My All-Time Favorite Things About Living in Spain

I’ve lived in Spain on three separate occasions. These are my seven favorite things (and three things I despise).

Spain is stunning, delicious, and—let’s be honest—such a vibe. I mean, lounging at a beachfront terraza while eating tapas on a summer evening? If that’s not the definition of vibing, I don’t know what is.

After spending a few magical weeks in cities like Barcelona and Mallorca, it’s absolutely natural for this dangerously exciting thought to cross your mind: “What if we moved here?”

You can. But there’s a few things you might want to consider first.

I’ve lived in Spain on three separate occasions—and learned important things about the country each time. In fact, when I look back, I feel like I’ve lived three distinct lives in this beautiful country I love so much.

Life #1: Preaching, Teaching, and Eating

I moved to Spain in September 2017 as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. During a year and a half, I lived in five different cities: Madrid, Terrassa, Santander, Alcoy, and Pamplona.

Walking and talking with people about Jesus Christ in this beautiful country was a life-changing experience. I made so many incredible friends from around the world, learned to speak Spanish fluently, and ate home-cooked meals made by people from Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Africa, Venezuela, Cuba, and El Salvador (just to name a few).

Since I was focused on missionary service, I saw Spain through rose-colored glasses. Quite honestly, I was ignorant to many of the realities of living in another country, and my second and third lives in Spain were very eye-opening.

Life #2: The COVID Study Abroad

I moved back to Spain to study at Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona during the COVID pandemic in 2020. With all the COVID restrictions, that year was much different than my first life in Spain. My time was spent mostly studying and visiting places closer to Pamplona, like Biarritz and Santander.

Studying abroad with a student visa is one of the easiest ways to test-drive life abroad. If you have the resources, it can be an awesome experience and a great way to see a country up-close for an extended period of time.

But, if you’re thinking about moving to Spain to work and live long-term, it’s far different than coming for vacation or even coming to study.

Life #3: Real Life as a Digital Nomad

When I moved to Spain in September 2024 with my husband Pedro, we didn’t have an apartment lined up and we weren’t even sure which city to live in. (Fortunately, my Aunt Barbara was visiting Barcelona with friends and invited us to stay with her for a week.)

Very quickly, we were hit with the realities of moving abroad: not being able to find an apartment in Barcelona, the lengthy and expensive process of applying for a visa, and the joys of Spanish bureaucracy.

Thankfully, after a few months we were able to settle down in Alicante and adjust to European life. We’ve been in Spain for almost a year and a half now, and I love the life we’ve made here.

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These are my favorite things about living in Spain:

#1 Mercadona: The greatest grocery store on the face of the planet.

I love Mercadona. No grocery store on the face of the planet compares to Mercadona. I don’t just look forward to going grocery shopping every week—it’s one of the highlights of my week. Yes, Mercadona is that amazing.

Here’s why Mercadona is the best:

• Extremely organized. In the way the actual grocery stores are set up, how the food is packaged, and even how the meats are organized and labeled! Shopping in a Mercadona makes my little orange emotion breathe a deep sigh of relief.

• High-quality products. From produce and meat to seafood and bakery items, Mercadona has it all. The products are fresh, top-quality, and delicious.

• Consistently release fantastic new products! Mercadona’s cookie dough ice cream? Game changer. This is not just any ice cream—I’m talking very close to Häagen-Dazs quality cookie dough ice cream.

• Affordable cost. I can buy a full week’s worth of groceries at Mercadona for just €50 - €75 ($70 - $90). And, they often have deals on meat that’s expiring within 5 days and random products that are on sale.

• The fresh-squeezed orange juice. All Mercadona stores have a giant juicer machine (see image below) that you can use to make your own fresh-squeezed orange juice. And it’s amazingly delicious.

☝🏼Pro tip: Please, make sure you visit a Mercadona next time you’re in Spain. It might just become one of your favorite parts of this beautiful country (and I’m not even joking).

