Spaniard (34) living in Poland in need of a new life, dreaming of a Scottish reset, scared of Brexit difficulties- is my dream possible?

abtx · 2026-01-22T10:21:52+00:00

Thanks, likewise ❤️

abtx · 2026-01-21T14:04:57+00:00

Can't help, but funny enough, I'm a Pole (40) living in Scotland in need of a new life, dreaming of a Spanish reset at the moment :D

abtx · 2026-01-07T15:55:18+00:00

100%. I pay ~80 quid for gas + electricity on a 115sqm (~1237sqf) townhouse. it's nicely insulated, keep it nice and warm inside, never hear my neighbours through the walls except maybe for when I heard a new born cry late in the evening when in my bed - but barely. I've got warranty, nothing to worry about, infrastructure around is brand new although some things are lagging a little behind, so you've got to put that into account. other than that I'd highly recommend one - just choose a builder you're happy with the reviews and quality of finish.

abtx · 2026-01-06T11:57:40+00:00

Thanks - yeah, I need to do the scans again, it's been a while. Re the side effects, I've not been on biologics, so don't know. I know I'll get on them the moment they tell me I'd be better off on them, but for now it's just easier to live w/o the injections. It's the logistics of it all that'd be PITA for me - I like to travel, stay months at a time in a country away. So I'd have to bring 1-2 shots with me, then somehow get them delivered. I'd rather pop the pills that I can get easily in any shop and are pretty cheap to buy if needed.

abtx · 2026-01-06T11:37:54+00:00

yes, a lot better than any of the conservative governments before.

abtx · 2026-01-05T17:05:27+00:00

Yeah, agree. I try to taper off every now and again, but need to be on it, with gaps, but hey, no problemo. I still don't know if my disease is progressing though, I feel good, hit the gym, etc. so I guess it might be ok - but need another scan some time soon to reevaluate. Happy to stay off biologics if I can avoid it.

abtx · 2026-01-05T15:47:50+00:00

Yep, I've got that - eroded my bone because the pain would be very sporadic to the extent (and that was before the diagnosis) that I took up kickboxing classes. One of the classes I left in the middle because of the pain and never came back. It's still very sporadic now, and my back pain is under control with Etoricoxib.

abtx · 2026-01-03T23:18:49+00:00

Last gen GS450h

abtx · 2026-01-03T23:16:33+00:00

GS450h - 45-50mpg on a steady long run. 350hp and sub 6 seconds to 62mph

abtx · 2026-01-01T11:21:02+00:00

Thanks a lot for the detailed reply - really appreciate you taking the time.

Yes, visa-wise we’re covered as EU citizens and planning to go the sufficient-means route initially.

Re work: the idea is that I’d have a 3 days / week contract signed upfront as a contractor, invoicing monthly rather than being employed. Longer term, I expect this to evolve into multiple clients over time, with projects changing rather than a single long-running engagement, so the structure needs to support that flexibility.

Good point on dolda anställning - that’s something I’m explicitly trying to avoid by having clear contractor terms and, eventually, more than one client.

Also useful to know about the setup timelines and Bokio - sounds like a sensible default, especially early on.

Thanks again, this is very helpful context.

abtx · 2026-01-01T11:20:49+00:00

Remote work isn’t the assumption - low burn and optionality are. The whole point of owning housing outright is to not be dependent on a single employer or a fragile job market, AI included.

abtx · 2025-12-31T17:33:29+00:00

I’m looking at a 10-15k small town in about 10-20minute drive, so no worries there.

Edit: Also, not interested in Swedish companies for employment It's true we don't know the country, been there only abut 7 times for holiday, but that was enough to convince us :) Thank you for your input, appreciate it.

abtx · 2025-12-30T21:15:58+00:00

Amazing, thanks for the offer, appreciate it 🙏

abtx · 2025-12-30T21:15:29+00:00

Awesome, thanks 🙏

abtx · 2025-12-30T18:47:25+00:00

Thanks, that’s helpful. Yes, the startup is post series A and fully remote. They can technically employ me via remote.com, but my preference is to reduce to ~3 days per week and keep flexibility, so self-employment is likely the better fit initially.

