Thank you all for such great information. We are considering a move to Barcelona and now have a much better idea about which areas to search in. One question for you: we have two dogs who would definitely be coming with us. One is a small chihuahua mix and will do well in any urban environment but we also have a rather fabulously large and athletic Akita mix. How open are the people of Barcelona to canine companions? Can you rent places where dogs are allowed? Are there dog parks and places where you can sit with your dog at a cafe or restaurant? We currently live in Portland, OR where dogs rule and leaving the dog love behind has me a bit worried.

Also, we have two daughters who will be 11 and 13 at the time of the move. I didn’t see any detailed responses about schools. I’m not stuck on private or international school. I’d sort of like them to go to public school and to be a part of their local community. One of my girls is an amazing artist… any art-focused public or private schools? Art schools for young people? 

Is there a neighborhood that is considered home to more artists? We’re not averse to funky.

What about buying homes in Barcelona? What would you pay for a 3 bdrm house/flat/whatever - nothing grand but charming and some access to outdoors (small yard, patio, deck) would be nice. Just curious. We wouldn’t be buying right away of course but I’m wondering how the cost of living compares between where we are now and Barcelona.

Food and wine (most important!). Expensive or not? Is it pricey to eat out?

Thanks for your input!

yogaluz - 05 December 2009 10:42 PM

Thank you all for such great information. We are considering a move to Barcelona and now have a much better idea about which areas to search in. One question for you: we have two dogs who would definitely be coming with us. One is a small chihuahua mix and will do well in any urban environment but we also have a rather fabulously large and athletic Akita mix. How open are the people of Barcelona to canine companions? Can you rent places where dogs are allowed? Are there dog parks and places where you can sit with your dog at a cafe or restaurant? We currently live in Portland, OR where dogs rule and leaving the dog love behind has me a bit worried.

Also, we have two daughters who will be 11 and 13 at the time of the move. I didn’t see any detailed responses about schools. I’m not stuck on private or international school. I’d sort of like them to go to public school and to be a part of their local community. One of my girls is an amazing artist… any art-focused public or private schools? Art schools for young people? 

Is there a neighborhood that is considered home to more artists? We’re not averse to funky.

What about buying homes in Barcelona? What would you pay for a 3 bdrm house/flat/whatever - nothing grand but charming and some access to outdoors (small yard, patio, deck) would be nice. Just curious. We wouldn’t be buying right away of course but I’m wondering how the cost of living compares between where we are now and Barcelona.

Food and wine (most important!). Expensive or not? Is it pricey to eat out?

Thanks for your input!

I’ll take a stab at these. You might need to break up your post into multiple ones though - so many questions…

Dogs - lots of dogs in BCN. Big dogs, small dogs, lots of them. Just pick up their poo and try not to piss off the neighbours with the barking and you’ll be fine. At most parks you’ll find dogs off leashes (although they’re often not allowed to be). You’d probably want to be closer to a big park with the Akita (great animals, love ‘em). Therefore the best areas for this would be: Borne, North Gracia, Poble Sec, Poble Nou, Sant Jervasi - plenty of big parks here.

Not sure about Art schools for youths, but Gracia is certainly the funkiest, coolest, most artsy district in the city without getting dangerous (certain parts of Raval are very out there but not family friendly).

Buying a flat… not really sure myself, but I’d imagine somewhere around 800k EUR for a 3 bdrm.

Food and wine - cheap. Cheaper than Portland. Probably about half to 2/3s the price.

Thanks for the reply. I’m soooo relieved about the dog issue. You just never know where the dog nazis are lurking. And cheap wine… we’re so there!

I would not live in Raval either. Gracia is a neighbourhood I’d love to live if I return to Barcelona some day.