Living the Good Life: Retirement in Barcelona
CONSIDERING BARCELONA TO RETIRE?
Is barcelona a good place to retire? I’m being asked this question on my tours more and more every year. People, mostly Americans, that are considering to retire in Barcelona and book a private tour to explore the city and get an idea of what it can be like, where they’d like to live… And I think it’s great! Retirement is a new chapter in life, a time to relax, explore, and make the most of every day. And what better place to do so than in Barcelona, a city that embodies the essence of the good life? With its stunning architecture, vibrant culture, and endless adventures, Barcelona is a haven of sunshine and opportunities for retirees looking to make the most of their golden years.
And it’s for all of you out there, who are dreaming of slowing down and having time to bask in the sun, soak up the culture, and embark on new adventures in this extraordinary city, that I’ve written today’s post. I hope my tips and ideas contribute to make your Barcelona retirement a success!
The pros and cons of retiring in Barcelona
1
Healthcare and medical facilities
One of the most important considerations for retirees is access to quality healthcare. Fortunately, Barcelona boasts a robust healthcare system, with a wide range of medical facilities and services available. The city is home to numerous public and private hospitals, clinics, and specialized medical centers, ensuring that retirees have access to top-notch healthcare professionals and treatments. Plus most hospitals and health centers have English-speaking staff.
There’s also an extensive network of pharmacies that provide easy access to medications and over-the-counter remedies. A handful of them are open 24/7, some other open 365 days a year during long hours, and the rest take turns to stay open during the holidays and at night so there’s always one available near you.
Public healthcare system
There’s 5 large public hospitals in Barcelona: Hospital Clinic, Hospital de Sant Pau, Vall d’Hebron and Hospital del Mar, plus Sant Joan de Deu (this one entirely devoted to pediatrics), and a handful of smaller ones. Plus over fifty “CAP” centers (family medical care and outpatient clinics), 1o of them including a CUAP department for emergencies.
The use of the public healthcare system (“Seguridad Social”) in Spain is free for holders of Spanish social security number, which gives them also access to subsidized medications. EU citizens can apply for a European Health Insurance Card that allow them to use the Spanish public healthcare. US Medicare is not compatible with the Spanish health care system: American citizens will need private insurance.
Private healthcare
For those who prefer private healthcare, Barcelona offers a plethora of private hospitals and clinics that provide excellent medical services. Private healthcare in Barcelona is known for its short waiting times, personalized attention, and state-of-the-art facilities.
2
Barcelona cost of living
Housing will be one of your major expenses in Barcelona. Expect to pay at least €1000/month for rent for a basic apartment, or else consider living in the suburbs or a non-central district for something cheaper. As for buying, the average price is around €6000/squared meter (around $560/sqf), but it can vary significantly depending on the area, number of rooms and state of the building.
In terms of daily groceries, they are affordable if you choose your supplies well: there’s a municipal food market in every district, and many supermarket and grocery chains. Budget shoppers choose Alcampo, Consum, Lidl, Mercadona and Dia. Bonpreu, Bonarea, Carrefour, Condis and Consum are mid-range, and well off families favor El Corte Ingles, Veritas, Caprabo and Casa Amatller.
Locals don’t eat out much during week days, unless it’s a “menu del dia” (daily specials at a set price) during lunchbreak at work, but you’ll often see them enjoying a coffee and sandwich or bakery at their favorite neighborhood cafe while chatting with friends. Restaurants are in general more affordable than in the US or London or Paris, and you’ll notice that most of them time small venues away from the city center tend to be cheaper… because they don’t often cater for tourists!
As for utilities, water is quite cheap (but don’t waste it: draught is a real problem here), whereas electricity is expensive. Consider that when choosing a place to retire and find out if it’s a hot living area in the Summer (thus requiring lots of air conditioning), or if the house heating in the winter uses electricity – any of this can up about 30% your utility costs from one season to the other. Natural gas is cheaper than electricity as long as the building already incorporates it. Unfortunately sunpower is still rare in private homes (at least within the city).
