What are the benefits of moving to Spain to retire?

As anyone who has already done it will tell you, spending your retirement in Spain offers plenty of benefits in terms of physical and mental health, and general wellbeing. You may also find doing so comes with financial benefits too, depending upon where you are moving from.

Spain remains one of the most popular destinations for those seeking a change of scenery once their working lives end and they can enjoy endless free time at last – but what makes it so sought-after?

Here are some of the features of Spain that lead thousands of new pensioners to set up home here every year:

Climate

One of the key reasons for choosing a retirement in Spain is the climate, particularly on the islands, in the south and on the Mediterranean. On average, year-round temperatures are higher than in central and northern Europe, winter daylight hours are longer, and sunshine is abundant. In fact, even when the weather is cool, it is often still sunny, meaning a constant and free source of vitamin D – essential for bone and immune system health.

Some new pensioners considering moving to Spain may have concerns that it could, in reality, be too hot. Whilst it is true that the main summer months, from approximately June to September, can be extremely hot with temperatures well above 30ºC and high humidity, this is not the case all year round. Winters normally require a coat, but biting cold is rare at sea-level, and spring and autumn are mild, without being hot.

Much of Spain is at an altitude, given that it is the second-most mountainous country in Europe after Switzerland, meaning cold weather and even snow are possible in inland areas. Here, most homes are built with central heating as standard, and older properties frequently have wood-burning stoves and chimneys. On the coasts and islands, though, very little winter heating is needed, and air-conditioning units double up as heaters for those few weeks a year when it is.

All this means your winter heating costs are likely to be much lower than in central or northern Europe, but you may need to use your air-conditioning a lot in summer.

Lifestyle and culture

Thanks to the mild weather in spring, autumn and winter, life in Spain takes place outdoors far more than in colder countries. The benefits of this are obvious: Fresh air, vitamin D, and greater contact with other people, helping to combat isolation. Also, it means you can always find 'something to do' that doesn't have to cost money: In colder climates, wanting to get out of the house and enjoy a 'change of scenery' normally involves finding an indoor pursuit, such as shopping. In most of Spain and for most of the year, you can simply sit in a pavement café and watch the world go by, or go out for a walk on the beach, in the countryside or around town.

Despite common misconceptions, the pace of life in Spain is not necessarily slower, more relaxed, or less hassle than in any other first-world country – but it is much easier, in Spain, to simply 'be' rather than 'do'.

It's actually hard to get bored in Spain, because there's always something happening and a lot of it costs little or nothing. Nearly every town celebrates its patron saint fiestas once a year, which go on for several days and include vibrant, colourful processions, live music, street theatre, concerts, fêtes, and themed markets. Fiestas also take place during other key dates such as Easter or on the 'regional day' for wherever you live. In between these, craft markets, shopping and trade fairs, and open-air music shows are frequent, especially in summer, providing a constant backdrop of entertainment that anyone can enjoy. Spain has a very strong arts and culture scene, with almost all children learning to play at least one musical instrument at school, and its outdoor lifestyle means all ages of Spaniards get heavily involved in sports. Even if you're not keen on or able to take part in them yourself, public sporting events are a regular feature of Spanish life, and a great source of spectator entertainment.

Food: Eating out and grocery shopping

Much of the day-to-day culture in Spain revolves around food. The country holds the record for the highest number of bars and restaurants per inhabitant in the world, meaning wherever you are, there'll be somewhere to stop for a coffee, a cool drink or a snack within a few paces. Eating out is not necessarily considered a luxury in Spain – it can be, and the high number of Michelin-starred restaurants nationwide is testimony to that – but it can also simply be an alternative to cooking at home.

Spain remains one of the most affordable countries in the developed world for eating and drinking outside the home, and its cuisine is so widely varied that you may find completely different dishes even between neighbouring towns. All regions have vastly different 'traditional' recipes – to such an extent that many Spaniards are surprised by the food when they travel elsewhere in their own country.

Portions in restaurants in Spain are typically smaller and more 'manageable', home-made, using locally-sourced ingredients, and cooked to order. National law makes it compulsory for restaurants to allow you to take home any uneaten food upon request, and prepare it for you in containers, meaning little or no waste – and getting your money's worth.

Not everyone in Spain follows the 'Mediterranean diet' – even if they live on the Mediterranean. But a swift tour of any supermarket in Spain will show you that heavily-processed food and 'ready meals' are extremely rare. Whilst this can be disconcerting at first, if you are not used to buying raw ingredients and cooking, it does mean that your weekly grocery shop will generally be healthier and more nutritious. Visitors from abroad are often surprised by the huge space given to the fruit and vegetable sections and how enormous the fish counters are in coastal areas. Fruit and vegetables are more likely to be nationally or even locally sourced – imports only make up a small proportion – so you're guaranteed fresh, in-season produce.

Access to healthcare

Being able to see a doctor, get prescriptions and treatment whenever you need it and without being faced with a huge bill is high on pensioners' priority lists when moving abroad. Fortunately, you can do so in Spain if you are in receipt of a State pension from your home country, or are a permanent resident who has been registered as living there for at least five years.

