New Video: Unparalleled Quality Of Life In The World’s Best Place To Retire

The World’s #1 Place To Retire

Hi I’m Kat Kalashian for Live and Invest Overseas and today we are talking about the world’s number one retirement destination, Valencia, Spain.

So, this is a sun-soaked city on Spain’s Mediterranean coast and offers an unparalleled quality of life.

Surrounded by beauty, cultural richness, and a wonderful, welcoming community.

It’s got a unique blend of attributes. That mean it’s just really too appealing to be topped in pretty much every way you can think of when it comes to thinking about, considerations for moving overseas. So, let’s dive in.

Valencia’s Top 3 Benefits

First, I’m going to sum things up into three simple points. The three best things.

Number one, it is Spain’s third largest city with excellent amenities and the Mediterranean beach right there.

Number two, cultural vibrancy, its architecture, gastronomy, endless entertainment options ranging from street parades to concert and opera, sciences or education is a very, very high priority here. As are, the sciences and the arts. So, so much to do here in pretty much any category.

And number three, safe and affordable with a friendly expat community.

All right. So, let’s just introduce you to Valencia a little bit, in case you’re not familiar.

Why Valencia Ranks #1

As I mentioned, it is a vibrant, very exciting city with endless things to see and do.

But it’s also got these golden sand beaches with bright, warm Mediterranean waters right off the shore and sunny weather year-round. So, you can enjoy those beaches all year round.

The infrastructure is excellent, including its public transportation system and its health care facilities, as well as everything else. Water is drinkable.

You know, I know that’s kind of the bare minimum. Most Americans ask, can you drink the water? Yes, it is great water.

But above and beyond that, there are so many things to love about the infrastructure here. It is safe, as I mentioned, affordable and friendly. It’s got this huge, welcoming community of locals as well as expats from around the world, pretty much offers everything an expat could want in their new home overseas.

Valencia’s International Awards And Recognition

And it’s not just us that Live and Invest Overseas who have recognized all of its incredible values.

So, for example, it took the number one spot in InterNations’ 2024 Quality of Life index, as well as the Personal Finance and Best Cities rankings.

The European Commission named it the European Green Capital in 2024.

And it is Europe’s Best City as named by Condé Nast Traveler’s 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards.

So, it’s made international waves in many, many categories, but also in sustainability, innovation and overall quality of life. The, frankly, the list of accolades and honors awarded to it goes on and on. So, I’m going to leave it there.

Just suffice it to say that this city really knocks it out of the park in pretty much every category.

The Real Cost Of Living In Valencia

One of the top draws here, of course, is the affordability. So, Spain is already a very affordable country.

And Valencia is a shining example of how Europe and even an Old-World, amenity-rich regional capital like this, with an exceptional standard of living, can be more affordable than most North Americans would think and likely more affordable than where you’re living now.

So, everything here, from housing to healthcare, to a bottle of wine, costs just a little bit less, if not a whole lot less.

So, rent is low here, as I mentioned, even compared to other Spanish cities, between $700 and $1500 per month.

You can spend a lot more than that. But for a basic apartment for a couple, that would certainly be a reasonable budget to start with.

And because this is such a walkable and well-connected city with lots of public transportation options, you can easily free yourself of a car and all of its associated expenses, which I can speak to from personal experience.

I moved from Panama to Paris and getting rid of our car. We estimated it was between 20% and 25% of our budget.

So, that’s a whole lot more restaurants to eat out in. Instead of spending your time sitting in a car in traffic.

The average cost of living here for two is about $2,363. And of course, this is going to change fluctuate a little bit with currency exchange rates.

As we know, exchange rates have been a little bit more temperamental in 2025 than they have been in past decades.

But more or less you could say you could live very well here on €2,000 a month and then do the conversion from there.

It’s on average 53% cheaper to live in Valencia than it is to live in the United States.

Based on the U.S. average cost of living per the Consumer Index.

The Climate in Valencia

The climate here is the other undeniable draw.

Valencia gets about 2,700 hours of sunshine per year. That works out to about 300 or more sunny days per year.

The winters here are mild. Even at its coldest, you’re only ever going to need a jacket.

In fact, a friend here who has a kid, has a funny story about walking down the street, I think in February, maybe January or February with his kid who was wearing a t shirt and shorts because they were perfectly comfortable in the maybe 60s, you know, maybe a little bit lower than 70-degree weather.

And, he had locals coming up to him on the street telling him that he was a bad father not fully addressing his child.

It’s winter time. Why are you putting your child in, in a jacket and hat?

And, of course, when you’re used to that weather, it might seem like winter, but if you’re used to much more extreme temperatures that winter there isn’t going to feel like anything more than a little bit of a cool spring or autumn day.

Valencia’s Rich History And Architecture

All right, let’s get back to it. So, Valencia has long been famous for its architecture, and to walk in streets is really to take in over 2,000 years of history from the medieval Islamic era to futuristic structures that look like they’re straight off the screens of science fiction films.

And in fact, they actually have been used on the set of science fiction films. So, the Ciudad de las Ciencias features these fantastic buildings by Santiago Calatrava, who is a local architect, very, very internationally well-known at this point, but also a son of Valencia.

Cultural Life in Valencia: Las Fallas, Opera, And More

Life in Valencia is never dull. There are so many lively annual events, for example, Las Fallas.

The streets will just come alive with music, parades, larger than life sculptures. Every neighborhood in the city competes to create the best sculpture on the floats.

And at the end of the night after the winner is named, all of the rest are burned. The only one saved from the sacrifice is the winner.

Very fun annual event there. And very, very famous.

Active Living: Parks, Beaches, And Golf

It’s right there on the Mediterranean Sea with those gorgeous, fine-sand beaches accessible right from the city center.

The Turia Gardens are a 12-kilometer riverbed turned urban park that sneaks its way through the city.

So, it means you’re really never far from greenery even though this is a cosmopolitan city.

Plus, Valencia is mostly flat, which makes it ideal for cycling and walking.

The World-Class Medical Care In Spain

Spain is one of the world’s top ranked countries for medical care and expats across the country speak really highly of its healthcare system, their modern facilities and highly trained professionals available no matter where you are in the country.

Just to give you a little bit of an idea, it has ranked number six in the Legatum Prosperity Index on health care. Canada ranked 32 and the U.S. ranked 69.

Valencia’s Thriving Expat Community

Another great factor is that it’s so easy to make connections with expats in Valencia.

You’ll find fellow foreigners from the UK, Germany, France, Belgium, and increasingly the United States and Canada.

Many of these nationalities speak English, which becomes the common language among newcomers.

Valencia’s Exceptional Safety

On top of all of that, Valencia is very safe.

The Global Peace Index ranking for Spain is number 23. The U.S., for comparison, ranks number 132.

Expats here report feeling completely at ease at all times of the day or the night.

So, when it comes to launching a fulfilling new life overseas, one that’s rich in adventure but at the same time comfortable and well-appointed, we can think of no better place than Valencia.