3
The weather
In Barcelona the weather mirrors its Mediterranean roots: mild winters and hot summers dominate the climate. Summer, from June to August, brings scorching temperatures exceeding 30°C (86°F), perfect for beachgoers and outdoor enthusiasts. Autumn, from September to November, offers cooler weather and occasional showers, that hardly ever ruin your daily activities. Winter, from December to February, brings mild temperatures around 14°C (57°F), so snow is rare but you can typically go skiing in the Pyrenees just 2 hours drive from the city. Spring brings blooming flowers and pleasantly warm days, perfect for leisurely walks and sightseeing
4
Exploring the city culture and art scene
Art lovers will visit and revisit the masterpieces at the Picasso Museum and Miro Foundation and get lost in the many other less famous but still enticing smaller museums in the city. History geeks will never have enough of getting lost in the alleys of the Old Town. Its medieval neighborhoods are home to stunning churches, elegant mansions and hidden squares, transporting visitors back in time. And to this all you need to add the greenery of the city many parks, the Mediterranean feel of the waterfront and the beaches, and the many cultural opportunities provided by the popular art, music and cinema festivals organized throughout the year.
And let’s not forget the modern network of public libraries featuring not just books but also music and movies. They have PCs with internet connection, and organize exhibitions, conferences and even language exchange programs… Free of charge! One downside, though: Theater shows in Barcelona tend to be in Spanish or Catalan. You’ll only be likely to find shows in English during the Grec festival in the Summer. But hey, there’s a handful of movie theaters displaying movies in their original language! Look for VOS or VO signs, identifying the movies in Original Version.
5
Local cuisine and dining scene
For those looking for a fine dining experience, Barcelona is home to numerous Michelin-starred restaurants, offering innovative and creative cuisine that pushes the boundaries of traditional flavors. Treat yourself to a memorable culinary experience and savor dishes prepared by some of the world’s best chefs.
As for other cuisines from the word, Italian, Mexican, Japanese and Chinese restaurants are easy to find. French, Thai, Middle-Eastern and Indian aren’t rare either, but other more exotic cuisines have only a reduced presence and you’ll need some research to find them – unfortunately in this field Barcelona still needs to learn a lot from cities such as New York or London… Good news for vegetarians, vegans and gluten-free eaters: your options have remarkably increased in the last decade and you won’t be seen as a weirdo anymore.
6
A sport city
Barcelona has been a sport city since well before the 1992 Olympics. The FC Barcelona team was founded in 1899, and since then it’s become not just one of the most famous soccer clubs in the world, but also the cradle of other successful sports team (did you know the NBA players Gasol brothers are from Barcelona?). You like sailing? There’s 5 marinas in Barcelona. You like tennis? There’s several tennis clubs. You like F1 and MotoGP racing? There’s the Montmelo track just outside of Barcelona.
Are you a runner? The Barcelona Marathon gathers every year thousands of participants (and there’s many smaller races organized regularly as well). Swimmers will be delighted to know that there’s over a dozen public pools in Barcelona, accessible either through a day pass or an affordable monthly membership that often also includes other fitness facilities. And there’s of course a myriad of private gyms, dance and yoga studios, paddle courts…
Besides, the city council runs two sport programs specifically designed for seniors: Activa’t als parcs (with free outdoor activities organized by each district at the local parks) and Barnatresk (organized city hikes). And if bycicles are your thing, sign up to the Bicing service to move around using the over 7000 bikes spread around over 500 stations throughout the city. You can even use electric bikes for an additional fee!
7
An international community (and language issues)
It’ll be easy for you to connect with people with similar interests: a quick online search will give you inspiring results for Barcelona women networks, Facebook expat groups around different subjects, meet-up activities in English… There’s no excuse to feel alone!
Even if you don’t speak Spanish? Yes! You’ll soon notice that most restaurant and shop staff speak English, or at least they can communicate at a basic level that is enough to survive your daily interactions without speaking Spanish at all. However, it is true that learning the basics will make things easier for you, specially when you have to deal with official stuff. Don’t be ashamed to try: even if people are likely to reply in English, seeing you try will make them like you more.
