The pros and cons of living in Spain's Marbella
Known not only as a glitzy holiday destination but also a great place to relocate, more and more foreigners are booking one-way tickets and settling in Marbella. Here are the pros and cons to living in this famous small city on the Costa del Sol.
Marbella may be famous with footballers and social media stars, but is the glitzy jewel in the crown of the Costa del Sol all it's cracked up to be?
The high-end coastal resort town is well known across Northern Europe as a summer getaway destination where you can enjoy luxury bars, restaurants and hotels right next to the beach, but what's it like to live there?
The Local has broken down some pros and cons of moving to Marbella.
PROS
Nature
Despite being famous for its luxury restaurants and resorts and its 27 km of coastline, you might not have known that Marbella is also home to some stunning scenery, and the city is surrounded by rolling hills.
There are also two national parks nearby: Doñana National Park, great for birdwatching, and the famous Sierra Nevada, which offers amazing skiing and breathtaking views just a two-and-a-half hours' drive away.
There aren't many places that you could go swimming in the sea in the morning, and ski that very same afternoon - Marbella is one of them.
Price
Price is quite a subjective thing. Obviously, it depends on where you're from, your income and spending habits. In fact, in a place like Marbella price could be even be considered both a pro and a con, depending on your point of view.
Although it is true that much of Marbella's appeal is aimed at foreigners with a higher purchasing power, living in Marbella, (though on the whole slightly more expensive than nearby cities, which we'll touch on later) is still likely to be cheaper if you're relocating from another country in northern Europe or other developed nations.
Living in Marbella is 43 percent cheaper than living in London, for example, 39 percent cheaper than Paris, and 23 percent more affordable than Berlin.
Simply put, Marbella is a place where you can enjoy a glitzy lifestyle for a bit cheaper than back home. If you're relocating from elsewhere in Spain, or southern Europe more broadly, you might need to read our cons section below.
Climate
But the weather is good everywhere in Spain, you might say? Although it is true that Spanish weather is generally much better than most northern European countries, it's certainly not blue skies and sun all year around across the whole of Spain.
Even within Spain, Marbella boasts one of the best climates in the country. With an average temperature of 16°C during the winter months, 320 days of sun a year, and the coastal breeze to keep you refreshed, locals say Marbella has the best weather in Spain. They might be right!
Marbella Old Town has a lot of charm. Photo: Lynn Vdbr/Unsplash
The old town
When many picture Marbella, they think of the rows of hotels and luxury restaurants. But not all of Marbella is like the flashy Puerto Banús, where foreigners tend to congregate for short stays. Marbella's old town is much more Spanish, and replete with white washed houses and flowers, narrow, cobbled side streets lined with orange trees and filled with history.
Accessibility
Marbella is extremely well connected both domestically and internationally, with flights to most major cities across the UK and Europe, and you can drive or travel by public transport to nearby Málaga in around an hour, to Seville (3.5 hours), Cádiz (3.5), and Granada (2.45).
CONS
Overcrowding
Like many coastal resort cities, Marbella gets extremely overcrowded in the summer months. Marbella's official population is around 148,000 but local authorities estimate that that number jumps to as many as 500,000 during the summer months.
Equally, and this could be a positive or a negative, during the winter months Marbella is much quieter.
Many clubs and restaurants don't even open during the winter season, and if they do, it'll just be on the weekends.
Marbella is a different place in summer to what it's like during winter. (Photo by Jorge Guerrero / AFP)
Authenticity
Though its old town is lovely and quaint, Marbella on the whole perhaps isn't the most authentic Spanish or Andalusian experience you can find in the region.
Far from it, in fact; in the tourist hotspots during the summer season you could hear as much English, German, Dutch or Swedish as you do Spanish.
Marbella officially has around 148,000 residents, of which 39,000 are foreigners, plus the hundreds of thousands that visit every year that bump up the number of unofficial residents.
Traffic
Despite the swathes of tourists that flock to Marbella every summer, it is worth remembering that it is not a big city and the roads can become completely gridlocked with cars and taxis during the seasonal months.
With Marbella's summertime population multiplying two or three-fold over the summer, the city's street system often can't cope, and good luck finding a parking space!
Marbella's economy is highly dependant on tourism and hospitality. Photo:Astrid Schmid/Pixabay
Price
But how can price be both a pro and a con? Well, it can be true that Marbella is both cheaper than most places in Europe, but also that its prices have been pushed up by the influx of rich tourists trying to take advantage of that.
It's worth remembering prices in Marbella have been driven up compared to most other places in the province and broader Andalusia region.
Málaga province, where Marbella is located, was the second province with the highest rise in property price rises in all of Spain between 2015 and 2020, according to figures published by Spain's Urban Agenda Ministry in 2022.
According to Spanish property search engine Fotocasa, in the upmarket Puerto Banús area homes are going for €5,305/sqm (the average home price is over €800,000), whereas in Marbella Old Town it's more reasonable but still fairly pricy at €3,318/sqm (€486,710 for a home on average).
Rents are also on the up in 2022, rising by 19 percent in Marbella and Málaga province over the last year, according to Idealista.
Andalusia, and southern Spain in general, is full of towns and cities that are generally more cost-effective and authentically Spanish.
Seasonal economy
As Marbella fills up during the summer months and empties out in the winter, its economy is very heavily reliant on leisure and tourism.
That means that job opportunities can be harder to come by during the winter months.
Nor can you expect salaries to be much better than anywhere else in Spain, despite the generally higher cost of living.
