# Wanting to move to Spain, have allot of questions!



## MBurtoway (Oct 15, 2016)

Hey everyone, Mitch here. 

A good friend and I are wanting to move to Spain and work remotely, however we are having a hard time deciding where to move! A couple things quick. We are both very charismatic males who really enjoy social environments, so we would more then likely be looking for work in Bar/Club scenes. Also we are both working on refining our Dj/Producing skills to hopefully start finding gigs and making a name for ourselves. With these things in mind we would be ideally be looking for a city with a healthy and thriving nightlife. 

After doing hours of research on some of the main cities along the south eastern coast line a couple cities we are currently thinking on include, Valencia, Alicante and Barcelona. Each City has its pros and cons however I get allot of mixed reviews on all 3. 

So with that here is a few questions!

What city would you recommend for our lifestyle/DJ'ing (dream) and why?

Which city is typically more "affordable" to live in? Also what is typically the most affordable way to live in terms of housing. Buy/Rent an apartment, buy/rent small house ect.

What can we expect to spend /month on maintaining a healthy standard of living in each city?

If you have any other helpful information outside of these questions I'm always open to ideas, criticism and recommendations!

Cheers! :tea:


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## kdsb (May 3, 2015)

If you are planning to work remotely you will probably apply for a Non Lucrative Visa (which is what we have, as US citizens). This would not allow you to work in Spain, so I don't think your DJ plan would work out unless you get another type of visa. Work visas are much more complicated, I think.

Also there is some mixed info on whether you qualify for a non lucrative visa if you work remotely, so check with your consulate. We went through Boston and it was fine, but others using other consulates in the US had issues with it.

Can't offer advice on where to live since there isn't much of a club scene where we are (which is just fine with us!).


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## Roy C (Sep 29, 2012)

I hope you don't mind me asking but what sort of age group do you belong to, considering the profession you'll be in?


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## MBurtoway (Oct 15, 2016)

24 and 26!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

The most important thing to do is to sort your visa options (which can be a hard and long process) and then get back to us. If you're coming over here to work and stay for any length of time you may find the visa situation will stop you in your tracks so better to get that clear than waste time and energy on a plan that may not unfold.


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## Roy C (Sep 29, 2012)

Young enough to take the gamble and DJ


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

You can't be working remotely if you are doing gigs in bars and clubs etc. and if you will be working, you can't be on a non-lucrative visa.


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## Evilbungle (Jul 8, 2016)

Ignoring the visa element that has already been covered I would suggest for a base that you consider Barcelona (I've never lived anywhere else in Spain so I can not talk to them.) 

Barcelona is a very lively city and even where I live further down the coast (About 30 minutes out) there are a lot of Clubs. probably the best asset however is that there is a low cost airline that has a central hub at Barcelona Airport so cheap flights are available from here to all the Islands as well as the majority of club scenes in Europe. 

The obvious negative though is that it is one of the more expensive parts of Spain to live. You are probably looking at around 1000€ a month for rent.


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## sallykam (Oct 23, 2016)

I think Barcelona is fabulous......but you should also consider Malaga .....Costa del Sol.....Marbella .....along this coast......obviously I love it as this is where I am ......but its a fabulous place....suggest a few trips to various destinations and then decide......


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## MShaw (Sep 17, 2016)

My experience of researching Alicante is that it is more spanish focused in general with english spaking visitors in the holiday seasonms. I was there in November and researched extensively and found many ex pats are more inland based and not of the club scene age group. Torremolinos is supposed to be great for night life


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## src6 (Aug 15, 2016)

We looked at Valencia, Alicante and Malaga, and spent a week in each this past March so we could see the off-season and get a better feel for the real residents. From our experience Alicante is probably not what you are looking for. 

Everything I have heard about Barcelona makes me think it is much more club/party focused than most other cities, and might be a prime location for you. But then you are in competition with every other aspiring DJ/producer in Spain (outside of Madrid). Valencia was very busy, seemed to have a decently active club scene even in the off season, but it wasn't an aspect we were looking at/for so I can't give you more than a general impression.

Malaga had a good feel and also seemed very active, but we were focused on Torre del Mar to the east so we didn't spend a lot of time looking at Malaga proper. Also, we were there during Semana Santa so it was hard to tell where the festival crowd stopped and the regulars began.


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## ccm47 (Oct 15, 2013)

What do you expect to get out of DJing? Making a reasonable living is unlikely.

My first OH did it with a friend as a hobby i.e. drinks, meal and a small cash payment. They were good enough to be used at one of the minor UK royal's wedding reception.
Another guy I knew was making more money at the time from DJing than his full time job, but LinkedIn shows me he has stuck with the same employer some 15 years later, so again it was a paying hobby, albeit quite welll paying. He travelled a lot for gigs but I cannot recall any really outstanding occasion ones.
Now I know a chap, of independent means, who DJs in a Torremolinos club currently, for a drink and a small cash payment. He only does it on Friday night each week and he regards it as something giving a structure to his week . So again a hobby. 

I would suggest you think very carefully if it's going to be worth that initial investment in kit and music to play if you decide on a city.


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