Pros and cons of living in Barcelona as an expat
This year marks the 5-year anniversary of my move to Barcelona from the UK.
The most frequent question I get from expats looking to relocate to Barcelona is, is Barcelona a good place to live? Here's my attempt to answer this question as transparently as possible. Let’s get started.
Accommodation in Barcelona
PRO: Top floor apartments with terraces are very common
Also known as attico, this refers to the top floor of a block of flats, they usually have a terrace. Renting a flat with a terrace can make a massive difference when living in Barcelona. During the summer, it gets extremely hot in Barcelona and staying indoors can become unbearable. In other European cities, these types of flats would be accessible only to wealthy renters, but in Barcelona they're common, although they do come at a premium price. Having a rooftop flat in Barcelona can drastically improve your quality of life.
CONS: High cost of rent
As I write this, we are in the early stages of what is expected to be a long recession. In the last couple of months, the cost of rent in Barcelona has been rising like crazy. Although it’s worth mentioning that regardless of the recession and higher cost of living, renting in Barcelona has become less affordable over the past couple of years. Below are some ballpark prices to rent in and outside of Barcelona.
1-bedroom apartment in the city center: 917.30 €
1-bedroom apartment outside of the city center: 714.71 €
2-bedroom apartment in the city center: 1,531.58 €
32-bedroom apartment outside of the city center: 1,108.82 €
CONS: Appartement with no natural light
The narrow streets in famous neighbourhoods like El Born, Gothic quarter, or even Poble Sec all add to the rustic feel of the city, but they also come with their own drawbacks. A lot of these flats don’t have much natural light. It’s not uncommon for several of the rooms in a flat in one of these neighborhoods to face the inside courtyards, meaning you might need to keep the light on most of the day, which isn´t ideal.
Working in Barcelona
PRO: The start-up ecosystem is booming
Barcelona is home to many start-ups and scale-ups like Glovo, Red Points, Travelperks, and Wallapop to name of few. This means they are a lot of opportunities for expats looking to move to Barcelona. A lot of these start-ups are usually looking for professionals with an international background. Sometimes, speaking Spanish isn´t compulsory and English is the primary language of communication. There is more good news; you do not even have to be in Spain to start looking for a job, here is a guide to a long-distance job search for finding your dream job from anywhere.
CONS: Salaries are lower than in other cities in Europe
Whilst Barcelona and Madrid definitely offer the highest salary range in Spain, compared to their European counterparts, average salaries tend to be lower. A good salary to live comfortably in Spain ranges from €2,000 to €2,500 after taxes. This amount corresponds to an annual wage of €32,000. People in Spain earn an average of €2,710 gross per month.
As an expat if you are looking to move to Barcelona to make a lot of money, it might be worth reconsidering. Working in Barcelona has a lot of advantages, but the salary is definitely not the number one factor to move to this city.
CONS: Bureaucracy
Like in the rest of Spain, expect a lot of bureaucracy when moving to Barcelona. From getting your NIE set up, to opening a bank account, there is still a lot to be done to improve the bureaucracy.
Lifestyle in Barcelona
PRO: Good public transport
Barcelona is a relatively small city compared to the likes of London or even Paris. Once you are in the city center, it´s easy to walk to all the main city attractions. Alternatively, the metro in Barcelona is also very well-connected and easy to use. Again, depending on where you currently live, public transportation in Barcelona is rather affordable.
Here are the prices for metro tickets:
1-Zone T-Casual Ticket: €11.35
Price per ticket: €1.14
2-Zone T-Casual Ticket: €22.40
Price per ticket: €2.24
3-Zone T-Casual Ticket: €30.50
Price per ticket: €3.05
4-Zone T-Casual Ticket: €39.20
Price per ticket: €3.92
5-Zone T-Casual Ticket: €45.05
Price per ticket: €4.50
6-Zone T-Casual Ticket: €47.90
Price per ticket: €4.79
PRO: A lot of outdoor activities
It wasn't until I moved to Barcelona that I became an outdoorsy person. I discovered hiking's awesomeness in Barcelona. One of the best things about Barcelona is its location. In a few hours' drive or by train, you can reach a variety of hikes and beaches near Barcelona. It also helps that the weather in Barcelona is warm for most of the year. Even in winter, you can expect a beautiful blue sky most days.
That´s why a lot of people end up spending a lot of time outside, it's not uncommon to see the streets filled with locals over the weekend going for walks or enjoying lunch outside.
PRO: Traveling across Spain from Barcelona is affordable
If you are looking to travel to other regions in Spain, Barcelona is the perfect hub to do so. You have plenty of connections, either by train, plane, or car to travel to some of the country's most beautiful regions like Andalusia, Basque Country, Castilla y Leon, or even the Balearic Island (my personal favoutire is definitely Menorca). Here are some of the best cities to travel to in Spain.
