# Best place to live in Spain



## Lipsticklover (Apr 24, 2017)

Hiya everyone I am planning on moving to Spain in about 2 years I was curious to know where are some of the best areas? I am looking 24 and for somewhere lively and that has a community feel, somewhere in the south and with local shops, things to do, clubs and a nightlife!

I am planning to come over and visit some potential areas soon

Thanks


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Lipsticklover said:


> Hiya everyone I am planning on moving to Spain in about 2 years I was curious to know where are some of the best areas? I am looking 24 and for somewhere lively and that has a community feel, somewhere in the south and with local shops, things to do, clubs and a nightlife!
> 
> I am planning to come over and visit some potential areas soon
> 
> Thanks


:welcome:

If I asked what was the best place for a 24 year old in the UK, with community feel, local shops, things to do, clubs and a nightlife.... what would you say?

Tbh, for someone in their early 20s I'd suggest a city. So if you want south you should visit Málaga, Sevilla, maybe Granada.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

How much cash do you have? Do you speak Spanish? Do you have needed skills for Spain?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> :welcome:
> 
> If I asked what was the best place for a 24 year old in the UK, with community feel, local shops, things to do, clubs and a nightlife.... what would you say?
> 
> Tbh, for someone in their early 20s I'd suggest a city. So if you want south you should visit Málaga, Sevilla, maybe Granada.


Parts of Manchester, Bristol, London even Norwich...
It's not difficult I don't think - or is it?
Save
Save​


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Lipsticklover said:


> Hiya everyone I am planning on moving to Spain in about 2 years I was curious to know where are some of the best areas? I am looking 24 and for somewhere lively and that has a community feel, somewhere in the south and with local shops, things to do, clubs and a nightlife!
> 
> I am planning to come over and visit some potential areas soon
> 
> Thanks


Magaluf is one clubbing centre, but living there must be an absolute nightmare. Ibiza is still one of the places too.

But man cannot live by clubbing alone. How about earning money, have you got that sorted out?
Save​


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Parts of Manchester, Bristol, London even Norwich...
> It's not difficult I don't think - or is it?
> Save
> Save​


exactly..... cities  

Not sure about Norwich ....... though it's a long time since I've been there!


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## Lipsticklover (Apr 24, 2017)

I have about 40k saved up to now and speak okay Spanish enough to have conversations and manage to get by, I am looking for somewhere near a beach but don't mind living inland I like the look of Malaga but the tourist scene puts me off, is it all like that? I would pefer something which is real Spain.

Thanks x


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Lipsticklover said:


> I have about 40k saved up to now and speak okay Spanish enough to have conversations and manage to get by, I am looking for somewhere near a beach but don't mind living inland I like the look of Malaga but the tourist scene puts me off, is it all like that? I would pefer something which is real Spain.
> 
> Thanks x


Hmmm, real Spain, what's that exactly?
If you mean a place where the majority of people are Spanish and where the community serves Spaniards over foreigners (ie no British breakfasts, pub quizzes, menus in German, Norwegian newspapers and rugby and Man City matches on tv) there are quite a few places to cross off your list.
If you want to be near a beach and have a good nightlife perhaps Malaga could fit the bill? Barcelona? I can't see why a city wouldn't match your requirements as you asked for a community feel and Madrid and Barcelona for example are often made up of old "barrios" that have a community feel to them.
Hope you have work sorted out as there is very high unemployment in your age bracket, over 50% in Andalucia.


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

Finally beware of a Hard Brexit !!!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

So much is down to personal choice. For us, a village pop (<5k), mostly Spanish, inland with mountains around in a province that has a large number of Natural Parks and warm friendly people is perfect, but there is no beach, no facilities directed at foreigners (of any nationality and no work for other than family members.


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

Rural, 8km from nearest person, village 2k and dropping, love it. But have contingency plan move into village without having to rush to sell.... future proofing


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Meanwhile the OP has asked about



Lipsticklover said:


> somewhere lively and that has a community feel, somewhere in the south and with local shops, things to do, clubs and a nightlife!


and



Lipsticklover said:


> somewhere near a beach but don't mind living inland


...
Save​


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## Gran Erry-Bredd (Nov 1, 2016)

In two years you will be looking 26. Perhaps you should be thinking of investing your 40k in a pension plan. :yo:


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

OMG...The 'real' Spain...


There is no 'real' Spain as such. Everywhere in Spain is 'real'.
There are however many different Spains. It's a big place.

Ask yourself: where is the 'real' UK?


