{"id":26894,"date":"2019-09-05T10:19:45","date_gmt":"2019-09-05T08:19:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/?p=26894"},"modified":"2021-02-17T11:23:26","modified_gmt":"2021-02-17T09:23:26","slug":"6-reasons-barcelona-expat-haven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/6-reasons-barcelona-expat-haven\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Reasons Why Barcelona Is An Expat Haven\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Diverse. Cosmopolitan. Dynamic.<\/span> These, and so m<\/span>any<\/span> more words, often crop up when d<\/span>escribing <\/span>Barcelona<\/span>, <\/span>th<\/span>e<\/span> Mediterranean coastal city that sees <\/span>over <\/span>20 million <\/span>tourists<\/span> per year.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Home to <\/span>1.<\/span>6<\/span> million<\/span> residents<\/span>, Barcelona <\/span>i<\/span>s <\/span>meant <\/span>to be<\/span> lived outdoors<\/span>.<\/span> The city <\/span>is bookended by a mountain range<\/span> making it <\/span>ideal for nature lovers<\/span> and<\/span> five kilometers <\/span>of pristine beaches<\/span> for sun<\/span>–<\/span>worshippers.<\/span> Neighborhoods <\/span>are<\/span> full of <\/span>shaded terraces<\/span> and<\/span> streets are <\/span>constantly <\/span>being converted into <\/span>pedestrian friendly superblocks<\/span> as pa<\/span>rt of a new urban <\/span>revitalization project.<\/span> T<\/span>he metropolis area <\/span>also <\/span>boasts 68 parks <\/span>full of children\u2019s <\/span>playgrounds<\/span>,<\/span> sports facilities <\/span>and <\/span>leash-free dog zones<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fifty-five <\/span>museums<\/span> are <\/span>scattered throughout the <\/span>city<\/span>, a few of which <\/span>showcas<\/span>e t<\/span>he wondrous works of Mir<\/span>\u00f3<\/span> and<\/span> Picasso<\/span>.<\/span> T<\/span>here <\/span>are <\/span>also<\/span> nine UNESCO-protected monuments like Sagrada Familia, Park G\u00fcell, Palau de la M\u00fasica Catalana and Casa Batll\u00f3, with a few of these gems created by <\/span>Gaud<\/span>\u00ed<\/span>, the famed Catalan modernist.<\/span> What more, y<\/span>ou<\/span> can enjoy these activities and sights and so much more all-year round as winters are mild and summers are hot, hot, hot!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

W<\/span>hat makes Barcelona\u00a0<\/span>one of <\/span>the<\/span> most attractive <\/span>features on your resettlement checklist <\/span>is business.<\/span> H<\/span>undreds of multinational companies <\/span>are <\/span>based <\/span>here<\/span> for its <\/span>communications, technology,<\/span> quality of life and <\/span>talented workforce.<\/span>\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here<\/span> are some <\/span>other <\/span>great reasons to be<\/span>come <\/span>an expat in Barcelona:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Cost of Living and Doing Business<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Setting up a business in<\/span> Barcelona is not <\/span>the same as <\/span>in <\/span>other major European cities<\/span> like London<\/span>, Paris or <\/span>Berlin<\/span>. <\/span>That\u2019s because the cost of living here is quite manageable<\/span> so things can get done on a low<\/span>er<\/span> budget<\/span>.<\/span> For example, according <\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>Numbeo<\/span><\/a>, rent prices are 50% and <\/strong><\/span>31% lower in Barcelona than in London and Paris<\/strong> and<\/span> the cost of groceries, 18% and <\/span>41<\/span>% lower, respectively.<\/span> Expatistan even ranks the city 135<\/span>th<\/span> most expensive city in the world, which <\/span>means<\/span> that it\u2019s not that expensive at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Barcelona, l<\/span>ow expenses may<\/span> also <\/span>translate into <\/span>a <\/span>low cost of doing business<\/span>, making it <\/span>quite easy<\/span> to enter an untapped market or launch a startup.<\/span> The cost o<\/span>f<\/span> failure would also be minim<\/span>ized <\/span>compared to being an entrepreneur<\/a> in other major European cities. <\/span>In fact, in 2018 Spain was ranked 28th out of 190 countries in ease of doing business according to the World Bank.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Tech <\/span><\/b>Hub\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Barcelona\u2019s tech and innovation district, 22@Barcelona, is home to <\/span>IT, biomedical, media and energy companies.<\/span> More than <\/span>1<\/span>00 tech companies set up headquarters in 2018 with those numbers expected to grow in the coming years. <\/span>Barcelona is also ranked 6<\/span>th<\/span>, according to ApiumHub, in being one of Europe\u2019s most attractive startup hub<\/strong><\/span>s<\/strong>, <\/span>receiv<\/span>ing<\/span> 871 million euros in investmen<\/span>t funds<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. International Education<\/span><\/b> & Student Life<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Up ten places this year in the QS Best Student Cities, Barcelona is ranked 21st<\/strong><\/span> in providing a great student experience<\/strong>.<\/span> It<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s home to top universities<\/span> ranked in the global top 200 of the\u202fQS World University Rankings<\/span>. <\/span>EU Business School, a<\/span> business institute ranked <\/span>in the top tier for global and European MBA programs<\/a> by CEO magazine<\/span>,<\/span> is also based here<\/span>.<\/span> Barcelona is also home to <\/span>many international schools<\/span>, a huge plus for <\/span>expats with children. <\/span>Students can also get around <\/span>easily<\/span> as the city is well connecte<\/span>d<\/span>. With a T10 Metro card, a single trip <\/span>with the<\/span> bus or metro ends up being <\/span>around <\/span>1 euro!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"expats<\/p>\n

