Expat Survival Guide

All you Need to Know to Adapt to a New Life in Spain

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Exactly how many expats lives in Spain? Well, statistics from the Spanish Government show that there are around 120,000 British home owners on the Costa del Sol, for example. But most British expats (or those from other countries) don’t show up in the official figures because they are not registered as residents. As a result, other estimates put the figure at something closer to 500,000. A BBC report estimated that the number of British expats living on the Costa del Sol was 350,000, while a Guardian Newspaper report put the figure at 300,000.

Of Spain’s 22 million homeowners as a whole, the government estimates that 3.8 million are foreigners. What is clear is that many find life in Spain a lot different to what they expected. There are positive and negative elements to this. When it comes to business, they find that bureaucracy and issues of non-payment by clients are the major negative factors. However, when it comes to lifestyle, and the welcoming nature of the indigenous population, Spain cannot be faulted. Then there is the issue of integration.

Many northern Europeans complain about ‘immigrants’ in their own countries not learning the language and integrating, yet are quite prepared to come to Spain and do exactly the same thing! Not attempting to learn the language or integrating with the Spanish culture can be a major drawback. However, many have got round this by staying within their own communities, and setting up businesses and services which appeal to customers from their own culture.