I never knew Jaén existed before I moved to this small Andalusian city five years ago. I was originally assigned to Jaén to be a language assistant in a public school, as part of the North American Language and Culture Assistants Program NALCAP (the same process as the Auxiliares de Conversacion Program).
To be honest, I felt a little disappointed in the beginning. Mountains surround Jaén, and coming from California, I felt crushed because I was no longer living on the coast. Additionally, I didn’t have the best impression of the city, having only heard mediocre opinions from my Spanish friends. Yet I wanted to keep an open mind and take advantage of this new opportunity.
While initially hesitant, I’m glad I stayed because I now live in one of Spain’s most beautiful and underrated places. If this region has caught your attention, here’s what you need to know about living in Jaén.
Short on time? Here's the cheat sheet
💭Living in Jaén offers the ideal combination between plenty of things to do alongside a slower pace of life.
🏠Jaén is divided into 2 main areas: the Old Town and the Boulevard. Choose the Old Town for more to do and the Bouvelard for a quieter neighborhood.
📚Make your transition easier and get a headstart learning the language with Mondly.
🛂If you're not from an EU country, you'll need a visa to live here. Luckily there are plenty of options for your Spanish visa.
🤕Don't rely on luck alone. SafetyWing now offers 2 types of Nomad Insurance coverage options: Essentials for travelers and Complete for expats and digital nomads.
☂️Although it's not often on most people's list of best cities in Spain,
🏖️It's a great choice for those that would prefer not to live in the most popular places.
About Jaén Province
Jaén is the capital city of the province of Jaén, a place with mixed reputations. It is best known as the Olive Oil Capital because it is Europe’s largest producer, with more than 60 million olive trees. This is not an exaggeration.
The other reputation is that there’s nothing to do in Jaén. Yet I beg to differ. The province has 97 municipalities and two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Úbeda and Baeza. Its landscapes are also defined by three beautiful sierras: Sierra de Segura, Sierra de Cazorla, and Sierra de las Villas.
The capital is home to a stunning cathedral, three Michelin-starred restaurants, and, similar to its neighboring city, Granada, you get free tapas with your drink.
So if you like quality food, nature, and history, and you find beauty in simplicity, Jaén has much to offer.
Living in Jaén as a Foreigner
Jaén isn’t the most diverse compared to bigger cities in Spain. Yet over the years, I’ve seen an increase in foreigners from Africa, Central and South America, Europe, and the United States. In fact, I have a good mix of Spanish friends as well as friends from outside of Spain.
Because there are few English speakers, depending on your level of Spanish, even basic tasks can feel intimidating. However, people here are very friendly and understanding. I’ve made countless errors speaking Spanish, yet I’ve always managed to communicate what I need.
Additionally, there are many ways to integrate yourself into the local culture. One thing that has helped my social life is joining dance classes, such as Flamenco and Latin dances.
Other ways to stay busy include language exchanges, live music concerts, hiking excursions, mini festivals, and town fairs. Without a doubt, your Spanish will improve by living here.
Depending on your goals, I recommend these apps/platforms to kick off your language learning:
- Drops: Use the free version of this app for 5-minutes of vocab lessons a day. This is good for improving vocab but little else.
- Mondly: If you want to have a little bit more practice, this app is similar to Duolingo but has less silly prompts and more realistic phrases and sentences.
- Babbel: Babbel is similar to Mondly but also teaches cultural tidbits during the language lesson.
- iTalki: If you're more serious about learning to speak the language, this platform allows you to have 1:1 or group lessons with native teachers.
Basic Visa Options
If you visit Jaén as a tourist and want to stay past your 90-day tourist visa, here are some ways to do so.
One option is a student visa. You can obtain this visa through a teaching English program or by studying at the University of Jaén. When I came to Spain, I started with this visa. I eventually switched to the autónomo, or freelance worker visa. It gave me a temporary two-year residency, which I can renew for another four years.
