be quite galling. It played on me though others do not seem to suffer.
We have now been in Brittany for many years where we enjoy the most moderate climate of any French department. The winters are milder than elsewhere though admittedly they can be damp and humid. Summers are temperate with occasional sizzling spells.
I would not neccesarily rule out a return to the south but if temperatures continue to climb I think I would be looking either at the area around Mirepoix/Montreal or perhaps the Silver Coast of Portugal.
I think the thing to bear in mind is that most people spend most of their time within (say) ten kms of their home and frequently less, so the immediate climate, services and facilities are paramount. For the rest we can all jump in our cars.
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@ Julia_Grange
Julia,
The Gers is an area we hope to visit next month along with other parts of the midi-Pyrenees with regard to finding a permanent home. My ears always prick up when I hear of someone moving away from an area we are considering moving to - though we have not previously visited the mP and are going on what we read so far. I wonder if you are able to share any more of your experiences living where you are. This may be of interest to the OP Laura too.
I’v just done it but bringing the days just back a tiny bit and it worked, it is the last days that you just have to be really careful with, particularly once the electronic passport controls come in!
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Thanks @toryroo I guess a lot will depend on the SqueezyJet schedules from Spain to Stansted…
absolutely, as you can see it it tight too, only 4 days or so left each time and of course visits to other Shengen countries must also be taken into account and taken from the UK days not the holiday home days!
Just as a warning for those thinking they can get away with a few extra days - the penalty is up to a 5 year ban from all Shengen countries! I have heard of someone having it happen too!
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Problem is Tory, some people just won’t be told 
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I am still finding UK better choice, range of brands and often pricing 2/3rds in UK for some types of items. After all it’s not that long since things like Japanese electronics things were subjected to extremely onerous and many months-long checks for import in France. Some said to protect local brands.
But having said that, the same thing bought locally has seemed to last longer in a few instances. There is a fractional difference in UK and France electricity. I would expect freezers would be better climate-wise bought here.
Where the choice still seems too little or spec too low I’m also looking in Germany and sometimes CH now.
All our goods have been bought here, have been cheaper with a longer warranty than the UK, not had any complaints about quality either.
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Well, that’s the thing isn’t it. IIRC white goods bought from the UK and shipped to France (by whatever/whoever means) will generally be outside the terms of any warranty claim. The same goods bought in France will of course be covered.
We have bought stuff from ED Angoulême and been very pleased with it. We bought a desktop computer for a friend which he (or rather his young daughter) managed to break and it was replaced swiftly with a smile. If that had come from UK, it would have been an entirely different story and a less than happy outcome!
Some UK friends are considering renting in whichever country they fancy a holiday… as they feel the restrictions after Brexit make it impractical to actually buy a property which they can’t visit as-often-as/whenever they want to…
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There are days when I feel the same! Reduce my possessions to a suitcase and just rent places moving every three months… Houses can be headaches!
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