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Living in Ibiza

Pros and Cons of Living in Ibiza

The first time you went on holiday to Ibiza with your friends, you fell in love with the island. When you then came back for the second, third, fourth, and fifth time, your love became deeper until when the idea of moving permanently to the island finally seemed like the right thing to do.

But before you move to the White Isle, there are a few things you should consider, and weighing the pros and cons can help decide whether you should proceed with this idea.

PROS

All-Year-Round Wonderful Weather

Ibiza has approximately 300 days of sunshine and blue skies. Summer is usually very hot – with temperatures reaching up to 35 degrees. Winter can get a bit chilly (especially at night). Still, temperatures rarely drop below 10 degrees – even if the high level of humanity with the absence of central heating in most of the houses, makes the cold feel colder. The good weather stretches from March to November, with some rain in Autumn. Usually, it lasts just for a couple of hours. In December, January & February, you can still enjoy some days of warm sunshine – where all the residents head to the beach restaurants and bars to enjoy the sun, feeling very lucky for living on this beautiful island.

Living in Ibiza with beautiful beaches

Many Beautiful Beaches

Considering it’s such a tiny island, Ibiza has many beautiful wide beaches, sandy bays, private coves, and rocky cliffs with access to the sea. Even during summer, when most of the renowned beaches are besieged by tourists, there are still a few spots where locals and visitors can enjoy peace and quiet. But the best part is, out of season when even the most famous beaches can be blissfully deserted and residents can enjoy them.

Vivid Gastronomic Scene 

Ibiza boasts many local markets where farmers sell their fruit & veg and in the last couple of years, we have seen an increase in the opening of organic shops, which are now widely spread across the whole island. There are few chain supermarkets and lately, we are witnessing the opening of a small specialised supermarket – which means that if you miss the food from your home country, you can go there and buy the essentials to make your desired dinner. But the wide culinary offer of Ibiza does not stop there, in fact, the island is home to many well-known multicultural restaurants – from five-star dining experiences to authentic Spanish restaurants, the choices are endless.

Living in Ibiza vivid gastronomic scene

Plenty of Outdoor Activities

Ibiza not only offers beautiful turquoise sea and sandy beaches, but it provides also the perfect setting for biking, hiking, and horse riding whilst enjoying breathtaking views and discovering the most authentic side of the island. If you like outdoor activities but don’t want to do them by yourself, several resident groups arrange tours and excursions, it’s a good way to do some exercise, meet new people, and discover the island!

Sense of Community 

In summer the island is filled with tourists, but when they leave there is a very tight community, a very strong collective of cosmopolitan people. The island is so small that bumping into each other is a regular occurrence. People on the island are friendly, and many people are in the same boat; in terms of living away from their native country and friends and family – so making new friends will not be a problem.

Living in Ibiza better quality of life

Better Quality of Life

The quality of life is undeniably better! There is a good balance between work and family life, of course, this is dependent on the type of job you do – if you work in the tourist sector you might get very busy in summer and then more quiet in the winter time, whilst if you work in any other sector your working time would be more or less the same. Overall people here enjoy life more, might be the good weather or the laid-back attitude but if you aim for a good work-family balance, this is the place to be.

Incredibly Safe Place

Crime on the island is very low, with it being pretty safe for women and kids to go out at night. There are few house break-ins and these tend to happen more often in summer when the island gets busier – but overall there are no major incidents and in some parts of the island, people are even still living without locking their doors every time they leave the house.

CONS

Crowded in Summer

For as quiet as it is in the winter, Ibiza becomes a very busy island in summer. The municipalities of Playa d’en Bossa, San Antonio, and Ibiza Town are probably the most affected ones with waves of holidaymakers flocking to the streets. But also smaller areas such as Portinatx, Es Canar, or San José experience an increase in traffic and population. During summer, traffic jams are usually on the agenda, especially around Jesus-Ibiza Town and the Ca Na Negreta area, and finding a parking space becomes a pretty difficult task.

Living in Ibiza crowded places

High Price of Properties

The real estate market in Ibiza is hot! Overall the Ibiza property market is growing and prices for houses are not that cheap. So prepare yourself to pay a premium if you want to buy a decent house. Regarding rentals, there are surprisingly few long-term lets in Ibiza. Before moving here we will advise you to do some research, and make sure to understand what are you getting for your money and who to trust – during the years we’ve heard several unpleasant stories about untrustworthy landlords or real estate companies. To give you some peace of mind we’ve rounded up a list of reliable real estate companies, you can contact them directly and browse their portfolio of properties.

Language Barrier

If you want to relocate to Ibiza, you should learn Spanish first, at least at a basic level. You can get by speaking your language for a while – thanks to the widely established communities of Brits, Italian, Dutch, German, and Latin American. But if you learn Spanish things will get much easier, especially if you want to set up your own business – if you speak Spanish you will get what you need faster, easier, and probably cheaper. Here’s a list of 5 great places where you can learn Spanish in Ibiza

Winter Limited Flights

In summer you have tons of direct flights from/to Ibiza, but in winter things get quieter, much quieter. Despite the fact that in the last couple of years we’ve seen an increase in the number of winter flights connecting the island to main cities (London, Milan, Paris, Amsterdam, and the mainland), there is still a shortage of flights and most of the time it’s necessary to stop first in Barcelona, Palma or Madrid.

Living in Ibiza in off-season - closed shops

Winter Limited Availability of Public Transport

In the summer season, public transport is available, with buses travelling all over the island, even to the beach! However, in winter much of the public transport is not available and unless you have your transport, things can get very complicated. If you want to bring your car you can do it, but bear in mind that after six months you must pay to change your car plate to a Spanish one.

Island Time

The first thing you should get used to is that there is no rush – be patient. It does take longer for things to happen, but eventually, they happen. Also consider that on a working day, many offices, shops, and stores close the day for the siesta and they will open later on around 4 or 5 pm. You can now plan your day in a more relaxed way.

Living in Ibiza - difficult to find a job in Ibiza

Job Market

Finding a job in Ibiza (especially one with an all-year-round contract) can be difficult. Consider that there are a lot of people who’d like to live on the island, who are skilled and speak a number of languages – competition can be fierce. A good idea is to take into consideration what skills you’re bringing from your home country, and how they could be used by the different companies that already exist on the island. If you want to set up your own business, do your research first and find out what you need.

Our advice before deciding to make the big move is to try it out – come here for several long holidays first. Visit schools, explore the job market, seek and ask friends who have done the same what are their experiences & tips, and then explore the property market.

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