What about Catalan?
Catalan is the local language in Barcelona and it’s co-official with Spanish. It’s taught in school and protected by the local laws. It comes from Latin and it shares many similarities with Spanish, French and Italian, but it’s a language by its own right: don’t make the mistake to call it a dialect unless you want to get in real trouble. Learning a few sentences will make you instant friends… as long as you move around non-touristy areas.
Barcelona attracts many immigrants and unless they are second-generation immigrants they probably won’t have bothered learning Catalan. And restaurant and shop staff in the city center and a lot of taxi drivers don’t always understand it (or want to use it, if they do). So don’t worry, nobody expects someone with a strong foreign accent to speak Catalan to them (unless they know you’ve been here long enough to know at least the basics: after a year your Catalan entourage will definitely be expecting you to be able to say a few words)
Is people racist?
In 202 the Discrimination Observatory of Barcelona reported 631 cases of discrimination, from which 29% were cases of racism (black, Muslim, Latin and gypsy are the most targeted communities), 20% was LGBTQ discrimination and 19% was about health-related issues (mostly mental and VIH patients).
There’s also a growing belief that “tourism is killing the city”. That has to do with neighbors fed up with tourist crowds, drunk tourists making noise late at night, foreign kids not paying for their bus rides, people littering instead of using the public trash cans. BUT it also has to do with gentrification inflating the cost of housing in districts such as the Old Town, Eixample and Gracia. The housing problem is mostly about vulture funds kicking out neighbors from their homes, and illegal AirBnBs disturbing the neighbors on their building. However, expats with a higher purchasing power can also be perceived as part of the problem.
But do they like Americans in Barcelona? LOL, crossing the ocean is a quite effective filter that prevents a lot of the bad stuff to get here. The Americans that arrive are usually educated and wealthy, and therefore not likely to be disliked… except that locals won’t tolerate a prepotent attitude and you’ll get an eye-roll if you mention the US as being the leader or the world or something along these lines. The average Spaniard acknowledges the US as great at music, sports and technology, but they are far from approve most American politicians and therefore the country isn’t considered a “leader of the world”. In doubt, tone down your political ideas and people will like you.
8
Is Barcelona safe?
Despite its fame of being the “capital of pick-pockets in the world”, Barcelona is quite safe. There were only 13 people killed in Barcelona in 2023 (bad, but hey, NYC recorded a whooping 386!), and there were only 3 cases of kidnapping. Stealing is the biggest type of crime, with over 100.000 cases, 75% of it being minor theft, and only 12% involved violence of some kind. Drug traffic reports was around 1700 cases (although people tends to be permissive regarding them, so the numbers might not be representative here), and there were 442 rape reports, which is a considerable increase compared to the previous years but this can be interpreted as a sign of a rise of concern and women feeling more empowered to go to the police.
So yes, Barcelona is pretty safe and there’s no fear in the streets. Kids play freely in the park with little surveillance, ladies can walk around on their own even at night and the chances of having a bad encounter remain low as long as you act with common sense and avoid certain streets and types of people.
Formalities to consider to retire in Barcelona
9
Bureaucracy: Visas and other documents
EU citizens
Non-EU citizens
Without a visa, non-EU citizens can only stay in Spain for up to 90 days. After that, you need to leave the country. A popular visa nowadays is the new Spain digital nomad visa, b but if you are looking for a true non-work retirement, let’s review the most common type of visas available for retirees:
Residence visa without right to work (“Visado de residencia no lucrativa”)
The easiest visa to obtain, but since you aren’t allowed to work you must prove that you can support yourself either via pensions, savings or investments. For one person, that is a bit under 30K euros/year. And with that you can definitely cover the costs of living in a city like Barcelona. You will also required to present the following documents:
- Passport valid for at least one year
- Full coverage health insurance with a company authorized to provide their services in Spain
- Medical certificate
- Criminal records
- Prove of current residence outside of Spain
- And pay the tax that applies.
