Spain for Digital Nomads: The Ultimate Guide

Spain, a country known for tapas, sangria and stunning beaches. Unsurprisingly, this country is rapidly increasing in popularity among digital nomads, and is quickly creating a name for itself as digital nomad hotspot. It’s the perfect place for those working remotely, who want to get things done, but also wind down to a leisurely pace. Life just seems more enjoyable when here! Here is the ultimate guide on Spain for digital nomads!

Introduction

Historically, the land which is now Spain has been a part of several different civilizations and cultures. Upon the rise of the Spanish Empire, it became a true worldwide force, with the peak of their power between the 16th and 17th century. Today, world powers have shifted, but Spain remains a beautiful country with a rich culture and history, along with beautiful beaches and cities. From coastlines, to mountains, the landscape in Spain is highly diverse. It’s known throughout Europe, and the world, as having fair and sunny weather almost year round. But believe it or not it’s also home to snow capped mountains, and sometimes during exceptionally cold winters, snowy cities! Most travelers coming to Spain are drawn here for the food, historic cities, beaches, nightlife and warm culture.

Practical Info

Visa

Spain is part of the Shengen EU. This means you can travel freely throughout Spain and the other Shengen states, with just a Shengen Tourist Visa. With the tourist visa, you can stay within Spain and the other Shengen countries, for a combined maximum of 90 days.

American travelers can obtain a Shengen tourist visa on arrival in Spain, or when landing in any other Shengen country.

Wifi

Spain’s wifi currently ranks as the 38th fastest in the world on mobile speeds. According to Speed Test, in February 2021, Spain’s wifi averages 38 mpbs download speed in mobile, while averaging 189 mpbs on fixed broadband. The wifi quality has improved a lot over the last decade, and most digital nomads in Spain will experience more than sufficient wifi speeds for most types of work.

The wifi works best in the larger cities, while on some islands you may experience slower connections. Ask your accommodation about wifi speeds, if you are concerned about specific locations that are more remote.

Weather

The weather in Spain, can generally be considered better than other parts of Europe. While the weather varies a bit depending on the exact location, you can expect hot summers, perfect for beach days, and somewhat mild winters. Here’s what to expect in each season.

Spring

The winters in Spain tend to end a bit earlier than the rest of Western Europe, giving way to warmer spring temperatures as early as the beginning of March. Daytime temperatures are usually between 60F – 75F, normally reaching the higher end of those numbers in May. The end of spring is considered by many to be the best time to visit Spain for best weather, and to beat the summer crowds.

Summer

Summers in Spain can be a glorious time to visit, if you are staying in close proximity to a beach and ocean breeze. Otherwise, it can be really too hot to bear in the cities. Characterized by stifling dry heat, the daytime temperatures can exceed 90 F easily. Luckily, Spanish culture is very active in the evenings, when the weather cools down. So you can still visit in summer, while avoiding the midday heat, and still have a social life.

Autumn

Autumn is my personal favorite time to visit Spain. As the rest of Western Europe starts to get cold, Spain is still getting hot weather, although much more comfortable levels than in summer. With daytime temperatures between 60 F – 80 F, you can still hit the beach early in the season and enjoy most outdoor activities comfortably.

Winter

Although Spain is seen as a warm destination, it does actually get cold. Depending on the year, the winter can either be slightly chilly to straight up cold. In 2021, Madrid even experienced several days of snow, something that does not normally happen, but can. Average daytime temperatures are around 50 F, which can go as low as 30 F in some areas some years. The coldest month is January, which also coincides with low season.

Cost of Living

The cost of living in Spain can be quite affordable, which may come as a surprise. The costs are much cheaper than its other Western Europe neighbors, and one can easily live here comfortably on $1500 – $2000 USD a month. Most ESL teachers living in Spain, only make about $1200 USD, so it’s possible to live even cheaper, if you mind your budget.

