Living in Tenerife.
Moving to Tenerife?
So you are thinking of living in Tenerife but you are not sure that Tenerife is the right place for you. Lets us look at some of the doubts that you may have and see if we can alleviate some of them.
Will the climate in Tenerife be too hot/cold for me?
The Tenerife climate is considered to be the best in Europe. Of course that is just a matter of opinion. Though we are as far south as Florida and only a couple of hundred miles from the coast of West Africa, our weather is regulated by the 12000 foot Mount Teide. This protects us from the more extreme excesses of the weather. Typically the day time temperatures ranges from an average of about 72 degrees in the winter to 80 in the summer, with low rainfall and gentle breezes, this makes Tenerife the most comfortable place to live.
What about my friends and family back in the UK?
Keeping them from continually visiting you is likely to be the biggest problem here. Virtually every international capable airport in the UK has regular flights to Tenerife with a flight-time of only about 4hours, compared to the mainland that is only the length of the in-flight movie longer. Now, with the coming of the low cost airlines, you can fly to and from Tenerife any day of the week. Flying back for Christmas, for example, can cost as little as 25 or 30 euros including tax, as everyone else is coming the other way.
Is it safe?
Being on an island in the Atlantic has certain disadvantages, one of which is that if you commit a crime there are not many places to hide and it is very difficult to get off without being spotted. This keeps the crime rate quite low and the police forces clear-up rate very high. Like anywhere else, if you leave valuables unguarded then someone is likely to think you no longer want them. All that is needed is a bit of common sense.
Is it cheaper to live in Tenerife?
In a word, YES. If something costs 10 pounds in the UK, it will cost 10 Euros or less here. The obvious things such as food and drink can be considerably less, for instance, you can buy a packet of cigarettes for as little as 49 cents and a pint of beer for 1 Euro. A full weeks shopping for 2 people would be about 70 0r 80 Euros. Some imported British goods can be expensive but you soon learn to buy local produce. Council tax costs about the same per year as you would pay per month in the UK. Petrol is about half the price and you do not seem to do as much mileage. The list goes on.
What if I get ill and need medical treatment?
The hospitals and doctors are as good, if not better, than the NHS. The only real problem is they cannot always speak English. They are specialists and have spent their time learning medicine. Sometimes it is a good idea to take a friend who can speak Spanish to translate for you. As we are still part of Europe, there is a reciprocal agreement covering health care, so all you really need to have is your NHS health card and your covered. If you intend to work, then you will be paying social security and will get all the benefits, and more, that you have come to expect. Even if you do not have a prescription you will find that medicines cost less to buy over the counter than the prescription charges in the UK.
Do I need to learn Spanish?
It would be good if you were to try to learn but no you do not NEED to speak Spanish. There are plenty of local people that can speak English as they work in a tourist area and it is part of their work. Also, about 20,000 expats are here already, so you will not have a problem finding someone to talk to.
To sum up, everything you have in the UK we have here, except the weather of course.
If you have any more questions regarding living in Tenerife please contact us and we will do our best to answer them.