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

I often wonder whether Benidorm ( the ITV series ) bears any semblance to reality ???


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Williams2 said:


> I often wonder whether Benidorm ( the ITV series ) bears any semblance to reality ???


Of course it doesn't, any more than "A place in the Sun" does.


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## Gran Erry-Bredd (Nov 1, 2016)

I thought the tv series "Benidorm" was a documentary about a British hotel and its British only staff and British occupants struggling along without ever speaking Spanish.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Gran Erry-Bredd said:


> I thought the tv series "Benidorm" was a documentary about a British hotel and its British only staff and British occupants struggling along without ever speaking Spanish.


From my admittedly slight knowledge of Benidorm I believe one can live there comfortably with no Spanish whatsoever and absolutely no need to struggle...

'Benidorm' is a tv series. 
Sobre los gustos....


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## Horlics (Sep 27, 2011)

mrypg9 said:


> From my admittedly slight knowledge of Benidorm I believe one can live there comfortably with no Spanish whatsoever and absolutely no need to struggle...
> 
> 'Benidorm' is a tv series.
> Sobre los gustos....


And much of the rest of the Costa Blanca is the same. I have neighbours (many of them) in Javea who have lived there 20 years and speak no more than half a dozen words of Spanish. 

The barrios of cities (i.e. away from the centre) are your best bet Op.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> From my admittedly slight knowledge of Benidorm I believe one can live there comfortably with no Spanish whatsoever and absolutely no need to struggle...
> 
> 'Benidorm' is a tv series.
> Sobre los gustos....


I like Benidorm. I like the Garvy's and their attempts to keep their difficult family happy and together with a holiday in Beni, I like that Les the cross dresser is treated with complete normality and that his son chooses to live with him and not his more atagonistic mother. I like that Kenneth is a gay hairdresser but not at all stereotype. He's lazy, fat and loves eating. I like Mateo as the latin lover who is a stereotype in that way, but there's none of the lazy, stupid Spaniard sleeping away in the midday sun...
You should give it a chance, you do like Allo Allo after all...


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## Asa perry (May 2, 2020)

I’m sort of in the same position, me and my wife and 2 children want to make a break for it and leave the uk for Spain but we are not sure where is best to live. I like lively but also quiet we also have a 2 year old who we want to go to a English school so any advice would be appreciated. We also want to rent first to see how we get on


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## 95995 (May 16, 2010)

Perhaps San Sebastián, but it is relatively expensive and on the Atlantic Coast. However, the issue would still be what work the OP would be qualified and competition for jobs with the Spanish and with EU citizens. *Then, of course, there is the high probability of needing a visa 2 years from now, and especially a visa that allows one to work - these are very difficult to get for non-EU citizens, for obvious reasons.*


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Asa perry said:


> I’m sort of in the same position, me and my wife and 2 children want to make a break for it and leave the uk for Spain but we are not sure where is best to live. I like lively but also quiet we also have a 2 year old who we want to go to a English school so any advice would be appreciated. We also want to rent first to see how we get on


 Sorry to say but this is possibly the worst time ever to be asking but...


If you want south Spain places like Malaga are possibly a good place to start looking, but if you're young enough to have a young son I'm guessing you're young enough to want to work, so that's the first thing you'll have to sort out, unless you'll be teleworking? If not teleworking I have to tell you that the south of Spain has always had high unemployment figures and in many areas was still recovering from 2008/ 2010 crash. Now Corona Virus has hit and again Spain will be coming out of it worse off than the UK. In a nutshell, if you need to work in Spain, look for work first and then work from there, find a house and then a school.
Just wondering why you'd want your children to go to an English speaking school?


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

Asa perry said:


> Iwe also have a 2 year old who we want to go to a English school



Won't an English school be expensive? 

It'll also force you to be in an area with demand for an English school. 

While still needing to find work. An apartment. Plus everything else.


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## tebo53 (Sep 18, 2014)

mrypg9 said:


> From my admittedly slight knowledge of Benidorm I believe one can live there comfortably with no Spanish whatsoever and absolutely no need to struggle...


I spent a couple of years learning basic Spanish before coming to live in Benidorm and nearly every time I spoke in Spanish to a waiter/bar person/shop assistant they would answer me in English. The Spanish are wanting to learn conversational English and prefer us to speak to them in English. It didn't deter me however learning the second stages of Spanish which overall has paid dividends. 

If you live here in Benidorm you certainly have a choice whether or not to learn Spanish. 

Steve


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