Accommodation

You can rent an entire apartment in the city center of Madrid for as low as $700 USD a month. If you choose to live somewhere cheaper, like Valencia, it can be much lower. Also, If you’d prefer to rent just a room, with shared common areas, you can expect to spend as little as $300 – $500 USD a month.

Food

The food in Spain is not cheap necessarily, but the quality for what you pay is amazing. Having a glass of wine at a bar in Madrid can be just 2 – 3 Euros. Tapas can cost anywhere from 1 to 4 euros a dish. These aren’t big enough to have as meals, but when split with one or a few other people, a meals of tapas won’t normally break the bank.

You can have an amazing sit down meal with seafood or meat, with drinks, and it will likely be far cheaper than what you’d pay in The States. Of course, if you ate out every single day your budget will go up quickly. If you cook, and eat out some of the time, you can expect to pay $75 USD on food a week, or up to $300 a month.

Transport

Getting around Spain is pretty easy, and usually isn’t too expensive. To get from city to city, you have lots of options, from low cost flights, to train travel. For example, a Ryan Air flight from Madrid to Mallorca, can be as low as $17 USD one way. For those really on a budget, you can opt to take Blablah car when traveling from city to city. This is a carpooling rideshare app for long distance and intercity travel. The price is set by the driver but usually below $20 for a ride to another city within Spain.

Activities

If you want to do paid activities in Spain, this is where it can get pricy. Since Spain has become an extremely popular tourist destination, you as the visitor are paying for that. Touristy activities will cost you a premium price. For example, to visit the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona you’ll be expected to pay $25 USD (20 euros) to get in. These types of prices are pretty standard throughout the country, and if you want to visit tourist sites or go on a sunset boat cruise, it will cost you. Not all digital nomads are into paid activities, so depending on you, this is where you will really either save money or drive up your budget.

Where to Stay

There are many ideal places in Spain for digital nomads. It’s hard to select just a few, but for best wifi quality, and general everyday life quality, I have picked the cities below.

Madrid

A top choice in Spain for digital nomads is Madrid. This is a beautiful cosmopolitan city, with huge parks for relaxing in by day, and a bustling nightlife scene that goes late into the night. And not to mention, like, really beautiful people. Seriously, how does everyone look so damn good?! Living in Madrid is a perfect blend of a place to be productive, but also have a lot of fun.

Madrid is centrally located in the country, making it an easy base for traveling all around Spain by road or by air. However, the costs in here are among the highest in the country, a bit of downside. Also the summers here are a bit extreme, so depending on your tolerance for heat, if you’re visiting in summer, maybe consider a coastal city instead.

Valencia

If you prefer to be near the sea, but don’t want to give up city life, Valencia is your best bet. In fact, for my next trip to Spain as a digital nomad, I’d probably choose Valencia as my base. The cost of living here is much cheaper than Barcelona or Madrid. But the city is no less vibrant or favorable. There is a large university population here, so lots of younger people who may speak more English too.

It’s also said that Valencia is one of the best city for food in all of Spain. After all, it is the home of the original paella! Plus its close proximity to the sea provides you lots of options for fresh seafood. And the best part? it’s affordable. It’s no wonder that Valencia is quickly becoming the next digital nomad hub in Spain.

Seville

Seville is a great digital nomad base for those interested in history and the cultural side of Spain. It’s a beautiful city with some of the most stunning architecture in the country. You don’t need to leave the city to discover historically significant points of interest, but Seville also has just the right amount of modernism you’d want from city living.

Another positive of Seville, is the nightlife. From flamenco bars, to live music that goes late into the night, wine bars, this is truly a partygoers paradise in Spain. Seville would be perfect for the social digital nomad or the night owl.

Barcelona

I will include Barcelona, because it is popular among digital nomads and notoriously popular for tourists. On one hand, it’s a great place in Spain for digital nomads. It’s a huge city, with it’s own very lively beach, interesting architecture, and excellent nightlife. There are lots of things for digital nomads to love about Barcelona.