You may be able to access the public health system in some cases even if you have retired early and have not lived in Spain for five years – you can find out more on this subject in our article Can expat retirees access free healthcare in Spain?

Once you are registered, public healthcare in Spain is free at the point of use, meaning you only need to pay for prescriptions. State pensioners, from any country, receive their prescriptions free of charge. Prescription charges are not a set fee in Spain, as they are in some countries – if you are not yet eligible for free prescriptions, you pay a percentage of the retail cost of your medication, which is usually fairly small.

Public healthcare in Spain is generally of a similar quality to that found anywhere else in Europe, alhough standards and waiting lists often differ by area.

If you prefer to use private health insurance for all or part of your medical needs, you will have access to some excellent-quality clinics, many of which have multi-lingual or multi-national staff. Where you decide to pay for treatment or consultations privately despite being covered by the public health system, costs are typically lower than in many other European countries.

Making friends: International communities vs total immersion

You might decide to move to an area with a high population of international residents, or perhaps to somewhere 'completely Spanish'. This will depend upon what kind of life you want to lead in your post-work years.

If you opt for the former, many coastal areas are highly cosmopolitan, and a community of fellow expats on your doorstep is practically guaranteed. This means you can socialise with people from your own country, people who speak your language, or alternatively, can make friends with a wide range of other nationalities and cultures. Being around your compatriots and sharing a native language can be a huge comfort factor in your early years in a brand-new country, and contact with several other cultures can be enormously enriching. You may make friends with people from a totally different background and society to your own, or you might be surprised at how similar your own culture is to that of others from different countries who speak different languages.

Whichever is the case, living in the heart of an expatriate community means everyone you meet has something in common with you: The experience of moving abroad and finding your feet in Spain. This can mean you gain crucial social support in the beginning, when it's all new – and may later become that support for someone else in the future.

Expatriate communities often include a significant proportion of retirees, so you'll meet people of a similar age. And as many are keen to remain active in retirement, you will probably find a large network of clubs, societies and hobby groups to join, or charitable organisations to help out with.

As an example, the British-based organisation for the over-55s, the U3A, is open to all nationalities and has a major presence on Spain's coasts and islands, running numerous hobby groups ranging from crafts to board games and even sports.

Some new expatriates prefer to live in a 'more Spanish' community, keen to learn or improve their language skills and experience local culture. One of the greatest benefits of moving abroad is discovering a whole new world, traditions, customs and trends. And the benefits of speaking a second or additional language are widely documented, with some studies claiming it keeps your brain active and healthy for longer.

Another option is to live in a 'completely Spanish' community, but within a short distance of a popular expatriate zone. This means you can benefit from both worlds and widen your social circle.

Lower living costs

Living costs have risen in almost every country in the past few years, but Spain remains one of the cheapest nations in western Europe. Compared with more northern or central European countries, such as the UK, Ireland, France and Germany, Spain is generally more affordable. Naturally, this varies considerably by area; more popular parts, such as holiday areas and big cities, can be more expensive. Some living costs are set by local councils, such as car tax, property tax, and water bills, meaning there can be enormous variations. But overall, people moving to Spain from elsewhere in Europe tend to find their outgoings are substantially lower than they were in their home countries.

Property, whether renting or buying, is usually cheaper in Spain than in neighbouring countries. You can find a huge selection of both, in almost all parts of Spain, in our Property for Sale and Property to Rent sections.

To read more on how much money you might need for your retirement, a comprehensive breakdown can be found in our article Living in Spain: Cost of living guide 2024.

Ease, speed and affordability of travelling 'home'

One of the greatest sources of doubt about moving to another country, especially in retirement, is the thought of being a long way from family and friends. Yet in many cases, this might be purely psychological: The method of travel for them to visit you or you to visit them may be different, but the time taken and cost involved may be very similar.

Spain's airport network is very decentralised, and in most popular expatriate regions, there's at least one terminal in every province. They are well served by a wide range of flight paths and airlines, with direct connections to nearly every major city in Europe; in fact, wherever you live in mainland Spain, you're rarely more than one to three hours by air from anywhere else on the continent. Even taking into account travelling to and from airports, checking in, and waiting at the departure gates, living in Spain means you can get 'home' within half a day. Or even less, in fact, if your home country is in the Schengen zone – Spain is, too, which means you don't need to bother with passport control.

International rail networks in Spain are beginning to expand, too, with connections from Barcelona and Madrid to southern France, and plans to extend these further in the next couple of years. Also, Spain has an excellent motorway network with surprisingly light traffic – a three-hour drive will nearly always take you three hours, rather than stretching to seven or 10 hours at rush hour or on Sunday nights.

For Europeans seeking a new home in a warmer climate, Spain is often among the top choices due to the ease and relatively low cost of travelling to their country of origin for visits. You're also ideally placed to take short breaks to other countries in Europe.

Location is, of course, crucial when deciding if living in Spain is right for you, and if regular family trips are important to you, then you may decide to relocate as near as possible to an airport. You are likely to have other criteria, too, when considering your Spanish retirement spot, meaning you might find you actually have too much choice. If you need some guidance to help you get started, you may find it useful to read our article The best places to retire in Spain.