#2 Affordable Cost of Living

You can live very well in Spain off just €1,500 - €1,800 ($1,750 - $2,150) a month. Life in major cities like Barcelona or Madrid is more expensive due to the rising cost of rent. But, in the rest of the country, the cost of living is very affordable.

According to a 2025 study, in the US, the average adult “spends $115 on restaurants and $235 on groceries every week.” That’s a lot.

I looked back at my recent receipts from Mercadona and on average, my husband and I spent €60 ($70) weekly at Mercadona and €8 - €10 ($10 - $12) at our weekly farmer’s market. That’s about a third of what the “average American” spends.

Eating out is also more affordable in Spain than in the US. Wifi and phone plans are also cheaper. Since a lot of things are within walking distance, we spend less on gas as well and use public transportation more often too.

#3 Cheap Flights Around Europe

This is definitely one of the biggest perks of living in Europe: flights within Spain and around Europe are super cheap.

These are just a few of the flight deals we’ve found (and taken advantage of) since 2025:

• One-way from Alicante to Naples, Italy for $56 each.

• One-way from Rome, Italy to Alicante for $35 each.

• Round-trip from Alicante to Bilbao, Spain for just $45 each.

• Round-trip from Alicante to Paris, France for just $90 each.

• One-way from Madrid to Munich, Germany for just $89.

• One-way from Geneva, Switzerland to Alicante for just $143.

And all those have been direct flights, no layovers, with less than 3 hours of total flight time. You really can’t beat that.

#4 Amazing Mediterranean Weather

Now, I realize this doesn’t apply to all of Spain—but Alicante has some fabulous weather. In fact, Alicante ranked #1 as the sunniest city in Europe in 2022. It’s true—here, it’s almost always warm and sunny, and I’m all for it.

If you’re looking to escape those gloomy, rainy days, Spain’s Costa Blanca is for you. With summer days in the 80s and just 1-3 rainy days per month (in the fall, winter, and spring), Alicante takes gold for best weather.

#5 The Champion’s Burger

Spain knows how to do burgers. We’ve had some amazing burgers all over the country—Hideout Burger in Barcelona, Carniball in Santander, Circo Burger in Alicante, just to name a few.

But Spain’s most valuable contribution to the world in recent years is not Rosalia, not Zara, not even the long-awaited comeback of F.C. Barcelona.

It’s the Champion’s Burger: a country-wide food-truck event where the best burgers from all over Spain compete to be named the best burger. These food trucks travel together from city to city to showcase their burgers. That means foodies like you and me get to try the best burgers Spain has to offer—all in one place.

We’ve gone to three Champion’s burger events in one year: one in Madrid and two in Alicante. And every single burger we tried was absolutely fantastic.

☝🏼Pro tip: If you’re coming to Spain soon, make sure you check the Champion’s burger website to see if you’ll be close to an upcoming burger event.

#6 Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice

Yes, this deserves it’s own section. Never have I ever had better fresh-squeezed orange juice than Spain’s. It’s absolutely, hands-down, the best orange juice in the world.

In fact, oranges from Valencia, Spain are known as the premier juicing orange. They have incredible flavor and sweetness; they’re extra juicy.

Really, it’s no surprise. If you walk down the streets of cities like Valencia, Alicante, or Sevilla, at the end of winter, you’ll see trees overflowing with oranges. Spain exports oranges to countries around the world.

☝🏼Pro tip: After you get off the plane, head straight to Mercadona and get a freshly-squeezed orange juice. You won’t regret it. If you’re here for a longer stay, buy a bunch of oranges in the weekly farmer’s market and make your own delicious orange juice.

#7 Cuisine From All Over The World

One of my all-time favorite things about Spain is that it’s a melting pot of people, cultures, and gastronomy. Since there are so many people from all over Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Asia who have migrated to Spain, there’s food from all over the world.

I love being able to take my pick of restaurants from a huge variety of Latin American countries. I love that there are little latino bodegas that have all of my favorite products from places I’ve lived. I love that there are people from all over the world creating a new life in this beautiful country.

