Working in Barcelona: Salaries, Cost of Living & In-Demand Jobs

Let's start from the assumption that Barcelona is a very large city : with its surface area of over 100 square kilometres and its more than 1.6 million inhabitants (5 million in the entire metropolitan area), it is the second largest city in Spain after the capital Madrid.

This means that, statistically speaking, there are many job opportunities in this city, and in various sectors.

Naturally, one of the sectors with the greatest demand is tourism and hospitality: given its numerous tourist attractions and global appeal, Barcelona enjoys a huge influx of visitors, and therefore requires professionals who work in the tourism sector. Among these, the most sought-after are tour guides, receptionists, waiters, and bartenders.

One of the most sought-after skills in this sector is knowledge of foreign languages, in addition to Spanish. Here, you have a significant advantage, being Italian: you speak Italian! You can therefore count on a "natural" skill, which is highly regarded in the job market. Naturally, however, you'll also need to be proficient in at least English.

Furthermore, since Italian and Spanish are related languages, working in Barcelona can be easy, as long as candidates continue to leverage the aforementioned "natural" skill: you can choose to dedicate yourself to teaching the language to Spaniards. Obviously, in this case, you will need to acquire the necessary certifications to work in the teaching field.

In recent years, Barcelona has become a major technology hub in Europe, home to numerous startups, technology companies, and research centers . Candidates with skills in computer science, software development, data analysis, and information technology can find job opportunities at these companies.

Furthermore, Barcelona is known for its creative and innovative design and fashion scene. Aspirants with skills in fashion, graphic design, industrial design, and other creative disciplines can find job opportunities in fashion companies, design agencies, and architecture studios. This could be your chance to show the world what you can create and make your art known.

Two other sectors where it is possible to find work in Barcelona without too much difficulty are:

1. Sales and Marketing: With a dynamic and diverse economy, there are numerous job opportunities in the sales and marketing sector. Professionals with experience in sales, digital marketing, social media management, and branding strategies can find work in various companies and marketing agencies in Barcelona. Here, you can work as a social media manager, copywriter, performance marketing specialist, content manager, and any other role related to branding and marketing, especially digital.
2. Professional Services : There are also opportunities for professionals in the legal, financial, human resources, and business consulting fields. Barcelona is home to numerous international companies that require qualified professionals to manage their operations and businesses.

These are just some of the most sought-after sectors and roles in Barcelona, but there are many other opportunities available depending on individual experience and skills.
In fact, a great way to start a new life in another country is to build on what you have. Whether you have IT skills or are fluent in a couple of foreign languages, these are the keys to building your next professional career as effectively as possible.

Is it possible to work in Barcelona without knowing the language?

To answer this question, we need to be specific and ask ourselves: what language are we referring to?

In fact, in the city of Barcelona, not only Spanish (Castilian) is the official language, but also Catalan , an indigenous language widely used in official documents, education, and the media.

It is also a Romance language, and is indeed very similar to the Spanish we are accustomed to, but it has undergone numerous influences throughout its history and is not so easy to understand. We can say, in a certain sense, that Castilian and Catalan are mutually intelligible, meaning that one can be understood if one knows the other, but not without great effort.

For example, if we want to say: "I really like Spanish cuisine", the translation would be:

• Spanish: Me gusta mucho la comida española.
• Catalan: I really like Spanish cuisine.

That said, the truth is that it is not necessary to know Catalan to live and work in Barcelona, but it is essential to know and speak Spanish .

In fact, if you speak Italian, almost no one will understand you: this is because it is much easier for an Italian to understand Spanish than it is for a Spaniard to understand Italian.

On your side, you have the fact that Spanish is very easy to learn for us Italians: the two languages share more than 85% of their vocabulary and have many similar grammatical rules. Taking an online Spanish course might be a good idea before leaving for Barcelona, but if you want to have a magical experience while studying the language, you can choose to go on a language study holiday in Spain with Sprachaffe !

For you, we have three magnificent destinations to choose from: the capital Madrid , with its museums and immense green parks, lively Malaga , capital of the Costa del Sol which enjoys a wonderful climate, and your beloved Barcelona , with its breathtaking architecture, sea and nightlife.

Fully immersing yourself in the culture of one of these Spanish cities will allow you not only to learn the language in no time, but also to understand it more deeply . Idioms, nuances of meaning, jokes, and puns are an integral part of the language, but only native speakers can truly understand them. By living here for a while, you'll acquire that level of familiarity with the language and feel 100% local .

And then, you'll have the chance to truly experience the city and understand whether it's worth returning-or staying-indefinitely!