Elastic and Henna Kyttäla made a big decision eight years ago after getting tired of their everyday life in Finland. The family of four moved to Torrevieja, Spain.
– We took the final account and within two weeks we were in Spain. The intention was initially to try living in Spain for four months.
The family quickly fell in love with the Spanish lifestyle and decided to stay.
The number of people moving from Finland to Spain is clearly increasing. Last year was one of the peak years in migration statistics.
Since 2014, the number of Finns immigrating to Spain has been steadily increasing. During the corona years, migration from Finland to Spain decreased somewhat, but the number has started to rise again during 2021.
Among other things, Finns are attracted to Spain by the low price level and warm weather. The cost of living database Numbeo estimates that the cost of living in Spain is on average 28 percent cheaper than in Finland, and rents are eight percent cheaper than in Finland.
According to the Spanish Statistical Office, in 2020 the average salary in Spain was 2098 euros. In 2020, an average of 3,217 euros was earned in Finland. Living in Spain is particularly profitable if a person living in Spain works for a Finnish employer who pays the average salary in Finland.
Kytälät work in Spain as travel entrepreneurs and offer various travel-related services to their mainly Nordic customers.
Kimmo Kyttälä particularly appreciates the family orientation in Spain. The children are often taken to restaurants and we spend close time with the family.
– The best view is on Sundays, when it’s family beach day. There might be four generations of people there. People in their 90s are carried to the beach, and their grandchildren take care of them.
The mother of the family, Henna Kyttälä, on the other hand, appreciates the fact that people in Spain are not so performance-oriented.
– It is socially acceptable to sit down and take it easy.
Jobs and health services attract Finns
Editor-in-Chief of Fuengirola magazine Antti Pekkarinen knows the Finnish communities in Spain well. According to Pekkarinen, Finns are currently attracted by the warm weather and good employment opportunities.
One attractive factor for moving to Spain may also be low taxation compared to Finland. In 2022, a person earning an average salary in Finland paid 31 percent of their salary in tax, while a person earning an average salary in Spain paid 21.4 percent in tax.
Pekkarinen predicts that Health Tourism will also increase in Spain. You can get treatment much faster than in Finland.
– Kela-reimbursable treatments have changed in such a way that a Finn can come to Spain to have his knee operated much more cost-effectively.
The biggest price differences in food in Spain and Finland are found in alcohol products. The price of wine in grocery stores starts from one euro. Food and hobbies are also cheaper in Spain than in Finland.
– You can afford to eat outside here, laughs Henna Kyttälä.
Fuengirola has remained a favorite destination especially for retirees. Many decide to move their lives to Spain after they retire.
– The retirement age groups are well-off, and they have good financial starting points to move their lives to Spain.
The standard of living improves significantly if you receive a pension or salary from Finland and live in Spain. However, Pekkarinen reminds that many things in Spain cost almost as much as in Finland.
The Spanish lifestyle changed Kytälö
Kytälä feel that they are happier in Spain than in Finland. In Spain, encounters between people are given value and space.
The family’s two sons, What16 and Storm Kyttäla, 12 have settled into their lives in Spain. Both attend a local Finnish-language school in Torrevieja.
– The best thing about Spain is that you can cycle all year round, says Myrsky Kyttälä.
Miska Kytälä feels that she has adapted well to Spain. He thinks the Spanish are very helpful.
– I was well received here, and everyone was ready to help.
The boys’ everyday life mainly consists of school, football practice and time spent together with friends.
Some things are still better in Finland.
– Finland has better jätski and candy, says Myrsky Kyttälä.
It is not easy to get invited to a Spanish home
According to Antti Pekkarinen, Finns in Spain are more open and ready to throw themselves into things than at home.
– They are “summer Finns” in Spain all year round.
He believes that the sun also makes Finns more social.
Spaniards don’t live at home in the same way as Finns, but a lot of life is outside. Almost every apartment building has that local bar next to it, which is a living room for people.
According to Kimmo Kyttälä, the Spanish are not sensitive about asking to visit their home. Only when you earn “family-status” and gain the trust of the Spaniard, you might get an invitation.
– That’s why the cafes and bars here are full.
When you can build a relationship of trust with a Spaniard, you can make a good friend for the rest of your life.
– If someone has cheated me here, it’s certainly not a Spaniard, says Kimmo Kyttälä.
In Spain, there are a lot of jokes about mañana culture. The concept suggests that the matter may well be taken care of only tomorrow, and even if it doesn’t happen tomorrow, it’s not that serious. Kimmo Kyttälä recognizes the culture in question.
– Here, the renovation trip may come six hours after the agreed time or tomorrow.
The Kytäläs go on vacation to Finland in the summer. The children are especially looking forward to being able to visit the Moors in Tampere and Särkäniemi, says Hanna Kyttälä.
You can discuss the topic on 2.8. until 11 p.m.