Forbes Magazine chose Valencia as the number one city to live in the world, replacing Malaga from the top spot it held the previous year. Alicante occupies the third spot, Madrid the seventh, and finally, Barcelona occupies the 21st spot.
Spain dominates, for another consecutive year, by filling again the top three spots!
Laura Begley Bloom, a Forbes journalist, explains that this year’s report is based on data from over 12,500 expats living in 53 cities across 35 countries. The report evaluates cities on five key indices: quality of life, ease of settling in, personal finance and more. The ranking provides invaluable insight into what it’s like to live abroad, from cost of living to job satisfaction to how easy it is to make friends in a new place.
Spain, governed by a progressive administration, is the second most visited country in the world, with over 94 million tourists every year. It’s a beautiful country to visit or live in. Gorgeous weather, delicious food, affordable prices, great amenities, friendly natives, and ultra-low taxation (in some regions) appeal to foreigners at large. Many of these tourists decide to settle down and buy a property in Spain.
If you plan to move to Spain in 2026, you should know the government introduced a new immigration scheme with significant tax advantages associated with those who qualify: the Digital Nomad Visa. DNV holders can benefit from all the tax advantages that Beckham’s Rule has to offer, paying little to no tax! The only downside is that these tax benefits are time-gated to only six years.
DNVs allow you to live anywhere in Spain; you will be spoilt for choice: Barcelona, Costa del Sol, Granada, Madrid, Malaga, Mallorca, Valencia, Santiago de Compostela, Seville and Sotogrande.
At LNA, our friendly team can assist you in buying (or selling) your property anywhere in Spain. We can also get you any residence visa in Spain. Give us a call!
At Larrain Nesbitt Abogados (LNA) we have over 22 years of experience specialising in property conveyance and taxation all over Spain. We also assist clients with immigration & residency visas, and inheritance procedures (probate). You can contact us by email at info@larrainnesbitt.com, by telephone on our UK line (+44) 0754 3838 218, or Spanish line (+34) 952 19 22 88, or by completing our contact form.
Please note the information provided in this article is of general interest only and is not to be construed or intended as substitute for professional legal advice. This article may be posted freely in websites or other social media so long as the author is duly credited. Plagiarising, whether in whole or in part, this article without crediting the author may result in criminal prosecution. Ní neart go cur le chéile. VOV.
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