Gold visa (investors visa)
In order to obtain this visa you must purchase a property worth at least 500K euros, or make an investment of minimum 1 million euros. In order to obtain this visa you also need to provide prove of having the means to sustain yourself and your investment, and present all the other documents required for the residence visa.
What happens after obtaining your visa?
These visas are valid for 1 year and renewable for 2 additional years, then two more years. After having lived in Spain for 5 years you’ll be able to apply for permanent residency. And 5 years later you’ll be able to request citizenship through naturalization.
Once you obtain your visa you’ll be able to request a NIE, the ID card that identifies you as a foreigner living in Spain, and that is required for many administrative and financial transations.
3
Will you need a car?
Owning a car in Spain is relatively expensive. There’s the cost of the vehicle, the obligatory insurance, the matriculation tax, the vehicle tax, an inspection every 1 or 2 years depending on how old is the vehicle, and of course maintenance and repair, and gas that is way more expensive than in the US. And let’s not forget that parking in the city is difficult and you might want to rent/buy a private parking spot for your peace of mind, rather than leaving your car in the street.
If you’ll be living in the city you probably won’t need it. You can use taxis and public transit and just rent a car or use a car sharing service for occasional trips. But if you’ll be living int he suburbs or in the countryside, then a car will be probably a real need.
4
About pensions and taxes
In any case, you’ll be liable for paying taxes to the Spanish Government if you spend more than 183 days/year in the country. And the Spanish tax and pension system is complex and the bureaucracy is slow. Since things are likely to work differently here than in your country, and the rules also vary from one country of origin to another, it’s highly recommended to find an expert advisor to help you sorting things out. But here are some points to consider for a start:
EU citizens
If you’ve worked a number of years in a EU country and a number of years in Spain, you can qualify for pro-rata pensions in both countries. If you are currently living in Spain, it’s the Spanish administration who will be in charge of processing it, but if you haven’t relocated to Spain yet, it’ll be your country of residence who will have to do that.
If you don’t qualify for a pro-rata pension an only receive a pension from your country of residence, contact an advisor or your pension provider to check your options on how to transfer your pension and the taxes that will apply.
UK citizens
You’ll be able to transfer your earnings through a Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme. Some tax allowances may apply. UK citizens receiving a UK pension have also be given access to Spanish healthcare by fillip up an S1 form.
Non-EU citizens
Spain has bilateral social security agreements with several non-EU countries. You should check with your consulate or embassy to find out about any benefits you might qualify for during your retirement in Barcelona. Then check with a tax expert to understand the tax implications of transferring your pension to Spain and find out if there’s a double-tax treaty between your country and Spain to avoid double taxation. For instance, personal savings such as American 401K and Roth IRAs will be taxed in Spain, even if their tax threshold is high.
Also take into account that while US citizens can still receive Social Security payments when they live abroad, non-US citizens will stop being paid by the US Social Security after being away from the country for over 6 months.
5
Where to live
- Gothic Quarter and Born. The most historical areas of the Old Town Barcelona, are romantic but they aren’t an easy place to live. Many buildings don’t have an elevator, or the alleys are too narrow for taxis and cars, there aren’t many supermarkets (except for convenience stores with a limited offer), and the area is usually crowded with tourists. Plus the apartments there tend to be small, often old, and they can be very expensive too. But if you are enamored of the area and have the budget… why not?
- Raval. The wild district of the Old Town is a hard no. Cheaper than the Gothic Quarter and Born, you’ll soon start realizing that there’s too much drama (drugs, prostitutes, beggars, violence) to want to be there for too long. Sure, it’s fun to go there for drinks and food, but avoid living there.
- Barceloneta. Living between the beach and the marinas sounds appealing? Yes, but not so much here. The neighbors are really burnt out from noisy drunk tourist kids and the anti-tourism feeling is stronger here than in other districts. If you are dreaming of feeling like a true Barcelonan, find a different place to retire or your local neighbors will make sure to keep reminding you that you are one more foreigner helping to gentrificate their home.
