Hola!

I am 29 yrs old and considering a move to Spain in about 3 months time.  I studied a summer in Barcelona and fell in love with the culture and lifestyle and now I’m hoping to move there and rent an apartment for a year or two.  I have a job I can keep telecommuting, so work is not a concern, but I do need a reliable high speed internet connection. 

My concerns are:

-Affordable.  I have a job, but don’t make a lot (about $2,000 US a month, after taxes), and I know the USD-Euro conversion is going to kill me!  I’m hoping to find a furnished studio or 1br near or under 500 euro (a dream?).  If it’s cheap enough I will furnish myself.

-Internet service.  Must be decently fast and reliable.  Preferably cable.

-Location.  I’d like to be in or near a city.  Doesn’t need to be trendy or the hottest spot on Earth, just enough to be able to meet lots of people and have things to do, maybe a university or youngish night life.  On the coast would be nice, but not entirely necessary.

-Culture.  I’m pretty liberal and do appreciate art and intellectual stimulation.  Friendly to ex-pats who aren’t obnoxious and are trying to fit in and learn.  Preferably a small international community.

-Safety.  Speaks for itself.

I think going back to BCN is probably a little out of my price range, and that’s fine.  I would like to explore more of the country anyway.  The best prices for a big city I’ve seen on Craigslist Spain seem to be in Valencia, but I’m really open to anywhere in the country.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks!

Try this site

I searched for apt max 500 euros in Valencia.

http://www.kyero.com/browse/valencia-region-apartment-long-let-loc55540mnp500mxp500pag1pgr1ppp20slt1srt4

Just be careful as many site have properties listed that arn`t available at that price, if you notice this one states prices from 500.00.

Thanks a lot!  That link will be really helpful when I do settle on a location.  Right now, I’m still trying to figure out if Valencia or somewhere else is where I actually want to be.

Thanks again!

Try lookin into the Northern Coast of Spain.

Thats where I`d go.

Hey, B,

So far, I’m still thinking it might be Valencia.  It seems to be reasonably priced, decent sized and it’s on the coast.  There’s only so much you can learn about a place from Wikipedia, World Factbook, etc. 

A couple people have mentioned a preference for the North, but without going into detail on where or why.  I have a couple months to really decide, so I’m still investigating options and trying to get a feel for them as best I can from 1/4 the way across the globe. 

Do you live in the North or South?  Or do you recommend a specific area/city? 

BTW, thanks for asking!

-Ben

go to bilbao or the navarra region or asturia great places to live, locals are so welcoming

alex

Thanks, Brennie!  That’s really helpful.

I actually spent a weekend in Figueres while I was studying.  It’s very lovely and nice there, but I’m afraid it may be a little too small.  I’ve never lived in a city of less than 100,000 and I appreciate the variety that it offers.  I will consider it further though as you make a really good case for it.  Beaches, festivals and it’s proximity to France are all good pluses.  The Dali museum is also amazing, and it was one of three trips I was able to make because I’m such a fan of his work (the others being Pamplona for San Fermin and Palma, Mallorca)  Thanks for the insights!

My work is all done online.  I log into my work desk remotely and then have access to all the internal systems and files.  I need a good internet connection to do this because there can be a lag if not; which is frustrating at best, and can cause me to miss deadlines at worst.

I think I’ll look into San Sebastian and Bilbao a little before I make up my mind.  Lucky for me, I’ve got plenty of time to research and think about it.

Benny B. - 26 August 2009 05:41 AM

I think I’ll look into San Sebastian and Bilbao a little before I make up my mind.  Lucky for me, I’ve got plenty of time to research and think about it.

San Sebastian is really lovely, but it’s one of the most expensive cities in Spain. (I don’t really know about Bilbao, but I guess that must be quite expensive too.)  The medium-sized Andalucian cities are cheaper, by comparison, they have great nightlife, fantastic weather, and they tend to have a good balance of a small (or tiny) international community and plenty of locals.  Also there’s no regional language to learn or worry about - just heavily-accented Andalus Spanish!  Seville, Malaga and Granada are the obvious ones, but cities like Jaen, Almeria, Cordoba, Jerez and Cadiz all offer everything you are after, each in a concentrated, walkable city centre and generally as cheap to live as anywhere in Europe.  My current favourite is Cadiz - but it would have to be near the centre of the old town.

This is a bit off-thread for Benny B, Brennie, so I’ve PM’d you.

Donostia is expensive too buy property, its not that expensive to live in.

You can still have a good 7 Euro Menu near the old port.

Also the region has small villages both coastal and rural offering far cheaper accomodation.

Pais Vasco also has the best and most reliable Internet etc provided by Euskatel.

Also the people tend to be a bit more 21 st century, Andalucians are closely related to Mexicans.

A good city that has lots to offer is Vitoria, its south of Bilbao around 30 minutes drive, its the capital city of the Basque country.

Its grown outward in the last few years, so there are many apts for sale.

Has great access points to the rest of Spain, Burgos within an Hour and Madrid within 3 hour drive, La Rioja within 20 minutes and Southern France is 1.5 hrs away, Zaragoza around 3 hours and Barcelona 5 hours.

Its still hot in summer around 30 is considered normal in August, but mostly averages around 25 degrees, although winter is mild it does get more rain and snow than most parts of the UK.

Life is fairly relaxed, its far quieter than Andalucia, people don`t tend to talk from there balconies and moto`s aren`t as popular at 3 am.

No I`m in my thirties and I`d eat my own balls before returning to live in Andalucia again.

P.S Pais Vasco has the best summer parties and food of not only Spain, but would be high up in the best in Europe.

Can`t be much worse than sheeps brains or Callos.

We have decided to look around Galicia?Asturia for a permanent home and see the rainfall/fog is pretty heavy a lot of the time according to the charts, does anyone living there have any comments on this,  we also see the summer temps inland from San Sebastian dropping to the teens in summer is that typical?
We plan to visit in Dec /Jan to get a real idea of winter weather, any good rental/hotel advice would be good   we have around a month to get a feel of things and did sail that area 20 odd years ago

I`ve lived in Sunny Southern Spain and Visit Pais Vasco every few months.

Galicia isn`t that bad in winter, sure its windy, wet and can be cold, but just think of the sea food.

I found that for us its better to have a climate that changes dramatically throughout the year, the south of Spain for us was boring once the novelty went.

A cold day in San Sebastein is still mild compared to the EU average.

yeah..  we have spent 20 years in the med and the summer heat does drag on especially as you get older…  we will look at micro climates etc…  four seasons are for us..  but not tooo much rain

Thanks for the comment though…
Currently sat in the Air con every day in Costa Rica….  enough is enough.. but we are getting paid well to do it   so…..

Hey everyone

Just wondering if anyones know the best places to live that have a good English community and schools as well.

I’m open to suggestions as I will be looking to move anywhere that is recommended to me as I want my little girl to fit straight in with no problems due to my recent divorce any suggestions would be great.

Thank you in advanced .....

Life in spain is not all sun,sea and sangria.Think once,twice,three times and then again.Its all very well starting again somewhere else but believe me the grass is not always green.Good luck with what ever you decide.