What’s it like living in Nerja in 2026?
Kristyn and her husband live in the beautiful seaside town of Nerja. We know it well – it was our first base in Spain.
Kristyn tells us all the reasons why they chose Spain, and Nerja, as their base in Europe. A very interesting interview highlighting what makes Nerja such a popular place.
Name: Kristyn Martyn
Country of Origin: USA
Number of years in Spain: 5 months
Hi Kristyn! Please tell me about yourself and on how you all ended up moving to Spain
Over the years, we traveled extensively throughout Europe—primarily Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Northern Italy. We fell in love with the history, architecture, culture, and food. However, because we moved to Florida specifically to escape winter, we never imagined ourselves actually living in Europe. It always felt like a “someday” dream.
We’re originally from New Hampshire, but we spent the last 13 years living in the Sarasota, Florida area. I worked remotely in the retirement industry and held my FINRA 6, 7, and 63 licenses. Before retiring, I also earned my Life Coaching credentials and built a wonderful global community of like-minded, high-vibration people. I’m 58 now, and travel has always been a big part of our lives.
In 2024, we realized that the cost of living in Florida had climbed so high that early retirement simply wasn’t realistic for us there. That was the moment we started seriously talking about moving to Europe. Climate was still the number‑one factor in where we would go—I knew I didn’t want to live anywhere with snow as part of the normal seasonal cycle—but affordability became an important factor in when we could do it.
We began researching Italy and Portugal, watching countless YouTube videos. Italy fell off the list quickly because of the requirement to take the driving test in Italian shortly after arrival. Portugal—especially the Algarve—became our frontrunner for a while, largely because it was being promoted everywhere as the number‑one affordable destination for Americans moving abroad.
Then Spain came into the conversation. We had visited Barcelona, Madrid, and Valencia in 2018 and loved them, and we realized Spanish would be easier for us to learn than Portuguese. As we dug deeper, we discovered that the cost of living in Spain—especially compared to Florida—was significantly lower, making early retirement far more attainable. That really shifted our focus. We started watching more videos about Spain, and Valencia quickly became our initial favorite.
That’s when we stumbled across a Spain Revealed episode featuring a Canadian couple who had moved to Nerja—a place we had never even heard of. We were instantly intrigued. One video turned into many, and before long we had watched nearly 100 hours of content, including walking tours and your channel. What really stood out to us compared to Valencia was not just the smaller size, but the dramatic landscape—those mountains that seem to kiss the sea. We were so captivated that I contacted a realtor even before our scouting trip, which at that point was still focused on Portugal, and sent her a list of properties we wanted to see.
When we arrived in Portugal, we enjoyed Lisbon but knew it wasn’t somewhere we’d want to live. We had an Airbnb booked in the Algarve, but the moment we got off the highway in Albufeira, we both knew it wasn’t right for us. We canceled the reservation on the spot, added extra nights in Nerja, and drove straight there.
We arrived at night, in the dark, but we both felt this immediate excitement that’s hard to describe. We moved our home‑viewing appointments up, found the house we’re in now, and everything just clicked. We first visited in October 2024, and we officially moved in July 2025—timed so we wouldn’t become tax residents before selling everything in the U.S.
And now we’re here, incredibly happy with the decision, and excited to be part of the Nerja community.
A few useful Resources
Private health insurance in Spain. We recommend Innoinsure, they make it easy. And you don’t need a Spanish bank account – you can pay with foreign credit cards. More info here.
Spartan FX. Buying a house or car in Spain and need to transfer and exchange a large sum of money? More here.
Wise. For everyday transfers and exchanges of money from your home country. Nobody should be using banks anymore. More here.
You decided to make Nerja your base. Why Nerja?
After seeing Nerja in that Spain Revealed episode, we instantly fell in love with it. When we finally came to visit in October 2024, it was everything we had seen in the videos—and somehow even better in person. Coming from Florida, we had a beautiful home, but everything was flat and we never really had a view. Here, we found a place high up in Punta Lara, and the view I’m looking at right now feels like something out of a dream.
