How is life in Barcelona?

Question

I am a foreigner moving to Barcelona this November but I know very little about the city. How much is a 2-bedroom apartment? How much is the estimated average cost of living every month? How is the weather, how cold does it get? What are the good universities? Any tips or advice that can help me in my first weeks or months there? Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

One important thing to try to learn is Catalan. its the main dialect spoken here in Spain. ( but don´t worry since its a very Biligual city Spanish is spoken)....  It has the four seasons , right now its fall. Alot of rain, and some what muggy.. ( since were on the Mediteranian side of Spain)... Are you coming over for school? or for a few months?.. Living in the City is very expensive since this is the Most expensive city in The Country...

A Two Bedroom Apt could cost you anywhere from 1200-1500 euros a month ( the minimum, it could be more depending on where in the city you live). plus utilites can be up to 2000 a month just to live on.. ( including money to go out) etc

. Use public transportation since its cheap and very on time..  And Make sure you have a job contract.. Don´t just come without having that because its harder for you to get a job..  

It will be somewhat hard at the begining to learn everything, But you will be adapted i would say in a few weeks... At least thats what happened to me.. And yes i do speak Basic catalan now he he. ( its not all that hard)...hoepfully the following link will give you a start..

http://www.vocab.co.uk/links/catalan.htm

Have fun and Have a nice trip here...

A Chicagoan ( American) living in Barcelona, Spain

Answer 2

Catalan (it's a language, by the way not a dialect), is a pain in the neck. It really messes up your Spanish. I would ignore it if I were you, until established, and concentrate on your Spanish as a priority.

The cheapest apartment in a respectable area must be at least €700 to €800 a month but they want a month's rent up front, a month's rent for the agent and another months rent for luck (sometimes called a deposit but you will never see it again). You can find cheaper in, say, Castelldefels to the south, but that is out of town.

You are better trying to find someone renting direct to avoid the extra charges. Look in the English or Spanish newspapers (in BCN) and 'Metropolitan'.

Living in BCN is not much cheaper than in the UK. The big saving is that the council tax is about one tenth that in the UK.

It can snow and in 1970 something, the folks in Tibidabo skied to work! It usually snows a bit in winter. Say for an hour.

Barcelona University is one of the best in the country and there are excellent business and private universities.

Is you have a job lined up you will find everything easy.

Ensure that you have health insurance or if you are an EU citizen, the appropriate documents for affiliation to the Spanish system to tide you over for the first few weeks.



Note: Barcelona is a province as well as a city.

Look at 'www.bcn.es'. 'www.sispain.org has some useful links.

Answer 3

I loved it.  I lived in the yacht basin for 2 years and thought Barcelona was one of the neatest places I have ever lived... It's not cheap, though

Answer 4

Watch your valuables - I had my camera stolen when visiting the Sacred Family church.