Cheap Eats, Quirky Cafes, and Making Friends: The 5 Best Neighborhoods in Barcelona for Students
Coming up: food, friends, fun, laptop-friendly cafes, money-saving hacks and tips, a surprisingly easy way to find a nice apartment, and the 5 best neighborhoods in Barcelona for students.
You’re a student. You’re moving to Barcelona.
… so, naturally, you want to know: where to live in Barcelona as a student?
Well, Homelike are here to help, with 5 of the city’s top spots. Expect cheap thrills, cut-price eats, brand-new friends, work-friendly cafes, and some hacks on saving money (and time!).
Want to know where you can hang out? Where to find cheap gyms? How you can live in the center without spending lots of money? And how to avoid all the tourists?
Coming up, your good ol’ friends at Homelike have brought you some juicy info on all that and more. Here’s everything you need to know about the best neighborhoods in Barcelona for students—let’s go!
El Raval
Once a little spooky and shady, the El Raval neighborhood has been gentrified beyond recognition—now one of the city’s hippest areas, it’s among the best neighborhoods in Barcelona for students (and any young people!).
Part of the city’s very-central area, it features art, exhibitions, galleries, museums, bohemian bars, excellent nightlife, many events, lots of cafes and restaurants, and many tourists and tourist attractions.
Basically, you’ll always find something to do here—and you’ll always find someone to do it with,
When short-term-stayers (like Erasmus students!) are looking for short term rentals in Barcelona, El Raval is a popular pick. But it’s equally good for students staying in the country for years.
Rental Prices in El Raval
In El Raval, you’ll typically pay anything from €1,000 to €3,500 per month for your own apartment (and the average sits somewhere around €1,800). A room in an El Raval houseshare will typically cost you between €700 and €900.
(Yep: for finding low prices, this isn’t one of the best neighborhoods in Barcelona as a student. But if you have the money, it’s a great place to live!)
Some bad news: you might struggle to find a place to live here. Because it’s super hip and trendy, many students want to live in the neighborhood. That means lots of competition—and it’s tough to compete if you don’t speak the local lingo.
So: if you can’t find a place, we have lots of apartments in Barcelona here at Homelike. They’re all ready today, they’re perfect for living and studying, they’re fully-furnished, and all utilities and internet are already organized for you. Simple!
Affordable Eateries in El Raval
- Elisabets Restaurant: laid-back and unpretentious, this canteen-style place serves up classic tapas and local favorites. Great for authentic food at low prices.
- Asian Restaurant: this unimaginatively-named Indian joint is a student favorite. Expect a main, drink, starter and dessert for around 10 euro total.
- La Boqueria: although it’s pretty touristy, this big indoor market is still good for cheap eats. Expect fruit, veg, snacks, seafood, little plates, informal eats, and more.
For foodies, El Raval is one of the best options for where to live in Barcelona as a student.
Study-Friendly Cafes and Libraries in El Raval
El Raval is home to the Library of Catalonia, one of the city’s best and biggest libraries…
… and the HUGE Universitat de Barcelona is just to the north of El Raval, and has many other work-friendly libraries and spaces.
(Yep: for finding study-specific spots, this is one of the best neighborhoods in Barcelona for students!)
Because El Raval is a busy touristy area, you won’t find many work-friendly cafes here. Federal Cafè, on the outskirts of the district, allows laptops—and both El Raval branches of 365 Cafe have enough space to work.
Fitness Facilities and Parks in El Raval
You won’t find many parks here. But the busy La Rambla street can be fun to run down (unless it’s evening). There are some fitness facilities in the area (offering classes, yoga, and workout equipment), but none are too impressive. CEM Can Ricart is the best of El Raval’s gyms.
Les Corts
Home to two university campuses (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and the Pedralbes Campus of Esade Business and Law School), Les Corts is popular with students.
But because it’s massive, it offers different vibes:
- Les Corts’ eastern stretch is closer to the city center, offering a combo of affordability, centrality and fun.