Unless you've got a pension, or savings, or a regular income from abroad, finding a job may be more difficult during that time of the year because much of the tourism sector cuts back if not shuts down entirely.
The international nature of Marbella does mean that the real estate industry stays strong year round, though.
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See Also
Marbella may be famous with footballers and social media stars, but is the glitzy jewel in the crown of the Costa del Sol all it's cracked up to be?
The high-end coastal resort town is well known across Northern Europe as a summer getaway destination where you can enjoy luxury bars, restaurants and hotels right next to the beach, but what's it like to live there?
The Local has broken down some pros and cons of moving to Marbella.
PROS
Nature
Despite being famous for its luxury restaurants and resorts and its 27 km of coastline, you might not have known that Marbella is also home to some stunning scenery, and the city is surrounded by rolling hills.
There are also two national parks nearby: Doñana National Park, great for birdwatching, and the famous Sierra Nevada, which offers amazing skiing and breathtaking views just a two-and-a-half hours' drive away.
There aren't many places that you could go swimming in the sea in the morning, and ski that very same afternoon - Marbella is one of them.
Price
Price is quite a subjective thing. Obviously, it depends on where you're from, your income and spending habits. In fact, in a place like Marbella price could be even be considered both a pro and a con, depending on your point of view.
Although it is true that much of Marbella's appeal is aimed at foreigners with a higher purchasing power, living in Marbella, (though on the whole slightly more expensive than nearby cities, which we'll touch on later) is still likely to be cheaper if you're relocating from another country in northern Europe or other developed nations.
Living in Marbella is 43 percent cheaper than living in London, for example, 39 percent cheaper than Paris, and 23 percent more affordable than Berlin.
Simply put, Marbella is a place where you can enjoy a glitzy lifestyle for a bit cheaper than back home. If you're relocating from elsewhere in Spain, or southern Europe more broadly, you might need to read our cons section below.
Climate
But the weather is good everywhere in Spain, you might say? Although it is true that Spanish weather is generally much better than most northern European countries, it's certainly not blue skies and sun all year around across the whole of Spain.
Even within Spain, Marbella boasts one of the best climates in the country. With an average temperature of 16°C during the winter months, 320 days of sun a year, and the coastal breeze to keep you refreshed, locals say Marbella has the best weather in Spain. They might be right!
The old town
When many picture Marbella, they think of the rows of hotels and luxury restaurants. But not all of Marbella is like the flashy Puerto Banús, where foreigners tend to congregate for short stays. Marbella's old town is much more Spanish, and replete with white washed houses and flowers, narrow, cobbled side streets lined with orange trees and filled with history.
Accessibility
Marbella is extremely well connected both domestically and internationally, with flights to most major cities across the UK and Europe, and you can drive or travel by public transport to nearby Málaga in around an hour, to Seville (3.5 hours), Cádiz (3.5), and Granada (2.45).
CONS
Overcrowding
Like many coastal resort cities, Marbella gets extremely overcrowded in the summer months. Marbella's official population is around 148,000 but local authorities estimate that that number jumps to as many as 500,000 during the summer months.
Equally, and this could be a positive or a negative, during the winter months Marbella is much quieter.
Many clubs and restaurants don't even open during the winter season, and if they do, it'll just be on the weekends.
Authenticity
Though its old town is lovely and quaint, Marbella on the whole perhaps isn't the most authentic Spanish or Andalusian experience you can find in the region.
Far from it, in fact; in the tourist hotspots during the summer season you could hear as much English, German, Dutch or Swedish as you do Spanish.
Marbella officially has around 148,000 residents, of which 39,000 are foreigners, plus the hundreds of thousands that visit every year that bump up the number of unofficial residents.
Traffic
Despite the swathes of tourists that flock to Marbella every summer, it is worth remembering that it is not a big city and the roads can become completely gridlocked with cars and taxis during the seasonal months.
With Marbella's summertime population multiplying two or three-fold over the summer, the city's street system often can't cope, and good luck finding a parking space!
Price
But how can price be both a pro and a con? Well, it can be true that Marbella is both cheaper than most places in Europe, but also that its prices have been pushed up by the influx of rich tourists trying to take advantage of that.
It's worth remembering prices in Marbella have been driven up compared to most other places in the province and broader Andalusia region.
Málaga province, where Marbella is located, was the second province with the highest rise in property price rises in all of Spain between 2015 and 2020, according to figures published by Spain's Urban Agenda Ministry in 2022.
According to Spanish property search engine Fotocasa, in the upmarket Puerto Banús area homes are going for €5,305/sqm (the average home price is over €800,000), whereas in Marbella Old Town it's more reasonable but still fairly pricy at €3,318/sqm (€486,710 for a home on average).
Rents are also on the up in 2022, rising by 19 percent in Marbella and Málaga province over the last year, according to Idealista.
Andalusia, and southern Spain in general, is full of towns and cities that are generally more cost-effective and authentically Spanish.
Seasonal economy
As Marbella fills up during the summer months and empties out in the winter, its economy is very heavily reliant on leisure and tourism.
That means that job opportunities can be harder to come by during the winter months.
Nor can you expect salaries to be much better than anywhere else in Spain, despite the generally higher cost of living.
Unless you've got a pension, or savings, or a regular income from abroad, finding a job may be more difficult during that time of the year because much of the tourism sector cuts back if not shuts down entirely.
The international nature of Marbella does mean that the real estate industry stays strong year round, though.
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