Pros and Cons of living on base

As new families are moving to Rota, I frequently hear the question, "which is better: living in town, or living on base?" Well, each have their advantages, and downsides, and you will have to weigh how many sacrifices you are willing to make.

If you want to live in town, that is definitely the best way to become part of the culture, and the kids would learn a lot of Spanish. The military provides a housing allowance for anyone who lives off base, and the overseas calculation for our family would have easily covered monthly rent in most houses in this area. If you wish, there are houses with beach views, houses with built-in swimming pools, and houses with beautiful gardens maintained by the landlord, all a short commute from base. Spanish are extremely welcoming, and many Americans have great relationships with their landlords, being practically adopted by them and invited to family celebrations.

Becoming part of Spanish culture also has a lot of challenges. Not only do you have to learn the language, but it will also mean changing a lot of family routines. The Spanish are on a completely different daily schedule and eat their meals at much later times than Americans. They stay up much later, often until 1am, even with children! My husband works almost exclusively with Americans, on a more traditional American 9-5 schedule, so living in town would be a big adjustment for us.

I would have been up to the challenge of learning Spanish and putting in the work of becoming part of their culture, but I wasn't sure the rest of our young family was ready for the challenge. We enjoy Spanish food and culture, but we are more interested in being occasional tourists than in being continual residents in a foreign land. When we found out that we would qualify for the newly-renovated 4-bedroom houses on base, that made the decision easy for us. Our house on base is huge, with more than enough room and storage space for our family. We have a large driveway with plenty of parking, and a large fenced-in yard with automatic sprinklers. (Caveat: not all base housing is like ours. We are E-6 with 4 children. Many houses on base are smaller and older, which definitely make living in town more appealing.)

For the most part, we love it. There are times, especially in the beautiful summer, when some of my friends' houses seem to have a lot of perks. But to keep myself from jealousy, here are the top reasons I like living on base:

1. Free utilities. On military bases, electricity and water are provided at no cost. And without limitations. So we can use as much as we want without consequence. This is good, since children frequently leave the door open when the AC is running, or let the water run. Off base, utility bills are quite high, and can vary greatly from month to month, making it frustrating to budget. Some months, bills can be several hundred Euros in off-base housing. All we pay is $60 per month for our phone/Internet.

2. Heat and Air conditioning. You may not realize how important central heat and air are to you until you don't have them. In Southern Spain, the climate is fairly mild, so heating and AC are not standard in most houses. Sure, you can find it in some of the more modern expensive rentals, but for the most part off-base housing is quite cold in winter, and unpleasantly hot in summer. You can use space heaters and fireplaces, or fans, but when it gets up to 100 degrees, or down to 40 degrees F in winter, we are happy to hide inside.

3. Quiet. Our area of base is very deserted and quiet. We don't share a wall or a backyard with anyone. So there is usually very little noise, and we have no trouble letting the kids take naps at their usual time. In town, especially in summer, you should be prepared for a lot of noise all night from beach tourists, and from the local residents who regularly stay out late-- until 5 AM! Spanish kids nap from 3-5 pm, so if you have Spanish neighbors you should be respectfully quiet during those hours.

4. No line-drying. All base housing includes a full-sized washer and dryer. Americans take this for granted, but the washing system is very different in Spain. Most residents line-dry their clothing, either because their house doesn't have a dryer, or because the electrical costs are just so high. This is fine in summer, when it is sunny for 4-5 months straight, but very difficult to time during the winter rainy season. Some houses in Spain use cold water wash cycles only to conserve heating costs, or they use much smaller machines to conserve water. Of course you can discuss this with your landlord, but it is something to be aware of. And yes, there is always the option to use a Laundromat, which most people off-base have to do sometimes, but with a family of 6 that is not realistic for me!

5. Full sized kitchen. This is a picture of our kitchen in base housing. It includes a regular oven and stove, a dishwasher, a fridge/freezer, and even an additional stand-alone freezer. This is great for our family of 6 people. But Americans are spoiled. Most Spanish families make do with much less in the kitchen. Dishwashers are not standard, ovens and refrigerators are much smaller, and in general less energy is used. Again, this is a matter of your own needs and expectations. If you are willing to act more like the Spanish: shop for groceries daily, cook smaller portions, and hand-wash dishes, then you won't mind living in town. If you want American conveniences, then you might be happier on base. One big warning: ask how to use your stove before you move in! I see questions all the time from people who can't figure out the pictures on their oven!

