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Expat Insider 2024
Comparing 5 Spanish cities

Expat Insider 2024

How Expats Rate Life in Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid, Málaga, and Valencia

Some of the happiest expats can be found in Spain — and with such a great quality of life, who can blame them?

There’s Much to Enjoy & Appreciate
But Not Everything Is Perfect
Generally Warm & Friendly Locals
Finances a Challenge in the Bigger Cities
Slow Bureaucracy Is a Common Complaint
Not the Best Career Prospects
1 | Valencia
2 | Málaga
3 | Alicante
7 | Madrid
21 | Barcelona
Further Reading

Disclaimer: Data for the Expat City Ranking was collected in February 2024 prior to the floods in some regions of Spain that occurred in October and November. It therefore does not reflect the impact of these catastrophic events.

Out of a total of 53 cities, five Spanish destinations make the 2024 Expat City Ranking: Valencia (1st), Málaga (2nd), Alicante (3rd), Madrid (7th), and Barcelona (21st). Impressively, three fill the top 3 positions. And all five are ranked in the top 10 when it comes to expats’ happiness with their life abroad: Málaga (1st), Alicante (2nd), Valencia (3rd), Madrid (5th), and Barcelona (10th).

There’s Much to Enjoy & Appreciate

These Spanish cities offer an exceptional Quality of Life, as besides Barcelona (12th), they can all be found in the top 5 of this index: Valencia (1st), Alicante (2nd), Madrid (4th), and Málaga (5th).

“I’m really fond of everything here. The people are kind and gentle, the climate is warm, and the sea is near. There’s a lot of parks, roads for bikes, and opportunities to do sport. I like the museums and festivals here too — there’s a lot to enjoy and see.” – Russian expat in Valencia

Leisure Options is the subcategory of note, with all five cities populating the top 10. Madrid nabs 1st place for culture & nightlife and Valencia offers plenty of opportunities for recreational sport (1st). The culinary & dining options are a draw in Madrid (5th) and Barcelona (6th), but Alicante (22nd) and Valencia (20th) may not offer the same variety.

Healthcare is also praised across the Spanish cities, even if Barcelona’s 12th place falls outside the top 10. It’s both affordable and easy to get equal access to all kinds of healthcare services. And the quality is a standout in Alicante (4th).

Travel & Transit shows a varied yet strong performance in ranking, with Málaga’s 17th place the “worst” result. This is partly due to the coastal city’s below average infrastructure for cars (31st). Notably, public transportation is affordable and there’s opportunity to travel.

But Not Everything Is Perfect

Things are a bit shaky for the Environment & Climate in Spain’s two biggest cities Madrid (19th) and Barcelona (26th). Barcelona’s air quality in particular languishes in 49th place, and the urban environment isn’t super pleasant (43rd). The climate & weather is highly rated across all five cities, with Málaga (1st), Valenica (2nd), and Alicante (3rd) once again nabbing the top 3 spots.

“The weather makes life a little less difficult. I would prefer to make less money and have a higher quality of life in the sense that I can be outside, walk to work, see the sea daily, etc.” – Irish expat in Barcelona

Safety & Security isn’t highly rated outside of Valencia (10th). Despite expats rating their ability to openly express themselves and their opinions in the top 10 across all five cities, political stability is below average — Valencia’s 33rd place is the “best” performance. And none of the cities crack the top 10 of personal safety; Barcelona’s 44th place is the city’s second factor in the bottom 10.

Generally Warm & Friendly Locals

Another high-performing index is the Ease of Settling In. Similar to the Quality of Life Index, Barcelona is the odd one out in 24th place. Málaga (1st), Alicante (3rd), Valencia (4th), and Madrid (7th) continue their streak in the top 10.

“There’s a vibrancy to the country and its people that make it very special and nice to live in.” – Venezuelan expat in Madrid

Málaga is the number one city for Finding Friends (1st) and Culture & Welcome (1st). At the other end of the scale, Barcelona may not have the friendliest locals (32nd). Yet overall, expats find that they have a personal support network and feel at home in these Spanish cities.

