Sorted by Rent. Click a column header to sort, click a row to highlight the province on the map.
| Province▼ | Community (United Kingdom), people▼ | Permits (digital nomads)▼ | Rent, €/m²▼ | Mortgage, €▼ | Mortgage / income, yrs▼ | Household income, €/yr▼ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Madrid | 10,938 | 6,393 | 21.7 | 286,455 | 5.9 | 48,806 |
| 2Balearic Islands | 18,448 | 454 | 20.2 | 330,798 | 7.4 | 44,812 |
| 3Barcelona | 15,818 | 12,417 | 19.1 | 217,425 | 4.9 | 44,243 |
| 4Málaga | 49,298 | 3,089 | 17.2 | 268,894 | 7.9 | 33,868 |
| 5Gipuzkoa | 562 | 53 | 16.2 | 192,463 | 4.1 | 46,514 |
| 6Las Palmas | 12,622 | 99 | 15.9 | 154,230 | 4.2 | 37,032 |
| 7Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 13,118 | 250 | 15.5 | 221,311 | 6.2 | 35,654 |
| 8Bizkaia | 797 | 171 | 14.8 | 168,816 | 3.8 | 44,425 |
| 9Ceuta | 27 | 3 | 14.3 | 128,722 | 2.9 | 44,907 |
| 10Valencia | 9,350 | 3,677 | 14.0 | 144,147 | 3.9 | 36,532 |
| 11Girona | 3,372 | 323 | 13.2 | 185,197 | 4.6 | 40,105 |
| 12Alicante | 68,904 | 2,174 | 12.4 | 141,953 | 4.5 | 31,507 |
| 13Segovia | 92 | 16 | 12.2 | 143,351 | 4.0 | 35,688 |
| 14Álava | 185 | 10 | 12.2 | 192,861 | 4.6 | 41,914 |
| 15Seville | 1,918 | 256 | 11.9 | 162,809 | 4.8 | 34,269 |
| 16Cantabria | 638 | 69 | 11.8 | 132,259 | 3.6 | 36,412 |
| 17Melilla | 41 | 4 | 11.4 | 117,848 | 2.6 | 45,989 |
| 18Pontevedra | 741 | 96 | 11.2 | 139,717 | 3.9 | 35,506 |
| 19Zaragoza | 577 | 92 | 11.2 | 146,175 | 3.8 | 38,230 |
| 20Cádiz | 7,150 | 213 | 11.1 | 142,849 | 4.4 | 32,323 |
| 21Asturias | 1,122 | 254 | 10.8 | 123,023 | 3.5 | 35,265 |
| 22Navarre | 388 | 30 | 10.6 | 196,112 | 4.6 | 42,714 |
| 23Guadalajara | 218 | 17 | 10.2 | 174,446 | 4.6 | 37,803 |
| 24Lleida | 277 | 25 | 10.2 | 125,345 | 3.3 | 37,826 |
| 25Granada | 6,151 | 397 | 10.1 | 140,441 | 4.5 | 31,314 |
| 26Huesca | 216 | 13 | 10.1 | 111,652 | 3.0 | 37,009 |
| 27Tarragona | 3,263 | 458 | 10.1 | 148,519 | 4.0 | 37,029 |
| 28Salamanca | 133 | 51 | 10.0 | 120,603 | 3.7 | 32,411 |
| 29Huelva | 1,085 | 20 | 9.8 | 111,415 | 3.6 | 31,066 |
| 30La Rioja | 204 | 20 | 9.6 | 108,621 | 3.1 | 35,555 |
| 31A Coruña | 1,085 | 97 | 9.5 | 124,788 | 3.4 | 36,978 |
| 32Murcia | 16,522 | 292 | 9.5 | 112,376 | 3.2 | 34,951 |
| 33Valladolid | 193 | 43 | 9.5 | 126,209 | 3.4 | 36,785 |
| 34Burgos | 201 | 31 | 9.5 | 127,242 | 3.5 | 36,605 |
| 35Toledo | 261 | 71 | 9.3 | 132,823 | 4.1 | 32,711 |
| 36Castellón | 1,423 | 60 | 9.1 | 104,716 | 3.0 | 34,497 |
| 37Córdoba | 859 | 41 | 8.9 | 132,585 | 4.3 | 30,917 |
| 38Almería | 15,397 | 105 | 8.8 | 114,663 | 3.7 | 30,936 |
| 39Soria | 30 | 44 | 8.4 | 138,818 | 3.9 | 35,904 |
| 40Albacete | 309 | 48 | 8.4 | 102,996 | 3.2 | 32,600 |
| 41Palencia | 52 | 5 | 8.2 | 92,250 | 2.7 | 34,037 |
| 42León | 173 | 20 | 8.1 | 96,460 | 2.9 | 33,378 |
| 43Ávila | 89 | 44 | 8.0 | 102,574 | 3.4 | 30,159 |
