Spain is one of the most searched destinations for families thinking about moving abroad, and for good reasons. The weather, the food, the pace of life, the cost of living compared to northern Europe or North America — on paper it looks nearly perfect. And honestly, in practice it's very good. But it also has quirks that catch people off guard, and the families who struggle are usually the ones who moved with an idea of Spain rather than a reality of it.
We've spent extended time in Spain and have coached many families through moves there. Here's the honest version.
The cost of living is lower than you think — and higher in places you don't expect
Barcelona and Madrid are expensive by Spanish standards. Not London-expensive, but nothing like the Spain of ten years ago. If you're moving to a major city expecting a dramatic cost-of-living drop from, say, the UK, you'll be disappointed. Two-bedroom apartments in decent Barcelona neighbourhoods run €1,200-€1,800/month. Madrid is similar.
Move an hour outside any major city and the picture changes entirely. Valencia, Alicante, Málaga, Murcia — these cities offer genuinely different cost structures. Grocery shopping is significantly cheaper than northern Europe. Eating out is a very reasonable daily habit rather than a treat. School-age activities tend to be cheaper. Life is slower and there's more of it lived outside, which reduces spending on entertainment almost automatically.
The hidden cost that surprises people: healthcare. Public healthcare in Spain is excellent once you're registered, but registration requires residency status and takes time. In the interim — which can be three to six months — you'll need private health insurance at €100-€250/month per adult.
The visa route most families use
The Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV) is the standard entry point for non-EU families who want to live in Spain without working there. You must prove passive income or savings sufficient to support your family — roughly €2,200/month for the first adult, plus around €550 for each additional family member. It doesn't permit you to work for Spanish employers, but remote work for clients outside Spain occupies a legal grey area that many families operate in without issue.
Spain also launched a Digital Nomad Visa in 2023 which explicitly permits remote work. It requires proof of income (usually €2,334/month minimum) and a job or clients from outside Spain. It's newer so the application process varies more by consulate.
Both visas require an appointment at a Spanish consulate in your home country — you cannot apply from inside Spain as a tourist. Processing times are typically six to twelve weeks. Start early.
Schools: the bilingual school situation
Spain's public schools are taught in Spanish. Some regions — Catalonia, the Basque Country, Valencia — add a second regional language. If your children speak neither, integration takes time but is usually faster than you'd expect with younger kids. Most families find their children are conversational within a year.
Private international schools teaching in English exist in all major cities. They're expensive — typically €8,000-€15,000/year per child — and many have waiting lists. If this is your plan, start enquiries twelve months before your intended move.
The middle ground that works well for many families: concertados, which are semi-private schools that receive public funding and charge modest fees (€1,500-€4,000/year). Many are bilingual. The quality varies widely but the best ones offer a good academic environment with more English than the fully public system.
The bureaucracy
This is Spain's most reliable downside. The administrative systems are slow, paper-heavy, and require patience and documentation you won't always expect to need. The NIE (your tax identification number) is required for almost everything — bank accounts, phone contracts, school registration, healthcare — and getting one requires an appointment, which can be booked up for weeks.
Plan your first month around bureaucracy. Get your NIE in the first week. Register at your local town hall (empadronamiento) as soon as you have an address — you'll need this for almost everything else. Open a bank account as soon as the NIE allows it.
None of this is insurmountable. It's just slower than you want it to be when you've just arrived with tired kids and a pile of boxes.
What makes it worth it
The quality of daily life. The Spanish approach to time, to food, to children (kids are genuinely welcome everywhere, at all hours), to the social fabric of neighbourhood and local bar and market — this is the thing that converts people into long-term residents. The families we know who've been in Spain for three or four years are almost universally glad they came. The ones who left usually left because of the bureaucracy or the job market, not because they stopped loving the life.
If Spain is on your list and you want to talk through the practical side — visas, regions, schools, costs — book a session with us and we'll work through your specific situation.
