# Malaga - Valencia or ??



## John98103

Planning my expat move and would like to be on/near the water.

Malaga and Valencia appear to be quite similar; Valencia is a bit larger and the cost of living looks to be similar (at least according to several websites that compare that). 

I was in Malaga this past February for a week or so and liked it very much.

So, as a place to live (not just visit), what are the pros and cons of each? 

Gracias!


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## Pesky Wesky

John98103 said:


> Planning my expat move and would like to be on/near the water.
> 
> Malaga and Valencia appear to be quite similar; Valencia is a bit larger and the cost of living looks to be similar (at least according to several websites that compare that).
> 
> I was in Malaga this past February for a week or so and liked it very much.
> 
> So, as a place to live (not just visit), what are the pros and cons of each?
> 
> Gracias!


Sooner or later someone's going to ask you, so it might as well be now...
Have you got your visa and residency issues sorted?
Do you need to work because if you're coming over as an American it will be extremely difficult to find someone who will employ you?

If that's all sorted then one thing you can do is to use the search function and see what info you can find about Malaga and Valencia - there are threads to be found; in fact scroll down to the end of this page and you will find some!


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## John98103

John98103 said:


> Planning my expat move and would like to be on/near the water.
> 
> Malaga and Valencia appear to be quite similar; Valencia is a bit larger and the cost of living looks to be similar (at least according to several websites that compare that).
> 
> I was in Malaga this past February for a week or so and liked it very much.
> 
> So, as a place to live (not just visit), what are the pros and cons of each?
> 
> Gracias!


P.S. - I'm retired with both pension and social security and a fairly sizeable investment portfolio. Retirement visa is in process.


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## Alcalaina

They are in different regions; Málaga is in Andalucia and Valencia city is in Valencia. These regions have their own semi-autonomous governments and policies can vary in areas like health and social care, education policy and inheritance tax. So check the fine details if these things are important to you.

Valencianos speak Valenciano and Andalusians speak such a strong dialiect it might as well be another language.

That's my contribution - not much, but it's all I've got as I've never been to Valencia. Wherever you settle, you'll find differences occur just as much between communities (barrios) inside the cities as between the cities themselves.


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## KG5

I have friends who live up in the Valencia region and love it but those who have been to both generally seem to prefer Malaga though I suspect few ever have a really thorough understanding of the respective cities' best areas to live.

If you want to be near the sea then the Eastern suburbs of Malaga or where we are along the coast at Rincon is a pretty good place.

Malaga Pros

Great transport links (air/rail/road)
Climate - 320+ days of sunshine
Beautiful city for culture and sightseeing
...and so many more

Cons

Tourism means it gets busy in the summer

Wife, 2 kids and I went for a run and swim with the dog this morning before having breakfast by the beach and then I started work at 930. Not. bad.


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## cermignano

Malaga is lovely, but I prefer Valencia. Beautiful city and beaches. The river that used to run round the city is now a wonderful park with lots going on. The science and culture park is fab. It is a very attractive city with loads to do and see. Not as many British tourists, I would say. Brilliant festivals


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## AlexNYC

I agree! I was between the two cities. I will say if you want to be in Spain go to Vlencia; If you want to be closer to the UK or Germany then go to Malaga


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## Keral

AlexNYC said:


> I agree! I was between the two cities. I will say if you want to be in Spain go to Vlencia; If you want to be closer to the UK or Germany then go to Malaga


Valencia all day long... Too many Brits and Brit influence down south, plus the "beached whales" on the beach from the other northern countries in the EU.

Valencia has everything you could want within the city and great day trips around the area - Sagunt, Benidorm, Xativa, etc.. Cheap bus trips. 3 hours to Madrid. 3 hours to Barcelona by train. Nice shopping mall in Aldaia. Ferries to Ibiza if you want..Lots of nature and parks. The best thing is that the people in the region are great and welcoming..


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## AlexNYC

Now Keral; I have another question for you. I see you are in Alicante.

Between Alicante and Valencia? What are the differences?




Keral said:


> Valencia all day long... Too many Brits and Brit influence down south, plus the "beached whales" on the beach from the other northern countries in the EU.
> 
> Valencia has everything you could want within the city and great day trips around the area - Sagunt, Benidorm, Xativa, etc.. Cheap bus trips. 3 hours to Madrid. 3 hours to Barcelona by train. Nice shopping mall in Aldaia. Ferries to Ibiza if you want..Lots of nature and parks. The best thing is that the people in the region are great and welcoming..