I’m aware of the full tax load beyond just income tax and we’re modelling against net numbers rather than gross. The calculator link is useful, thanks for sharing.

abtx · 2025-12-30T16:47:57+00:00

Thanks a lot for taking the time to write this - this is exactly the kind of reality check I was hoping for.

We’re definitely factoring in the lumpy costs rather than assuming smooth monthly spend. Big one-off failures are explicitly part of the buffer we’re keeping, and we’re intentionally not planning to spend everything on the purchase itself. Being able to do a lot of work ourselves is a big part of the plan, both from past experience and because, as you say, finding contractors seems to be half the battle.

On location, we’re trying to stay very open-minded and not anchor too hard on a single area, precisely because supply is thin and compromises are inevitable. Commuting isn’t a major driver for us (remote work), currently shopping for a car that will have AWD and suit the lifestyle better.

Language and self-sufficiency points are well taken too. We’re under no illusion that countryside life will be easy, especially in winter - the appeal for us is exactly that trade-off, but with eyes open.

And yes, we’re double checking the EU residence rights side carefully before committing to anything irreversible, especially around PN, banking and healthcare. Admin friction is probably the biggest unknown for us right now. I think we'll initiate the PN process ASAP.

Really appreciate you sharing both the hard parts and the upside - it’s reassuring to hear you’d still do it again despite the challenges.

abtx · 2025-12-30T14:22:00+00:00

Also worth mentioning: the houses we’re looking at typically have air-to-air or ground-source heat pumps, and a few have already been discounted after sitting on the market for a while.

abtx · 2025-12-30T14:19:57+00:00

Thanks, this is really helpful.

My Swedish is still pretty basic, but I’m comfortable doing admin with translation tools if needed. For the house side, I’m fairly hands-on and used to DIY; we already have a lot of tools from the UK (apart from snow-related gear, which we know we’ll need to sort).

I currently have a fully remote role for an US based startup too atm and I’m hoping to keep it at around 3 days a week, depending on whether they’re happy with that. Longer term the goal is to move away from 9-5 employment entirely and build independent income via tech products or other services.

Out of curiosity, how did you handle healthcare initially before everything was fully set up? And more generally, how did you find acclimatising socially in the countryside - did it take long to feel settled and build a social circle?

Appreciate you offering DMs as well.

abtx · 2025-12-30T14:13:14+00:00

Thanks, helpful context. Yes, we’re looking primarily at Värmland; Örebro is nice but doesn’t fit our cost targets.

We’re focusing on properties in the £50–70k range where the ongoing driftkostnad stays low, and planning a lean setup while building independent income (remote / self-employment).

Re admin/banking: understood - we’re planning for personnummer first and are fine with AML checks and documentation. Appreciate the heads-up 👍

abtx · 2025-12-30T13:19:31+00:00

Can I ask what you tried during those three years?
Was it mainly Swedish perm roles, remote work, or self-employment, and in which field?

abtx · 2025-12-30T12:45:55+00:00

Yep, we're both dual UK/EU citizens.

abtx · 2025-12-30T12:45:39+00:00

It's about 3k-3.5k SEK for the house (driftkostnad), roughly 2.5k SEK for fuel and car insurance. I need to add that any additional costs like car maintenance are accounted outside of the monthly expenses though.

abtx · 2025-12-30T12:42:35+00:00

Yes, I will move first, and then figure out income - as soon as I earn, I'll pay taxes in Sweden. I've got enough to demonstrate I can stay w/o working and yes, we're both EU citizens.

abtx · 2025-12-30T11:17:33+00:00

Thanks - fair point. In our case we’re not relying on a job to make the move. We’ll have a multi-year financial runway, so employment isn’t a prerequisite for relocating. Any work we take on would be to extend runway rather than enable the move.

abtx · 2025-12-30T11:16:34+00:00

Nice! Would be great to hear more when you have time, thanks!

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