PRO: Public holidays
One of the perks of living in Barcelona is that you get both regional and national public holidays. In total there are 14 bank holidays a year in Barcelona, that’s 3 more than Paris and a whooping 6 days more than London.
CONS: Can get very busy city
This is a no-brainer, like all big cities Barcelona can get extremely busy, especially during the Summer. If you live in the city center, in some neighborhoods you might not be able to sleep during the Summer due to local fiestas, and rowdy tourists or as they call them in Barcelona guiri.
CONS: Language barrier
If your plan is to stay in Barcelona for a while, I would strongly recommend learning Spanish and gaining some notions of Catalan. Even Though the city is very international, unless you learn the language you will never be able to completely fit in. Here are 5 ways to improve your Spanish fast without Spanish classes.
Most Catalans are fine speaking to you in Spanish, especially if you are an expat, contrary to what I had heard before moving to Barcelona. But depending on whether you plan on having a family in Barcelona or not, some schools only teach in Catalan in the first couple of years, making it important for you to be able to have a beginner’s level unless you are planning to send your kids to private schools or international schools.
All those Food Market
Making friends in Barcelona
PRO: A very international community
As expats in Barcelona, you will quickly realize that the streets are filled with English, French, and German-speaking people. Barcelona attracts a lot of people from all over the world so it can be relatively easy to meet new people. The only downside is that these people tend to leave after a few years, so if your plan is to stay for the long run it can be hard to build long-term friendships in Barcelona.
CONS: Can be hard to make local friends
Unless you are working with locals, it can be hard to build new friendships especially when you reach your early 30s. One of the best ways I made new friends was through my job otherwise it would have been harder.
Diversity in Barcelona
CONS: Lack of ethnic minorities in the corporate world
So what is diversity like in Barcelona you may ask? As far as ethnic minorities like Black people are concerned, Barcelona does not have a lot of diversity. I am currently working for a Spanish company, and it still pains me to see that I am one of the only Black women working in our Barcelona offices. Here is a bit more about my experience dealing with imposter syndrome whilst working in a whole white space in Spain.
PRO: Good expat groups in Barcelona for Black women
As a Black woman living in Barcelona, I was able to find a few communities that help me answer some questions I couldn’t find answers to online.
Barcelona Curly hair Talks Facebook Group: I created this Facebook page for women based in Barcelona to have a space where to share tips and addresses for Afro and Curly hairdressers.
Barcelona Black women: A Facebook page where Black women based in Barcelona discuss everything related to life in Barcelona. They also have a Whatsapp group.
I've also created the Black in Spain series where I share the stories of Black women living and working in Spain.
Self-employed in Spain: How this Black founder created something she never had
Black in Spain: From California to Asturias, moving abroad during lockdown
Black in Spain: Seville-based, former Londoner turned flamenco dancer
Black in Spain: Murcia-based, Trinidadian completing final year as English teacher
Black in Spain: Mallorca-based, Anglo-Jamaican living in Spain for over 2 decades
Black in Spain: Barcelona-based, half-French, half Kenyan starting her career in Spain
Making friends in Barcelona
PRO: A very international community
As expats in Barcelona, you will quickly realize that the streets are filled with English, French, and German-speaking people. Barcelona attracts a lot of people from all over the world so it can be relatively easy to meet new people. The only downside is that these people tend to leave after a few years, so if your plan is to stay for the long run it can be hard to build long-term friendships in Barcelona.
CONS: Can be hard to make local friends
Unless you are working with locals, it can be hard to build new friendships especially when you reach your early 30s. One of the best ways I made new friends was through my job otherwise it would have been harder.
Diversity in Barcelona
CONS: Lack of ethnic minorities in the corporate world
So what is diversity like in Barcelona you may ask? As far as ethnic minorities like Black people are concerned, Barcelona does not have a lot of diversity. I am currently working for a Spanish company, and it still pains me to see that I am one of the only Black women working in our Barcelona offices. Here is a bit more about my experience dealing with imposter syndrome whilst working in a whole white space in Spain.
PRO: Good expat groups in Barcelona for Black women
As a Black woman living in Barcelona, I was able to find a few communities that help me answer some questions I couldn’t find answers to online.
So, is Barcelona a good place to live for expats?
I would confidently say, yes. Like every city, it comes with its own share of pros and cons. But overall, to me, the pros outweigh the cons. The good weather, food, people, and lifestyle are everything I could ask for. Depending on where you are at in your life this may or may not be the right city for you, so before moving it’s important to do your research and be clear as to what you want, and can to get out of your time in Barcelona.