Mediterranean
Valencia, Alicante, Málaga, Murcia, Girona, Marbella. Winter light, a tourist overlay, and housing that has been repriced by foreign demand. The default expat map — not always the rational one.
Moving in
A place guide, not a visa mill.
WhichPlaceGusto ranks cities. This page is the practical frame around the ranking: how people actually enter in 2026, what buying still means after the Golden Visa, and which coast is which kind of life.
Four rooms
Do not average the peninsula.
Atlantic north
A Coruña, Vigo, Gijón, Santander, Bilbao, San Sebastián. Green, wetter, more labour-market depth per euro. If sunshine is a veto, skip this room. If housing is the constraint, start here.
Islands
Palma, Ibiza, Las Palmas, Tenerife. Climate is the product. Logistics are the tax. No AVE, seasonal airlift, and housing that prices in foreign demand.
Inland hubs
Madrid, Zaragoza, Sevilla, Granada, Córdoba, Salamanca, Pamplona, Vitoria, Logroño, Cáceres. Work, culture, heat or cold. The sea is a weekend, not a street.
Residency, 2026
Buying a flat is not a visa.
Golden Visa — closed
Spain ended the real-estate Golden Visa on 3 April 2025. A €500,000 purchase no longer opens residency. Foreigners can still buy. They cannot buy their way into a TIE that way.
Digital nomad visa
The most used non-EU path in 2026. Remote work for a non-Spanish employer or international clients, income around 200% of SMI (~€2,760 / month). Compatible, in some cases, with Beckham Law.
Non-lucrative
Passive income, no Spanish employment. Useful for retirees. You cannot work. Private insurance is expected. Income bars sit near €2,400 / month for a single applicant, plus extras for family.
EU / Beckham Law
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens register, they do not visa. Inbound employees who qualify can elect Beckham Law: 24% on Spanish work income for up to six years. Not automatic. Not advice.
This is orientation, not legal advice. Rules move. Use a gestor or immigration lawyer before you book a container.
Housing
The market you are walking into.
Rent is the constraint
Asking rents in Barcelona, Madrid, Palma, Ibiza and Málaga have been the story since 2022. Valencia is catching up. A Coruña, Gijón, Murcia, Logroño and Cáceres still look like a different country on a €/m² basis.
Buying is still allowed
Non-residents buy with an NIE, a Spanish bank account and a notary. Budget 10–13% on top of the price (ITP or VAT + AJD, notary, registry, lawyer). Tourist-let licences are political and local — do not underwrite yield on a hope.
Empadronamiento first
The padrón is the boring superpower: schools, health, some visas. You need a contract, a deed, or a willing owner. Cities under housing pressure make this harder than the brochure says.
Then pick a city
Do not reverse it. Visa path, budget and climate vetoes first — then the ranking. Set your weights →