Is Moving to Rural Spain Worth it in 2025?

[@tessajones9393]

I love this video! Gracias from Australia 🇦🇺 I've screenshot some towns that people have mentioned in the comments to further research.

[@leeyoung9469]

Excellent vlog. Having moved to a tiny village in Jaén 20-years ago everything you mentioned is spot on. My wife and I enjoyed 15 wonderful years before making the move to a much larger pueblo with all services, including a 24-hour centro de salud. The village we moved to back then lacked even basic services and no public transport. Our nearest town was 14 KLM’s away. Now in our mid-70s it was the right thing to do at the right time. I’ve had 2-years of illness involving hospital operations and stays. I’ve developed macular degeneration in one eye which means I am now unable to drive. Inland living is not for older expat/immigrants.

[@BGCajun]

Hi Stu, and thanks for this important video. I agree with you, small town or village life in Spain may not be for everyone. My wife and I just purchased a flat in Pola de Lena, in Asturias, which is a town of about 8,000 folks. It's only ~30 minutes from both Oviedo and Gijon by car. For us it's perfect as we're coming from the New York City area, so peace and quiet are important. But for a small town it has high speed internet, a high speed train station and excellent dining and shopping within walking distance from our flat. We did our due diligence for a couple of months before coming with the intent to buy. We are not disappointed.

[@PaulKelly-59]

I live in a small working town called El Rinconcillo. My grasp of the Spanish language is basic, but my wife and myself try. I cannot express my deepest respect for the local community, they have been absolutely fantastic. I have never been made so welcome, from complete strangers. The warmth and kindness we have been shown, has been absolutely phenomenal. It has been an absolutely perfect move, from the Costa del Sol, to here. I feel I now live in Spain, and not mini England. Moving to rural Spain and wanting to integrate, is the best thing any foreigner can do. We are both retired, and I recently have had some very seriously bad luck with health. Yes we miss the sea, yes we miss the thousands of good restaurants. But we could never return to the Costa ( Benahavis), where life is great but not with the same warmth that we have now receive.

[@ash9x9]

Great stuff! Btw - Do you own or rent?

[@PaulKelly-59]

@ own, as soon as we saw the house and grounds it was ours. Coming from an apartment in Benahavis, to a 5 bed house with pool, full security cameras internal external. Police neighbours on three sides, all our worries disappeared. It’s a great neighbourhood, who have welcomed foreigners.

[@roythompson6137]

Well done you. You have opened the door to the real Spain, not the expat ghettos of the costas.

[@Impartial.Observer]

We moved to a hamlet in Galicia and discovered a beautiful stone house surrounded by welcoming neighbors who often shared fresh vegetables and eggs with us. It seemed like a dream come true. However, we soon realized that rural life, while romantic in theory, didn’t suit our lifestyle. Living there meant relying on a car for every errand, something we hoped to avoid. We loved attending theaters and concerts in nearby cities but felt uneasy driving back home on dark, winding country roads after sunset. Galicia’s famous rains and high humidity added another challenge. Although charming, the stone house felt perpetually damp, and we struggled with mold affecting our belongings. While the experience had its joys, it ultimately wasn’t practical for us, so we returned to living in a city.

[@jandyman22]

Thank you! Navigating rural roads, especially in inclement weather, and in the dark is more than a notion! Having to drive everywhere can become draining.

[@Impartial.Observer]

@@jandyman22 not to mention the wild boar that are everywhere in Galicia. Very dangerous.

[@lisacraig4585]

Totally agree. Regardless of whether you live in cities or villages, learning the language is essential. Emergencies happen and you need to know how to access help. Moving to a village in Portugal with a population of 175. Can’t wait.

[@kevtheargonut]

I recognise all of that Stuart, everything. Fresh fruit and veg is amazing - 7 euros a kilo for fresh dates in the market, 13 euros a kilo in the supermarket today. Same with everything and so fresh. Or just pick it off your own trees. Refreshing and altering the villa has meant I have not integrated much apart from at supermarkets, markets and builders merchants so that is the limit of my Spanish. We plan a better work / life balance in 2025 so my formal Spanish classes start in January. Going right back to basics to unlearn the bad stuff I have picked up.

