Barcelona

What you need to know about Barcelona

By Expat Guru Last Updated:

About Barcelona

One of the best cities in Europe. Beautiful, wide streets, perfect weather. Huge tech scene & everything you can imagine. Food is next level. You can take the train and in 20 mins you will be in a nice uncrowded beach. The airport is a massive hub to go anywhere. FC Barcelona, huge huge football atmosphere. Tons of beautiful coworkings. Internet is ultra fast. Prices are expensive, but so is everything right now :(

Nomad Guide of Barcelona

Explore Barcelona like a local with our comprehensive nomad guide. Find the best places to work, live, and play, all tailored to the digital nomad lifestyle. Stay connected and make the most of your time in Barcelona with our insider tips and recommendations.

Continent :

Europe

Country :

spain

Weather :

23°C + Humidity 81% = 23°C Feel

Internet Speed :

39 Mbps

Insurance :

Safetywing

Air Quality :

34AQI

Best Neighborhood :

Poblenou

Upcoming Neighborhood :

Provençals del Poblenou

Power :

230V50Hz

Average Trip Length :

7 Days

Best Taxi App :

Uber

10 EUR to USD :

$9.81 USD

Tap Water Quality :

Yes, safe to drink

Visitor per year :

7624100 Visitors

Tourist now :

146116 tourists

Population :

1614777 people

GDP per capita :

$26695 / year

Population Density :

crowded: 8x8m (64m²) per person

Gender Ratio (Expats) :

H 44% / F 56%

Religious Gouvernment :

Non-religious

Appartement Listing :

Idealista

Online electronics shop :

Amazon


Weather in Barcelona

Stay updated on the weather in Barcelona with our reliable data source. Plan ahead for changing conditions and make the most of your time in the city. Check the forecast and stay prepared for any weather events.


Cost of Living in Barcelona

Discover the cost of living in Barcelona with our data source. Compare expenses for housing, food, transportation, and more to make informed decisions about your budget. Stay informed and make the most of your money in Barcelona.

Cost of Living for Expats :

$2,856/mo

Cost of Living for Nomads :

$4,295/mo

Cost of Living for Families :

$5,710/mo

Cost of Living for Local :

$1,631/mo

Cost of coffee :

$3.27

Rent for 1 bedroom :

$1,276/mo

Dinner:

$17.50

Beer :

$5.84

Coca Cola :

$2.02

Tax for 50k income :

$11,365

Tax for 100k income :

$33,727

Tax for 250k income :

$110,442


Pros and Cons Living in Barcelona

Like many other cities Barcelona have a lot of advantages to offer its residents and visitors, but it also has its fair share of drawbacks. We have made this pros and cons table to help you better vizualize them.

Pros

  • ✅ Very safe
  • ✅ Fast internet
  • ✅ Lots of fun stuff to do
  • ✅ Warm now
  • ✅ Good air quality on average
  • ✅ Nomad List members liked going here
  • ✅ Many Nomad List members here all year round
  • ✅ Easy to make friends
  • ✅ Very easy to do business
  • ✅ High quality of education
  • ✅ Great hospitals
  • ✅ Roads are very safe
  • ✅ Great freedom of speech
  • ✅ Democratic
  • ✅ Safe for women
  • ✅ Family friendly
  • ✅ Very friendly to LGBTQ+

Cons

  • ❌ Way too expensive
  • ❌ Gets cold in the winter
  • ❌ Feels crowded
  • ❌ People don't speak English well
  • ❌ Many people smoke tobacco

Quality of Life in Barcelona

No Data for now.


Visa Requirements in Barcelona

No Data for now.


Security and Crime in Barcelona

Stay informed on security and crime in Barcelona with updated information on crime rates, types of crimes and measures being taken. Ensure personal safety by staying informed and taking steps to protect yourself and loved ones. Help keep Barcelona safe.

020406080100

Low Crime rate

020406080100

Very High Security Index


Polution and Air Quality in Barcelona

Stay informed about the air quality and pollution levels in Barcelona. Our data source provides up-to-date information on various pollutants and their effects on health and the environment. By monitoring the air quality in Barcelona, you can take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones from the harmful effects of pollution.

Similar cities to Barcelona

Discover cities that are similar to Barcelona in terms of attractions and amenities. Our hand-picked list includes locations with similar cultural settings, recreational activities, and high-quality lodgings. These cities are worth visiting if you're looking for a place with a similar atmosphere or just a change of scenery. Plan your next urban journey by visiting these similar cities.

