I am from South America, I speak English and Spanish, I lived for a while in Tampa (USA) and came to Modjacar 17 years ago, never to leave.
As a citizen of Mojacar, I see that people come every year from many countries with the intention of resigning or starting a new life either on their own or with their families, working for others or starting their own business. Many do it very well, others have problems or difficulties with setting due to the lack of information about Modjakar before coming.
Keep in mind that Spain has a unique, unique and own culture and should never be compared with the country of origin, because all you get is to see everything black. You must go to Spain with an open mind and willingness to integrate into a vibrant and rich culture in all aspects.
From my point of view, the crisis affected the standard of living in Spain, especially in large cities, however, in terms of quality of life, I do not know a better country than Spain to live, and I traveled a lot. Mojacar is as safe as almost every small town in Spain.
- Moycar is easy to live,
- Mojacar has healthy weather, Mojacar is very affordable,
- Mojacar has a good transportation system and offers a 70% discount for seniors over 65,
and
- Mojacar, since the rest of Spain offers free medical care and treatment for citizens and residents.
What makes Modjakar so special?
To answer this question, I have to expose some facts:
- Mojacar is located east of the province of Almeria. Swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, its waters are calm and warm, and many sandy beaches. Modjakar has two urban centers: a 17 km long beach and a village 1.8 km from the beach to the mountain. You can live in any of them.
With a population of 7,000, Mojacar is located at 37 ° 08 north latitude and 1ยบ 51 °. west longitude. The houses are facing southeast, and the main points are the most favorable conditions due to the greater durability of the sun, providing easier and better temperatures. There are 3,600 hours of sunshine a year in Mojacar.
- The average winter temperature is 18 degrees Celsius.
- Mojacar is a multicultural one: about 30 nationalities are registered in the municipal census. Nearly 40% of people living in Mojacar are in the UK.
- Its landscape consists of the rugged and blurry peaks of Sierra Cabrera, where sources abound; its hills, with terraces and arable land; and the coast, with its beaches and coves. I must say that Modjakar is located in a semi-desert area not far from the largest desert in Europe (taverns), so the vegetation is low, there are no impressive trees or forests. This is something that many people love, but others who are used to other climates do not support it. I like it!
- Mojacar is a typical Mediterranean “white village”, where the construction of buildings on more than 3 levels is prohibited, and since January 2013, Mojacar has been part of the most beautiful villas in Spain.
- Mojacar is located 90 km from the provincial capital (Almeria) and 150 km from the capital of the neighboring province (Murcia). This keeps it in the countryside with basic services and away from the rush of the cities. The nearest airport is 70 km from Mojacar. The health center offers primary health care, and in the nearby town of Wierkal-Overa there is a regional hospital 25 km away. If you are registered as an official resident or citizen, then attention and treatment for health are completely free, and medications are set at a ridiculously cheap price. Mojacar does not have a supermarket or fast food franchise or branded clothing stores. Stores are small but very pleasant.
- The main source of income is summer tourism, the winter months are quiet and calm. In fact, many businesses have closed during the winter months to reopen when the tourist season begins, which runs from April to September.
And here we will focus on the “data”, now let's talk about how people live in Mojacar.
Winter is very limited to Modjakar jobs, and many young people are forced to leave in the winter months to look for work in other provinces. This also happens because the stores are small and do not need employees in the winter. The average salary in the service sector is 1,200 euros per month during the high season and 900 euros during the winter months. Although there are many 4-star hotels, some of them are close in winter due to the lack of tourism.
The best business hotels in Mojacar are B & Bs that are easily managed online and the tapas restaurants (we'll talk about tapas below). Also, small shops, such as gourmet shops, are very successful. Restaurants, services related to food suppliers, cheap bazaars, hardware stores and everything related to agriculture and animal husbandry, operate mainly in winter. Organic products are in demand.
For people who want to live in the countryside, Modjacar is perfect. Street farms business is also growing rapidly due to low costs and high profits. In Spain, thousands of kilograms of snails are consumed per year, and domestic production is low, so this is an ideal business for a place like Mojacar.
Because of its climate, Mojacar yields from almost anything are successful, the most profitable are vegetables, aloe vera, stevia, moringa and vetiver.
Livestock farming is based on raising goats and sheep, rabbits, pigs and chickens. Goat work still exists, and goats and sheep graze freely on the fields, led by the goat and his dogs, and then return to the pens at nightfall. This is very common when hundreds of people cross the road, and sometimes we have to wait ...
Professional and official translators, mainly English, German, Chinese, Romanian, French, Italian and Russian, are in great need. We also need dentists, physiotherapists, decorators, bricklayers, plumbers, gardeners and especially electricians. The power of electricity is 220 V.
ADSL Internet is about 8 MB (yes, 8 MB!), But it can perfectly support online business at such a speed. For example, I live in the mountains, move 2.5 MB, and I do good ...
As for housing, renting a duplex with two bedrooms and two bathrooms on the beach is about 400-500 euros per month. It is sometimes difficult to find a rental, because people prefer to rent houses only in summer to double or triple the price and enjoy them in the winter months, but you can always find something. The best thing is word of mouth, because realtors charge a lot of money in agreements, so it's best to ask about housing in a bazaar, in a bar, in a supermarket or in a cigarette store.
If you want to buy a property, get good advice, as there are many "illegal" houses. Modjakar protects its territory by coastal laws, and not every part of the land can be developed. The problem with buying an illegal house built on undeveloped land is that the city can order a demolition, and you can lose everything. Be very careful with unscrupulous real estate agents. It is best to go to the Land Registry and check that the house we want to buy is in order. This is a simple procedure, but many foreigners do not know this and fall into the trap. The price of a duplex with two bedrooms and two bathrooms on the beach is about 150,000-200,000 euros, depending on the area.
Social life in Mojacar is easy if you like walking. There are different types of leisure activities for all ages: adventure, quad bikes, cycling and motorcycle clubs, archery, fishing, bocce club, bowling, hiking, mountain biking, paragliding, sailing, kayaking, diving ... and of course , bars "tapas"!
Tapas are a small portion of products that are distributed each time you order a drink. There is a culture around tapas and real competition to see which bar makes the best tapas. We go to a tapas bar, usually for an aperitif before lunch or dinner. This is also a social act. When a group of friends gets together, they usually go on tapas and have a nice chat.
Graphics in Spain are different, and very different!
In Spain, stores open at 10:00 and close at 14:00. Between 14:30 and 16:30 people eat and sleep famous “siesta”. Shops reopen at 17:00 and close at 21:00. We work eight hours, like everyone else, but we do not wake up early, and we sleep for a while after eating. This schedule is often difficult for foreigners, they do not understand the importance of holidays in Spain. With this type of schedule, you have plenty of time to go to the bank in the morning or if you want to have a breakfast “churros” before you work. Churros are deliciously dipped in chocolate or coffee. They are fried dough sticks with sugar and are a national breakfast! Then, when we finish work at 14:00, we have time for tapas, eating, sleeping, or even going to the beach to go swimming. At night, we can have a few beers after work with friends or have dinner at home. This is what I call Quality of Life.
Mojacar: sun and sunshine, sea and beaches, mountains, clean air, quiet, rural life, fine cuisine, great weather, leisure, culture and entertainment. What more can you ask for?
Greetings to all from Country of Enchantment!
