Why 91% of Expats Are Happy in Valencia (and What It Takes)

If you've ever Googled "best city for expats", you've probably seen Valencia pop up near the top. The InterNations Expat City Ranking has put it first worldwide in recent editions, and one number from the 2025/2026 results stuck with me: 91% of people living here say they're happy with their life in the city, compared with a global average of 72%.

That's a big gap. And as someone who remembers arriving here with two suitcases and no idea where to buy a decent coffee, I have a theory about where it comes from.

The city is easy. The first month isn't.

Valencia is flat, compact and sunny. You can cycle from the Turia Gardens to the beach on the Valenbisi bikes, rent is noticeably cheaper than Madrid or Barcelona, and many international students get by on roughly €700 to €1,000 a month. On paper, it's an easy place to land.

But a ranking can't measure the Sunday evening when you're new, the group chat is silent, and everyone else seems to already have plans. That feeling is real, and almost everyone who moves abroad has had it.

A city can be easy to live in and still be lonely. The difference is people.

November is the quiet test

Here's the thing nobody tells you: the real test of a new city isn't the first sunny week, it's the first November. The summer crowds have gone, the semester is in full swing, the evenings get dark earlier, and the novelty of being somewhere new starts to wear off.

This is exactly when people either find their circle or quietly start counting the days. If you arrived in September, you're right at that moment now.

What actually made the difference for me

Looking back, the "happy" expats I know weren't the ones with the best apartment or the fanciest job. They were the ones who did a few small, slightly uncomfortable things early:

• Said yes to the first invitation, even when the sofa was winning
• Went back to the same place twice, so faces became familiar
• Asked "where are you from?" and then actually listened to the long answer
• Invited someone for coffee instead of waiting to be invited

None of this is glamorous. But it compounds. By the third time you see someone at a language exchange or a beach walk, you're not strangers anymore.

A small autumn plan

Valencia stays mild well into the autumn, which makes it a great time to build habits. Try one social thing a week for the next month. It doesn't have to be big: a walk along the port, tapas in Ruzafa, a board-game night, a paella that someone else has already ordered for the table.

And if it feels awkward, remember that the other people in the room are almost certainly just as nervous as you are. Half the room is also new. The other half remembers being new.

You don't have to do it alone

That 91% isn't really about sunshine or cheap rent. I'd bet it's about people who found their people. If you're still looking for yours, give yourself permission to keep showing up. It really does get easier, and sooner than you think.

Valencia is a wonderful place to live. It's even better when you've got someone to share the terrace with.