Trending

Concrete Structure

Berlin

Germany

#6

Air Quality
Good
wifi

36

Mbps

FEELS 21°

21°

$3,637/mo

Trending

Gray Concrete Building Near Palm Trees

Bangkok

Thailand

#4

Air Quality
Moderate
wifi

17

Mbps

FEELS 33°

29°

$1,895/mo

Trending

Photo of People Riding on City Tram

Lisbon

Portugal

#1

Air Quality
Good
wifi

29

Mbps

FEELS 22°

22°

$3,367/mo

Trending

Grayscale Photography of Person Crossing Street Near a Tram

Porto

Portugal

#13

Air Quality
Good
wifi

35

Mbps

FEELS 21°

20°

$2,793/mo

Trending

Free stock photo of acropolis, ancient, ancient roman architecture

Athens

Greece

#73

Air Quality
Moderate
wifi

9

Mbps

FEELS 21°

21°

$3,528/mo

Trending

Green and Brown Building Near Body of Water

Amsterdam

Netherlands

#141

Air Quality
Good
wifi

14

Mbps

FEELS 15°

15°

$6,366/mo

Trending

Brown and Black Concrete Building

Prague

Czechia

#140

Air Quality
Moderate
wifi

20

Mbps

FEELS 19°

18°

$2,286/mo

Trending

Budapest

Budapest

Hungary

#23

Air Quality
Moderate
wifi

30

Mbps

FEELS 20°

19°

$2,078/mo

Cities near Barcelona to visit

There are several cities and places close to Barcelona worth your visit. In addition to sightseeing in Barcelona, spare some time to discover the surroundings of the city.
You can discover Mallorca, Menorca, Valencia, Montpellier, and Toulouse, who are a few kilometres away either by car or public transport.

Trending

Blooming great bougainvillea growing in garden near arched alley

Mallorca

Spain

#39

Air Quality
Moderate
wifi

41

Mbps

FEELS 29°

26°

$2,594/mo

Trending

Brown Rock and Body of Water

Menorca

Spain

#182

Air Quality
Good
wifi

39

Mbps

FEELS 24°

24°

$2,367/mo

Trending

Photo Of An Alley

Valencia

Spain

#113

Air Quality
Moderate
wifi

39

Mbps

FEELS 24°

24°

$3,762/mo

Trending

Facade of a Concrete Building

Montpellier

France

#253

Air Quality
Good
wifi

24

Mbps

FEELS 21°

20°

$3,120/mo

Trending

Person Riding on Bicycle

Toulouse

France

#590

Air Quality
Good
wifi

24

Mbps

FEELS 24°

24°

$3,066/mo

Trending

White and Brown Concrete Building

Pamplona

Spain

#763

Air Quality
Good
wifi

43

Mbps

FEELS 23°

23°

$3,417/mo

Trending

White and Brown Concrete Building

Javea

Spain

#930

Air Quality
Good
wifi

39

Mbps

FEELS 24°

24°

$4,001/mo

Trending

Photo of Cars Parked on Side of Street Across the Eiffel Tower

Marseille

France

#932

Air Quality
Good
wifi

24

Mbps

FEELS 23°

23°

$3,497/mo

Reviews of Barcelona - Feedback from travelers

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Discussion (12)

0

One of the best cities in Europe. Beautiful, wide streets, perfect weather. Huge tech scene & everything you can imagine. Food is next level. You can take the train and in 20 mins you will be in a nice uncrowded beach. The airport is a massive hub to go anywhere. FC Barcelona, huge huge football atmosphere. Tons of beautiful coworkings. Internet is ultra fast. Prices are expensive, but so is everything right now :(

0

Insane ... which is why everyone has either left or is leaving. I lived there for over 15 years, and in the past 2 years, the prices for AirBNB has gone up 200-500% on the apartments with many being removed from AirBNB due to the government changes. I had to visit this year for work and spent 7 weeks in hotels and AirBNB for the meetings I had with clients ... cost ... over 16k in accommodation and living expenses ... but that is July and August in Barcelona now. Seems like the Americans, Russians, and northern Europeans have made the city more expensive than Dubai. Internet in the summer is poor (I should know I have a team of 8 designers living there in tiny apartments). Madrid is about half the price and is the capital of Spain ... how does that make any sense when the beach in Barcelona and within 100km of Barcelona are not even worth visiting? Startups are leaving in droves due to the shift to remote working and the fact that most skilled workers are leaving Spain completely alone. Wages are poor in respect of European rates so working for a client there is fine temporarily to fill in the gaps but not in the long term, having said that Spain is still higher than Portugal and Greece ... just. Food is good and plenty of healthy options in the city. Amazon is amazing there and very easy to topup your gadgets. Apple is about 100-200 euros more expensive than Dubai and elsewhere and the keyboards are not real English or US so shortcuts don't work on Macs the same way. Service is ok at best in bars, and ok in most restaurants. Try not to order anything from the sea at the moment as the prices have tripled in the last 2 years. Car rental is possible with full insurance at 1k per month, so you can stay in Gerona if you wish, which is a cheaper option, and even Reus or Tarragona to the south. With the 90 day (UK) visa you can add Barcelona to your weekend list as on a weekend you can cover most of the things you need to do or see. Be careful of the police in Spain as they are a law unto themselves, keep away from them as much as you can. There is still lots of thefts on the metro so keep your hands in your pockets on your wallet and phone at all times. Be very careful of the Rambla area, Reval and Golic as it is full of pickpocketers at the moment recovering from COVID by taking advantage of the bewildered newcomers that have been locked up safe in their homes. Shopping is getting worse year on year and even the larger chain retailers are moving out of Spain and Barcelona due to the lack of spendable money by the locals who are being squeezed out of the city. Expat community? There was one, but it is now down to an irregular meetup using the Nationals website mainly focused on singles and Latin Americans looking for a husband. All in all ... Barcelona has become an interesting weekend visit if you can avoid the stag and hen parties.