[@andrewmeasures2312]

Excellent advice as usual Stuart. Having lived in towns and cities in Spain I have to strongly agree with all your recommendations. It can take a while to integrate with the locals and you need to earn their trust before they let you in. For that reason, the better ones language skills, the easier it will be.

[@Manon-p9t]

Yes when they trust you, after some years😮 they will offer jobs and then the language goes much faster 😊

[@Simon-jj2pu]

Excellent advice, we always respected our elders in the U.K., lol we have 59 and 51, and when we first moved to Spain always said Hola and waved at the old people. Their daughters and Sons etc picked up on this and 18 months later we are very happy and we will be stopped to have conversations in broken Spanish in the street

[@pointblankracer6274]

Appreciate all that you do, thank you.

[@DerekKenny-l2u]

Thanks Stuart for your honest review on rural Spain

[@ginomonaco70]

Stuart, I bought an apartment in Camarena, Toledo for my parents to live. They love the town and it has mostly everything in town and Madrid is only an hour away. I must say, Isabella and myself love the place but Spanish is a must!

[@lucasbridges8082]

Great in-put here. Thanks for the video!!

[@manuelmaura4453]

For finding a town to live in, another very important tip I would suggest is patiently look at the growth of the town, if it appears that there is constant development then moving there for long term could be much easier as transportation, utilities and stores become more developed and accessible. I moved to a small town south of Valencia and over the past few years they have added entire bus routes, improved internet infrastru'ture (I have Fiber!) as well as attracted several businesses to open up here.

[@Manon-p9t]

Yep same here in Portugal,the little town doubled in supermarkets and frequency of buslines etc. And also double or triple on the housemarket😮

[@kenseal]

Well done stuart! Straight forward talk on the subject.

[@turbosandtalks]

Interesting video. Thanks for your good content on Spain. As a French countryside guy, I wouldn't wanna live in Madrid or Barcelona and do consider the Spanish countryside for my next move.

[@martindouglas9839]

Holo Stuart muchas gracias por el video, me gustaría desear a ti y todo de tu familia feliz Navidad, con mejor deseos desde Mart y Sylv 🎉

[@debbiegarza1287]

Great overview Stu!!

[@mrn13]

Great points. I think, those advices could be considered general for any "village" in the Western world. You will be dependent on a car, working somewhere else and the locals minding your business as well as theirs...

[@worstchoresmadesimple6259]

Depends where in rural Spain. You could drive 35 miles outside Bilbao, and be in rural Burgos. Pleasant small mountain villages and hamlets.

[@Mike_Ripper]

My sister in law lives 40 minutes from Bilbao in a village, population 6. Amazingly she has 5g and street lights! But, to be fair, that's it. Peaceful though.

[@chrissaul5609]

Hi , following your videos for a while now. We lived in Berja , Almeria from 2004 to 2006. It’s a great small town up in the Alpuharras. However , the neighbours did not like us interlopers. Their culture is vastly different as we were regularly disturbed by the noise up to 2 am so therefore we sold and moved to Almerimar on the coast. We loved it there but family situations changed and we moved back to UK after 2010.

[@carmenfernandez5234]

A great realistic, "them's the facts" video, Stu. And good insights in the comments. In my lengthy remarks, I forgot to mention that the town that I visit has eight authorized, in-town cabs. The drivers are available either at the taxi stand or via phone. Also, parking spaces can be difficult to find. Many residents rent private garages if they don't have one of their own. (So far, no parking meters have been installed.)

