‘A lot of people my age feel like they’re working just to pay rent for a single room, with no real quality of life,’ says young Irish professional who moved to Málaga
A young professional who moved to Spain to escape the high cost of living and a succession of unfulfilling jobs says she can afford to rent a whole flat for the same cost as a tiny bedroom back in Dublin.
Laura Murphy, 26, a freelance research and administration assistant, was living in the Irish capital, paying €950 (£829) a month for a single bedroom in a tiny terraced cottage she shared with her best friend.
The room barely fitted a single bed and a small wardrobe, and only one person could fit in the kitchen at a time, Ms Murphy told The i Paper. For some of her freelance jobs, working from her cramped bedroom without a separate space from where she slept made it hard to focus, she said. Meanwhile the bathroom was so small it was difficult to move inside the shower.
“It never felt like I had enough space to properly relax and it wasn’t even walking distance to the city centre,” she said.
She worked several unsatisfying sales and admin jobs in Dublin. “It was a long commute every day, and then spending all my time in an office during the darkest, hard and rainy part of the Irish winter really wore me down,” she said.
Furthermore, the housing crisis and rising cost of living in Dublin meant she found it hard to be independent. Like many young people in Ireland, she said, she had to move back in with her parents, where she lived while she completed her master’s degree.
By the time Ms Murphy had graduated, many of her friends had already moved abroad looking for a brighter and less expensive future.
“A lot of people my age feel like they’re working just to pay rent for a single room, with no real quality of life,” she said.
Ms Murphy knew she needed a fresh start, and she decided to make the move for herself. After reaching the end of her tether, she decided to move to Málaga in the south of Spain in April.
“I’d been thinking about moving to Spain for years. I studied Spanish and I could see myself being much happier somewhere with sun, warmth, and beaches,” she said.
She had visited Málaga before and knew it was an area she could settle without feeling completely lost. She works as a freelancer for British companies.
“It was my first time moving abroad and I was completely alone, so I wanted to be as comfortable as possible.”
She found a large, modern one-bedroom flat in the city 10 minutes from the beach and five minutes from the centre, with a separate living area and a wraparound balcony with sea views.
“Now, I pay the exact same amount for a full one-bedroom apartment in Málaga, and the difference is night and day,” she said. “It feels open, bright and comfortable in a way I never had in Dublin.”
For Ms Murphy, a major plus point was finally having space to work from home. She now has enough room to set up a proper workspace separate from where she relaxes, which she says has made huge difference to her productivity and mental health.
She says she loves the lifestyle in Málaga, where things move at a slower pace, people are friendly and there is a focus on enjoying life rather than just working.
“I love the art and music scene, the natural landscape, the food and culture. Combined with the better climate and lower cost of living, Málaga offered everything I was missing in Dublin, it felt like the right choice.”
Ms Murphy says she now thrives in the sun and heat, and finds it better for her mental health.
“What I like most about my life in Spain is how much happier I feel, day to day. Just being in the sun has improved my daily mood so much”, as well as going to the beach, swimming or playing volleyball.
