Cepee Tabibian, founder of She Hit Refresh—an organization created to help women over 30 move abroad—recently shared her story with CNBC about relocating from Texas to Spain.
Her desire to live overseas began early. At just 17, during her first trip to the Netherlands, she knew she wanted to live abroad someday. But the path wasn’t easy. It took several attempts before she made it happen.
At 21, she studied Spanish in Spain, and years later returned to teach English. However, pressures from family and work eventually pulled her back to Texas. It wasn’t until she turned 35 that she made the move back to Spain for good—and launched her business, which has seen great success so far.
A lower cost of living than in the United States
One of the most noticeable changes was the drop in her cost of living. When she first arrived, her rent—including electricity, Wi-Fi, and water—was just €540, compared to the $1,440 mortgage she had been paying in the U.S. That financial breathing room allowed her to invest in her business and pursue more creative personal projects.
While she acknowledges that prices have risen since she moved in 2015, she says life in Spain is still far more affordable than in the U.S. Beyond the financial aspect, she embraced a slower pace of life, more in tune with Spanish culture and with more time for herself.
With that extra time, she says, came clarity:
That transformation included not just launching her business but also adopting a vegetarian lifestyle and building an online community for other digital creatives.
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