“My social life in Spain is much more active and full than in the US.” – US American expat in Málaga

Finances a Challenge in the Bigger Cities

The top 3 cities perform well in the Personal Finance Index but their rankings begin to slip: Valencia (1st) and Málaga (3rd) are still in the top 3, but Alicante is now 6th. Despite Alicante having expats that are the happiest with their city’s cost of living (1st), they’re not as wowed by their financial situation (12th) or their disposable household income being enough to lead a comfortable life (14th).

While Madrid (13th) and Barcelona (27th) are in the upper midfield of the index, it’s clear that finances in Barcelona is a challenging aspect. Expats rank both their financial situation and their disposable household income 38th in the Catalonian capital.

Slow Bureaucracy Is a Common Complaint

Only Alicante (7th) maintains a top 10 placement in the Expat Essentials Index. Valencia (15th) and Málaga (16th) are still above average, while Madrid (28th) and Barcelona (32nd) are below average.

Housing isn’t an issue in Alicante, as it’s the city with the most affordable housing (1st). Of the five cities, housing is the most unaffordable and difficult to find in Barcelona (29th and 26th, respectively).

Challenges with Language vary across the cities; for example, in Madrid (40th), it’s more difficult to get by without speaking the local language compared to Barcelona (23rd). However, Madrid is also the city where it’s easiest to learn (10th).

Expats are the least pleased with Admin Topics across the board. Valencia (38th) and Málaga (35th) perform marginally worse in this subcategory than Madrid (34th), Barcelona (33rd), and Alicante (29th). In all five cities, expats find it difficult to deal with the local authorities.

“The bureaucracy is very slow and complicated. More digital solutions are needed.” – British expat in Alicante

Not the Best Career Prospects

The top 10 trend is flipped on its head in the Working Abroad Index. Madrid’s 28th place is the “best” ranking and Valencia is in 31st. Alicante (41st) and Barcelona (43rd) circle the bottom 10, while Málaga sees its first bottom 10 placement (44th).

Interestingly, the overall top 3 cities have the worst Career Prospects according to expats: Valencia (47th), Alicante (50th), and Málaga (51st). Barcelona (43rd) narrowly misses the bottom 10 for this factor, while prospects are slightly better in Madrid (35th).

“I struggle with the lack of work opportunities — not the money, but the lack of options if you are not happy in your job, which can make you feel trapped.” – British expat in Madrid

Work & Leisure, however, is a standout in Valencia (4th), Madrid (8th), and Málaga (9th). Expats there are happy with their work–life balance (3rd; 7th; 10th, respectively). Overall, expats in Spain are the most satisfied with their jobs in Valencia (8th) and the least happy in Barcelona (42nd).

1 | Valencia

After a minor slip to 3rd place in 2023, Valencia returns to 2022 form by regaining 1st place in the 2024 Expat City Ranking. It also ranks 1st in the Quality of Life and Personal Finance Indices.

No respondent in Valencia (0%) had anything negative to say about the affordability of public transportation (vs. 15% globally), opportunities for recreational sport (vs. 11%), or their personal safety (vs. 8%). In fact, more than nine in ten expats rated these factors favorably, up to 96% for public transportation costs (vs. 70%). More than three in four expats (77%) are also satisfied with the general cost of living (vs. 40% globally) and their financial situation (vs. 54%).

Valencia’s drawback is in Working Abroad (31st) — but this is already an improvement from the bottom 10 in 2022 (41st). Expats aren’t impressed by the local job market (46% negative responses vs. 31% globally) or their improved career prospects upon relocating (38% negative responses vs. 21%). Nevertheless, they feel that they’re paid fairly for their work (1st) and enjoy their work–life balance (3rd).

Working abroad isn’t what drew expats to Valencia anyway: only 8% of respondents cite job-related reasons (vs. 35% globally). The main deciding factor was a better quality of life (27% vs. 9%).

2 | Málaga

Málaga ranks 2nd overall in 2024, passing its 1st place crown from 2023 back to Valencia. The city features the happiest expats (1st), in part due to a smooth Ease of Settling In (1st). Not only do the majority of respondents agree they have a personal support network there (1st) and are happy with their social life (1st), they also feel both welcome (1st) and at home (1st) in Málaga.

However lively the social life, the Working Abroad Index (44th) indicates serious career challenges, especially considering that the city ranked 13th in the 2023 index. All four subcategories of the index worsened in performance, from Work & Leisure (9th) losing its 1st place to Career Prospects (51st) slipping to the bottom 3 from the 36th spot.