We loved the idea of living in a smaller town while still being able to access anything we need. Granada and Málaga are both under an hour away, so whenever we want a bit of city life, it’s right there. We bought a car and have already explored so much of the area. And honestly, we love that most people in the U.S. have never even heard of Nerja—it still feels like a hidden gem.
Another thing that really appealed to us is the pace of life here. With a mix of expats and tourists, learning Spanish doesn’t feel rushed or stressful. And being less than ten minutes from town, shopping, and everything else makes daily life incredibly easy.
I also love cycling, and on warmer days I ride along the coast toward Torrox, taking every hill between Punta Lara and Peñoncillo—about 20 miles most days. The views along that route are absolutely priceless. I love that we COULD walk to downtown and we do walk through the campo and love having the outdoors so available.
We lived in Nerja in our first years in Spain (2020 – 2023). I keep hearing that a lot has changed since then, chief among them the availability and pricing of accommodation. What was your experience? Are you renting or did you buy? Was it hard to find a place? Can you give us an idea of pricing these days?
We ended up purchasing a home, and we’re currently making several improvements to it. From what I’ve seen, prices in the Costa del Sol have risen since we bought—around 15% on average, though it definitely varies by neighborhood. I also have friends who are looking to buy now, and while prices have gone up, I sometimes feel the asking prices are a bit optimistic. For example, they viewed a property at the top of Punta Lara listed at €1.1M, and our realtor felt the true market value was closer to €850K.
Our buying experience itself was actually smoother than we expected, especially considering all the stories you hear about Spanish bureaucracy. We bought a furnished home, negotiated a bit, and were even able to close early so we could get in before the Golden Visa deadline. The house is older, so of course there have been some issues, but we anticipated that and we’re enjoying the process of turning it into our dream home.
We’re also learning the rhythm of home improvements in Spain—where “mañana” doesn’t necessarily mean tomorrow, but more like “not today.” It’s a different pace, but we’re adapting. And I have to say, we loved our realtor team. They made the whole process feel manageable.
It’s been 5 months. What do you think of Nerja so far?
We are absolutely thrilled with our choice. The change of pace has been such a welcome shift for both of us. I retired on May 1, and while my husband sold half of his business and still helps run the rest from here—which gives us a few time limitations—we still have plenty of freedom to explore both Nerja and Europe. With more than 300 restaurants in town, we’re still happily eating our way around. We’re also learning what we can easily find in Nerja and what requires a trip elsewhere, and we’re adapting to those differences as best we can.
Parking in the summer, as you know, can be a real challenge, so we bought a scooter and that has helped tremendously.
We’ve started meeting people, though many are tourists. We’ve made great friends from the UK—some who come annually—and we’ve already visited a few of them back in the UK. Little by little, we’re meeting more locals and building a community here, which is important to us.
One of the biggest gifts of living in Nerja is how much time we spend outdoors. The beauty of the town and our property naturally pulls us outside. Watching the sun rise over the Mediterranean every morning has genuinely done something good for my soul. The changing light, the shifting clouds, the way the view transforms moment by moment—it gives me a deeper appreciation for the world and for life. It’s a daily reminder of how one small change can have such a big impact. We both feel incredibly privileged to live here.
How has it been living in Spain? Any surprises or impressions (good or bad)? Is it how you imagined?
Living in Spain has been a really positive experience for us, even with the adjustments. We came in fully expecting bureaucracy, and that mindset helped a lot. Getting our visa sorted, bringing our five rescue dogs over legally, and even something as simple as opening a bank account or setting up bill payments all worked very differently from what we were used to. Another example is getting mail/packages. Often, they cannot find our house and either send it back or say they delivered it when we did not receive it. It all took some patience and learning, but we reminded ourselves that we didn’t move here for things to feel like the U.S.—we came to embrace a new culture. As a life coach, I’m very aware of what happens when you try to “fight the system,” so we chose to lean into patience and flexibility.
As a life coach, I’m very aware of how much resistance can affect happiness, so we chose to approach everything with flexibility. There have been lifestyle adjustments too—the 2:00 p.m. closures caught us off guard more than once, and the late-night dining culture has been an adjustment for an early-to-bed person like me. But we’re finding our rhythm.
