Best Place to live in Spain, (Andalucia) ?

Question

I have lived in Spain a year or so ago but I lived in Barcelona and Tenerife, then i had to come back to the UK originally for a family emegency and ended up staying a while...

I now have plans to go back to Spain, and was thinking of heading back to Andalucía mainly due to the selection of places, Malaga, Marbella, Granada, Seville, Gibraltar, not to mention place along the Costa del Sol...

What is everyones opinions on the best place to go?...

taking into consideration, the most important factors would be quality of life (places to go out, and enjoy) and opportunity of work.

I speak fluent spanish so that would not be a problem.......

Answer 1

Andalucia is certainly a good choice as you have a good mix of interesting and historic places to visit, many of which you have already cited above. The Costa del Sol of course offers great night life,restaurants and beaches and going inland there is alot of lovely and relatively unspoilt countryside plus all the charming pueblos blancos.

Job opportunities too are pretty good here, especially if you have good Spanish and overall the quality of life and weather are second to none, so I should definitely go for it.

Mind you I could be biased having lived in the mountains of Andaluciafor the last 17 years and loved every minute of it.

Answer 2

Thinking about jobs, Malaga/Marbella/Costa del Sol.

Granada is better, but jobs are scarce ( only catering/hotels as their only industry is Sierra Nevada+Alhambra).

Answer 3

granada seville are cheaper to live as Marbella is sky high (i live there)

Gibralter is not in andalucia as it is a British Colony and has nothing to with Spain,it's very expensive anyway unless you Smoke and you did mention the Costa Del Sol

Answer 4

Been here in Benalmadena now for 26 years, wouldn't/couldn't live any other place..........nor would I want to

Come and join us.........................

Answer 5

Almeria is nice, still a lot of coast with no buildings. Roquetas de Mar.

Answer 6

I think that Sevilla is the best place you can live in for what you're looking for (enjoy & work)

I don't specially love the cities of the Costa Del Sol (Malaga, marbella...)

And my second choice is Granada !

Answer 7

I live in the mountains between Málaga and Granada. I love it here. This is my piece of heaven.

Answer 8

it depends on what you want.  If you want to live with tons of other British expats, then the Costa del Sol looks like a good way to go.  You could settle in less Britishified areas, and surround yourself with locals, in some of the other small towns along the coast.  My dentist (from the US) has been living in Nerja for about a year or so, since he retired, which I understand to be a pretty town.

I lived in Sevilla, and recommend it highly for its tremendous romanticism and the incredible moorish influence, bigger city lifestyle, with small town feel, lots of advantages like museums and culture, but also, it always felt like a small town to me.  

Granada is another favorite of mine, for the romance and the moorish architecture and influence and all, but I think living there might be a bit isolated.  

Gibralatar isn't part of Spain, and as such, it's an entirely different world.  I know nothing about it, but if you want Spain, that isn't it.  Of course, the same could actually be said of Barcelona.  They certainly don't think of themselves as part of Spain, but as Catalunya, which, if you ask any of the natives, SHOULD be a seperate country altogether.  (love it, but recognize the difference).

Málaga, Marbella, and the rest of the Costa del Sol always struck me as a bunch too touristy.  Too built up, and too directed at foreigners for my taste.  I also understand those parts are overrun with foreign expats, which wouldn't really appeal to my reasons for wanting to live in Spain.  If that appeals to you, then that's a good place for you.

Personally, I love to immerse amongst the Spanish (or any natives, wherever I go), and would go there again to improve my speaking, so I would go somewhere NOT too touristy.  If you are more into the weather, and want to be surrounded by fellow Englishmen, Costa del Sol and Canarias are good locales.