[@MerkJacobus]

I recently went on a trip to investigate the Lecrin Valley and Velez de Benaudalla in Granada because I am thinking of retiring to Spain. It's a stunningly beautiful area with a great climate and plentiful water. Velez in particular seemed perfect. However, some downsides to consider; although there was a reasonable selection of shops, there was no market for fresh veg, the nearest being in Motril. The bus service was very infrequent but something that could really affect animal lovers like myself was the number of stray cats, many of which had broken or mutilated tails. There also seemed to be an undercurrent of unfriendliness to some of the men in the village. I also doubt you'd get a peaceful siesta there as every afternoon there seemed to be a battle between two teenagers as to who could play the loudest, most irritating music which you could here all over the place. I still recommend visiting though as it's so picturesque.

[@manuelvilar4496]

Thanks for your information

[@paulbritish2194]

Nice video Stuart lot's of good points to take into account...

[@craphead9842]

Cuenca is the perfect place in Spain to live if you want a quiet life and it offers nearly everything... Hospitals, schools and road or rail travel services.. Job sorted... Tony Cuenca

[@Michael-tn9ov]

I lived many years in a small village(200), I moved to the county capital (3000)more than 10 years ago, train station, bus line to the closet large town(90000) 30 minutes away. One largish supermarket 3 small ones and plenty of small shops, 2 pharmacies, 3 bakers, petrol station, 24h medical emergency centre... As you say it's all about looking around, I would also recommend hiring for a full. 4 seasons before buying. I am fluent in both Spanish and Catalan, another thing to think about is that there are areas of Spain that once you move out of the main cities don't use Spanish as their main language (Galicia,, Euskadi, Catalunya, baleàric islands, parts of Aragon and I am probably forgetting other areas.

[@Michael-tn9ov]

I forgot the Valencia region and to say that in these areas almost everyone does speak and understand spanish

[@carmenfernandez5234]

Your surroundings seem similar to where my inherited condo is situated. It's a "villa" in Ourense, an inland area in Galicia. The town has a population of about 5600, but it sure seems like much less. Some people must not be full-time residents. Ourense is about 20-30 mins. by car (pop. 104000). There is one daily bus, or maybe two, into Ourense, with one return around 600pm. I find the town quite boring, despite my being fluent in Spanish and having a pretty good grasp of Gallego. Only go about twice a year and inhabit my place for about 2-3 weeks on each visit, get together with local cousins, who also check in on my place during the rest of the year. I've lived in sophisticated areas all of my life (NYC, Malibu, and now Santa Monica CA). I accept the culture shock of the contrast and just consider these visits as a bit of a retreat. Have no interest in selling or renting out the place. So far, I plan to have a younger local cousin inherit it. Several banks, pharmacies and grocery stores, many bars, few clothing stores, a few hardware and household goods businesses, etc. A municipal indoor pool, a soccer field. Limited variety of restaurant cuisine. Although in the past couple of years now, both a Venezuelan and a Mexican restaurant have appeared. No movie theater. One added perk of the town is a medical emergency helicopter landing area, near the local ambulatorio (walk-in clinic). There's also a child daycare facility in town. A gigantic monastery sits in the Plaza Mayor, with sections that date back to the tenth century. It now houses the local church, some high school grades and a seniors center. A pretty alameda (tree-lined paved park with some benches) is next to it. The Thursday farmers market is held in that general area. Lots of senior citizens and a large retirement home facility. Very few children, although many get bused in from surrounding aldeas (hamlets) to the in-town schools. On Sundays, all businesses shut down, except bars, restaurants, the one gas station, and one pharmacy will take its turn to be open. Florists and bakeries close around 200pm on Sundays. I guess it is pretty tricked out compared to other towns, but I would go stir crazy living there on a permanent basis. Oh, and the weather? Mostly damp and cold winters. Topography and weather similar to Scotland. Some heat waves and blazing sun in the summer. Almost zero job openings for anyone who seeks employment. Locals are wary of outsiders but open up if they size you up as being a worthwhile person to know.

[@MyPropertyChannel]

I agree, you absolutely have to learn to speak Spanish or you will find life very difficult indeed. I learned for a year beforehand, but upon arrival, soon realised how little I understood, so if you are planning to move, start learning, and learning seriously, about two years before your planned move

[@Eddie-w5p]

Good tips Stuart specially the one about the language. It would be very diff to integrate into a pueblo environment without a reasonable command of the language. This is also made more difficult when different areas have different dialects and accents, as I found out in the pueblos of Andalucía.