However, my personal tolerance for Barcelona decreases with every visit. Pickpocketing is rampant. It’s really dirty and smells bad. But the biggest issues are the negative impacts of over-tourism and what this means for the locals. Barcelona has become too popular for it’s own good and while here, you can really feel the strain this puts on the the locals. One direct result of over-tourism, is that rental prices are becoming too pricy for locals to afford. It’s not hard to see why the general attitude of some have become quite hostile towards tourists. For me, I’d prefer not to contribute to that, and would avoid Barcelona as my digital nomad base in Spain.

What to Do

Alhambra in Granada

Granada itself is worthy of a visit, but the absolute highlight of this city is the beautiful Alhambra. This historic beauty, was originally built as a fortress and a palace at one point. It was constructed under Moorish rule, and its Arabic roots are very easy to see upon visiting. The structure itself shows off some very iconic Moorish architectural styles, from intricately carved out doorways, to the tiling on the floors.

This is easily one of the most beautiful buildings in all of Spain, and for those interested in history, will be a highlight while in the country.

Escape to the Canary Islands

An absolute dream destination in Spain, are the infamous Canary Islands. While these are actually located much closer to Africa, they are technically part of Spain and culture wise, are definitely European.

There are 7 islands in total, making up the Canary Islands. Tenerife is the largest island, and home to an active volcano. For the best beaches, head to Fuerteventura or La Palma. For hiking, the best island for you is Gran Canaria. Whichever island you choose, will have something amazing to offer. Luckily, the location of the islands is further south than the rest of Spain. So even when it starts to get cold in winter on the mainland, the Canary Islands generally have favorable weather year round.

Party in Ibiza

Depending on the person reading this, this may either already be on your bucket list, or you are rolling your eyes at the prospect. Either way, a visit to Ibiza is on many people’s itinerary in Spain for digital nomads. If you love EDM music, posh club scenes, and paying 25 euros for a cocktail, look no further. The DJs on the roster here are world famous, and you’ll gain serious bragging rights by saying you’ve partied in Ibiza.

In my early 20s, nothing felt cooler to me than partying in Ibiza, night and day with zero inhibitions. However, generally speaking, the crowds here usually are a bit older. It’s not a raunchy college student or backpacker party spot by any means. You can also spend time at some fabulous beaches while here. The most beautiful sunset I’ve seen to date was on a party boat in Ibiza.

Rioja

If it’s wine you’re after, then you must pay a visit to the Rioja Region. This is Spain’s very own wine producing region, where you can try out some Spanish wine, at one of the 500 something wineries here. This region is beautiful, and when you aren’t wine tasting or dining at one of the Michelin starred restaurants, you can go for hikes to take in the best scenery of the region.

Toledo

If you are based in Madrid, you have no excuse to miss out on Toledo. It can be reached from Madrid within 40 minutes, and holds a lot of significance in both history and culture. Also know as the “Imperial City”, this city earned its title as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. A visit here will take you back through time, visiting the same structures and sites of the Roman Empire, to Moorish rule, and more.

Toledo is also regarded as a gastronomic center of Spain. If fine dining is your thing, then you will absolutely love Toledo.

Eat Tapas

This isn’t a place, but it’s one of the best things about visiting Spain, that keeps me dreaming of coming back every time. I can’t even name off half the tapas I’ve had in my life, because I don’t remember what they are called. However, I can assure you I remember a lot of them, because they are soooo good.

You could spend your whole trip eating your way through the country, one small plate at a time. What makes tapas so enticing, is the fact that they are small, meaning you have no guilt when ordering anything. Try it all! They also make the perfect type of food to share with company. The makings of a perfect night are tapas, wine and some friends, it’s that simple. Some staple favorites to try are patatas bravas, pincho de tortilla, calamari, croquettes, anything with jamon and basically everything with seafood. Bring on the weight gain!