There is also the digital nomad visa, which grants three years of temporary residency with the option to renew. This option is becoming increasingly common among foreigners. Additionally, there is the non-lucrative visa, which works similarly to a retirement visa.
Lastly, you can also obtain residency through civil marriage to a Spaniard.
For more information on these visas, dig into our full visa guide to live in Spain.
General Cost of Living in the Capital City
Compared to bigger cities like Madrid, the cost of living in Jaén is quite affordable.
Housing
For a one- to two-bedroom apartment, you can expect to pay between 400 and 550 euros a month. For a family-sized place, such as a four-bedroom apartment, rent can range from 750 to 800 euros a month. If you want to rent a room, you can find one for around 250 euros.
On average, I’ve paid about 400 euros for a one-bedroom apartment.
Utilities
Electricity costs fluctuate, especially in the winter and summer months. On average, I’ve spent about 60 euros a month.
Many apartments don’t have insulation, which means you may need to run the heater constantly in winter to stay warm. During the extremely hot summers, the A/C is often used. If you can tolerate the heat, a fan is a good idea.
Since I’m less tolerant of the cold, I’ve had electricity bills reach up to 100 euros.
Transportation
Jaén is a very walkable city. You can get from one side of town to the other in about an hour, though you’ll have to tackle a few hills along the way. Local buses within the city cost one euro. With a bus card, the price drops to about 0.45 euros.
To make life easier and avoid walking up so many hills, a metered taxi typically costs between 5 and 8 euros to cross town. Uber and other ride-hailing services aren’t available.
Groceries & Eating Out
For two people, weekly groceries average about 75 to 100 euros. As a single person, I’ve spent around 50 to 80 euros a week on food. I save money by shopping at both larger grocery stores and local fruit shops.
Bars and cafés are practically on every corner, so you can start your morning with coffee and finish your evening at a local bar. Drinks are generally affordable. A glass of wine or beer costs between 2 and 4 euros, while a coffee runs about 2 euros.
Jaén has restaurants at different price points depending on your taste and preference. At fast-food spots like kebab shops or McDonald’s, meals cost around 10 to 15 euros. At more traditional places, meals range from 17 to 25 euros per person.
The key to saving money when eating out is the menú del día (menu of the day), a set two- or three-course meal that typically costs 12 to 16 euros.
Recommended Neighborhoods & Areas to Live
Jaén has various neighborhoods, but the city is divided into two main parts. One is the old town area near the city center and the surrounding cathedral. The other is the more developed area called the Boulevard (Bulevar).
Both areas offer different types of city life. Near the city center, events happen year-round, including weekend concerts and parades. In the Boulevard area, there are many restaurants, but it ironically offers more peace and quiet.
Not quite sold on living in Jaén? Consider these other Spanish cities instead:
Pros & Cons of Living Here
Overall, life in Jaén is completely different from my life in California. While I’m happy living here, there are, of course, advantages and disadvantages.
Pros
- The locals are very friendly and welcoming to expats.
- The city is walkable.
- It has a family-oriented lifestyle.
- It is relatively safe, particularly at night.
- The province offers lots of natural spaces.
Cons
- Limited transportation. While Jaén has bus and train services, traveling within the province and to other major cities can be challenging if you rely solely on public transportation. Limited bus or train connections mean you might have to travel to Granada before continuing to Málaga or other major cities in Spain.
- Summers are brutal. Most people leave the city for the beach or neighboring towns where temperatures are cooler.
- There is less variety. Sometimes I miss the wide range of things to do that come with living in a bigger city with a larger population.
Is Jaén Your Next Home?
Jaén definitely offers a slower pace of life for expats, but it’s not without entertainment and liveliness. You can find a nice balance between being super busy and understimulated.
Coming from California to Spain has changed my life completely. My days are filled with quality experiences versus superficial activities.
Hero photo courtesy of depositphotos.com
.png)
.png)
