The Reason Why Expats are Leaving Spain

Is it all it’s cracked up to be?

Rosa Diaz-Casal
ILLUMINATION
Published in
4 min readSep 12, 2024

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Photo by Aleksandar Pasaric: https://www.pexels.com/photo/aerial-photography-of-city-1388030/

Spain is one of the most desirable places for expats to relocate. You see many stories of Americans moving to Spain. They like the affordable cost of living, the beautiful people, the culture, the healthcare, the safety, so many things.

In the past couple of years, there has been an explosion of expats moving to places like Spain and Portugal. But like any trend, eventually tides can turn.

Many people picked the wrong initial location. It’s important to pick a place where you like the weather and can feel comfortable year-round. You should be able to build a life there where you can follow your interests easily. Some people pick a place and what they thought was going to be one thing, ended up being not for them and they decided just to go home.

The Spaniards themselves tell me that there are lots of bureaucratic challenges that they face every day. Whether it’s getting a driver’s license, a permit to do construction, paying a ticket, a bill, having your phone or internet turned on — all of these things represent some sort of bureaucratic challenge. They take a long time; they require a lot of paperwork — this is something that everyone faces in the country.

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Rosa Diaz-Casal
ILLUMINATION

A human being with mistakes and history sharing practical wisdom. Deeply curious, adventourist and observant student of life. Rosaswalksoflife.substack.com