What’s it like to live in Mojácar?
Moving to Mojácar would suit those who like the outdoor lifestyle and a peaceful vibe, surrounded by lots of nature, yet still want to be within easy reach of a lively and active foreign population.
Living in Mojácar: Essential Information
According to the latest data available from Spain’s National Institute of Statistics (INE), Mojácar has a total population of 7,386.
The Instituto de Estadística y Cartografía de Andalucía states that 13.9 percent of these are under the age of 20, while 30 percent are over the age of 65.
The number of foreigners living in the area in 2022 (the latest data available) was 3,814. Those from the UK were the majority of these, representing 58 percent of foreigners here.
Healthcare in Mojácar
The heath centres you’ll visit while living in Mojácar will generally depend on whether you have private or public health insurance. The general rule is that if you work in Spain you’ll be paying into the social security system and therefore have access to the public system. If not, or if it’s a condition of your visa, you’ll have private health insurance.
There are two main public health centres in Mojácar, which include the Consultorio Médico Mojacar Pueblo and the Consultorio Mojácar Playa. You’ll usually be assigned to one of them based on where you live in the local area. These are where you’ll see your regular GP.
If there’s a serious emergency or you need scheduled treatment such as an operation, you’ll need to go to one of the three main hospitals in the Almería province
These are the Hospital La Inmaculada in Huércal-Overa, the Hospital Universitario Torrecárdenas in Almería city and Hospital de Poniente in El Ejido. Typically your local doctor will tell you which one to go to, but your nearest one will be Hospital La Inmaculada, around a 40 minute drive north.
If you have private health insurance you can visit the Mojácar Beach Medical Centre or the nearby Virgen del Alcázar Vera - Centro de Salud.
For larger hospitals, you’ll most like have to travel to Almeria to the HLA Hospital Mediterráneo or the Vithas Virgen del Mar. In any case, your health insurer will help you choose which one to go to.
Read our guide to learn more about healthcare in Spain.
Working in Mojácar
According to El Instituto de Estadística y Cartografía de Andalucía, the majority of people in Mojácar work in hospitality jobs, which includes hotels, restaurants and other tourism services. This is followed by those in commerce such as shops in the local area, then those in the construction industry. The last two sectors are real estate and administrative services.
It’s important to be aware that in order to get most of these types of jobs, you will need permission to work in the EU. It’s unlikely that these types of companies will sponsor you for a visa, although it may be possible if it’s a very unique job that you have a particular skill set for.
Most of the big international jobs sites such as Indeed Spain have positions advertised in Mojácar. Job Today also has a few vacancies in hospitality roles within the town.
The website English Jobs Spain has several vacancies in Almeria and may have some in Mojácar too, so keep checking.
It’s also worth joining local online groups to find vacant positions, as well as posting your interest and skill set in Facebook groups like Job vacancies & Employment wanted in and around Mojacar.
To learn more about working and finding a job in Spain, read our in-depth guide to help you out.
You can also read more at the Spanish Chamber of Commerce.
Another good option for working in Mojácar is to move with a remote job or to become self-employed or even start your own business. While there are cafes with free wi-fi, it’s best not to rely on these to do your job. The best option is to set up a home study or rent an office space.
According to the Fair Internet Report, Mojácar has home internet speeds in the range of 141 Mbps and the fastest internet provider is Orange Spain. This is around 46 percent above the average in Spain.
Schools & Education in Mojácar
According to Colegios.es, there are three main public schools in Mojácar - El Colegio Bartolomé Flores and Escuela Infantil Garabato Mojácar which are kindergarten and primary only and Instituto de Educación Secundaria Rey Alabez Mojácar which is a secondary school.
There are no international schools in or around Mojácar, so moving here with children would mean they would need to go to the local public schools where all the lessons would be in Spanish.
The nearest international school is in the city of Almeria itself and it’s a British Montessori school for kids ages 3-11. To get there it would be a journey of over an hour each way from Mojácar by car.
Find out more about education in Spain from the Spanish Ministry of Education.
Transport in Mojácar
If you’re living in Mojácar, then your best option for transport is to have your own car. This area of the country is not very well connected to the rest of the rail network. In fact the nearest train station to Mojácar will be in Almeria, which is just over an hour’s drive south.
The good news is that it is served by several public buses either around the local area or to nearby big cities including Almeria or north to Cartagena, in the region of Murcia.
Having said that, you won’t want to rely on them all the time, particularly if you want to explore your local area and go hiking, find hidden beaches or do other sports, so it’s still worth investing in a car.
The nearest airport to Mojácar is Almería, which lies just under an hour south from the town in the capital of the province. easyJet, Jet2.com, Ryanair and TUI. You can fly here from many major cities in the UK including London, Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol and Birmingham, as well as Belfast in northern Ireland. Other European cities that have direct connections to Almería include Paris, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Prague, Faro, Rotterdam and Warsaw.
If you want to reach destinations outside of Europe, your best airports will be either Málaga or Valencia, depending on whether you’re taking public transport or driving.