Overall, it’s been exactly the mix of challenges and rewards we expected, and it’s fully aligned with what we hoped this chapter of life would be.
What do you do Kristyn? Do you work? Do you have hobbies to keep you busy? What’s your average day like in Nerja?
I retired from Corporate America on May 1, but my husband still owns part of his business and spends a bit of time most days helping run it. He plans to sell the remaining portion in the next few months, so we’ll both be fully retired soon. I’m also a trained Mindset Life Coach, and I’d love to take on a few clients here—not to build a business, but simply to share what I’ve learned and support people who might benefit from it.
Back in the U.S., we were both very involved in dog rescue, and we’ve tried connecting with a few local rescues here. They haven’t been overly open to newcomers, which we understand, but we do support a small micro‑sanctuary in the campo. We donate, visit, and keep up with how the animals are doing. I also stay active in the rescue world back home in FL through a page I run that helps shelter dogs find homes and educates people on animal advocacy.
We also started a TikTok account to document our move. It’s not something we push hard or treat like a business, but it’s been fun to share our experiences.
Right now, a lot of our time is spent on home improvements, which means plenty of waiting around for workers and projects. When we’re not tied to the house, we explore as much as possible. We’ve covered most of Málaga Province, parts of Granada Province and the Costa Tropical, and we’ve taken trips to Cádiz, Toledo, and Sevilla. One of the biggest joys of living here is how easy it is to travel around Europe. Since arriving in July, we’ve been to the UK, Paris, and then did a Christmas Market trip through Germany, Austria, France, and Switzerland. We’re heading to Zermatt in a few days. My husband is 65 and very committed to traveling while we can, so we try to take at least one trip a month, in addition to our local exploring.
When we’re home in Nerja, my typical day—especially when it’s warm—starts with about 20 miles on the bike. After that, we might have lunch in a nearby whitewashed village or go out for dinner. We love taking drives to places like Ronda, Mijas Pueblo, or Comares to explore and enjoy the scenery.
How have you adapted Kristyn? Language, bureaucracy, etc…how has it gone so far? Do you a lawyer or gestor helping you? Any tips for newcomers?
I’ll be honest—I haven’t been as disciplined with my language learning as I planned. I signed up for a lifetime subscription to Babbel, but because English is so widely spoken here, I haven’t needed Spanish as much as I expected. That said, I’m about to start the licensing process, and even though the written exam is in English, I know I’ll need at least some Spanish for the driving test. We’ve used lawyers for most of the major steps so far, and I’m considering hiring a gestor to help with the licensing process as well.
As a Mindset Life Coach, I came here fully aware that bureaucracy would be part of the experience—and that resisting it would only make life harder. So I’ve taken the approach of accepting the process for what it is. Sometimes it takes two or three attempts at the town hall to get something done, and that’s okay. It’s just part of how things work here.
My biggest tip for newcomers is exactly that: set your expectations realistically. If you assume everything will go smoothly the first time, you’ll be frustrated. But if you expect a few bumps—like not getting your padrón on the first try—you’ll handle it with a lot more patience. Accepting the process instead of fighting it makes a huge difference in how happy you’ll be here.
So what’s the long term plan Kristyn? Will you still be in Nerja or Spain 10 years from now? What are you hopes and dreams?
Our long‑term plan is to stay here. Life is short, and both of us really believe in appreciating each day as it comes. Of course, none of us knows what the universe has in store, but our intention is to make Nerja our home for the long haul.
While we’re still young and able, we want to travel as much as we can—both around Europe and beyond. And eventually, we picture ourselves spending more time right at home, sitting on the rooftop oasis we’re building, watching the Mediterranean roll in and out, the sun rise and set, and everything in between. It’s a simple vision, but it feels like exactly the kind of life we came here to create.
Thank you for doing this interview Kristyn!
Want to be interviewed on Mapping Spain? If so please send us an email or leave a comment
Related: Nerja Or Estepona (as places to base yourself in Spain)
Related: Living in Antequera (compared to Nerja)
Leave a Reply