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🇦🇷 Argentina /Culture & Society

Lucía, 27, left everything behind to move to a village of nine: “My monthly shopping is around 50 euros”

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Lucía moved from Madrid to a remote village in Ourense with nine residents after buying a centuries-old property for 6,000 euros.
  • She said her monthly groceries cost about 50 euros because she grows food and forages, while caring for her animals costs about 150 euros.
  • She is restoring the property and hopes to revive local structures including a mill, sawmill and communal bread oven.

At 27, Lucía traded Madrid for a remote village in Ourense with just nine residents. She bought a centuries-old property, along with several adjoining plots, for 6,000 euros and set out to make it her permanent home.

The move reflects a wider flight from cities to rural areas by young people seeking alternatives to high costs and the pressure of metropolitan life. Lucía spent years reflecting on the change and trained in permaculture before leaving Madrid. She said her growing distance from urban life and environmental values played a role, but fear of the city’s problems became the decisive factor.

For me, the monthly shopping is around 50 euros, because between the garden and gathering, I spend very little.

· LucíaShe described how growing food and gathering help keep her monthly grocery costs low.

“Honestly, I was more afraid of staying in Madrid with its precariousness, problems and crime than coming here to try,” she said in an interview with the YouTube channel @hilux_aventura. Her current expenses are far lower than they were in the city. “For me, the monthly shopping is around 50 euros, because between the garden and gathering, I spend very little.” Her animals represent the largest regular expense, costing around 150 euros a month.

Honestly, I was more afraid of staying in Madrid with its precariousness, problems and crime than coming here to try.

· LucíaShe explained why she chose to leave Madrid for the remote village.

The transition has also brought a different kind of social life. Lucía said neighbors in Ourense welcomed her warmly and quickly became like a new family. “I lived in Madrid all my life and I didn’t know my next-door neighbor, while here I can’t go anywhere without people greeting me,” she said.

Her days now focus on restoring the house and expanding the spaces she uses for production. The village includes historic structures such as a mill, a sawmill and a communal bread oven. Lucía hopes to restore them and build a subsistence economy that limits outside purchases to what is strictly necessary.

I lived in Madrid all my life and I didn’t know my next-door neighbor, while here I can’t go anywhere without people greeting me.

· LucíaShe contrasted the anonymity of Madrid with her welcome in the village.
About this summary

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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