Go to a Soccer Game

Soccer, football, or whatever you prefer to call it, watching a match here is an exciting experience for all. Even if you have no interest in soccer normally, being among this type of excitement and energy is unforgettable. I do not consider myself a fan of soccer, but I’ll never forget watching Cristiano Ronaldo score the game-winning goal in Madrid against Valencia. To say the crowd went crazy is a vast understatement. For a really fun insight into Spanish culture, try to make it to at least one game while here. It will be a very invigorating experience regardless of your level of interest in sports.

Park Guell in Barcelona

This is definitely a touristy activity in Spain, but one that shouldn’t be missed. This park has exploded with popularity in recent years, and they’ve had to implement a ticketing system for visitors, to ensure there aren’t too many people at any time. You’ll need to plan ahead, but this park is an icon of Barcelona, and home to beautiful artwork. It’s a quirky and vibrant park like no other you’ve visited before.

Spain for Digital Nomads

The Positives

Cheap Costs in Western Europe

Spain is not really a budget destination, but in Western Europe, the prices don’t really get much better than this. If you are a budget oriented digital nomad, you can easily spend as little as $1200 a month here. This is a fraction of what you’d pay in neighboring France, or other European destinations.

Beautiful Beaches

Spain is home to some seriously amazing beaches. While having many of its own islands and coastlines, this isn’t really surprising. Some of the best beach sunsets I’ve seen in Europe were in Spain. Ibiza is mostly known for its parties, but you’ll be happy to find stunning beaches during your stay. This fact also rings true for the other island destinations such as Mallorca and Tenerife. Many of the beaches stay warm way past the end of the conventional summertime too. This is mostly true in the south, where you can enjoy swimming at the beach well into autumn.

Relatively Good Climate

I am using the word relatively good, because as mentioned before, summers can be extreme, and winters can get cold. However, Spain is generally considered one of the more favorable countries for climate in Europe. It’s no wonder why it’s such a popular destination among Europeans as well as people from all around the world. Visiting in the should seasons still usually offer beautiful, warm weather. Therefore, in Spain you have a pretty big window of time to visit during for warm weather, with winter being the only exception.

The Food

When thinking of Spanish food, maybe jamon meat and tapas come to mind. While these are both amazing, Spanish food is so much more than that. Some of the best seafood I’ve had was in Spain. Likewise, there have been countless unique tapa dishes I have no chance of remembering the names of, that were insanely good. You’ll try a lot of dishes here you won’t find elsewhere.

Nightlife Culture

For the party lovers, there may be no better place than Spain for digital nomads. Spanish culture in itself, runs late into the evening, with normal dining hours being well after 9 PM! Any evening in any city, you’ll find people out and about at night, first having late dinner, and then drinks somewhere. And for most, the evening doesn’t end there. Spanish nightlife is all about going late into the evening, which often turns into morning. If you are a night owl or party animal, this is your place.

Easygoing Lifestyle

My favorite part of Spain for digital nomads, is this feeling of ease and relaxation that seems to come from the culture here. At the most stressful points in my trip, like preparing for a job interview or a transition in my work, I’ve found Spain to be an amazing refuge and place to clear the mind. People here just seem to enjoy life more. The sun just seems to shine a little brighter. Whatever it is, I always wake up feeling extra motivated and with a zest for life and work, ready to take on the day. Spain is the perfect place to wind down while still getting things done as a digital nomad.

Spanish is Easy to Pick Up

If you are linguistically challenged like me, you’ll be happy to know that Spanish seems to be easier to learn. Unlike French or other European languages, Spanish seems to come more easily. The language itself comes without any challenging accents, or impossibly difficult words to read like let’s say, German.

The Negatives

English Not Always Spoken

Depending where you go, English may not be widely spoken. In cities like Madrid, a majority of younger people know some English, and many know enough to communicate. This isn’t a huge downside, as you should try to learn some Spanish while here. But I’ll mention it, because it is an extra challenge when choosing Spain as a digital nomad base.

Pickpocketing Issues

My personal biggest issue with Spain, is the petty crime that takes place in the cities and places frequented by tourists. This issue seems to have gotten worse over time. Of the handful of times I’ve been to Spain, I never had issues until a few years ago. The last 2 times I’ve visited, someone has robbed me in broad daylight. The trip before that, someone tried to.

