| Province▼ | Community▼ | Residence permits▼ | Rent, €/m²▼ | Mortgage, €▼ | Mortgage / income, yrs▼ | Household income, €/yr▼ |
|---|
Source: INE, Censo Anual de Población. Click a column header to sort, click a row to highlight the province on the map.
| Province▼ | 2021▼ | 2025▼ | Change▼ | Growth, %▼ |
|---|
Where to retire in Spain — the data explained
Where British residents actually live
266,462 British citizens lived in Spain on 1 January 2025, 6.8% fewer than in 2021. They are concentrated in a handful of provinces: Alicante alone is home to 68,904 of them, and Málaga to 49,298. These figures count all British residents, not only retirees.
| Province | British residents | Per 1,000 residents | Rent, € per m² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alicante | 68,904 | 33.9 | 12.4 |
| Málaga | 49,298 | 27.5 | 17.2 |
| Almería | 15,397 | 20.0 | 8.8 |
| Balearic Islands | 18,448 | 14.8 | 20.2 |
| Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 13,118 | 12.1 | 15.5 |
| Las Palmas | 12,622 | 10.8 | 15.9 |
| Murcia | 16,522 | 10.4 | 9.5 |
| Granada | 6,151 | 6.5 | 10.1 |
What it costs to live there
The provinces with the biggest British communities are not cheap. Median asking rent is €12.4 per m² in Alicante and €17.2 in Málaga, against a median of €10.1 across Spain. For an 80 m² flat that is about €990 and €1,380 a month.
Cheaper places with an English-speaking community
Of the 20 provinces with the cheapest rent, only one has a British community of at least 10 residents per 1,000: Almería (€8.8 per m², 20.0 per 1,000). We count a community as noticeable from 10 British residents per 1,000 inhabitants.
The ten provinces with the cheapest rent are Ciudad Real (€7.3), Jaén (€7.3), Cuenca (€7.5), Badajoz (€7.7), Cáceres (€7.7), Ourense (€7.7), Zamora (€7.7), Teruel (€7.8), Lugo (€7.9) and Ávila (€8.0).
Rent against local income
Cheap rent is only half the picture: what matters is how it compares with what people earn locally. An 80 m² flat at the median asking rent takes 49% of a local household's net income in Málaga and 22% in Teruel. Compare both on the income page and the rent page.
How to read the map
The Rent tab shows price per m² by province. Switch to Community and pick United Kingdom, United States or another country to see where that community lives, in absolute numbers or per 1,000 residents. Click a province for its card with income and mortgage figures.
Frequently asked questions
- Where do most British expats live in Spain?
- Alicante has the largest British community, with 68,904 residents, followed by Málaga with 49,298. Relative to population, Alicante also leads, at 33.9 per 1,000 residents.
- How many British people live in Spain?
- 266,462 on 1 January 2025, according to INE — 6.8% fewer than in 2021.
- What is the cheapest province to live in Spain?
- By rent, Ciudad Real and Jaén: €7.3 per m² a month.
- Which visa do retirees use to move to Spain?
- If you are not an EU citizen, one common route is the non-lucrative residence permit, which does not allow you to work. Requirements and support are on Relotus.
Sources: British residents — INE, Censo Anual de Población, 1 January 2025 and 2021; rent — idealista, April–June 2026 (median asking price); income — INE, Atlas de Renta, 2023.
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