- Its western stretch is more green and residential, and more popular with families. Unless you want a quiet life, we don’t recommend heading here.
Fun fact: Les Corts is home to Barcelona FC’s home stadium, the Camp Nou.
Rental Prices in Les Corts
Because Les Corts is massive, its prices range widely.
It’s possible to find a decent studio or 1-bed flat for between €700 and €1,200 per month, but the location might not be great.
You can find rooms in house shares for between €200 and €400—but you’ll pay slightly more for something more central.
Affordable Eateries in Les Corts
The eastern end of Les Corts has some good cut-price eateries, including D’Street Poke & Bowls, Ecuadorian-food-offering El Campeón Chonero, and Las Muns (with its excellent empanadas).
Study-Friendly Cafes and Libraries in Les Corts
For finding places to work, Les Corts one of the best neighborhoods in Barcelona as a student.
Both of the neighborhood’s universities have libraries, while both Vapor Vell Public Library and Montserrat Abelló Public Library are in the district.
Your best choices for work-friendly cafes are Hidden Coffee Roasters (excellent coffee, though they only have two laptop-friendly tables), book-filled Philosofia Cafe, and famous-for-its-donuts Dream Coffee Shop.
Fitness Facilities and Parks in Les Corts
The national park bordering Les Corts to the west is great for hiking and trail running, while Jardins del Palau de Pedralbes and Parc de Cervantes are good for a stroll.
Because Les Corts is so big, you’ll find many gyms, yoga classes, pilates places, and fitness classes. Crossfit Les Corts is particularly popular.
In short: if you like staying fit and healthy, and you want to know where to live in Barcelona as a student, Les Corts is the place for you.
Gracia
North of the city’s very center, Gracia is another big district.
Its maze-like northern side is home to hidden streets, many green spaces, some national park hikes, and lots of homes. The southern side is a little more uniform, and much closer to bars, cafes, other students, and lots of tourist attractions.
In short, the southern side of Gracia is one of the best neighborhoods in Barcelona as a student.
Rental Prices in Gracia
For your own apartment here, you’ll likely pay between €1,200 and €1,400 per month.
The further north you go, the better chance you’ll find a cheaper apartment (but most students prefer to stay in the more-exciting south side of the district).
A room in a Gracia house share will typically cost between €600 and €900 (usually nearer to the upper end of that scale).
Affordable Eateries in Gracia
Gracia is one of the best neighborhoods in Barcelona for students who want to eat traditional local fayre without spending much money. Top spots include Restaurant La Salut, Restaurant Tossa, and Bar Restaurant Martinez. Bicioci Bike Café is great for coffee, brunch, and sandwiches.
Study-Friendly Cafes and Libraries in Gracia
The work-friendly Jaume Fuster Public Library is excellent, while there are also some other smaller public libraries in the neighborhood.
Two of the best cafes include Sabio Infante Brunch and Coffee, and Miners Coffee. Although there are lots of great cafes in the south side of Gracia, most of them are tiny (and therefore not work-friendly).
Fitness Facilities and Parks in Gracia
The northern half of the district is great for hikes and hill running (there’s a national park here, and you’re super close to the view-packed Tibidabo Amusement Park).
You don’t get a huge number of parks in the rest of the neighborhood, aside from the popular and iconic Park Güell.
For finding gyms, this is one of the best neighborhoods in Barcelona as a student. Good options include Basic Fit, Forus Sardenya, Eurofitness, and New Body Gracia. You’ll also find around 10 different yoga studios.
L’Eixample
Separated from Barcelona’s seaside only by the very center of the city, L’Eixample is central enough to be full of fun, but just outskirty enough to not feel too touristy.
Featuring a lovely combo of homes, attractions, bars, squares, endless things to do, and a diverse range of people, this isn’t just one of the best neighborhoods in Barcelona for students—it’s one of the best neighborhoods in Barcelona for anyone.
Rental Prices in L’Eixample
For your own place in L’Eixample, you’ll likely pay around €2,000 or more per month.
