Is Zaragoza ACTUALLY a Better Alternative to Madrid and Barcelona?

[@zedzod9197]

Well, I think Zaragoza is one of the best options to live in Spain. The first thing I want to say is that I was born in Zaragoza and lived there until I was 26 years old. Now I live in Barcelona. Zaragoza is not like Madrid and Barcelona. It doesn't have the problems of a big city with a large metropolitan area, but it does have some of the advantages of a larger city. It has very good public services, few traffic problems and less pollution, good cultural and commercial life... Also, something you don't say is that it is located right in the center of the area that would form Madrid, Barcelona, ​​​​Valencia and Bilbao. It is also very close to the Pyrenees and the border with France. Many Zaragoza residents have a second residence in the Pyrenees, where they go both in winter to ski and in summer to rest and enjoy cooler temperatures, go hiking or practice adventure sports. Many others have a second residence on the coast of Tarragona or Castellón, which are close and well connected. The climate is cold in winter and hot in summer, although dry. In Barcelona with lower temperatures the feeling is more suffocating due to the humidity. As for restaurants, the tapas culture is superior in Zaragoza than in Madrid or Barcelona, ​​where tapas are focused on tourists and are more expensive and of poorer quality. Zaragoza in that sense is more similar to cities like San Sebastián or Logroño, where locals usually go out to consume them daily. It is common for bars in any neighborhood of the city to have a good assortment of tapas. This in Barcelona is difficult to see. Zaragoza is a quieter and safer city than the other large Spanish cities, with a high quality of life, relatively low housing prices and where large companies such as Amazon or Microsoft are settling, which are installing their data centers there. It also has one of the largest logistics platforms in Europe, which is why more and more companies are choosing the city to set up their distribution centers. I hope this helps anyone.

[@BruceHamilton]

Very helpful thanks! 🙏

[@well_i_liked_it]

You should make a video about it.

[@quitalapro]

Thank you!

[@triarb5790]

It does, thank you.

[@Michaelcj-m2d]

Was stationed there in the USAF in the 80s . Finally moved back for good in 2000. But going back every 4 years between that time.

[@Michaelcj-m2d]

Had a sense this is where I belong.

[@expatseverywhereexplores]

Nice! Thanks for sharing. - Josh & Kalie

[@xHaru6x]

Hello! I am from Zaragoza and I live in the other area of ​​the river, not where the Basilica is located. I have always thought and felt that the downtown area is more for sightseeing, partying, walking and having a good time with friends and family and the area where I live is more for everyday life. Also, it depends on your economic situation, the area outside the center is more economical. I don't want to say that you can't live in the center, but I think it is more expensive and hectic. Thank you very much for the video and for showing my city. I hope more people can enjoy it. Greetings!!!

[@ChrisAmparado]

Hi, any suggestion on where to live outside of the city center?

[@scotverdin9401]

It's been awhile, but stopped there and loved it. A gorgeous city.

[@terrisokolow7796]

Enjoyed your take on this what looks like a beautiful city! Too big for my taste for sure.

[@panchopuskas1]

I lived and worked there for a year in 1986...... great place.

[@GreatCityAttractions]

Some nice thoughts guys - well done.

[@expatseverywhereexplores]

Thank you.

[@GreatCityAttractions]

@@expatseverywhereexplores you're welcome

[@RS-ln3ns]

JUST BECAUSE YOU PREFER OTHER PARTS OF SPAIN TO ZARAGOZA, THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S BETTER THAN ZARAGOZA. THAT'S JUST YOUR OPINION. MANY WOULD PREFER TO BE IN ZARAGOZA THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN SPAIN LIKE MADRID, WHERE IT'S VERY OVERCROWDED, WITH TOO MANY TOURISTS THERE. IT'S JUST A MATTER OF PERSONAL PREFERENCE. EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT.