- Vila Olimpica and Diagonal Mar. These two modern districts by the sea are your best alternative to Barceloneta. Well communicated even if a bit further away from the city center, you won’t find here tourist crowds or angry neighbors and you’ll be able to enjoy its green areas and the authenticity of the Poblenou district.
- Poblenou. An old village appeared next to the factories of the Industrial revolution, now it’s a district that combines cultural facilities such as museums and universities, with vibrant street art, fun restaurants and a relaxed vibe. Plus it’s close enough to the beach!
- Eixample. The largest district in town, easily recognizable over a map by its characteristic grid, it has a urban and almost Parisian feel and a great mix of businesses and housing. The area is dotted with cool shops, cafes and restaurants to explore, but it lacks of greenery beyond the trees lining up its streets. Many buildings are modernist beauties, and pretty much all of them incorporate elevators and are well communicated.
- Sants. Similar to Poblenou in its industrial origin and the raise of exciting food options, but with less greenery and further from the sea. It’s also less international and more off the beaten path, but there’s probably more opportunities to join locals in traditional celebrations and events.
- Les Corts. Further from the city center but with good enough subway connections, the feel is a mix of Sants and Eixample (just a bit greyer).
- Sarria, Pedralbes, Sant Gervasi. The place where the rich Barcelonans live, it’s one of the few places where you can find (superexpensive) vilas, or luxury condos with gardens, pool and maybe even a tennis court. Not as well communicated as other parts of the city, it’s however greener.
- Vallvidrera. Like living outside of Barcelona but technically living in it: its a part of Sarria up in the Tibidabo mountain and reachable by funicular. Perfect for morning walks around the woods and spectacular city views. You may be able to find here single family dwellings with garden, but you’ll definitely need a car to live there.
- Gracia. A favorite of young ex-pats because of its many plazas, fun restaurants and cafes, quirky shops, and the many organic shops and yoga studios that give the district a San Francisco vibe. Some streets can be very noisy at night, though. And housing is becoming increasingly more expensive. Many streets are pedestrian, what makes owning a car difficult.
- Horta and Sant Andreu. More districts that started as villages and still have a village feel in some areas, even if the rest of the district is quite urban. They however have enough charm (and more reasonable prices) to consider living there as a retiree.
- Nou Barris and the part of Sant Martí North of Diagonal Avenue. Nou Barris has pockets of misery, la Mina in Sant Martí is dangerous. And the rest is grey. Avoid: you won’t find here a golden retirement.
Considering to live outside of the city?
- By the sea: El Prat has changed enormously these last decade and is affordable with great beaches. Sitges is international, gay-friendly and beautiful but expensive. Masnou, Canet, Premia, Vilassar, Arenys, Caldes d’Estrach… are quaint and relaxed seaside villages north of Barcelona.
- Inland: Sant Cugat is favored by well-off expats that appreciate living by the woods in a quaint historical town just 20 minutes train ride from Barcelona.
6
Final considerations to avoid a cultural shock
- Homes in Spain are smaller than those in the US. Be prepared to downsize your expectations of a large house with garden.
- Customer service isn’t like in the US, and waiters find smiling to you and making conversation optional. Sending dishes back to the kitchen is a big no-no unless there’s an obvious mistake or something really wrong.
- The pace is slow. Be patient and look around you: if nobody is complaining around you, it means whatever you are waiting for is still within acceptable levels of “slowliness”.
- People eat late. Like really late. Be ready to adjust your routines.
- Small businesses close for lunch break, Saturday afternoon, Sunday and whenever there’s a holiday. Plan ahead and respect peoples’s right to not work when you need them.
Enjoy retiring in Barcelona!
Marta
Marta is the founder of ForeverBarcelona. She is a passionate tour guide that loves Barcelona and loves writing too. She is the main author of our Blog, and is committed to sharing her knowledge about Barcelona and her best tips with our readers.
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