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Best neighborhood to stay in Alicante as a digital nomad

Discover the best neighborhood to stay in Alicante and enjoy life in this sunny Mediterranean city — find your perfect area here!

If you’re looking to live in a city with a privileged climate all year round, a wide range of cultural activities, leisure, and traditional Mediterranean cuisine, this destination might be the right fit for you. In this article, we’ll dive into discovering the best neighborhood to stay in Alicante, whether you’re a family, a digital nomad, or a student.

Live in the city centre, with all services nearby, close to the university, or in an apartment with sea views, depending on your personal or professional needs. To choose the right area, we’ll analyse safety, access to healthcare and education services, cultural offerings, and the nearby green spaces. Welcome to the terreta!

In this article

The 3 Best Neighbourhoods to Live in Alicante

Alicante is a great place to live, and I can say this from personal experience, as this city offers a high quality of life, thanks to its sun, sea, famous paellas, nightlife, and safe streets. To choose the best neighbourhoods in Alicante to live in, it’s essential to understand the characteristics of each area based on your lifestyle, so make a note of the three areas we’ve selected.

1. Old Town, Santa Cruz Neighbourhood

In the Old Town, you can feel the true Alicante tradition, especially in the picturesque Santa Cruz neighbourhood. This area is known for its narrow streets and white and blue houses filled with flower pots, reflecting the essence of Mediterranean life.

When it comes to rentals, on Idealista, you can find a studio for $822 (€700) per month or a two-bedroom apartment starting at $1,116 (€950). Let’s explore the characteristics of one of the best neighbourhoods in Alicante:

Transport: You can get around the neighbourhood by bicycle or tuk-tuk, which is more tourist-oriented. A few meters away, various bus lines depart from the Explanada.
Healthcare services: The Santa Faz Health Centre is a 3-minute walk away, and the General Hospital is a 10-minute drive.
Water quality: Suitable for consumption but has high hardness, which affects the taste and causes limescale buildup.
Air quality: According to the 2023 Air Quality Report by the Valencian Community (Generalitat Valenciana), it’s within the recommended limits by the WHO. This neighbourhood has little traffic, so air quality is better than in the city centre.
Noise: The local council has declared it an Acoustic Saturation Zone (ZAS) to reduce pub operating hours.
Education: The area has language schools, and the University of Alicante is 15 minutes by Tram from the Mercado station.
Safety: Despite being a nightlife area, there’s no insecurity here.
Green spaces: The Santa Bárbara Castle is located in this neighbourhood, offering a pine forest to walk through while admiring the city views.
Shops: There are small, typical local shops, and the Central Market is a 5-minute walk away.
Leisure activities: Several museums, such as MACA, and social centres like Centro 14, which hosts cultural workshops. Additionally, this neighbourhood is full of bars, restaurants, and pubs, where you can grab a drink or dance.

2. Ensanche-Diputación

Another of the best neighbourhoods in Alicante to live in is Ensanche-Diputación, located in the city centre, near the famous Plaza de los Luceros. It’s a modern neighbourhood, full of shopping avenues, stores, restaurants, and shopping centres.

Rent prices are high in this area since it’s in the city centre, but on Idealista, you can find studios starting from $940 (€800) or larger apartments from $999 (€850) per month. Here are some details about this area:

Transport: There are many bus lines, as well as the main Tram station at Luceros and the Renfe train station.
Healthcare services: There are several private clinics around, and the Specialised Health Centre is a 5-minute walk away. You can also reach the General Hospital in 10 minutes by Tram.
Water quality: Suitable for consumption but has high hardness, which affects the taste and causes limescale buildup.
Air quality: Medium, with some urban pollution due to traffic, according to the City of Alicante.
Noise: Medium-high, according to the 2022 Noise Map, in the main avenues due to traffic.
Education: Language schools, vocational training, and the University of Alicante are 5 minutes away by train.
Safety: High, with low crime rates, according to the Ministry of the Interior’s 2023 data.
Green spaces: The Canalejas Park is a 10-minute walk away, famous for its century-old ficus trees. Also, in 10 minutes, you can reach both the San Fernando Castle and the Santa Bárbara Castle.
Shops: The El Corte Inglés shopping centre is in this area, as well as Maisonnave Avenue, with the most famous fashion stores.
Leisure activities: You can go to the Ana cinema in the neighbourhood, the Principal Theatre is 5 minutes away, and there are many pubs with live concerts and comedy shows. Castaños Street is well-known for its concentration of pubs with music and terraces.