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## Keral

2 better soccer clubs for one.. Far away from the "little britian" enclaves in the south. 3rd biggest city in Spain. More choice of everything - from suppliers of materials, business services, products, everything. motor ways are free. More culture. It is just not a tourist or expat area, but a real, working city in the South of Europe with orange trees lining the roads.. 

I am only down here ( Alicant, Benidorm & Torrevieja ) at this time because the main season is ending in our rental houses and I have to supervise the builders for the maintenance projects and to get the apartments ready for the dutch and belges that flock to this part of the region after the touristy summer months.


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## Pesky Wesky

Keral said:


> 2 better soccer clubs for one.. Far away from the "little britian" enclaves in the south. 3rd biggest city in Spain. More choice of everything - from suppliers of materials, business services, products, everything. motor ways are free. More culture. It is just not a tourist or expat area, but a real, working city in the South of Europe with orange trees lining the roads..
> 
> I am only down here ( Alicant, Benidorm & Torrevieja ) at this time because the main season is ending in our rental houses and I have to supervise the builders for the maintenance projects and to get the apartments ready for the dutch and belges that flock to this part of the region after the touristy summer months.


I see you write a lot about the British enclaves, too many Brits and the Brit influence all with negative connotations. I also prefer other parts of Spain and other areas, but don't forget that the reason that there are so many British people in various areas of Spain is because they *like* it that way, so while it's not to your taste, to thousands of others it is exactly what they want. 
There was also that comment of yours that in Britain there were too many British people... Probably there are too many Belgians in Belguim. 
Save
Save​


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## Poloboy

John98103 said:


> Planning my expat move and would like to be on/near the water.
> 
> Malaga and Valencia appear to be quite similar; Valencia is a bit larger and the cost of living looks to be similar (at least according to several websites that compare that).
> 
> I was in Malaga this past February for a week or so and liked it very much.
> 
> So, as a place to live (not just visit), what are the pros and cons of each?
> 
> Gracias!


Hi John,

Can you give details of the several websites that compare cost of living as these sound like a very handy tool to have?

Thanks.


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## AlexNYC

Everyone gets what they want. No need to get upset boys... Let it go!


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## Deiter

AlexNYC said:


> Everyone gets what they want. No need to get upset boys... Let it go!


And girls!!! :usa2:


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## Madliz

Poloboy said:


> Hi John,
> 
> Can you give details of the several websites that compare cost of living as these sound like a very handy tool to have?
> 
> Thanks.


Here's one:

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Spain&country2=United+Kingdom&city1=Madrid&city2=London


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## Poloboy

Thanks Madliz.

I am going to have hours of fun with that


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## daveunt

My other half and I were considering both Malaga and Valencia as we wanted somewhere well-connected in terms of flights. In the end, we chose Malaga because it was smaller and easier to access the beach (on foot) from the centre. Valencia felt a bit too spread out to us and we struggled to find a neighbourhood we could picture ourselves living in.

From experience, if we're talking about Malaga city, most of the foreigners there are tourists. Yes, there are plenty of expats who live in and around the city centre but they are not as concentrated as in some of the coastal areas nearby. If you venture out of the centre, you quickly come across local residential neighbourhoods with barely an expat in sight.


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## chrisnation

_Valencianos speak Valenciano and Andalusians speak such a strong dialiect it might as well be another language_.

My pal Fernando, native of Xativa, complains that he hears no Valenciano being spoken in the city. He and his mates all speak it together in Xativa, tho' he's miffed that now he lives in Madrid, his mates laugh at him when he does.

City Hall has wasted loadsa money on Valenciano/Castillano signage. Mercado Central/Mercat Central, Avenida/Avenguida, Calle/Carrer, Ciudad Vieja/Cuitat Vella. 

The one situation where I find Valenciano and no Castillano is on the bus stops. All the info is in Valenciano. 

But if you have any level of French to go with some Spanish, Valenciano is fathomable. 'Monday', in French, is lundi. In Valenciano it is dilluns. 

I was surprised, in a diffent post about banking, that the OP said that they did not know what 'cuenta corriente' meant. You don't need any level of Castillano to work it out.


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