Ask three expats where to live in Spain and you get three firm answers: Valencia, Málaga, anywhere but the coast. The disagreement is healthy. Spain is a country of 17 autonomous communities, each with its own personality, its own tax rates and sometimes its own language. The best places to live in Spain are the ones that match how you want to live, and the right region for a retiree is rarely the right one for a family with two teenagers.
This guide gives you a map rather than a ranking. For each region it says what you should check, and where the country splits into different rules.
What differs by region in Spain?
Before the beaches, a reminder that the same passport and the same NIE take you everywhere, but several things change at regional borders:
- Language. Spanish is official everywhere. Catalan is co-official in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, Valencian in the Valencian Community, Galician in Galicia, Basque in the Basque Country and part of Navarre, and Aranese in the Val d'Aran. This matters for schools and town hall paperwork.
- Tax. The income tax scale has a state part and a regional part, so the same salary leaves a different amount in each region. Wealth tax, purchase taxes and inheritance rules also vary. The Basque Country and Navarre run their own system. The cost of living guide shows how the two layers of income tax work.
- Public services. Health and education are regional: your health card, your school admission and your crèche all depend on the region.
- Public holidays. Each region and town adds its own, and the Canary Islands have their own day on 30 May.
Is Madrid or Barcelona better for expats?
Both are large, international and expensive by Spanish standards, and the choice is mostly about language and lifestyle.
Madrid is the capital and the largest job market, with ministries, embassies and the headquarters of many companies. Its regional government has made the public nursery network free for children under three since 2019, which counts if you have toddlers. Spanish is the working language of daily life. INE data for 2023 show average rent spending among households of about €930 a month in Madrid, among the highest in the country.
Barcelona is a port city with a strong start-up scene and a different language dynamic. Catalan is the main language of public education in practice, although courts have imposed a minimum share of teaching in Spanish, and the legal situation is still moving. Average rent spending of about €949 a month in Barcelona is also among the highest in the same INE data for cities of more than 20,000 inhabitants.
Both have French lycées and other international schools; see schools in Spain for expat children.
What about Valencia, Alicante and the Mediterranean coast?
The Valencian Community is popular with remote workers and families. Valencia city is on the sea, mid-sized and flat, with a lycée français. In the Valencian Community, Valencian is co-official and used alongside Spanish in schools. Alicante and the surrounding coast have a long-established foreign community.
If you are comparing costs, remember that national averages hide local variations. Check actual adverts and the Ministry's rent tool, and read cost of living in Spain.
Is Andalusia a good place to live?
Andalusia, with Málaga, Seville, Marbella and the rest of the south, is a long-time home for retirees and sun-seekers. According to the INE household budget survey for 2025, Andalusia has the lowest spending per person of the autonomous communities, at €12,197 against a national average of €14,066. That is a measure of spending, not of prices, but it hints at a lower cost base. Seville and Málaga are big cities with good transport links, and there are French and international schools in Seville, Málaga and Marbella. Andalusia's regional holiday is 28 February.
What about the north: Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country?
Green, Atlantic, rainier and cooler, the north has a very different feel from the Mediterranean. Galicia has its own language and a strong identity; the Basque Country has its own tax authorities and, according to INE, the highest spending per person of any community (€16,642 in 2025). The Basque Country also has three language models in schools, from Spanish with Basque as a subject to teaching mostly in Basque, and you choose when you enrol. Bilbao has a French school.
Should you live inland?
Inland cities such as Zaragoza and Valladolid have French schools as well, and Spain's interior offers calmer life and, for many people, lower housing costs. The trade-off is climate: hotter summers and colder winters than on the coast. The big question is whether you work remotely, are retired, or need a local job.
What are the best places to live in Spain for families, retirees and remote workers?
For families
Look at the public services, not only the beach. Admission to school is organised by each region, with rules that favour siblings and proximity to home, so the address on your padrón matters. Several regions have made nursery care free in the public network: the Community of Madrid since 2019 and the Balearic Islands since 1 September 2023. Elsewhere families pay or receive a grant, so the same child costs a different amount in different regions.
If you want your children to study in Spanish only, avoid regions where the local language dominates teaching, or check what language models the schools offer. If you want them to be bilingual in a regional language, choose a region with a strong immersion model. The Basque Country offers three, from Spanish-medium with Basque as a subject to Basque-medium with Spanish as a subject. For expats whose children follow a foreign curriculum, the cities with international schools are the practical choice. Read schools in Spain for expat children before you commit to an address.
For retirees
Retirees care about health care, tax and climate. Health care is regional: the S1 form is registered with the INSS, and the health card is issued by the regional service. Tax matters because the regional part of income tax and the wealth tax differ. A region that suits a pensioner with modest income might not suit a wealthy one: the wealth tax allowance is €700,000 in most places and €3,000,000 in the Balearics, and some regions give bonuses on the tax. Read healthcare in Spain for expats before you pick a region.
For remote workers and the self-employed
For remote workers, connections and community weigh as much as the sun: a large airport nearby, a co-working scene, and fast internet. The tax questions also vary: an employee moving to the Basque Country or Navarre faces a different special regime from the national Beckham Law. A small self-employed person who operates in the Canary Islands can benefit from the local small-business scheme (REPEP) that lets people with annual turnover up to €50,000 stop charging the local indirect tax (IGIC), a rare franchise in Spain. See remote work in Spain for the rules that apply to a remote worker.
What about the Canary and Balearic Islands?
The islands are a separate decision, with their own tax rules, ferry and flight links, and local holidays. They deserve their own guide: see living in the Canary and Balearic Islands.
How do you choose the best places to live in Spain for you?
Make a short list of three or four places and test each against five questions:
- What language will my children study in?
- What will my income tax and local taxes be?
- Where is the nearest hospital, school and airport?
- How much is rent, from real adverts and the SERPAVI tool?
- Can I live there in August and in January?
Once you have your shortlist, rent for a month before you sign a longer lease. Our moving checklist lists the paperwork that follows.