Andorra is a wonderful country to live. From mountain views from almost every window to a favorable tax system, it has many distinctive features.
But it may not suit everyone. Before moving here, it makes sense to weigh the pros and cons of living in Andorra.
Moving to a new country, especially one as unusual as Andorra, is a big decision. This article will be a helpful aid in your process.
We have complete and detailed guides on many subtopics that are linked in this post. So, take this article as a good starting point and carefully use it to create your own list of pros and cons.
Pros of living in Andorra
Living in Andorra has many advantages. Here are six we discovered.
Safety
There are pros and cons to living in Andorra, but safety is one of the biggest advantages. In a bad year, Andorra may experience one murder, and the country has almost no violent crime.
There are essentially only two routes in and out of Andorra, so illegal weapons are extremely rare and criminals know they will be caught before they get very far.
The very low unemployment rate (around 3.7%) means that property crimes are also rare in Andorra.
the cost of living
The cost of living in Andorra is on par with affordable Spanish cities such as Barcelona and Madrid. The cost of living in Andorra, especially in relation to things like accommodation, transport, food and utilities, is generally 30% lower than what you would expect in major cities around the world.
Below average cost of living in Andorra includes:
- Apartment with two bedrooms and one bathroom (80 m²) in La Massana for only 650 euros per month.
- One of the lowest gas prices in Europe is 1.20 euros/liter.
- Internet service (with a nominal speed of 300 Mbit/s) for 39 euros/month.
Taxes
The tax system is another plus of living in Andorra. We discuss the tax system in Andorra in detail in other posts, but here are a few main points:
- Married couples can earn up to €40,000 before income tax and a maximum of 10% of income thereafter.
- There is no sales tax in Andorra, and VAT is only 4.5%.
- Entrepreneurs looking to start a company will be happy to know that the income tax is only 10%.
While Andorra is certainly not a tax-free haven, it has managed to provide a high level of government services without the usual tax burden on citizens.
Outdoor lifestyle
It is difficult to overstate how beautiful the Andorran landscape is and how familiar every Andorran is with a long list of outdoor activities.
Obviously, the country is known as a top-tier ski destination , and living in Andorra provides the opportunity to hit the slopes spontaneously, and not just when the kids have time off from school.
For residents of Ordino and La Massana, a year-round ski pass and bike park costs only 168 euros.
There are just as many ways to enjoy outdoor activities in Andorra during the summer, including:
- Road cycling is a big plus of living in Andorra, which is why many world-class stars live here.
- Mountain biking is good enough to attract UCI World Cup races every year.
- What might be a once-in-a-lifetime mountain trek for some is what you can do in Andorra on an ambitious day out.
Healthcare
The Andorran healthcare system has 3.6 doctors for every 1,000 inhabitants. Many world-class healthcare services are offered locally, but Andorra is also integrated into the neighboring healthcare systems of France and Spain.
According to the 2017 Lancet publication Global Burden of Disease , Andorra is the best country in the world in terms of quality and access to healthcare system. It ranked higher than countries such as Switzerland, Norway and Australia, which are widely known for their progressive systems.
Andorra’s health insurance system, Caixa Andorrana de Seguretat Social (CASS), covers most health care costs. As a few examples, the system covers the following percentage of stated costs:
- 75% for an appointment with a doctor or dentist,
- 90% of hospital visits and
- 100% of childbirth costs
Andorrans planning to travel to France, Spain and Portugal must notify CASS and any unexpected medical expenses arising during the trip will be covered.
Community
Once you get past the language barrier, Andorra is a particularly friendly and welcoming place.
Andorra also has a thriving community of expats from all over the world. Many of them gather in forums and Facebook groups based on interests, careers, or life stages.
Disadvantages of living in Andorra
When moving to any new country, you have to accept the good and the bad. Here’s what to consider when deciding whether Andorra is right for you.
No airport or train
One of the most compelling reasons to live in Western Europe is how easy it is to get to other parts of the continent or other parts of the world. Flights here are cheap and trains are fast.
Unfortunately, Andorra does not have its own airport or connections to the European rail system. There is a small airport near the border at La Seu D’Urgell, but it mainly serves high-end and private flights.
For Andorrans, the nearest major airports are Barcelona (2.5 hours by car) and Toulouse (3 hours).
The nearest train station is at L’Hospital-pré-l’Andorre , 3 km from the French border. The night train goes directly to Paris Austerlitz , and once you get to Toulouse you can quickly get to other destinations.
Travelers wishing to change to Spanish trains can do so at Lleida Pirineus station .
Learning Catalan can be difficult
Catalan is the official language of Andorra. It is the mother tongue of only about 10 million people worldwide, so it is likely that most newcomers to Andorra do not yet speak it.
However, it’s not all bad news: the government is offering free classes . It’s also a great place to meet other new (and sometimes old) residents.
Most Andorrans also speak French or Spanish as a second language. English is growing in popularity in Andorra, but it is still most spoken in tourist areas. It is also beginning to play a more prominent role in the Andorran school system, in particular in the Andorran international schools.
This can also pose a problem for newcomers who want to access government services in Andorra. Information about programs and regulations is not easy to find, and everything published online will be in Catalan.
Little things can make Andorra feel disconnected from the world
If you’re used to life in a big city, where Amazon delivers almost everything to your door in a few hours and you can use an app to order everything from plumbers to Thai food for dinner, Andorra may seem behind the times. .
Some online stores do not include Andorra in the list of countries they ship to, and Andorra’s six-digit phone numbers may cause problems when filling out certain online forms.
While there is always a way around these hassles, such as sending a package to a store in La Seu d’Urgell, it is important to be aware of these minor hassles before moving here.
The downside to this is that Andorra has some of the best internet service in the world. A recent modem upgrade in 30,000 homes and 5,000 businesses increased average download speeds to an impressive 285 Mbps.
Balance between the pros and cons of living in Andorra
The process of moving to Andorra is significantly different from moving from one EU country to another. Living in Andorra has some unusual pros and cons that go far beyond the idea that Andorra is a low-tax jurisdiction.
If you are planning to move to Andorra, you should definitely evaluate these pros and cons and decide that it is right for you. Most people are particularly attracted to one of the benefits – they want to be outdoors, enjoying the enchanting scenery every day, and know that they can cope with the main disadvantages – they enjoy learning new languages and do not mind living away from international borders. airports.