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It sounds like the start of a joke at the expense of hard-up Londoners: Did you hear the one about the man who flies to work and still saves money compared to renting?

In fact it was written up as joke two years' ago. Except it's not a joke any more. It's absolutely true.

Three months ago Sam Cookney moved to Barcelona and now flies to his job in London. He's able to get to his desk by 9:30am and actually afford the rent on a two-bed apartment by himself. Oh, and he gets the other benefits of life in Barcelona too – the food, the weather, the beach and more – all far cheaper than you'd pay for the same in London.

So Mirror Money tracked him down to ask him about his new life.

What was the final straw in the decision to move to Barcelona?

“The end of my tenancy in a shared flat. I started looking at getting my own place and realised it was just never going to happen in London.

“I daydreamed, idly looking at what I could get in Barcelona for the price of a London flat - and ended up deciding it was actually the most logical approach.”

What's the flat in Barcelona like – and what does it cost?

“I'm living in a newly renovated two-bed flat to myself, with a roof terrace. It's right in the centre of town in the historic Gothic quarter, so I pretty much walk to everything.

“I'm paying €800 a month, so about £570. Bills come to about €80.

“I moved mainly for the hugely improved lifestyle I have here, but in reality it's now working out that I'm actually saving money on my previous London life.”

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London vs Barcelona rents £570 2-bed + outside space, central Barcelona £1,100 2-bed + shared outside space, Zone 3

To put that in context, the cheapest two-bed property with outside space we could find within five miles of central London cost £1,100 a month. In zone 3. And the garden was shared.

How much does it cost to fly?

“It varies hugely! At the moment in peak summer, my return flights back towards the weekend can get pricey. But I've now booked up to October and prices drop significantly, so I'm looking around €80-100 return then each time.”

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How hard was it to organise?

“Remarkably easy. Within four weeks of making the decision, I was out there. I caught a flight one Sunday afternoon, and shipped two boxes of largely books and tea over. Flat-hunting was relatively painless.”

poll loading Where would you rather live? 1000+ VOTES SO FAR Barcelona London

How long do you spend commuting to work?

“Well...! Door to door about five-and-a-half hours, which sounds grim, but so far it's proved very easy. I sleep on the plane and am usually at my office in Farringdon by 9:30am.”

...And if you miss a flight?

“So far, it's not happened... At 5am the Barcelona bus storms to the airport and I'm straight through security.”

What worried you the most about the decision?

“Is this a completely crazy idea? Is this even going to work? The reality is that it's worked out surprisingly easy and seamless, and dare I say, even fun?

“I've even started spotting a few familiar faces on the morning flight, so it looks like there's a few people already doing the same thing as me.”

What do you like best about it?

“It's really just a complete lifestyle change, and so much for the better. I can go for a run along the beach before work, walk to my coworking space in 10 minutes, escape down the coast at the weekends, have amazing restaurants right on my doorstep, and the cost of pretty much everything is a fraction of London.”

London vs Barcelona football prices £103.38 FC Barcelona season ticket £1,014 Cheapest Arsenal season ticket