[@saltaireorangebicyclechopp8555]

The middle of Spain, particularly towards the Portuguese border is bonkers. Some days l could cycle through umpteen towns/villages without seeing anybody, by 3 or 4pm l'd visit a minimarket or something just to see & speak to a human. 😂

[@moonmist9]

Wow!

[@markyt6594]

great video!

[@richt71]

Hi Stuart Great video. I spent time looking after a friends house in a hamlet of 4 properties in Murcia about 2km from a small rural village across fields. The village had a very small supermarket, a couple of tapas bars and a hairdressers. The people were friendly if a little confused why a mad Englishman was staying in such an area! I don't drive so for me there wasn't enough to do locally. But for my friend who does drive and is happy to drive 30km to the nearest town I can see the appeal of a sedate life and relatively large property which was pretty cheap by UK standards.

[@TheRealSnakePlisken]

Retired military here stationed in Spain. Good tips here. Let me emphasize. There are basically no jobs in small town Spain. You will have zero anonymity. Eveyone will know exactly what you are doing and they are not afraid to ask you about it. You better speak Spanish or you will be dysfunctional. You WILL need a car. Your house will probably be extremely outdated. If you live anywhere north of Ciudad Real you WILL BE COLD! You defnitely will be bored...it is really quiet for long periods each and every day. You will need to seek entertainment elsewhere. The food is great. The wine is cheap. Move at your own risk.

[@Kutama63]

Pretty sweet deal to me

[@Manon-p9t]

Yep sounds like Portugal 😂 But...they never ask me anything but know me better then I know myself😮

[@Simon-jj2pu]

We live in inland Almeria in the only desert in Europe (the Spaghetti Westerns starirng Clint Eastwood were filmed 30kms away, in fact one of our local bars in our villaee is run by actors from the Mini Hollywood theme park) next week the high is 13c and the low is 3 c it is freezing, although in August we get 45-52c

[@mariocardabollo3631]

And in England you better speak English. True?

[@Simon-jj2pu]

@@mariocardabollo3631 No not true, you wil be offered free translations and assistance n nearly every language for official meetings and documents . We are lucky where live in Spain, our Spanish is 18 months old and our third language we have learnt. Our local small council gives us free translators for health and Guardia (it helps with Padron money!), although El Ejido foreigners desk only offers languages in Spanish, Arabic or Ukrainian .. we managed it though

[@AlexMontgomery-i7s]

If I was to retire to Spain to be closer to my son, his partner, and any futre grandchildren, I personally wouldn’t live anywhere with less than a population of 100 000 - for health services, public transport etc etc. Great video with good tips.

[@salvaferrer4574]

Cualquier ciudad de 30000 O menos habitantes tiene eso que buscas. No hace falta que seran 100000

[@craphead9842]

Cuenca 50,000 great hospital and road services etc.. Tony Cuenca

[@AlexMontgomery-i7s]

Probably right, maybe k100 is not absolutely necessary as long as a larger city is not too far away for more specialised services 😊

[@lucasgentilemalaga]

Genius 👏👏👏👏👏 is true all what you say I live in Malaga and property prices are insane high so I am thinking about moving outside the city within a 40 minutes drive

[@shabbesgoj]

I lived in spain for a few years an my tip is to join the local Club de Futbol, support the local team .

[@RobertSmith-cv1cu]

Good advice.

[@rodeovin]

This city where you're at Peraled de Tajuña is about 40 km from Madrid. That's a reasonable distance to go by car for work or even to enjoy the weekend. Not bad!

