Moving to Spain: Should I Live in a Big City or a Small Town?
So you’ve decided you’re moving to Spain, but choosing exactly where to live in a new, foreign country may seem like a series of blind decisions. While this post is geared towards language assistants, or auxiliares de conversación, coming to Spain to teach English, you can tweak it for whatever situation is bringing you (or your family) to Spain. And the main question I hear is “Should I live in a small town or a big city?”
The answer, obviously, depends on you.
Where are you working?
The first, and most important issue is your school’s location.
As an auxiliar, and depending on your program, you will be working somewhere between 12-26 hours. More, if your classes are not scheduled back to back. In that case, you’re looking at up to 40 hours spent at school (though you will not be working the whole time).
Your life will be much easier the closer you live to your school.
If you luck out and live within walking distance, that means you can go home for lunch and any long breaks during your day. Your morning commute will be a quick and easy roll-out-of-bed affair. A short walk to work is, in my opinion, one of the joys of living in Spain. Take advantage of those walkable towns and cities!
Alternatively, another gem of living in Spain is public transportation. It’s clean, mostly reliable, and everywhere.
If you would rather live as close as possible to your school, then the location of your school, and whether it’s in a small town or big city, will solve your problem for you.
If your school is located in a bigger city, find a place in a nearby neighborhood or along the nearest metro or bus line. If your school is located in a small town, frankly, use the whole town for your apartment search.
Where will you spend your free time?
The opposite of living where your school is located, is living where you’ll be spending the bulk of your free time.
Culturally, Spaniards are social creatures. Relationships with friends and family take priority over work. So leisure time is essential. It’s one of the things I love about living here.
If you would like to do the same, then consider where you will be spending your time outside your school. If you want to be near nightlife, a variety of restaurants or bars, or closer to friends who are also in the program, then think about where they’re located and gear your search towards them.
Most of those things will probably be in a big city. Start there.
I know plenty of people that have chosen to live in Madrid, while their schools were placed far outside the city. They wanted to have their year here and enjoy what Madrid had to offer.
Meanwhile, other friends I know have wanted to immerse themselves in small town life. The idea being that it would be a more “authentic” experience, with less English and more chances to improve their Spanish.
Living where you spend your downtime affords you more time to enjoy your time off, without the pain of traveling back and forth on your days off.
Will you be traveling a lot?
Moving to Spain means enjoying lots of puentes (long weekends).
So if you intend to spend that time traveling, then accessibility to an airport or train station is a must.
Having to build in an extra couple of hours to and from the airport is not fun.
If this is you, then try to choose a place that is closer, or at least conveniently located, to your nearest transportation hub.
In most cases, that will mean living in or near a large city. However, there are plenty of small towns that provide direct buses to the nearest airport. Do your research.
Do you want your home base to have tons of activities?
If you thrive on a constant array of cultural activities to keep you entertained, then a small town may not be your best bet. Choose to live in the nearest city instead.
Although I do want to note, that even the smallest towns tend to have plenty of events hosted by their local city halls. But, it might not be every weekend.
Do you have a particular hobby/ interest?
If you enjoy playing a certain sport or doing a favorite activity, find out where you can partake in said activity. This will help you narrow down not only city vs. town, but also where in the city.
My husband is an avid hockey player. Before moving to Spain, he found a few hockey teams in Madrid and noted where they were located in the city and surrounding towns. It helped add a few bonuses to our list when making our decision.
Clearly, a smaller town may not give you the same opportunities to practice your favorite activity as a city can.
How long are you willing to commute?
If your school is in a small town, but your favorite hobby and access to your nearest airport is in a big city, then figure out how long you are willing to spend commuting.
This could be an hour or more every day. If that number doesn’t bug you, then a big city (or vice versa) could be the right fit.
Price
Small towns are cheaper than big cities.
Decide what your budget is and what you can afford.
Spain’s largest cities are the most expensive. Madrid and Barcelona are notoriously pricey. The trade-off may be to live with roommates, instead of on your own, just to be able afford a year (or more) in your dream city.
If living on your own is a must, then save up before moving to Spain or choose a small town instead.
Are you willing to deal with the stress of apartment hunting?
Big cities come with big headaches when it comes time to apartment hunt. Especially when all the new auxes swarm big cities in August and September.
If you don’t want to deal with the frenzy, stick to a smaller town.
Living in a small town or big city is a personal choice.
You know this, I know this.
And while this adventure you’re about to have starts with deciding whether to live in small town or a big city, it’s the first of many, very personal choices you’ll be making this year.
Think about the pros and cons of each. But remember, no matter where you live, you’re still moving to Spain. Enjoy it!
Keep the research going by reading How to Find an Apartment in Spain and What to Expect in an Apartment in Spain.
