\n\t\t\t\t\tJenny Stanley says she would not return from Madrid to Bedfordshire, where she was living before\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n
At the age of 32, Jenny Stanley left her home in Bedfordshire and moved to Madrid<\/a>.<\/p>\n Though she initially moved with her three-year-old daughter in an employed role for a company with offices in Madrid<\/a>, within a year, the single mum had left and founded her own business.<\/p>\n Now 11 years on and running her technology company from the Spanish capital, Jenny says there is no chance she would move back to the UK.<\/p>\n New FeatureIn ShortQuick Stories. Same trusted journalism.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the time when I moved, the odds were stacked against me \u2013 I had no family support, was learning Spanish from scratch, and was starting from scratch professionally. Looking back now, it was absolutely the best thing I ever did,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Jenny says the weather and the happiness of the local people made Spain<\/a> very attractive to her initially, and says the weather had a \u201ctransformative effect\u201d on her mood.<\/p>\n \u201cSitting outside having a coffee, having that sun has a real impact on you,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n But she says the practical and financial benefits also helped her, and feels this is something that makes Spain different to back home.<\/p>\n \u201cThe cost of living<\/a> is lower than the UK, which made a real difference when I was building my business from nothing,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cFor a single working mum trying to build a life and a business, these factors combined created something I couldn\u2019t have replicated in the UK \u2013 a better quality of life, more balance between work and family time, and genuine well-being,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n In terms of costs, Jenny notes that hospitality costs are far lower in Madrid than they are back home in England.<\/p>\n She says getting a three course meal out for \u20ac13-\u20ac15 (\u00a311.35 to \u00a313.10) is possible, whilst the equivalent would be far more expensive in the UK.<\/p>\n \u201cThat sort of thing affects how people are \u2013 it means you eat out more and you\u2019re not always at home or in work. You feel so much happier if you see your friends so much more,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n She says although rent is expensive in Madrid, housing costs are cheaper than back home, overall.<\/p>\n Though she can\u2019t remember her exact costs, when she moved to Madrid her tenancy costs were far cheaper than her UK mortgage, and she says on the outskirts of the capital, renting a four bedroom house with a swimming pool for around \u20ac2,500 (\u00a32,183) per month would be possible.<\/p>\n Private school fees for her daughter are also less than half what she would pay in the UK, she adds.<\/p>\n She says the less expensive quality of life makes her feel happier.<\/p>\n \u201cI moved despite circumstances being genuinely difficult, and I found real, lasting success. That\u2019s something I think people need to hear. You don\u2019t have to struggle in the UK. There\u2019s a better way of living out there,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n