A Brit moved to Barcelona with his husband and now commutes 965 miles to his office in London.
Ethan Spibey, 33, and husband Soren Scharf, 35, relocated back in May after they became tired of their busy lifestyle in the city.
The pair sold their home in Lewisham, for which they were coughing up £2,700 a month on the mortgage, and now live in a swish penthouse duplex in dreamy Barcelona.
They pay £1,700 a month for their new abode, and Ethan has still kept his London-based job but works remotely most of the time.
Instead of being charged £120 a month for the train, the businessman simply flies back to the UK a few times a month for meetings.
‘I did a logistics check,’ Ethan explained. ‘The criteria was: can I fly back to London regularly, are there flights? Is it economically possible? Is it mentally and physically exhausting to do so?’
In the end, the Spanish city seemed to be the best choice and he continued: ‘Barcelona seemed like a great option. There are about 25 flights a day to London.
‘Frankly, it’s cheaper than some of my colleagues who used to commute from Reading.’
Ethan Spibey (right), 33, and husband Soren Scharf (left), 35, relocated back in May after they became tired of their busy lifestyle in the city. Pictured in Barcelona with their dog, Cody
The pair sold their home in Lewisham, for which they were coughing up £2,700 a month on the mortgage, and now live in a swish penthouse duplex in dreamy Barcelona
They pay £1,700 a month for their new abode, and Ethan has still kept his London-based job but works remotely most of the time
Ethan insists the commute is relatively affordable and he typically pays £60 for the flight to London.
He also revealed he has never had to cough up more than £100 for the return trip.
What’s more, Barcelona was perfect for the couple as they had holidayed there before and Ethan had even studied in the city and is fluent in Spanish.
Soren’s German citizenship made it possible for Ethan to obtain a spouse visa for Spain.
Their new life abroad has brought them plenty of positives, from the cost of living to the quality of the food.
Ethan revealed: ‘It’s far cheaper to live, the housing is cheaper than London, but it’s everything else.
‘The quality of great food, great fruit and veg…going out for dinners and lunches. There’s no way you can go out for dinner in London and get away with £80 or £100.
‘Some of the restaurants near us, it’s £30 for lunch for the two of you. It is just a completely different quality of life.
Instead of being charged £120 a month for the train, the businessman simply flies back to the UK a few times a month for meetings
Ethan insists the commute is relatively affordable and he typically pays £60 for the flight to London
‘Our food bill has plummeted – you can’t go to Tesco without spending £50 on dinner, somehow it seems; the quality and standard of food here is far better.
‘I know for a fact we’ve halved our monthly costs that we used to put on our credit card.’
The couple’s lifestyle overall has changed since moving, and Ethan has managed to enjoy more time with friends and on his fitness.
However, the only negative to their new life abroad is how quickly Ethan’s passport has filled up with stamps from travelling back to the UK.
‘I’m having to fly to Liverpool in two weeks and go for an emergency passport appointment so I can get a quick one-day turnaround,’ Ethan said.
‘I realised I’d filled up my passport, as they keep stamping in and out. That’s a slight drawback, but it’s the price you have to pay!’
