5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Moving to Barcelona

Living in Barcelona is a dream for many — myself included. But there are a few things I really wish I had known beforehand, and I’m sharing them so you can come prepared.

This is my experience as a mother of two working from home as a marketing consultant. I’m sure that without kids — and with fewer responsibilities — the experience can be totally different. Still, here are five things I would have found incredibly useful to know before deciding to move to Barcelona as an expat.

1. Rent prices vs. quality of flats

We officially moved to Barcelona in mid-July 2022, but we did a discovery trip in April to see whether the place we loved as tourists could actually become our home.

Coming from Luxembourg, our standards in terms of quality of living were quite high — as was our tolerance for high prices.

In April, we found some nice apartments at what seemed like fair prices, although not exactly in our preferred areas. We thought, no worries, we’ll find something better in July. At the time, the future looked promising.

I still remember the angst and near-panic of our first month after moving for good. The reality hit hard: very limited supply and shockingly high prices for the quality offered.

To give you some context: in Luxembourg, we were paying €1,700 (yes, I know — things are different now, but this was 2022) for a 100 sqm apartment with a big balcony and garden, almost new, with a lovely kitchen and high-quality finishes, very close to the city center.

In Barcelona, for the same price, we got an 80 sqm apartment that had just gone through home staging — enough to look acceptable in photos, but not much more. It honestly never crossed my mind that prices would be so similar given the differences between the two countries.

2. Deposits (yes, plural)

Besides our story in Tuset (which I shared here), we almost rented a beautiful apartment near Galvany Market. But on top of being far from school and lacking both a pool and a proper balcony, what really turned us off was the three-month deposit they were asking for.

At the time, with what we knew, it sounded suspicious. In 2022, one or two months was still considered “normal,” so we were afraid it might be a scam.

Fast-forward to today: we now have friends who paid six months’ deposit simply because there was no alternative.

Lesson learned: if you’re moving to Barcelona as an expat, make sure you have savings to cover at least six months of rent upfront.

3. Bureaucracy (brace yourself)

Having all your paperwork in order is a hassle — especially getting the NIE.

The problem? Without a NIE, you can’t do anything. No internet contract, no phone plan, nothing.

My husband’s company paid for relocation services, but the person in charge was a huge disappointment. It took her forever to find an appointment (she was eventually fired), and in the end, we had to handle most of it ourselves anyway.

I’ll write a separate piece just about our NIE story — but for now, all I’ll say is: brace yourself.

4. Heating (or the lack of it)

Barcelona is perceived as warm, but apartments can get very cold from October to February.

Most flats don’t have central heating. People either heat their homes with air conditioning… or they don’t.

Our apartment had AC, but it wasn’t powerful enough, and the windows offered very poor insulation. You’ll quickly understand why you see people wearing shorts in winter — because indoors, it’s often not much warmer than outside.

5. Grocery shopping (culture shock included)

The first few weeks after moving, I was completely lost every time I went to the supermarket.

Many of the international brands I was used to simply weren’t available. And when they were — usually at El Corte Inglés — they were more expensive than in Luxembourg.

Pretty quickly, I realized that locals mostly buy local brands, shop seasonal produce, and don’t rely on big international names. Once I adjusted my expectations and started shopping like a local — markets, Mercadona, Bonpreu, smaller neighborhood stores — things got easier and much more affordable.

But if you’re attached to specific products from “back home,” be prepared: either you’ll pay more, or you’ll learn to let them go.