The Downsides of Life Abroad in Spain

Of course, there are things I don’t enjoy about Spain. Obviously, wherever you live, there will be ocassional annoyances, but these three things affect my life on a daily basis—and are directly caused by the place I’ve chosen to live:

1. Taxes (though I admit, I despise these in every country). Spain has notoriously high tax rates—if you make more than 60k euros a year, which is less than the median household income in the US, you’ll pay a whopping 45% of that in taxes.

2. Hard water. Most coastal cities in southern Spain have very hard tap water with a high mineral content. Since the water is chlorinated, it’s packed with calcium (aka: limescale). That means it can dry out and damage your hair. Unfortunately, I’ve noticed my hair falls out more here, especially in the spring and fall.

3. The ever-prevalent smell of cigarette smoke. Unfortunately, a huge percentage of the Spanish population smokes, which means the city air is filled with the constant smell. Honestly, it’s really sad to see kids smoking at such a young age. And if your neighbors smoke, it can get really frustrating to have the smell waft into your house (even when the windows are closed).

What to Know About Life Abroad in Spain

That being said, if you do decide to move to Spain, there are a few things you might want to keep in mind:

• Paperwork moves slow—especially if you do it yourself. If you need something done (getting your NIE or TIE, finding appointments for anything, exchanging your driver’s license), don’t expect it to be quick or easy. I recommend hiring immigration lawyers to help you speed up the visa process (we had a good experience with Lexidy).

• It’s probably closed. What’s closed? You ask. Everything. Want to go to dinner at 6? The restaurant doesn’t open till 7 or 8. Have a raging headache and need paracetamol from the pharmacy at 3pm? It’s siesta time! You’ll have to wait till 5 when they open again. Need to send a package on a Friday? Go in the morning (but not too early, because it doesn’t open till 9 or 10), because after lunch, it’s already the weekend. Need to do anything on a holiday? Try again. Better luck next time.

• Culture shock is different for everyone. There will be things about Spanish culture that just absolutely get on your nerves. I can’t tell you what, because it’s unique to each person. For me, I’ve had very few problems with the language and the culture. But having meetings at 9:30 PM? Absolutely triggering.

• Finding an apartment is a PROCESS. A frustrating one that brought me to tears more than once (and I’m NOT a crier). If you don’t have your residency figured out and legitimate Spanish income statements to show, it’s nearly impossible. Even just visiting idealista.com gives me PTSD.

And, just like any move, the separation from family and friends can be difficult, and creating a new community circle is always a challenging process. We left behind many incredible friends in Colombia who we miss dearly, and making new friends in Spain has been challenging.

Will I Live in Spain Forever? Probably Not.

I love Spain. Since the moment I stepped foot on her cobblestone streets and walked under the shadows of the Sagrada Familia, I fell hopelessly in love.

Part of my heart will always long for her rainy northern coast, her Mediterranean sea, and her creamy alioli. When I’m not here, just hearing someone say “vale” and even the smell of cigarette smoke will make my heart long for my Spanish home. There are so many places here that I love, and so many that I’ve yet to explore.

But other parts of my heart belong elsewhere.

California always whispers “come home,” no matter how far away I am. A piece of my heart sits near an empanada stand in Santa Marta, Colombia. And I left a chunk of my heart on the shore of Puerto Malabrigo, Peru.

I am a wanderer. I know that Spain will not be my forever home.

And that’s exactly why I’m trying to enjoy everything about my life here. Every trip to Mercadona. Every sunset and sunrise God paints for me to enjoy from my balcony—with the Santa Barbara castle and the ocean as a backdrop. Every drop of fresh-squeezed orange juice. Every charming Spanish phrase. Every warm dip into the Mediterranean ocean.

Because someday all that won’t be my “today.” It will be memories. Memories of a beautiful life I lived in a Spain that I will someday miss.