| 44Lugo | 422 | 15 | 7.9 | 98,882 | 3.0 | 32,837 |
| 45Teruel | 176 | 232 | 7.8 | 93,833 | 2.7 | 34,725 |
| 46Cáceres | 236 | 9 | 7.7 | 92,393 | 3.2 | 28,614 |
| 47Ourense | 151 | 17 | 7.7 | 93,236 | 3.0 | 31,170 |
| 48Zamora | 37 | 75 | 7.7 | 104,093 | 3.5 | 29,891 |
| 49Badajoz | 231 | 42 | 7.7 | 102,618 | 3.5 | 29,231 |
| 50Cuenca | 66 | 7 | 7.5 | 101,051 | 3.3 | 30,641 |
| 51Ciudad Real | 130 | 12 | 7.3 | 86,293 | 2.8 | 31,095 |
| 52Jaén | 766 | 13 | 7.3 | 89,327 | 3.1 | 29,119 |
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, %▼ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ourense | 132 | 151 | +19 | +14% |
| 2Burgos | 176 | 201 | +25 | +14% |
| 3Salamanca | 119 | 133 | +14 | +12% |
| 4Cádiz | 6,587 | 7,150 | +563 | +9% |
| 5Ciudad Real | 120 | 130 | +10 | +8% |
| 6Valladolid | 181 | 193 | +12 | +7% |
| 7A Coruña | 1,038 | 1,085 | +47 | +5% |
| 8Huesca | 209 | 216 | +7 | +3% |
| 9Pontevedra | 724 | 741 | +17 | +2% |
| 10Cáceres | 233 | 236 | +3 | +1% |
| 11Guadalajara | 216 | 218 | +2 | +1% |
| 12Lugo | 419 | 422 | +3 | +1% |
| 13Girona | 3,355 | 3,372 | +17 | +1% |
| 14Albacete | 309 | 309 | +0 | +0% |
| 15Cantabria | 647 | 638 | -9 | -1% |
| 16Valencia | 9,492 | 9,350 | -142 | -1% |
| 17Álava | 188 | 185 | -3 | -2% |
| 18Segovia | 94 | 92 | -2 | -2% |
| 19Ávila | 91 | 89 | -2 | -2% |
| 20Tarragona | 3,339 | 3,263 | -76 | -2% |
| 21La Rioja | 209 | 204 | -5 | -2% |
| 22Huelva | 1,112 | 1,085 | -27 | -2% |
| 23Balearic Islands | 18,949 | 18,448 | -501 | -3% |
| 24Castellón | 1,462 | 1,423 | -39 | -3% |
| 25Asturias | 1,155 | 1,122 | -33 | -3% |
| 26Palencia | 54 | 52 | -2 | -4% |
| 27Murcia | 17,177 | 16,522 | -655 | -4% |
| 28Barcelona | 16,570 | 15,818 | -752 | -5% |
| 29Madrid | 11,489 | 10,938 | -551 | -5% |
| 30Toledo | 275 | 261 | -14 | -5% |
| 31Bizkaia | 845 | 797 | -48 | -6% |
| 32Seville | 2,038 | 1,918 | -120 | -6% |
| 33Granada | 6,599 | 6,151 | -448 | -7% |
| 34Cuenca | 71 | 66 | -5 | -7% |
| 35Gipuzkoa | 606 | 562 | -44 | -7% |
| 36Málaga | 53,405 | 49,298 | -4,107 | -8% |
| 37Jaén | 838 | 766 | -72 | -9% |
| 38Alicante | 75,925 | 68,904 | -7,021 | -9% |
| 39León | 191 | 173 | -18 | -9% |
| 40Las Palmas | 13,948 | 12,622 | -1,326 | -10% |
| 41Almería | 17,122 | 15,397 | -1,725 | -10% |
| 42Lleida | 310 | 277 | -33 | -11% |
| 43Navarre | 435 | 388 | -47 | -11% |
| 44Zaragoza | 657 | 577 | -80 | -12% |
| 45Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 15,047 | 13,118 | -1,929 | -13% |
| 46Teruel | 203 | 176 | -27 | -13% |
| 47Melilla | 48 | 41 | -7 | -15% |
| 48Badajoz | 281 | 231 | -50 | -18% |
| 49Soria | 37 | 30 | -7 | -19% |
| 50Córdoba | 1,061 | 859 | -202 | -19% |
| 51Zamora | 48 | 37 | -11 | -23% |
| 52Ceuta | 39 | 27 | -12 | -31% |
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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