3. Playa San Juan

If you can’t live far from the sea, then you’ll love the San Juan area, a tourist neighbourhood in the summer and quieter in the winter, with a beach stretching over six kilometres within the neighbourhood. It’s an exclusive area, but if you’re looking for seasonal rentals from September to May, you can find them starting from $880 (€750) with a garage included on Idealista. In summer, rentals are more tourist-oriented, but you can still find them starting at $940 (€800) for long-term stays.

Transport: Lines 21, 22, and the Tram connect you to the city centre in 20 minutes.
Healthcare services: There is a health clinic on Avenida Bruselas, and the San Juan Hospital is 5 minutes by car.
Water quality: Suitable for consumption but has high hardness, which affects the taste and causes limescale buildup.
Air quality: Better than in the city centre due to the proximity to the beach.
Noise: This area is quieter than the city centre in terms of traffic, although there is nightlife.
Education: There are language schools in the area, and the Miguel Hernández University of San Juan is nearby.
Safety: It’s a safe area according to the Ministry of the Interior, though extra caution is advised in summer due to small thefts, mostly at the beach.
Green spaces: The Sergio Melgares Park is one of the largest parks in the city.
Shops: The neighbourhood is full of clothing shops, shoe stores, restaurants, and has the Fontana Shopping Centre.
Leisure activities: Water sports on the beach and nightlife on Avenida Costa Blanca.

The best areas in Alicante to live. Source: Shutterstock.

The Best Neighbourhoods for Digital Nomads to Live in Alicante

If you’re a digital nomad who’s just arrived in this city and looking for the best neighbourhoods in Alicante to settle down, we’ve selected two areas that we’re sure you’ll love: the Centre and Virgen del Socorro. Stay close to the city centre, the beach, and enjoy the benefits a digital nomad needs, such as coworking and coliving spaces.

Centre

The Centre area, which includes the Alfonso el Sabio, Dr. Rico, and Maisonnave avenues, is one of the best neighbourhoods in Alicante for digital nomads. It has the highest concentration of coworking spaces, cafes with wifi, coliving or living residences, and all the services you need within walking distance: Gyms, restaurants, shops, shopping centres, theatres, cinemas, and the Postiguet Beach just 10 minutes away on foot.

Coworking: Luceros 12 Coworking is located at Plaza de los Luceros, with a fixed desk in a shared space starting at $102 (€99) per month.
Coliving: On Avenida Alfonso el Sabio, you can stay at Suiters Alicante, from $940 (€800) per month, in a private studio with a coworking space.
Cafes: The Pynchon bookshop is a cultural space where you can work remotely while enjoying a coffee on Calle Segura.

Streets in the centre of Alicante where coworking spaces are located @pexels.

Raval Roig

If you prefer a quieter neighbourhood but still well connected to the city centre, another of the best neighbourhoods in Alicante is Raval Roig. It offers a wide range of services within reach, as well as bus and Tram connections. You can also walk to the centre and the beach in five minutes, and nearby, you have the Plaza Mar 2 Shopping Centre with shops, cinemas, and a supermarket.

Coworking: You can find coworking spaces like Babbid, Crema, or BSG, all located near Postiguet Beach.
Coliving: Just 5 minutes by car, you can find Suiteroom Alicante coliving starting from $705 (€600) per month, with included services and a communal pool.

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Best Neighbourhoods for Students to Live in Alicante

Now let’s discover the best neighbourhoods in Alicante for students. Among the features we’ve selected are areas close to the University or with good transport connections, lower rental prices, and a youthful vibe.

Altozano

We start with the Altozano neighbourhood, located 10 minutes from the University of Alicante by bus (line 24) and 5 minutes from the city centre. It’s a residential, youthful area with shops and supermarkets nearby and lower rental prices. In this area, you can find rooms from $315 (€270) per month in shared housing with other students, through the Idealista platform.

Students enjoying Alicante @pexels.

El Pla

Another great student neighbourhood in Alicante is El Pla, with a Tram stop that takes you to the University of Alicante in 10 minutes. This area has everything you need for daily life, such as shops, shopping centres, and gyms. Additionally, you have the Pla-Carolinas Public Library for studying in a peaceful environment.

If you fancy a beach day, you can walk there in 15 minutes and it’s also easily connected to the city centre and nightlife. Regarding rentals, a room in this area starts at €285 per month.

Which is the Best Neighbourhood to Live in Alicante?

Although Alicante has several great areas to live in, we believe that Ensanche-Diputación is one of the best neighbourhoods to reside in. This is due to its central location, excellent public transport connectivity, proximity to healthcare services, shops, educational centres, and its safety, making it one of the most complete areas in the city:

Leisure options for all tastes (cinema, theatre, museums, and virtual reality centres)
Just a 10-minute walk to Postiguet Beach or Santa Bárbara Castle.
Coworking and coliving spaces
Main Tram and Renfe stations