[@expatseverywhereexplores]

Just like you prefer caps lock, right? :-) Thanks for watching and commenting. - Josh & Kalie

[@RS-ln3ns]

@@expatseverywhereexplores I USE CAPITAL LETTERS FOR A GOOD REASON AND NO, I'M NOT USING IT BECAUSE I WANT TO SHOUT.

[@neiss2]

As a Spaniard it's scary to see the brutal expat appetite for Spain on social media, one knows that the positive things of immigration can be easily outweighed by the obvious downsides of massive affluence to one's country. First it was Barcelona and Madrid, then Mallorca, San Sebastian, and Málaga, now it seems as if there is no city in Spain small or hidden enough to be in the spotlight for the voracious relocation hype to Europe from Americans and Asians. Don't get me wrong, it's cool to be considered a nice country to live in by the rest of the world but doubling the population (yes, Spain received 85 Million tourists/expats in 2023), is unbearable for a country's social, economic, cultural and ecological environment.

[@chooselife1509]

Fake News. There is a difference between tourists and expats when you say "doubling the population". Spain had 80 million TOURISTS but only 2 million expats. So, they most definitely did not double the population. 2 million expats only.

[@well_i_liked_it]

The current population of Spain in 2024 is 47,473,373, a 0.1% decline from 2023. The population of Spain in 2023 was 47,519,628, a 0.08% decline from 2022.

[@mark-noel]

In the first place. Your government must not promote visiting Spain. You have to be grateful you are not in North Korea living with their people in a close country.

[@susanaescriba977]

I don't understand what you are looking for in provincial capitals, they are non-touristy areas, they don't need tourism. what are you looking for ?

[@Seamus95364]

I was stationed there in the 80s as well, and am making plans to move back. Please continue to steer people away from Zaragoza as much as possible, expats have screwed up enough gorgeous Spanish cities.

[@Canephora99]

😂 I’m with you. Well done video… please don’t move here. Keep Zaragoza one of those well kept secrets. Veteran here as well. Zaragoza home sweet home ❤.

[@aidyn006]

I'm not gonna lie, I feel like this video was not well put together. You lead with the ability to travel quickly to other cities, proceed to largely compliment the city but then say that you wouldn't "expat it." Yet Bilbao...a notoriously more crime ridden location (which you yourselves mentioned that you had concerns about parking there) you do expat? There's either exposition that SERIOUSLY missing or there's inconsistencies in your reviews... in both cases these videos feel rushed and lead to a loss in credibility if I'm being honest.

[@abelsoto1252]

My family and I are actually moving to Zaragoza this month from the US and this video got us confuse. We did our research, and we checked out the Bilbao video as well and a bit bias too. I don’t know it feels weird

[@aidyn006]

@abelsoto1252 yeah Def weird! And nice yea we're looking at cities to move too and this is on our radar...do you have a barrio yet? Im curious about arcosur

[@abelsoto1252]

@@aidyn006 I don’t have one yet. We have kids and they’re going to Zaragoza school house. Private school so we are hoping to live around there. But we can’t get rent yet cuz we applied for a non lucrative visa and we are waiting for the approval. Hopefully this month

[@expatseverywhereexplores]

We don't like the pace of Zaragoza or the overall vibe of the city. While statistically it's safer than Bilbao, it doesn't mean that Bilbao is comparable to a Chicago for example. In context of global safety, Spain is safe. In the context of Spain, Zaragoza is safer than Bilbao but the safety rating of Bilbao would not put us off considering we would know and learn better where to be and not to be like one learns in any city. The "Expat That" is in the opinion section of the video and therefore a subjective thing compared to the beginning where we present factual information. - Josh

[@expatseverywhereexplores]

What got you confused @abelsoto1252? Was it the fact that you're moving to Zaragoza and we would choose not to move there? That seems reasonable, no? - Josh

[@Yocambio]

5-8C hotter than Barcelona in summer. That’s more than we’re willing to deal with.

[@javiermartinez5542]

Prácticamente cualquier ciudad del interior de España de Madrid hacia el norte es buena. Pasaréis frío en invierno, eso sí.😆

[@olgagalvany2846]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO