City and region choice
Helps you shortlist and choose the Spanish region and city to live in.
Choose where in Spain to live: the place type, the regions and cities worth shortlisting, how they compare on cost, housing, tax, jobs and connections, and a method to decide. Facts about climate, language and health…
- topics
- 10
- articles
- 73
- of reading
- 7 hours
Begin with
Choosing and re-choosing where to live
You leave with a repeatable way to go from all of Spain to one place, and a plan if that place turns out wrong.
How to build a shortlist of places in Spain · Turning your priorities into a weighted place scorecard · Which hard limits should rule out a region early?
More in city and region choice
9 more topics in this section, about 7 hours of reading in all.
Choosing the type of place
You know which kind of place suits your household and what daily life is like in each kind in Spain.
The kinds of places in Spain and how daily life differs · Big city, small town or village in Spain? · Coast or inland, which suits you in Spain?
Spain's biggest cities profiled
You can judge each major city on jobs, cost, housing, language, lifestyle and downsides.
Living in Madrid, who it suits and who it does not · Living in Barcelona, who it suits and who it does not · Living in Valencia, including the flood-risk question
Regions, islands and smaller places
You can see which regions and smaller cities deserve a place on your shortlist.
Spain's regions at a glance and which to shortlist · Living on the Costa Blanca or in the Murcia region · Living in Bilbao, San Sebastián or the Basque Country
Comparing named Spanish cities
You can see what really separates the pair you are torn between and what to use to break a tie.
Madrid or Barcelona when neither career nor school decides · Valencia or Málaga, which is better for you? · Is Valencia a cheaper Barcelona?
Which place fits your household
You can find the places that suit your kind of household instead of the average expat.
Best places for a single person or young professional · Best places for a couple without children · Raising young children in Spain, which places work best
Cost of living and housing by region
You can estimate what the same life costs in different places and how hard it is to find a home there.
How much does it cost to live in different parts of Spain? · Monthly costs in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga, Seville and Bilbao · How the cost gap between places changes for families, singles and retirees
Regional taxes compared
You can tell whether regional tax differences should influence your choice and what questions to put to an adviser.
Which Spanish regions have lower or higher taxes for residents? · Weighing wealth and inheritance tax against where you would rather live · The Basque Country and Navarre's separate tax systems, explained
Jobs and wages by region
You can see which regions and cities fit your field and income need.
Which Spanish regions and cities have the strongest job markets? · How salaries differ by region and city in Spain · Where in Spain can you work in English?
Getting around and getting home
You can judge whether a place keeps you connected to the rest of Spain and to home.
How well connected is each part of Spain by air and rail? · Which Spanish cities have direct flights to your home country? · Where in Spain can high-speed and regional trains replace a car?
Other sections in Move decision and planning
Move readiness and regret prevention
Helps you decide whether you are ready to move and what would stop you.
Destination fit and tradeoffs
Helps you compare Spain against staying put and other countries.
Trial periods, timing, and commitment
Helps you test Spain first and choose when and how far to commit.
Need certainty before you act?
For important relocation decisions, speak with a qualified human specialist.
Always verify important information with the relevant official authority or a qualified adviser before acting. This website uses large language models together with various public data sources, official government documents and other established sources. Due to the amount of data on this website, some information might be wrong. Information may also be incomplete or outdated.