Barcelona, a hotspot for Digital Nomads

Hi, I am Mateusz, a Software Developer working remotely from different places in Europe, currently located in Barcelona. In this article, I’d like to share my view on Barcelona as a great location for Digital Nomads. Let’s get started!

Barcelona, Spain (Catalonia)

Languages: Spanish, Catalan, English
Barcelona does not have to be introduced to anyone. It is a trendy city with rich culture, a long history, people from all around the world, and multiple tech companies and workers settling down here. So, as one of the Digital Nomads living in this city for a while, let me give you a brief overview of what your life might look like while being here.

Coworking spaces

One of the things that certainly surprised me is that in this city, there are multiple coworking spots where you can join the office and do your job while staying with other workers from tons of companies from all around the world. One of the coworking offices that I’ve rented for a while was located right next to the beach in the area of W hotel. In the picture, there’s a way to my rented an office that I passed once in a while – impressive, isn’t it? Palm trees, blue sky, and sun definitely set your mood for the whole day and make it easier to work efficiently 😉

Multiple activities

When you arrive in a new city, you probably don’t know anyone. The great thing about Barcelona is that there are a lot of activities which encourage you to participate in local society life and help you to get to know some new friends. Applications like Meetup or VolleyWorld make it easy to subscribe for an event and spend a great time together with others. You can attend events such as dancing classes, surfing, stand up paddle, language exchange, or beach volleyball.

Hundreds of cafeterias, bars, and clubs

Barcelona has plenty of places to hang out in. Here you can find bars with diverse themes, products from many countries like Ireland, England, France, Italy, Mexico and many more. Of course, it works the same with the diversity of restaurants.
Regarding the nightlife, this is one of the things that Barcelona is known about. Many high-quality music clubs are located right here, and those will undoubtedly entertain you any day you feel like going dancing.

Practical Numbers

Food:

Pizza 6-12 EUR (depending on the place)
Burger King meal (a burger + drink + fries) 7-8 EUR
Paella (a portion for 2 people) 15-28 EUR

Monthly regular shopping:

80-90 EUR for grocery

Flat rental:

Starting from 650 EUR per month for a small flat. It is a good idea to rent a flat with someone like your friends or girlfriend as the cost goes down a lot and you know the person with who you are living.

Flat locations:

If you want to live close to the beach – Barceloneta
If you want to stay in a tourist area – El Born, El Gotico
If you want to stay in the prettier parts of Barcelona, look for a flat in the center of the city (Eixample, Gracia, Poblenou, and others)
Citizens of Barcelona agree with the fact that it is better to avoid living in El Raval. Flats are the cheapest, and they seem nice, but the district is definitely one of the least pretty and the least safe in the whole city.

Transportation:

Ticket for ten journeys (bus, metro, etc.) 11 EUR
Barcelona has excellent public transport and also it is easy to walk somewhere, so you don’t have to worry about difficult journeys.

Weather:

Usually, it is sunny and warm in Barcelona. However, in winter it might get a bit colder, and some of the houses are really old and have no central heating, so be prepared for the situation when in your house it gets colder than outside, in winter 🙂
There is no need to take a winter jacket to Barcelona. An autumn jacket is perfectly fine. There are just a few rainy days so you will not need an umbrella often.

Money handling:

It is not necessary to create a bank account
If your country is not in the eurozone, my personal recommendation would be Revolut as you can easily exchange your money to diverse currencies and use your card with your phone
I recommend tracking your expenses with spendings tracking apps like Mint, Goodbudget, Monefy, PocketGuard, and many more…

Health and safety:

Barcelona is a pretty safe place. All you need to do is avoid one or two districts that do not have a great reputation. Moreover, it is common that in Barcelona, people are getting robbed of their phones, wallets, etc. Usually, tourists who are not paying much attention on the street and are holding their belongings in an inappropriate way might get robbed easily. Especially in the small streets, it is easier to have something stolen.
Honestly, I’ve heard many stories about that, though thankfully, it never happened to me. Just pay attention, and you should be fine.

Local community:

There are plenty of people in Barcelona doing plenty of stuff. Whatever your hobby is, indeed, you will find a group of people sharing this passion with you. To get to know what is being organized and how to join some event, the best and most popular app is Meetup. It lets you browse through events happening in Barcelona and participate in language exchanges, dance classes, volleyball matches, and many more.

Local specifics:

Barcelona, as the capital city of Catalonia, has a strong culture and many people here speak the Catalan language. You will see many of the streets having Catalan names (Carrer instead of Spanish calle) or advertisements, ticket machine languages, cashiers in the shop. Many of them will be able to communicate with you in Catalan. The language sounds like a mix of French, Italian, Portuguese, and everything else but Spanish.

To conclude

Hopefully, I encouraged you to put Barcelona on your Digital Nomad’s list of places to try out. It is worth it!
Can’t wait for more stories like this? Check out our blog to read about more destinations for digital nomads and valuable hints.