[@gordanmoran4549]

Touring on my big adventure bike this year, fell off returning to Santander in a motorway lay by people ran over heled us lift the bike us and made sure we were ok left us extra water and reafiremed our faith in humanity Europe has alot of good people , happy xmas

[@123seanaway]

Great video and well made points Stu.. it always amazes me how many people move to Spain etc... and then complain the locals don't speak English.. the same people demand immigrants learn English in the UK or, heaven help us, American in The USA,

[@moway2841]

All true, I am from small village in Spain and yoy are 100 porciento right

[@WealthyChronicle]

I love the idea of slower living in Spain, but the internet and transport situation is definitely a dealbreaker for many!

[@erikamartin-wallace5991]

I absolutely agree with you. You also need to mention banking and ATM machines. For me the big problem is that you really need at least one car.

[@laikaspod]

Your audio is very good, is that just from your phone? Thanks for the tips! Thinking of moving to Spain ❤

[@stevecummings-z8t]

No, he has a very good Rode wireless microphone clipped to his jacket. It is hard to see against the dark material of the jacket.

[@GrantFrankBurton]

My town looks smaller then that one but it's better communicated to the city's and there are many thing's to do but there just not obvious. There should be a Casa de Cultura somewhere, check there. If there are Kids in the town, there are activities somewhere doing something or a bus to get to them, at least that's how it is in Asturias. Some small towns even have a night life but, if your not accepted by the town, you might not ever know it's even there. If you want email me and I can show you around.

[@vkumar7637]

Love from New Delhi

[@CarlJones14]

Problem, they have their fantasies built on all the bad points wherever their current home is. When my father moved to France, he tried to get a job in a local hotel. The manager said no, what would the locals think? My father wasn't doing it for the money, he had a big fat UK police pension, so he told the manger he would work for free, because all he wanted to do was improve his French. No luck. Mind you, he's still there, learnt the lingo, and integrated into his small town. 95% of Brits moving to Spain, will move to areas with big expat populations, and that's just a fact of life.

[@Manon-p9t]

Yes after some years, when they get to know you the locals will offer a job. First all jobs go to families and friends

[@oscars99]

What small towns are near Malaga for example. Not in the city but not too far from it.

[@dominic8218]

I would never move to rural Spain. The places look beautiful during the day, but the reality of pitch black in the evening, not even a street light would soon make you see sense.

[@moonmist9]

Really? Why are there no street lights?

[@dominic8218]

@ because there are no streets!

[@junuc10]

What I see as mayor roadblocks is medical care, amenities, and public transportation. As long as the town is 30 minutes or less from a city or large town there is a balance. While ayuntamientos want people to move to their town they do nothing as far as incentives for someone to move there. Towns are dying and houses are falling into dust. I have invitations from towns to move there with 0 incentives, to me that's a deal breaker.

[@greendragonpublishing]

What do you consider small town for the purposes of this evaluation? (For context, I've lived in places from Miami, FL at 450K, Gainesville, FL at 100K, Corning at 11K, to Warfordsburg, PA at 2700). Small town in the US might not be the same as small town in Spain.

[@Simon-jj2pu]

Normally 2500 people, four bars, two very small supermarkets about the size of a petrol station , a small one person fruit and veg market on Fridays, no petrol station, two bakeries who delivery every day, your gas bottles get delivered on a Monday if you leave them outside, a small lower/primary school with 60 pupils. Some local farmers will give you free veg and fruits f you get to know them (you are allowed to go into the farmers fields and take away everything you can carrying in your hands .. without bags). No local transport at all and the municipal pool is open only during the school summer holidays and closed between 2-4pm. Well that’s where we live . Renting … never expect your deposit backs, never happens. And Fiestas … wow, we have three local towns within 5 miles and they will keep you awake with music until 10am! For a week, on different weeks. We have a small ATM, now the next town is 6 miles away with everything, around 10k people with middle schools and the larger supermarkets, solicitors etc. The next bigger town is 30km away with larger stuff and a A&E. International airport 120kms away with a small city and 32 minutes to a beach from inland Almeria. (I don’t live in an English enclave but I do have one 10kms from me if I want English goods .. which we don’t .. cough my wife’s Vimto which she does buy and the Financial Times on a Saturday)

[@moonmist9]

Doesn't look like it. The small towns I've seen in the US had all the amenities.

