{"id":103705,"date":"2026-05-20T09:00:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T07:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fotocasa.es\/fotocasa-life\/?p=103705"},"modified":"2026-05-20T09:00:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T07:00:51","slug":"best-places-to-live-in-spain-expats-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fotocasa.es\/fotocasa-life\/buyers\/best-places-to-live-in-spain-expats-guide\/?lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Best places to live in Spain for expats: complete 2026 Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<table class=\"table table-striped table-color-200\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Valencia<\/strong> leads the <strong>2025 quality of life ranking<\/strong> due to its balance of urban services, according to a study conducted by the InterNations expat community.<\/li>\n<li><strong>M\u00e1laga<\/strong> has established itself as the main <strong>tech hub<\/strong> for digital nomads and foreign IT professionals thanks to investment from multinationals and its international connectivity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Madrid and Barcelona<\/strong> concentrate the highest density of skilled employment and networking opportunities, although rental and purchase prices are among the highest in the country.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"0\">Choosing where to move in a country with as much to offer and as much diversity as Spain can be overwhelming. Seeking the pulse of <b data-path-to-node=\"0\" data-index-in-node=\"121\">cosmopolitan metropolises like Madrid or Barcelona<\/b> is not the same as looking for the calm of a <b data-path-to-node=\"0\" data-index-in-node=\"189\">Mediterranean village<\/b> or the serenity of the <b data-path-to-node=\"0\" data-index-in-node=\"231\">green landscapes of the north<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"1\">At <b data-path-to-node=\"1\" data-index-in-node=\"6\">Fotocasa<\/b>, we analyze the 2026 real estate market, the regions with the most employment, and key services for digital nomads.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"1\">Spain offers a haven for every lifestyle, but the key lies in the data: where should you start looking based on your budget and real needs?<\/p>\n<h2 data-path-to-node=\"18\">How to choose your ideal destination to move to Spain?<\/h2>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"1\">Choosing the perfect destination will depend on your lifestyle and your financial needs, especially if you want to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fotocasa.es\/fotocasa-life\/buyers\/how-to-buy-a-house-in-spain-as-a-non-resident-foreigner\/?lang=en\">buy a house in Spain<\/a> or look for a job. To get the location right, it is essential to define which pillar of your new life is non-negotiable:<\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"2\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"2,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"2,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">If you are looking for urban hubs and employment:<\/b> <strong>Madrid and Barcelona<\/strong> are the country&#8217;s economic engines. They are the ideal cities if you are looking for <b data-path-to-node=\"2,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"124\">high employment rates<\/b> (Madrid leads with 57.5%), an endless cultural agenda, and top-tier international connectivity. In recent years, <strong>M\u00e1laga<\/strong> has also established itself as a technological hub thanks to the investment of several multinationals such as Google or Bestseller.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"2,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"2,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">If you are looking for affordable housing:<\/b> If your priority is to maximize your budget, regions such as <b data-path-to-node=\"2,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"89\">Extremadura<\/b> (\u20ac1,338\/m\u00b2) or <b data-path-to-node=\"2,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"116\">Castilla-La Mancha<\/b> (\u20ac1,398\/m\u00b2) offer the most competitive purchase prices of 2026, allowing for a much lower cost of living.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"2,2,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"2,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">If you are looking for quality of life and the beach:<\/b> Valencia and M\u00e1laga offer the perfect balance. You will have access to big-city services and excellent air connections, but with the added value of being close to the sea and a more relaxed pace of life. In 2025, Valencia was voted the best city in the world to live in, according to a survey conducted by InterNations.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"2,3,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"2,3,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">If you are looking for peace and nature:<\/b> Northern Spain (Asturias, Cantabria, or Galicia) is your destination. It is ideal for those fleeing extreme heat who prefer green landscapes, tranquility, and renowned gastronomy, with mid-range housing prices.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"2,4,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"2,4,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">If you are looking for the beach and an international community:<\/b> Areas like <b data-path-to-node=\"2,4,0\" data-index-in-node=\"64\">Costa Blanca (Alicante), M\u00e1laga, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife<\/b> are the spots with the highest percentage of residents purchasing homes as foreigners (exceeding 40% of buyers in Alicante), which facilitates integration and access to services in several languages.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fotocasa is the expert real estate portal if you are looking for your home in Spain and want to resolve your doubts about housing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":282,"featured_media":103712,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13472,14824],"tags":[15165,15163,13692,13548,15148,13535,15149,15103,14821,13552,13551,13549,15150,13550,15099,15164,15151,13480,13547,15166,14561,15152],"class_list":["post-103705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buyers","category-consultorio","tag-best-cities-spain-2026","tag-best-places-to-live-in-spain-for-expats","tag-buy","tag-buy-in-spain","tag-clima-espana","tag-compraventa","tag-expat","tag-expats-in-spain","tag-foreign","tag-housing-doubts","tag-housing-experts-in-spain","tag-housing-purchase-market-spain","tag-inmobiliario","tag-live-in-spain","tag-living-in-spain","tag-move-to-spain","tag-nomadas-digitales","tag-precio-vivienda","tag-real-estate-market","tag-spanish-lifestyle","tag-vivir-en-espana","tag-vivir-en-espana-siendo-extranjero"],"modified_by":"Patricia Andr\u00e9s","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fotocasa.es\/fotocasa-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fotocasa.es\/fotocasa-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fotocasa.es\/fotocasa-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotocasa.es\/fotocasa-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/282"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotocasa.es\/fotocasa-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103705"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotocasa.es\/fotocasa-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103705\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotocasa.es\/fotocasa-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fotocasa.es\/fotocasa-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotocasa.es\/fotocasa-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotocasa.es\/fotocasa-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}