Where To Live In Spain
Spain has long been a popular destination for casual visitors and retirees alike. A convivial culture, generally agreeable climate, reasonable cost of living, and superb food are just a few of the reasons for Spain’s perpetual popularity.
And, while Spain isn’t as cheap as Southeast Asia or parts of Latin America, the cost of living is quite reasonable. In addition, Spain today is a modern, developed country—nothing Third World about it.
But Spain is quite diverse—really more a loosely-knit group of largely autonomous and disparate comunidades more than a single country. The key to a happy life in Spain is finding the area that suits you. If you’re a culture vulture, you may appreciate Barcelona, Seville, or Madrid. If it’s sun, sand, and sea you’re after, take a look at the Costas. Even if it’s a green and seasonal area you seek, you have the northern Atlantic coast.
Faced with such diversity, where should you begin your explorations?
The Cosmopolitan And Cultural Capital Of Spanish Catalonia…
The city of Barcelona is a vibrant, colorful, proud, interesting place that’s got the benefit of the passion of the Spanish combined with the efficiency and organization of the Catalans. The city’s energy continues today despite Spain’s economic woes. People live, work, and shop in most of the city neighborhoods and districts, so each has its own community spirit, and some even have their own fiestas.
Barcelona is the economic, cultural, and administrative capital of Catalonia, situated in the northeast of Spain, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The city covers a small area but has a large population: 100 square kilometers with about 1.6 million people in the city center and another 4 million in the suburbs. The city has 10 districts, but the areas in greatest demand among visitors, property investors, and expats are the oldest part, the Ciutat Vella, which is divided into four regions—La Ribera, also known as El Borne (or, locally, Born), to the north; Barrio Gótico, which is in the central Gothic quarter; El Raval to the south; and the seaside suburb of Barceloneta.
The expat community in Barcelona is huge and thriving. More than 150 nationalities live in Barcelona, a reflection of the Catalan peoples’ open and receptive character that foreigners find so attractive. There is a mix of working expats—employed by multinationals like HP, self-employed (running laptop-based or tourism-focused businesses), or running local businesses (everything from bars to playgroups and real estate companies)—and retirees.
The Barrio Gótico is possibly Barcelona’s most touristy area. Historically, this was where the wealthy lived; however, when the Eixample was built in the 19th century, the wealthy moved out and the area went downhill. Over the last 10 years, this area has become very popular and has undergone a revival, with the chic and trendy moving back in. It is an area of narrow streets, small apartments, and lots of tourists and, as well, all that intriguing ancient history.
Surprisingly, visitors are able to explore the city quickly and easily—Spain’s second biggest—because of its compact, well-laid-out design, yet there is so much to do and see. Fantastic art and architecture from pre-Roman to Modernista and current times is everywhere. There are galleries, monuments, theaters, restaurants, shopping—all the usual stuff of cities— yet there are also lots of parks and pretty plazas (plaças in Catalan, the language of this region), great beaches, and easy access to the beautiful Costa Brava to the north and the Costa Dorada to the south.
Further, this is one of the most affordable European cities of note, making it an ideal choice if you’re looking for an Old World cosmopolitan lifestyle on a budget. The cost of living in Barcelona is under 1,500 euros per month.
Northern Spain’s Elegant And Friendly City Of Santander
Welcome to what some consider the most beautiful, unspoiled part of Spain. Listed among the “Most Beautiful Bays in the World,” Santander has a stellar view of the waters off the coast. It’s also the capital city of the Cantabria region, along Spain’s northern coast.
Originally, Santander was a fisherman’s town. Today, its main activities are focused on tourism, port activity (fishing, passenger ferries, and industrial shipping), and nearby heavy industry.
There are plenty of sights throughout the city, including the cathedral, Magdalena Palace, the stunning Plaza Porticada, the imposing Banco Santander building, the Grand Casino, and several cultural centers, the most impressive of which is the Centro Botín. No one comes to Santander without visiting Magdalena Palace, located on the peninsula that juts out into the Bay of Santander.
If you’re looking for a nice beach day with gentle waves, try the beaches of El Sardinero, La Magdalena, Bikinis, and Los Peligros.
Alicante
Madrid, with 3.2 million inhabitants, is Spain’s largest city. Barcelona is about half the size of Madrid. Valencia is about half of Barcelona, and Alicante about half of Valencia, with fewer than 350,000 in the city proper. But with each step down in size, nothing is lost. Rather, the essence of Spain becomes more distilled.
Alicante sits on the Costa Blanca of Spain. Although its roots are ancient, Alicante is a modern city, with a bustling centro filled with chic designer shops and department stores, chic people, a harbor crowded with envy-arousing yachts, and a sleek tram/light-rail system.
And yet Alicante retains the feel of Old Spain. Most businesses continue to observe the afternoon siesta. Friends who meet by chance on the sidewalk stop to chat, and the conversation often is continued over a leisurely lunch.
The city center is strikingly clean and vibrant and safe for walking, even in the madrugada—the wee hours. In the shops here you can find virtually everything you might need. Indeed, you might not need to look any further than the multistory Corte Inglés department stores—there are two in the downtown area.
It’s little wonder many expats choose to live in el centro. But, really, you can live anywhere in the city and get where you want to go easily, as the public transit is excellent. Living here you definitely would not need to own a car.
You likely will have to reset your internal clock to get in sync with the local rhythm. Alicantines have learned that it’s best not to battle the afternoon sun and still observe the daily siesta. Most shops open at 9 a.m., close at 2 p.m., reopen at 5 p.m., and then remain open until about 8 p.m. Dinner is taken late by North American standards. Before or after dinner, people enjoy walking along the Explanada de España, stopping off perhaps at one of its many bars and cafés.
Though the schedule may initially seem odd, if you relax and give in to it, you’ll soon find that these folks really are on to something.
If you have a boat fetish, Alicante is made for you, as yachts, sailboats, and sea craft of all sorts moor in its harbor. If you aren’t ready to shell out for your own boat, you can charter one or take a day tour to nearby islands.
The climate is ideal for boating—or any type of outdoor activity. Even in winter, daytime highs are usually in the low 60s (Fahrenheit). In the summers, highs often climb to 90 degrees, but these days air conditioning is common.
The Busy Costa Del Sol
The Costa del Sol is the extremely popular southern coastal area of Spain’s Andalucía region. It’s bordered by the busy towns of Nerja and Marbella, with Málaga as its centerpiece and an easy, four-hour drive away from Portugal’s Algarve.
The scenery on the Costa del Sol is stunning, with mountains rising dramatically out of the sea creating sheer drops to the sea far below. The coastal motorway through the region offers a drive without equal.
The trouble with this coast is that it became too popular too fast and, from the start, tourists, expats, and property developers were allowed to flood into the region unchecked. Builders erected hundreds of thousands of poorly planned and sometimes illegal properties. The seizure (without compensation) over the past several years of many of these illegally titled properties has been big news in Europe’s vacation market.
One could argue that the rapid commercialization of this area has had big and negative effects. The last word you’d generally use to describe much of Spain’s Costa del Sol would be “charming.”