Jade Gartshore and her husband Edward Partis fell in love with the Spanish city of Murcia
Steven Smith Content Editor and Chloe Dobinson Digital Production Editor
10:53, 16 Sep 2025Updated 10:53, 16 Sep 2025
Jade and Edward decided to leave Leicester for Murcia(Image: Jade Gartshore/SWNS)
A couple have swapped the UK for Spain, where a glass of vino is just €3.50 – about £3 – and there are free concerts every night, making it feel like a “permanent holiday”. Jade Gartshore had a successful career but felt it wasn’t providing her with enough fulfilment, particularly during the “dark” days.
After travelling with her husband Edward Partis, an electrical engineer, she fell in love with the Spanish city of Murcia. Last November, Jade left her job to move there and they can’t imagine themselves “moving back to the UK”.
Jade shared: “I used to sit in the office and look out and think, this can’t be life, you know, every day going to work in the dark and coming back in the dark. I was always doing very well in my job, but it just didn’t give me enough.
“It’s like a permanent holiday, I wake up feeling a lot happier and often have those pinch me moments where I still can’t believe I live here. We have a free concert every night. It’s different in each town.
“So you’ll have jazz, you’ll have disco, techno – they’ll just be on the seafront – and it’s all put on by the council. That’s where some of your money goes, which is a nice feeling. You can get a glass of wine for €3.50, which is crazy, but your day-to-day shopping can be pretty much the same as the UK.”
Jade and Edward, both hailing from Leicester, set off on a six-month expedition in 2023 and dedicated five weeks of their odyssey to Murcia, where Jade’s parents had established their retirement haven, reports the Mirror.
Jade admitted there’s plenty of free events in the area including music(Image: Jade Gartshore/SWNS)
The couple carried on with their travels throughout Asia, yet discovered themselves perpetually returning to memories of Spain.
Jade revealed: “The whole six months we were just working out ways how to get back to Spain and we just completely fell head over heels for it. The conversation just kept coming back to Murcia that we kind of loved it and both felt exactly the same way, which was really lucky.
“To be honest, growing up in the UK, I always felt like it wasn’t my home. When I was 16, I was going to California on holiday by myself to see friends and when I was 19 we tried to live in Australia, but it just wasn’t for us.
“So I just feel like, my whole life, I’ve just known that the UK is not for me. It can be scary, but definitely making the jump in your 20s is a perfect time.”
Jade had been positioned for advancement to manager at her property agency role, yet decided to “make the jump” and chase a new beginning overseas.
She shared: “I was completely petrified, I had this great job, and my collegial manager wanted me to become a manager. I just left it all behind because it didn’t feel right.
“The people here, especially in Murcia, are just so kind. I’ve always wanted to live by the sea, but Murcia also has the mountains where you can go on hikes. It’s very outdoor living, which is right up my street.”
Despite the local council organising free events, Jade was keen to debunk the misconception that living abroad is significantly cheaper than life in the UK.
She clarified: “I think people have the perception that it is quite cheap here, especially when you come on holiday, but it’s mainly the alcohol that’s a big difference.”
Currently job hunting, Jade explained that housing and utility costs were comparable to those in the UK, as “it fluctuates as to where you live”.
“Some places near us are more expensive than what you’d rent in the UK and you get less for your money, but then some areas you get more for your money, depending on location,” she noted.
Murcia, located in Spain’s south-eastern region, is the country’s seventh most populous city. Known as “the fruit basket of Spain”, the area is renowned for its abundant production of fruits, vegetables and flowers.
Jade said: “The fruit and vegetables are so much bigger and they just have so much more flavour. Our diet hasn’t changed drastically because I feel like it’s difficult to just quickly change. So we’d still have our basic meals that we’d have in the UK, but you just feel better.”
She can also visit local growers and participate in farm tours to observe the cultivation for as little as €12.
Jade’s parents moved to the city two years ago when they retired, and the couple are currently living with them before their big move to their new flat 15 minutes from the coast.
The pair have noticed one specific cultural difference in Spain compared to the UK.
Jade shared: “One thing I’ve noticed is that people don’t just want to do stuff on the weekend, they’ll happily make plans every day, even if it’s just a walk.”
At first, she was “quite worried” about potential isolation whilst living abroad, but has found she now has “more friends here than in the UK”.
Jade is “100%” more sociable now, saying: “I think I’ve had two events every day. The other day we went to the beach with friends and then drove to another area to watch the sunset. And with my other friend we went to see a concert, so it’s just utilising the free things and not being weather dependent.”
Jade said she has a lot “more friends” in Spain than she does in the UK(Image: Jade Gartshore/SWNS)
The duo have managed this by embracing local culture and are even trying to learn Spanish, with help from their new pals.
Jade said: “I go to an hour lesson in the village once a week and then just picking up comments from my social media and putting it into practice.”
Jade, who shares her life in Murcia on social media, has amassed a following of individuals who also dream of moving abroad. With approximately 60% of her followers being Spanish, she says it’s helped her “learn the area and the culture a lot quicker”.
She added: “I try to use my account to show people that if I can do it, they can do it. Even if it’s just going to travel, take the risk, do what you want to do.”
Data from CompareMyMove shows a significant 32.6% increase in Brits emigrating during the first half of 2025, compared to the same period in 2024. Spain has become the top choice for British expats this year.
Jade, who now intends to settle permanently in Murcia, confessed she “can’t see herself moving back to the UK again”.
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