Concerns surround the local job market (49% negative responses vs. 31% globally) and personal career opportunities (39% vs. 25%). And only 38% of expats are satisfied with their job security (vs. 56%).

However, for over two in five respondents in Málaga (43%), these issues are irrelevant as they’re retired (vs. 11% globally). They can freely enjoy their Personal Finances (3rd) and Quality of Life (5th), including the sunshine. Almost all expats there (99%) are happy with the climate & weather (vs. 58% globally); 85% even give this factor the best possible rating (vs. 25%).

3 | Alicante

Alicante, Valencia, and Málaga reshuffled their positions in the top 3, with Alicante ranking 3rd in 2024 after seeing 2nd place the previous year.

In contrast to the other four Spanish cities, Alicante is the only one with a top 10 place in the Expat Essentials Index (7th) — a result that’s mostly carried by the Housing Subcategory (5th). Over two-thirds of respondents in Alicante (68%) rate the affordability of housing positively, double the global average of 34%. And a similar share (62%) says it’s easy to find (vs. 45% globally).

The Digital Life Subcategory (16th) is also decent: expats have unrestricted access to online services like social media (1st), and it’s easy to pay without cash (8th). However, the online availability of government services lags behind (24% negative responses vs. 22% globally). This spills over into Admin Topics (29th), where expats may struggle with the local bureaucracy/authorities (55% negative responses vs. 42%).

Alicante’s Working Abroad Index (41st) is its only index to not make the top 10. Career Prospects (50th) is again in the bottom for a third Spanish city, and job security (47th) is a concern. What’s more, less than half of expats there (47%) agree that the local business culture supports flexibility (vs. 56% globally).

But as in the top 2 cities, working abroad isn’t the draw for Alicante. More than half of respondents (56%) are either retired, not doing any paid work, or aren’t looking for a job (vs. 21% globally).

7 | Madrid

Madrid is a familiar face in the top 10 of the Expat City Ranking, coming in 7th place for 2024. As in the previous two years, the Quality of Life (4th) and Ease of Settling In (7th) Indices land in the top 10, while Personal Finance exits, slipping 3 spots to rank 13th.

Of note is the change in ranking for Working Abroad and Expat Essentials. The former improves from 38th in 2023 to rank 28th, and the latter falls from 19th to also rank 28th.

The improved Working Abroad Index is partly due to the significant jump in rank for the Work & Leisure Subcategory (from 33rd to 8th). Expats in Madrid appreciate their work–life balance (7th). On average, they work 39.8 hours per week full-time (vs. 42.5 h globally), and 80% of respondents work remotely at least some of the time (vs. 68% globally) — 32% even work remotely all of the time (vs. 20%).

Meanwhile for Expat Essentials, all four subcategories slip in the ranking. Bureaucratic and administrative matters can be a bit of a challenge. For instance, 48% of expats there find it difficult to deal with the authorities (vs. 42% globally), and 35% say it wasn’t easy to get a visa to move to Madrid in the first place (vs. 26%).

21 | Barcelona

Instead of breaking into the top 10 from its 13th and 14th rank in 2023 and 2022, respectively, Barcelona falls to 21st in 2024. This is because all five indices perform worse in the ranking. Nevertheless, expats are still happy with their life abroad (10th), in part thanks to a good Quality of Life (12th).

More than nine in ten expats in Barcelona are happy with the affordability of public transportation (92% vs. 70% globally), their opportunity for travel (93% vs. 83%), their culinary & dining options (91% vs. 73%), as well as the culture & nightlife (92% vs. 66%). The affordability and availability of healthcare are also highly ranked (8th and 10th, respectively).

However, views on Local Friendliness seem to have plummeted from 18th in 2023 to 30th, as expats in Barcelona (55%) are less likely than the global average (63%) to rate the general friendliness of the local residents favorably. A similar drop can be seen for Work Culture & Satisfaction (40th from 29th in 2023) and Language (30th from 12th).

Such changes in subcategory rankings have pulled their respective indices down with them: Ease of Settling In (24th from 15th in 2023), Working Abroad (43rd from 37th), and Expat Essentials (32nd from 20th).