Bas & Nienke(37)

Nienke and I were working ourselves into the ground in Utrecht. Me as a project manager at an IT company, her part-time as a speech therapist. The children — Stijn aged 8 and Lotte aged 5 — went to after-school care and barely saw us during the week. We paid €1,800 rent for a terraced house without a garden. When my employer announced that remote work would be permanent, Nienke looked at me and said: "Where do we actually want to live?"

We had vacationed in Málaga three months earlier and fallen in love with the city. Not the touristy coastal towns, but Málaga itself: the Pedregalejo neighborhood with its fishing beaches, the cultural center with the Picasso Museum, the Mercado de Atatrazanas where we bought fresh fish every Saturday. We decided to give it a try.

Choosing a school was crucial. We debated for a long time between an international school and a Spanish public school. In the end we chose the public colegio in Pedregalejo. Free education, small classes of 22 students, and full immersion in Spanish. The first three months were tough — Stijn found it difficult — but the school offers free aula de enlace lessons for foreign children. After six months, both were playing fluently in Spanish on the playground.

The residency process for the whole family took us about three months. As EU citizens we didn't need a visa, but we did need a certificado de registro as EU citizens from the police. You need an NIE per family member, proof of income (my employment contract), health insurance and a padrón (municipal registration). A gestoría in Málaga center arranged everything for €400.

The costs are surprising: our rental house — three bedrooms, garden, 10 minutes by bike from the beach — costs €1,200 per month. Nienke found work here as a speech therapist at a private clinic that also treats Dutch children, for €1,800 net per month. The supermarket (Mercadona, Lidl) is 20-30% cheaper than in the Netherlands. The children eat a hot lunch at school for €4.50 per day.

What surprised us most: the social life for families. Spanish parents are incredibly hospitable. We get invited to birthdays, communion celebrations and barbecues. The children have Spanish, British and Swedish friends. And us? We sit on our terrace in the evening, with a glass of Rioja, while the kids play in the garden. This is the life we wanted.