4. Digital Nomadism\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Coworking spaces are popping up and digital nomads are <\/span>here to stay<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>The chill vibes, the food, the <\/span>business opportunities and the <\/span>many things to do in your off time<\/span> make it easy to see why <\/span>a lot of <\/span>these nomads<\/strong><\/span> come to Barcelona and fall in love with the city <\/strong>right away<\/strong>. <\/span>Once settled in, you\u2019ll surely be welcomed by other expats <\/span>as the expat community is <\/span>thriving! T<\/span>here are many networking events held throughout the city, opening door<\/span>s<\/span> to business opportunities <\/span>and mak<\/span>ing it possible to create<\/span> long-lasting friendships<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Multicultural<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

One o<\/span>ther big reason for Barcelona\u2019s popularity among expats <\/span>is <\/span>its <\/span>multicultural make up<\/span>. Not only do locals speak Spanish and Catalan, but there are <\/strong><\/span>over 179 nationalities<\/strong> represented here<\/span> among the growing expat community<\/span>.<\/span> At every turn, you\u2019ll hear Russian, Italian, English and Arabic<\/span> spoken<\/span>.<\/span> That also means there are a lot of<\/span> international<\/span> restaurants <\/span>catering to<\/span> these<\/span> different palates\u201424 Michelin-starred<\/span> to be exact!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Barcelona is <\/span><\/b>Football<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

People are active<\/span> in Barcelona thanks <\/span>to <\/span>its <\/span>great <\/span>sports culture.<\/span> Sailing, cycling, b<\/span>asketball<\/span> and <\/span>volleyball<\/span> are some of the most popular sports<\/span> here<\/span>, but you probabl<\/span>y acquainted yourself with <\/span>the city <\/span>through its football club.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>he city rings familiar all over the world thanks to one of the world\u2019s biggest soccer clubs, FC Barcelona, also known as Bar\u00e7a, the colloquial name for the powerhouse team. <\/span>Bar\u00e7a <\/span>has<\/span> dominated the soccer world for decades with stars like Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Neymar, Rakiti<\/span>\u0107<\/span>,<\/span> Ronaldo and Ibrahimovi\u0107, an international squad of star players<\/strong><\/span> like the international city<\/strong>.<\/span> Though you won<\/span>\u2019<\/span>t find any of these superstars jogging <\/span>through Barceloneta<\/span>, you\u2019ll certainly find <\/span>locals and expats playing <\/span>these <\/span>sports<\/span> and so much more in recreational and leisure areas all over the city.<\/span><\/p>\n

Living abroad is a dream for some while for others it\u2019s a reality. <\/span>Some cities, like Barcelona, even make <\/span>it easier for <\/span>this dream <\/span>to <\/span>become a reality<\/span>. E<\/span>ither to study, search out business or employment opportunities, or to simply enjoy <\/span>your time<\/span>,<\/span> Barcelona attract<\/span>s<\/span> people from all <\/span>over the world<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"study<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Diverse. Cosmopolitan. Dynamic. These, and so many more words, often crop up when describing Barcelona, the Mediterranean coastal city that sees over 20 million tourists per year.\u00a0\u00a0 Home to 1.6 million residents, Barcelona is meant to be lived outdoors. The city is bookended by a mountain range making it ideal for nature lovers and five kilometers of pristine beaches for sun–worshippers. Neighborhoods are full of shaded terraces and streets are constantly being converted into pedestrian friendly superblocks as part of a new urban revitalization project. The metropolis area also boasts 68 parks full of children\u2019s playgrounds, sports facilities and leash-free […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26927,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1781,1774],"tags":[638,620,1329],"class_list":["post-26894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-study-abroad-europe","category-study-business-in-barcelona","tag-barcelona","tag-eu-barcelona","tag-international-experience","post--single"],"yoast_head":"\r\n6 Reasons Why Barcelona Is An Expat Haven\u00a0\u00a0 | EU Business School<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/6-reasons-barcelona-expat-haven\/\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"EU Business School\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.euruni.edu\\\/blog\\\/6-reasons-barcelona-expat-haven\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"EU Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.euruni.edu\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"EU Campuses\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.euruni.edu\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/eu-business-school-campuses\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Study in Barcelona\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.euruni.edu\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/eu-business-school-campuses\\\/study-business-in-barcelona\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"6 Reasons Why Barcelona Is An Expat Haven\u00a0\u00a0\"}]}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"6 Reasons Why Barcelona Is An Expat Haven\u00a0\u00a0 | EU Business School","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/6-reasons-barcelona-expat-haven\/","author":"EU Business School","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/6-reasons-barcelona-expat-haven\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"EU Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"EU Campuses","item":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/category\/eu-business-school-campuses\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Study in Barcelona","item":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/category\/eu-business-school-campuses\/study-business-in-barcelona\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"6 Reasons Why Barcelona Is An Expat Haven\u00a0\u00a0"}]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26894"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26894\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30261,"href":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26894\/revisions\/30261"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.euruni.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}