0

Best city in Spain. Weather is great even in December and the clubbing scene is fun. There's lots to do and it's a beautiful city overall. You have to watch out for pickpockets but as long as you aren't leaving things unattended or obviously in your pockets you'll be fine. If you're into hostels, Hostel One Paralelo is BY FAR the best hostel in the area, worth every penny. Will definitely be back, and I never say that.

0

Algunas medios de comunicación hablaban más de Barcelona por la inseguridad, pero me lancé a visitas Barcelona para conocerla y para trabajar desde mi portátil, y sinceramente es una ciudad que lo tiene todo, buen clima emprendedor, clima cálido, playa, montaña, muchas cosas que visitar y hacer y no, no es inseguro, tiene us carteristas como toda ciudad turística del mundo. De echo, e andado solo gravando por la noche, si por qué Barcelona pro la noche es ermosa y no me han robado ni nada. Para mi la mejor o entre las tres mejores de mundo para.nomadas digitales sin duda.

0

I wanted to like Barcelona but the rampant robberies just really caste a dark cloud over my 6 weeks there. Usually it is non-violent pick pocketing, but there are cases where it is much uglier than that.

0

This is still the best city on earth for digital nomads. Beautiful weather, compact city with everything you need, affordable, huge expat scene, great connections to the rest of the world, fast internet, beaches, snow-capped mountains barely 1.5h drive away etc. And no, it's not 'unsafe' by any normal standard. It's a wonderful place to be.

0

Lived in Barcelona for a year and a half. I would agree that the weather is perfect and Barcelona does have a great tech scene as well as food and has everything landscape and lifestyle wise that you could think of. Bureaucracy isn't too bad if you nip it in the bu** early and have patience. Also, some clubs are free. (Jamboree!). The metro is also, very efficient with red and purple being the busiest lines. Very walkable city too. Plenty of opportunity to meet people as well. The beaches are ok, just avoid Barceloneta as it's pretty gross and you WILL get bugged by vendors and pick pockets. Not really any violent crime unless there is a reason for it. But ok, time for the negatives. Crime... it is not super dangerous I never felt unsafe. However, I almost got jumped twice and had gotten pickpocketed 3 times. One timed almost jumped because I was waiting for the night bus in a certain neighborhood (Reval) and the bus was taking forever. Once, I had two women of the night ;) sit next to me while waiting for the metro like, on both sides while noone else was there. And almost pick pocketed while on the metro going in run and dash method. Nothing ever happened or taken because I played it smart and didn't do any dumb tourist things but please be careful. Keep your cell phone in your FRONT pocket. Keep things in a secret pocket and don't put anything of importance in the front pockets of a backpack even if you hold it up front they have their ways lol. Also, Barcelona is mostly smoke and mirrors vibe wise. A lot of things you think are amazing or authentic are built purely for tourism and not authentic. Like, the "Gothic Quarter" for example. You can also entertain all of your vices here as well. Just be very very careful as Barcelona can swiftly drag you in and under. The Catalan people are courteous but not warm or friendly. If you want to thrive here you must learn Spanish AND Catalan. The only spanish speakers that are friendly are people from outside of Cataluyna but, quickly become on of them if from Spain so, your only bet are those from Latin America. And yeah, Barcelona is family friendly no problem. Just don't live in the Reval area unless you want break-ins. It's considered a hip place though despite that. And as a single person renting a room and using Cafe Wifi and going out for a drink once a week and buying bare minimal groceries; I would say I could live off of 700 euros bare minimum which, is kind of not enough if you ask me but it was ok. I could have found a cheaper room (Mine was 430 euros) but, alas I was desperate. However, Barcelona is amazing, with an art scene that is cool, a skater's paradise if that's your scene and many more. Just don't do dumb tourist things.

0

Excelente ciudad para visitar y reune todas las cualidades para un nómada digital, e visitado varias ciudades Españolas y sin duda Barcelona es la mejor.

0

I would disagree on the safety level of this city. Living there for 8 months now I'd say from my experience that Barcelona streets aren't safe at all. Many robberies, physical and sexual agressions are frequently occurring mostly due to drug issues in some central neighborhoods. I agree on the perfect weather great food and tech scene too on the positive side.