Let’s get down to brass tax: In global comparisons, Barcelona consistently ranks as having an excellent quality of life. In fact, in 2023, it beat popular metropoles such as London, New York, and Rome in the Economist’s Livability Index.
But what exactly makes the city stand out? We’ve taken the time to explore some of Barcelona’s most prominent qualities as a relocation destination and potential future home.
Barcelona offers fantastic connectivity with the rest of Europe. An abundance of (affordable) flights allows residents to reach almost any major European city in a matter of a few hours. You can also take advantage of the close proximity to the French border – within 6 hours, you can be in Paris by train. In even less time, you can be riding along the Cote d’Azur or towards Italy.
Many professionals are attracted to Barcelona’s Mediterranean climate, with ideal outdoor temperatures throughout most of the year. While summers can get rather hot, you have the ocean at your doorstep to help cool off.
In fact, the city centre offers direct access to the coast, port, and beach. Towards the inland, you’ll find a large range of protected hills and forests for hikes and escaping the downtown.
Barcelona is renowned for its exciting blend of architectural styles. Here, Gothic, Romanesque, Modernist, and contemporary landmarks mingle to create a cityscape that feels colourful, lively, and constantly worthy of exploration.
The city owns much of its character to some of the earliest examples of modern urban planning. Over time, you’ll be able to spot many conscious design choices made to improve connectivity and overall quality of life for residents.
Like in many other cities, Barcelona’s districts come with distinctive differences in atmosphere and lifestyle. We’ve made a short summary of the most popular areas below:
Let’s run through some of the essentials:
Barcelona, like the rest of Spain, has excellent healthcare. As a resident, you’ll be able to join the country’s universal healthcare system or opt-in for private alternatives. Digital nomads sometimes go for the latter to have easier access to English-proficient staff and services.
If you’re planning to move to Barcelona with your family, you have a range of multilingual schooling options available to you – from international schools to digital education models. The Spanish education system is robust, and high-school graduates receive degrees on the IB (International Baccalaureate) level.
The best way to travel through Barcelona is through the extensive system of metros, buses, and trains. Connections run regularly, and many vehicles are well-maintained and airconditioned. This allows you to leave your car at home – which is a plus since driving through Barcelona can be tedious.
While Barcelona’s cost of living is higher than in other parts of Spain (with the exception of Madrid), it is still lower than other Metropoles in Europe such as Dublin, London, and Paris. Barcelona’s price point is comparable to that of Berlin or Rome.
In 2023, Spain ranked 7th in the global LGBT Equality Index. The country counts as an overall safe and welcoming destination for queer workers and travellers. Gay marriage was legalized in 2005, and trans people can change their registered gender without having to undergo gender-affirming surgery.
As such, and being a metropolitan city, Barcelona hosts a thriving LGTBQ+ scene, with no shortage of queer and queer-friendly events and venues. Residents shouldn’t have any problems expressing themselves in public – if they do run into issues, they can contact the LGBTI Centre for support.
True to Mediterranean form, life in Barcelona is known for being approachable, laid-back, and relaxed – maybe one of the biggest differentiators to other European cities of its size and status. Newcomers in particular benefit from the social, warm, and welcoming atmosphere.
Life here certainly runs on its own schedule – expect serious siestas and social activities that last way into the night. Dinner time is rarely before 9 p.m., and you’ll find friend groups and families with children roaming the streets late, late into the evening.
This might give you an idea of how well Barcelona blends restful calmness with a colourful, vibrant, and openly expressed joy for life. After all, Barcelona carries an impressive cultural heritage, which the city maintains and expands upon to this day. Residents are able to enjoy countless museums, exhibitions, galleries, independent cinemas, concerts, festivals, and more – not to mention clubs and bars for nightly adventures.
Nevertheless, Barcelona has made a point of accommodating the industrious – the city offers founders and digital nomads fantastic spaces to network, drive projects, and stay productive. And it works! More than anything, remote workers from across the globe have come to know Barcelona for its ability to provide an excellent work-life balance.
This is too important a topic for us to mention in passing: food in Barcelona is fantastic. Here, you’ll find exciting international spots, brilliant bars, 26 Michelin-starred restaurants, and exceptional dining choices at any given price point. All that being said, it is probably the local cuisine that makes all the difference.
While we won’t dare to compare Catalan and Spanish cooking (or attempt to accurately dissect the differences), it’s safe to say that you can expect Mediterranean flavours, great seafood, fresh vegetables, excellent cheese, cold cuts, and, of course, tapas.
As far as the latter are concerned, we particularly think you should check out:
Last but not least, Barcelona hosts some fantastic food markets to boot. This includes La Boqueria (just off La Rambla) which can easily be considered one of the most famous food markets in the world.
Of course, not everything can be perfect. Before wrapping up, here are some challenges you might face when moving to Barcelona:
That being said, none of the above needs to be a dealbreaker. After all, if there's one thing nomads are good at, it's to adapt and overcome.
And there it is – an extensive, if not exhaustive, list of why digital nomads have fallen in love with Barcelona. If you’re curious about the city as a potential destination for relocating, we’ve written an article focusing on remote work in Barcelona here.
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Out of Office is a lifestyle and careers platform for remote and relocating tech talent.
Out of Office solves the unique challenges of relocating andworking remotely by creating a platform that caters to remote talent.
We aim to be the absolute best, strongest, and most skilled tech team worldwide. Our members take immense pride in being part of a unique community that ensures success for every client.
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