6. Short commute. The base is small, only a few miles across. So even though housing is on one side and my husband's work is on the other, it is only 3 miles away. So he often bikes or runs into work, and I can walk or bike with the kids to many base activities. We like the active lifestyle, and the fact that my husband can easily come home for breakfast, lunch, or to pick up a needed item. The towns that border base are Rota and El Puerto de Santa Maria. You can easily find great housing about 15 minutes away from base in either of those towns. But after living off-base at our last station, we knew we would see my husband a lot less during the day if our house was any farther away from his work. Also, if you have kids involved in multiple activities on base, like school, sports, dance, etc, you will find yourself spending a lot of time on base anyway, and "killing time" between activities since there is no reason to drive home. I like being able to accomplish a lot of errands without spending much time driving.

7. Maintenance Free. All military housing is maintained by the base, so you don't have to pay for or worry about repairs. Usually, a call to the housing office can get things fixed within a few days. You are allowed to paint, but you must re-paint in white before checking out. Off base, maintenance is handled by a landlord. Sometimes this works out fine, but often Americans get fed up with the "manana" attitude the Spanish have about taking care of things 'tomorrow,' which rarely actually means tomorrow. Numerous holidays and a relaxed work attitude mean that Americans need to be very patient and flexible about maintenance. In addition, sometimes American's impressions of maintenance 'problems' differ from what the Spanish landlords perceive of as their responsibility, so it can be a touchy subject.

8. Compatible electric plugs. In the States, we have 110 volt electrical plugs. In most of Europe, the plugs have a different shape, and the outlets have 220 volts. Conveniently, the base housing for Americans has all American sized plugs, with 110 volt outlets. So anything you bring with you can be plugged in and work right away in your base housing. In town, you have to use not only an adjuster to plug American appliances into a Spanish wall, but you also have to use a transformer to step down the voltage so you won't fry your appliances. You will be provided with 2 transformers from housing, and you can buy more, but that means you have to be very conscious of only plugging 1 thing in at a time, and unplugging it once it is charged. A minor nuisance, but one that is avoided in base housing.

9. Convenience. The base has almost everything you need: American food at the commissary, clothes and home decor at the NEX, schools, gym, gas station, playgrounds, sports teams, music and dance lessons, and occasional entertainment. Of course, most of this is available in towns as well, just in Spanish. So each family has to decide if joining Spanish schools, sports teams, and local clubs is right for them. We like the convenience of having everything within a few miles or even walking distance. And we like the quality of American education and activities. We can go off base for Spanish food and culture whenever we WANT to, but we don't HAVE to for everyday errands. But if you are willing to be more involved in Spanish life, then living in town and being able to walk to the beach and numerous restaurants might appeal more to you.

10. Not affected by changing Overseas Housing Allowance. The OHA is calculated by rank, similar to BAH if you live off-base in the States. If you live on base, you don't receive this. However, whether you live on or off base, you will receive COLA (cost of living allowance) which is several hundred extra dollars per month to accommodate for the higher cost of living here than at an average American base.) If you live in town, you receive OHA to pay your rent and utility bills. The allotments are pretty generous, and are usually plenty to cover your rent and utilities, as long as you are savvy and don't waste electricity. (You do not receive any money back if you come in under your OHA, it is just a maximum figure.) However, with the uncertain budgets in the military, sequestration furlough cuts, and the possible changes in OHA next year, I would not want to be locked into a 1-year rental agreement in town. Just because your military benefits change does not mean your Spanish landlord will adjust your rent. So if you decide to live in town, make sure you can afford your rent, and have a comfortable cushion for unexpected salary changes.

So I hope this has helped anyone moving to Rota weighing their options about whether to live on base or in town. At least I hope you now know what to look for, and what questions to ask a potential landlord. And if you're already here and looking around in jealousy as more friends move off base, remember the next time you don't pay an electric bill or do laundry on a rainy day that there are a lot of blessings to living on base.