With working from home on the rise across the whole world after the pandemic, the need to live close to the office or town/city centres is rapidly reducing. As long as an office employee has access to internet and a computer they can work anywhere in the world. A property insurer in the UK carried out a survey to see which European cities British people would choose to live in if they could carry on with their jobs from home.

The answers were based upon various criteria, but these included being able to make their money go further and increase their savings if they were still earning in pounds sterling. Spain has come out on top.

One of the reasons being the regular cheap flights to and from various airports in the UK, a wide range of restaurants and bars with great food at a low cost, and plenty to do in free time including arts and entertainment, culture, shopping and tourism.

Buying property in Spain continues to be a much cheaper option than renting, and although rentals are on the increase, the country has a far greater culture of owner occupancy than the European average most Spanish homes are lived in by people who either own them outright or have a mortgage on them.

The survey found that for British people working from home living in London, the cost of renting in Spain did not seem particularly high to them and even represented a significant saving.

The good thing is quality, good-sized rentals in large, bustling towns, coastal resorts, capital cities in Spain and those in more remote areas are easy to find.

Madrid is certainly a great choice for city lovers especially for those who are not keen on life in a country capital and that those seeking a lifestyle closer to that of London, Paris or Rome would find it in the lively, colourful and cosmopolitan Barcelona.

But if a variety of arts, entertainment, shopping and good quality restaurants both national, regional and international as well as all useful services close at hand and an attractive setting are the main considerations, these can easily be found in any one of Spain’s 50 provincial capitals, the numerous large and medium sized towns outside of these, coastal areas and even small towns.

Coastal areas frequently offer the cosmopolitan, multi-cultural atmosphere of a major city, and even small villages have at least one bar or restaurant  in fact, in 2017, Spain held the European record for the most bars per inhabitant, which covers everything from coffee and cake shops to pubs to ice-cream parlours and sit in bakeries, including those which serve meals and snacks.

Also Spain is one of the world’s safest countries, with violent crime very rare even in big cities with women saying they feel very secure walking home alone in the dark.