[@Simon-jj2pu]

@ small towns here in Spain are basically villages. There will be a small town within 5 miles but they are old school, you have food, water, beer, small convenience, local produce what else would you want? On a good note, my local tomato farmer gave me a stack of free stuff today in the local bar . I have only been here 18 months.. but I say hello, his accent is so Andalusian I could only manage three words , but I am respectful to him and the local pensioners (as I was in the U.K.) .. it actually brought a tear to my eye.. btw I am 59. Oh and whe had a nice earthquake today

[@anacasanova7350]

No recomiendo un pueblo para extranjeros, y menos mayores, a menos que sus orígenes sean de la zona , y sepan español, mejor una pequeña ciudad de 2 o 3 mil habitantes. O pequeñas capitales de provincia, como Soria, Guadalajara , Huesca, Teruel, Albacete, Jaén , Castellón, Huelva, Salamanca, Zamora, etc.

[@Kevin-zz9nc]

What about apt prices on Idealista?? Apts for 30 to 40k in Jaen or Linares.....are they for real? How much do you need to spend to get into a well maintained building?

[@moonmist9]

Is it possible to build an off-grid house in a small town in Spain?

[@Tet-Offensive1968]

Please mention the Banking situation such as ATM machines

[@Simon-jj2pu]

If it is your bank they are free, we have one in our small village, normally they are ATMs in every small village. They have also scanners where you can pay paper bills on as well, such as utilities bills if you don’t have standing payments set up already. If you have lost your card you can still get cash out via your banking app. It is normally attached to a one person bank which is only attended one day a week

[@robertrobert9800]

Would martos in jaen be counted as a small town

[@billyohara239]

Any suggest

[@hull39]

Many of the ground floor windows in the background are covered with bars. Is this common everywhere in Spain? Thank you for your videos.

[@rogerflatt8054]

The bars allow you to leave the windows fully open all night to flood the house with cool air. Once the the sun is up, the windows close, the shutters are down and the house is shaded as much as possible. Stays cooler for longer.

[@korymalone6591]

Yes.

[@michaeljones3774]

Yes Common since the Franco era ended -& crime increased here .

[@jaymccaffrey7463]

Coming from the US, there is very little crime in Spain. The Spanish seem overly concerned with safety. Its not uncommon to have three or four entry locks to get into your house or apartment. Outer gate, outside door, inner door lock, etc. Seems over the top.

[@Simon-jj2pu]

Your house insurance will probably insist on it, I always though it was to stop large animals coming into your house at night with the shutters open. Makes no sense with air con though. I have just had mine repainted, and that includes large ones on the doors and patio doors

[@robertrobert9800]

If you have a wife or girlfriend, small town would be good but as a single middle aged man would not be welcomed. Better off in a larger city where the amenities are better and more open minded

[@wicklawalker9495]

Rural life in Spain is no different to any other country in Europe. Older population and very inward facing. Definitely rent before you invest!

[@petephma1657]

What town was that?

[@ciar67]

If you like the sound of dogs barking endlessly then move to a country town

[@garyeldret4418]

Lol

[@salvaferrer4574]

Y el gallo al amanecer, je,je...

[@goldgeologist5320]

So true on both!

[@sz13bigmo]

Stray dogs too.

[@ciar67]

@@salvaferrer4574 😁 A mí no me molestan los gallos. Al menos ellos saben cuándo parar.

[@Marco-g9x2n]

This can be applied to ANY small town in ANY country in the world.

[@moonmist9]

Not really.

[@raymondwoolfordfrsa8292]

Yes , but only if you take the time to learn Spanish

[@Stevosunnydays]

👌👌👌🍀🍀🍀🍀🎄🎄😎🎄🎄🍀. Ole.😅

[@MrJarendell]

The retirees end up drinking too much due to. boredom!

[@tonyrocca957]

That's a good thing🤠