Lifestyle · 3 min read
Spain among the best countries for expats: Valencia, Málaga and Alicante top the city ranking
23 November 2023 · Hansson & Hertzell
In the InterNations Expat City Ranking 2024, Valencia, Málaga and Alicante took the top three places. How Spain and its cities rank, and what it means if you are considering the Costa Blanca.
Year after year, Spain lands near the top of international surveys of where it is best to live as an expat. If you are thinking about a home on the Costa Blanca, there is a particular reason to care: two of the top cities are on this coast or right next to it.
Spanish cities at the top of the expat ranking
In the InterNations Expat City Ranking 2024, reported by Forbes in November 2024, Spanish cities took the first three places:
- Valencia
- Málaga
- Alicante
Madrid came seventh and Barcelona 21st. Alicante is the provincial capital of the Costa Blanca, and Alicante-Elche airport is the gateway for most people moving to the coast, from Torrevieja in the south to Calpe and Jávea in the north.
Spain as a country
In InterNations' annual Expat Insider survey, Spain ranked fourth in 2024, ninth in 2025 and sixth in 2026 among the countries ranked. The position moves from year to year, but Spain has been in the upper part of the table in all three editions.
What makes Spain attractive to international residents?
Climate and outdoor life
The Costa Blanca is dry and sunny. The official weather station in Alicante (AEMET, 1981-2010 normals) records an average annual temperature of about 18 °C, around 2,850 hours of sunshine a year and only about 310 mm of rain. That makes outdoor living easy all year round.
Healthcare
There are public and private hospitals along the coast, including in Torrevieja, Alicante and Benidorm. Read more in our guide to healthcare for expats on the Costa Blanca.
Community
The Costa Blanca has a large, established international population, with many Scandinavian, British and Dutch residents. Newcomers quickly find clubs and friends.
Frequently asked questions
Which Spanish city did expats rank highest?
Valencia, followed by Málaga and Alicante, in the InterNations Expat City Ranking 2024.
Is the Costa Blanca a good place to buy a home?
That depends on what you are looking for, but the choice is wide: new builds, villas and townhouses in every price range. See our complete guide to buying property on the Costa Blanca.
Can Hansson & Hertzell help me move to Spain?
Yes. We help with everything from the property search and viewings to legal guidance, the NIE number and financing. Contact us.
First published in November 2023, republished and fact-checked on 16 October 2026: the ranking is now the sourced InterNations Expat City Ranking 2024, and Spain's 2024-2026 country ranks were added. Claims we could not support (living-cost percentages, sunny-day counts, "safest country") were removed.
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