Banks competing for ex-pat money

In popular culture, Spain is synonymous with sunshine, Paella, Flamenco and endless golden beaches.  All of which paint a familiar, and perhaps slightly old-fashioned view, of the fourth biggest member of the E.U.

There’s a lot more to this huge country than the easy stereotypes might suggest. There’s sunshine if you want it, but there’s also snow, desert, dense ancient forests where bears still roam free, and sleepy hill towns that appear not to have changed in a hundred years – nor seem likely to, in a hundred more.

There’s so much to commend it to the traveler, that they can be forgiven for beginning to dream a little, of what it might be like to live there, for real… for good. Let’s take a look at 5 cities in Spain where the prospective expat might think of living la vida local.

What would you look for when choosing a destination to move to abroad? A sea-side location with warm weather all year round, lots of culture and opportunity for adventure, perhaps? Or a place with a great economy and plenty of career prospects?

We guess there’s one key issue for almost all expats, though, and particularly for those moving abroad with young families, and that would be safety. Large cities can sometimes be dangerous places, so it’s good to know which have robust security and protection systems in place.

Luckily, The Economist Intelligence Unit has made it very easy to determine the risks by compiling a comprehensive study entitled the Safe Cities Index.