Living in Barcelona for 3 months or more: a checklist

A few months in Barcelona means a rental in a tight market, a monthly budget, a routine and late dinners. This is the list we'd start from.

Before you go

• Check visa and time limits for your passport with an official source. Spain is in the Schengen area, so check how days elsewhere in Schengen count for you.
• Get health insurance that covers the whole stay. Many travel policies cap trip length.
• Ask whether you'll need a NIE (foreigner identity number) for a lease, bank account or phone contract, and how to get one.
• Book the first two to four weeks short-term, then look for a seasonal (temporada) rental once you've walked the areas.
• Tell your bank you'll be away and carry a card without foreign transaction fees.
• Decide what happens to your home, mail and car while you're gone.

First week

• Get a local SIM or eSIM.
• Get a travel card for the metro, buses and trains. Compare the multi-trip and 30-day options against how much you'll ride.
• Save 112 as the emergency number, and find the nearest pharmacy and health centre.
• Keep your phone and wallet out of reach on the metro and in busy areas. Pickpocketing is common.
• Walk your shortlist of neighbourhoods at night as well as by day. Some streets are loud until late.

While you're there

• Log spending by month against a budget. Rent is usually most of it.
• Keep an eye on the date your permitted stay ends.
• Plan side trips while you have time: Girona, Sitges, Montserrat, the Costa Brava.

Wrapping up

• Give notice on your rental in writing and agree how the deposit comes back.
• Cancel the SIM, utilities and any local subscriptions.
• Book the flight out before your permitted stay runs out.

Neighbourhoods people look at

Gràcia · Eixample · Sant Antoni · Poblenou · Poble-sec · El Born · Sant Gervasi

Which suits you depends on budget, noise and how you get around. Cojourn's assistant can compare them for your stay.