For a room in a house share, expect to pay around €900.
Top tip: the western side of the neighborhood is usually better for finding lower rents.
But: because this is such a popular place to live, you might struggle to find an apartment. And even if you do find one, you’ll likely need to bid against other would-be renters. To avoid the stress and hassle, we have lots of apartments dotted around L’Eixample—they’re all comfy and cozy, they’re all ready to move into today, and you don’t need to negotiate for any of them!
Affordable Eateries in L’Eixample
Not just one of the best neighborhoods in Barcelona for students seeking cheap eats—but arguably the best of them all.
Here, you’ll find Asian food, Georgian food, tacos, empanadas, local stuff, and more. Favorites include Billy Brunch, Hello Pho, and the unimaginatively-named Burritos.
Study-Friendly Cafes and Libraries in L’Eixample
Fort Pienc Public Library has a nice outdoor terrace, while L’Eixample is also home to some university libraries.
The most popular work-friendly cafe here is D-Origen Coffee Roasters (offering some of the best coffee in the city). And on a quiet day, the welcoming Roast Club Coffee is another good choice.
For working in cafes, this isn’t one of the best neighborhoods in Barcelona as a student. Yep, there are MANY excellent cafes here—but most of them are small or busy (or both!).
Fitness Facilities and Parks in L’Eixample
There are no decent parks here. But running through the busy grid-like streets can be fun, and you’ll find a HUGE number of gyms. The excellent Àccura Bruc gym is very central, and one of the best in the city (and has a pool!).
El Poblenou
Once an industrial district, many ex-warehouses in now-thriving El Poblenou have been converted into coffee shops, chic restaurants, and edgy nightlife spaces. If you like hipsters, you’ll love living here.
But that’s not all: the southeastern part of the district lies right on the seaside, offering coastal parks, busy beaches, and plenty of places to swim, chill, and exercise.
Rental Prices in El Poblenou
For your own small apartment in El Poblenou, you’ll likely pay around €2,000 per month. But if you head to the northeastern corner of the district (away from the beach and the city center), you might be able to find a place for €1,500.
A room in a house share will typically cost between €600 and €800. Again, the northeastern corner of the neighborhood is best for saving money.
Affordable Eateries in El Poblenou
For cheap meals and morsels, this isn’t one of the best neighborhoods in Barcelona as a student. Most eateries here are expensive.
That said, you can get affordable brunches at Steam & Coal, cheap Venezuelan treats at Doña Jacinta, and great low-price Asian snacks at 101 Dim Sum.
Study-Friendly Cafes and Libraries in El Poblenou
When you’re looking for where to live in Barcelona as a student, El Poblenou is a pretty good pick for work-friendly spots.
It’s home to Manuel Arranz Public Library, while Jacob’s Inn Cafe is good for both eating and working (and because it’s inside a hostel, it’s great for meeting people!).
The neighborhood’s branch of Federal has a laptop-friendly table, while The Miners Coffee is good for working on quieter days.
Fitness Facilities and Parks in El Poblenou
Parc del Poblenou and some other great green spaces lie right on the seaside, while basically the whole neighborhood is excellent for running.
You won’t find too many gyms or yoga studios here, but Énergie Fitness Poblenou is very popular.
Best Neighborhoods in Barcelona for Students: Final Thoughts
And that’s us done—that’s everything you need to know about the best neighborhoods in Barcelona for students!
To sum up: El Poblenou is best for beachside living, El Raval is good for being hip and living centrally, and Les Corts is best for your budget.
But: as we’ve covered, Barcelona is a popular place to live. So you might struggle to find a nice home.
So: if you are having trouble, move into one of our places. They’re all available today, they’re all perfect for living and studying, and all internet and utilities are covered and included in one fee.
Thanks for reading, thanks for choosing Homelike, and enjoy living in Barcelona. Bye for now!
(Oh, and before you go—here’s even more detail on districts and areas: the 13 best neighborhoods in Barcelona).
