Expat shares truth about living in Spain and says 'problems with locals'

With immigration on the agenda in the UK, one person who moved to Spain has revealed the truth about setting up in the country. Reform UK have outlined a net zero immigration strategy - which means only as many people can move to our country as those who leave.

Well, Spain is the natural location for expats from the UK - and thousands make the move every year. One German expat piped up on a Reddit thread to chat about their life in Spain, where they've been for a solid four years, highlighting a particularly daunting daily struggle - fitting in socially.

According to their post, while Spaniards are "friendly", especially toward outsiders, and even more so in smaller towns, it's still quite the task to make local mates. This comes amid extreme weather conditions in Europe presently.

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They shared their experiences, remarking: "Spaniards are generally really open and friendly. Especially if you are a foreigner and the smaller the city, the more people are curious about you and talk to you."

On the flip side, they pointed out: "While people are friendly, it is honestly really hard to find local friends here."

They dug into the social dynamic explaining: "Similar to other Iies but in my opinion even more prevalent is that people have their tight-knit social circle which is really difficult to get into. Even Spanish people from other cities often have problems connecting with locals.", reports the Express.

Citing Seville specifically but mentioning this as a common feel in many towns, they advised: "I would say this is especially true for Seville but also for many other cities."

Wrapping up, the German expat suggests linking up with expat groups in the bigger Spanish cities but cautions that there's always a chance these new international pals might pack up and leave.

"Especially before Covid there were tons of language exchanges, trips, etcetera. You get to meet lots of people but often times it's just socialising and no place to find friends. Lots of foreigners and expats eventually leave. Either back home, to another country or to another city. This isn't a Spanish problem per se but worth mentioning."

The number of Brits choosing to live in Spain has seen a significant increase since the late 90s. As per Statista, over 284,000 British citizens were residing in Spain as of 2023.