It surprises my local friends, but when I’ve asked other travelers it seems all too common. It’s gotten to a point where I’d consider Spain to be the country I feel the least safe to have my phone in my hand anywhere in public. in Western Europe.

Over-tourism

This issue is mostly prevalent in Barcelona, where it’s own popularity has far exceeded its capacity. There are simply too many visitors in Barcelona, and the result is inflated price of goods, skyrocketing Airbnb and rent prices, negative impacts on locals, and in turn more petty crimes against tourists. My last visit to Barcelona, I saw several vandalized walls, near tourists hotspots that read “Tourists Go Home” or something similar. Honestly, I can see why locals would feel this way, and I try not to contribute to the issue anymore by rarely including Barcelona in my itinerary.

You Might Get Fat

This may be a personal observation, but I have no idea how most Spaniards are so hot and in shape. The lifestyle itself is not exactly what I’d consider the beacon of health and fitness. The meat dishes are heavy, the Sangria is abundant, as well as the food. Pair that with late night eating and drinking habits, plus a social life that revolves around consumption, and it seems I always leave Spain with tighter pants. You may not have this issue, but I am sure I can’t be alone in this regard.

Safety for Digital Nomads

Spain is a relatively safe country. In 2020, it ranked as the 38th safest country in the world according to the Global Peace Index. It also ranked as a green country, meaning it is considered an overall safe country (for perspective, the USA ranks as a very low yellow country). Visiting Spain as a digital nomad, is unlikely to expose you to any serious crimes or danger. However, petty crimes and theft are unfortunately very common. These incidents are usually targeted against tourists, so if you ask a Spaniard, they may deny these dangers. But the statistics suggest otherwise.

Avoid Pickpocketing

The best way to counter this is to not make yourself a target. Walking around with a camera or even your phone constantly in hand, screams rob me. Also, minding the way you dress will go a long way. Spanish people dress casually, but they look very polished. When you arrive, observe, see how locals dress and behave and try to blend in a bit.

If you are in or near a tourist site, be extra vigilant. Even if you leave your bag or purse unzipped for 3 seconds, that’s all it takes to get mugged. Be extra careful, zip all bags, leave valuables at your Airbnb, and never put your bag on the floor or the seat next to you. This is the best advice I can give you, after losing two phones to pickpocketers in Spain.

Credit Card Scams

This is a relatively new issue in Spain, and one I didn’t experience myself. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen (it happened to me elsewhere in Europe many times). Some scammers have developed clever tactics to steal credit card information. From fraudulent scanning devices at atms, to somehow getting your card information at another place you may make a legitimate purchase from, it can happen. However, this doesn’t need to be a huge issue.

If you are American, it’s likely that you have multiple credit cards. I’d suggest only bringing one out at all times, and maybe a bit of cash. That way, if your cards are stolen or compromised for whatever reason, you can just cancel it, claim it as fraud, and you won’t have to pay for the fraudulent charges. You’ll also have your other cards safely stowed away at your Airbnb to use until your bank sends you a new one to replace the compromised one.

Spain for Solo Female Digital Nomads

As a female visitor, I did not encounter any issues while in Spain, any of the times I visited. Although I visited alone many times, no one ever approached me unwarranted, or harassed me. In fact, people were very respectful and let me go about my business all the time. If you want to be extra safe, just avoid walking around at night alone. Even if you don’t run into any harassment issues, as a woman alone, you could become a target for pickpocketing easily.

Final Word

And that wraps up this guide on Spain for digital nomads. It is easily one of the best places in Europe for digital nomad life. From beaches, to food to the nightlife, it has everything you’d want for an amazing work life balance. The only problem with choosing Spain for digital nomads, is the difficulty you’ll have with leaving!

And over to you? What was your experience in Spain like as a digital nomad, or traveler? Let me know below!

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