We moved from the United States to Spain and bought a house for $72,000.

Last year, my wife Luci and I made a decision that many people in our lives thought was too risky.

I worked in marketing for a large American company and Luci worked in mental health. We lived with our daughter, now 7, in our cozy beach bungalow in Ormond Beach, Florida. We had what many would consider a stable life. But we had reached a point where stability was not the same as flourishing.

For years, we had worked multiple jobs, taken on side hustles, and devoted our free time to crafts and artistic pursuits. Every extra dollar went toward our goal of creating a life with more freedom, access to nature, and quality time with family. It felt like if we really wanted it, we had to make a change.

We decided to try Spain. I’m Dominican-American, my wife is Cuban-American, and we both speak Spanish, which we knew would probably make it easier to adjust to daily life. I had also lived in Spain before, when I worked there as an English teacher 20 years ago.

For five months, we rented our house in Florida, pulled our daughter out of school, packed up our family keepsakes and art supplies and shipped them across the Atlantic in a single container.

We boarded that plane to Spain with no guarantee that everything would go well. Our Digital Nomad visa was still being processed and we would not receive approval until after we arrived. It was one of the biggest leaps of faith we have ever taken.

When we arrived we thought we would have to rent. While we were settling in, we stayed in an Airbnb in Alicante. We spent six weeks looking at properties and quickly realized that many rentals were more expensive than expected. I remember saying to my wife, “How are we going to afford this?”

Then, in July 2025, while watching a video from a YouTube channel we had followed for years, we came across a 1,600 square foot, 5 bedroom, 2 bathroom house for sale in the Andalusian village of Castil de Campos in southern Spain.

We jumped at the chance and purchased the house for around $72,000. The price seemed almost impossible, but we were able to pay in full in cash. We don’t have a mortgage.

Each month we typically pay about $350 for groceries, $116 for water, $116 for electricity, $116 for phone and internet, $230 for health insurance, $127 for our accountant, $103 for Social Security, and $58 for home insurance. Our monthly living budget is approximately $1,216 for our family of three.

We are surrounded by olive trees and mountains, our neighbors look out for each other and we have been able to make this place our own.

In April, we opened our creative studio in the village. We offer workshops in pottery, sewing, nature-inspired arts and handmade crafts. We want to provide a space for visitors and locals to slow down and immerse themselves in art.

The first month we only made $50. Some might find this discouraging, but we saw it as proof that someone believed in our idea enough to pay for it. It was enough to keep us going. And with supplies we had shipped across the ocean, we were also able to reduce our startup costs early on.

I continued to work as a freelance marketing strategist, with my income typically ranging from around $7,000 to $9,000 per month, depending on my current contracts. This income allowed us to continue improving the property and growing the business gradually, rather than expecting it to immediately provide for our family.

We invested approximately $60,000 into transforming our home, including the guest house, pool, and outdoor spaces. Our home retreat, Stay & Create, will officially open to the public in May 2027.

We love the relaxing side of Castil de Campos, but there are also so many things to do here and in surrounding villages like Iznájar, Lucena and Baena. They always surprise us with something new to explore.

We love going to Granada for outdoor activities, Jaén for shopping, and Córdoba for a night out on the town. They are all about an hour away. We can also travel more accessible and affordable to places like Barcelona, ​​Madrid and Paris.

We really enjoy Spanish food, but as a Latin family we are also drawn to different cuisines and love exploring other cultures through food. Nearby Priego de Córdoba is full of lovely tapas spots and fruit and vegetable stands selling incredible fresh produce. A van even passes through our village every week to deliver products from local farms.

Our goal when arriving here was to travel more, enjoy life and spend less. We didn’t want to constantly feel like we were on a hamster wheel. We managed to achieve this, but we also had to adapt to our new environment.

I have discovered that it takes courage to move a country, but adjustment is not limited to big moments. It’s about learning when stores close, how to get what you need without the conveniences you’re used to, and how to establish a routine that works for your family. It’s these little details that make a new place feel like home over time.

The biggest surprise since I arrived here has undoubtedly been the pace of life. In the United States, we’re used to getting things done immediately. Where we live there’s no Uber Eats, for example, and anything you think is super important could be handled tomorrow or next week.

In the same spirit, the midday nap also surprised us. It sounds heavenly, but we’re still getting used to planning around it! And because I work with clients in the US and here, I often work across time zones, which can make the day feel strangely long.

This can all be frustrating at times and dealing with logistics and unfamiliar bureaucracy takes patience. But there is also something beautiful in a place that is not organized around emergencies every day.

Looking back, leaving the United States meant choosing to pursue a different definition of success. We don’t chase corporate promotions or the biggest houses. Today, success is about mornings facing olive groves, afternoons spent creating art with people from all over the world, and watching our daughter grow up in a community we love.