Man lives in Barcelona and commutes to London because it's cheaper than capital city
A bloke who swapped the UK capital for Barcelona claims he has saved a ton of cash - even though he's still commuting back to London for work.
Ethan Spibey's journey to the office might involve an aircraft these days, but he insists it still costs him less than the £120 his monthly rail ticket used to set him back.
The 33-year-old upped sticks with his husband, Soren Scharf, 35, selling his semi-detached home in Lewisham in May last year after growing tired of the rat race.
Ethan and Soren then set out to find the perfect place to put down roots, but there was one condition - the destination couldn't be too far from London.
Advert
That's because the businessman has to fly back to Britain for meetings two or three times a month, although he can work remotely for most of the time.
Explaining how they decided on Barcelona, Ethan revealed that it was a no-brainer as he had previously studied in the city, holidays there 'every single year', and he is fluent in Spanish.
"I did a logistics check," he said. "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?
"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."
He explained that he usually spends about £60 on travelling back to London, adding that he has never paid more than £100 return for flights back to the British capital.
Ethan and his other half explained that their rent in Barcelona is also a lot more affordable than Lewisham, as they've scored a penthouse duplex for £1,700 a month, which is far cheaper than their former £2,500 monthly mortgage.
Discussing the financial benefits that their move to Barcelona has brought them, he said: "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.
"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."
Ethan, who received an OBE in the 2026 honours list after mounting a campaign for LGBT+ equality in blood donations, was able to move to the Spanish city thanks to his husband’s German citizenship, which made him eligible for a spouse visa.
He said that his and Soren's decision to relocate has been 'eye-opening' because of how much his quality of life has improved.
"Not just to be in such a beautiful city, with beautiful weather, and the community and people that are here, but I have far more time than I ever had to spend time on fitness and spend time with friends," Ethan added.
There is one drawback for the Brit, though, which is how many stamps he has been racking up in his passport due to his consistent commutes.
"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!"
Topics: UK News, World News, Travel, Lifestyle, Money, Cost of Living
Olivia Burke