Hi!
The thing is that some occupations in Spain are better paid by the government than by private companies.
I've got a friend who is a teacher in the UK and earns 31.000 pounds/year and the starting salary in Spain is about 25.000 euros/year in the public school system.
They earn more money but the prices are higher too (she pays 40 euros/week for the bus and here we pay 40/month). She also reminds me that the level of life is not the same as the quality of life
. But, I'd say any place in the EU is good to live in, from my point of view.