The answer to that question has to be yes. I have been living here for 10 years and I know people who have been living in Gran Canaria for way more than that. I’m not sure I am going to be here permanently, ie forever, but it is certainly possible to make a life in the sun and live well.
Possible Problems
Saying that, things aren’t always easy. You have to pay the rent or mortgage and the bills, just like anywhere else. Wages are much lower than you are probably used to and the language can be a barrier (even if you speak a bit of Spanish don’t assume you’ll understand “Canarian” which can be pretty different). Unless you have a contract, you don’t get sick pay, free medical care or unemployment benefits either.
Buying a House
If you don’t have savings or a much needed skill you are going to find it hard to buy a property because you need at least 10% of the property price as a deposit plus plenty more in various fees and most ex pat jobs (bar or restaurant work, selling tickets, teaching etc) do not pay enough to make saving a possibility. Else saving up takes years. A lot of people here rent and if you live outside the main resorts you can find something inexpensive.
Property Rental
In Puerto Rico or Playa del Ingles you should expect to pay an absolute minimum of 400 euros for a studio apartment or small 1 bedroom apartment. A reasonable sized 1 bedroom will be about 550 euros and a 2 bedroom place from 650 euros and up. Of course, this varies a lot but you can use those figures as a guideline.
With the average wage being 1000 euros a month, bills being about 80 euros a month and having to buy food, kids’ clothes and more too, you can see why saving money can take time, especially if one person is supporting a family.
However, if you are prepared to be realistic, there is no reaon why living in the Canaries permanently should be a problem. Like I said, I know many ex pats who have been here for years, are enjoying it and have no intention of ever leaving! 
There are also people who retire to Gran Canaria and I can’t say I blame them! 
13 responses so far ↓
1 Samantha // Apr 11, 2011 at 2:02 pm
Hiya,
I am 19 years old and I would love to move to Gran Canaria, me and my mum are thinking of learning Spanish in Las Palmas and after that I would want to get a job in a bar or so in the South. If I do move to Gran Canaria, what would I have to do once on the island? Do I need any special permits to live on the island and what do I need to open up a bankaccount?
thanks x
2 Victoria // Apr 15, 2011 at 9:03 am
You don’t say where you’re from Samantha but you don’t need to apply for residency if you’re from the UK or Ireland (or any other place in the EU). Opening a bank account is easy and you just need an address and a passport to do it. Most banks have someone English-speaking there. You wouldn’t be able to work in LP (it’s unlikely anyway) without speaking Spanish – what exactly do you plan to do there? You will need enough money to live on before you start looking for work. I would suggest the resorts in the south as being a better place to begin. Plus you might be able to find work while you are learning Spanish, rather than after.
3 Samantha // Apr 18, 2011 at 6:26 am
Hi Victoria,
Thankyou for your reply. I was born in England but now I live in the Netherlands.
By needing an address you mean a Gran Canarian address I suppose?
I don’t intend to work in LP, I am planning to do a touristic degree if and when I get back to Holland, so any experience in that business area is fine for me. And therefore I want to do the Spanish course, because then I wouldnt have to do one over here. I found a Spanish learning centre in LP, and was planning on working part time for the duration of the course.
4 Victoria // Apr 18, 2011 at 6:33 am
I understand. In that case, it might be a good plan, if you can support yourself in LP without working. Living in the island’s capital would certainly immerse you in Canarian life more so than if you were based in one of the resorts down south. As I said, don’t expect to find work in LP unless you speak fluent Spanish though. You’d learn the language faster in GC than NL for sure anyway.
5 Samantha // Apr 18, 2011 at 6:45 am
Ok thankyou
The course I will be doing will be a certain price and that is with accomodation included, so I wouldnt need much more, I guess I could save some money untill then.
I came to Holland when I was 7, so my dutch is fluent aswell as my English.
Thanks a lot for your help
6 Reina // Jun 19, 2011 at 7:56 am
Hi Victoria,
I was happy to find your informative site as we’re (husband, toddler & me) considering a move to GC for 6 months. We’re residents of BCN, my husband being the EU citizen, me American & child born in Spain. I have many questions, I hope you don’t mind. : )
I’m a little confused concerning medical coverage. I assumed GC had public health care (for residents) like the rest of Spain? Dental though, is not included, except in extreme cases it seems. Same over there?
We can live wherever as long as there’s internet. You mentioned that can be problematic in one of your articles. 6 months to get a phoneline? In BCN many flats already have lines but you have to dar la alta (I’m losing my English!), which can take a month. — My H rents a desk in an open office with others where they provide internet. Does GC have something like that?
Do you think it’s vital to have a car? Would it be easy enough for a family to go around via bus? How long does it take to traverse the island by car? I’m not even sure which city/town we want to live in. Suggestions?? We’re used to the city life but may be interested in some quiet, on the coast. My little one adores the beach, so more calm waters are important, as well as other kids! Would Lanzarote be too remote?
Thank you for your help! In this undertaking… ; P
7 Victoria // Jun 20, 2011 at 1:50 am
Hi Reina, Medical coverage is similar to the rest of Spain. If you live and work you can get a healthcare care, so you can use doctors’ surgeries, hospitals etc. Some people (myself included) opt for private care though. I have an English doctor (fewer communication problems) and you wait much shorter times for operations etc. You have to pay for dental care (or take out insurance) and that can be expensive. I don’t know if it’s free for kids like in the UK – I don’t have any.
Many apartments come with internet but some do not. When I lived in Tauro I had to plug into the back of my neighbor’s internet box (with a cable out the window) because they simply weren’t giving any more internet out in Tauro. It had reached its quota. Sounds very dumb and backward but that’s how it was. Other places you wait between 1 day and 6 months for it to materialize. If it’s important to you find somewhere with DSL already.
A car isn’t vital. The island is too big to walk around but the bus service is reasonable and cheap. It takes an hour to drive right across the island.
If you want to combine city life with beach and you speak reasonable Spanish I would suggest Las Palmas in the north. The resorts in the south are full of tourists (and a lot more expensive to live in).
Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Lanzarote are the 3 main, biggest islands. Fuerteventura is also nice but windy nearly all the time and very quiet in the winter. I have only lived on GC but I have visited Tenerife and Fuerteventura a few times (and El Hierro but there is nothing on that island at all!!)
8 Victoria // Jun 20, 2011 at 1:51 am
I never heard of the desk rental in open offices before (sounds like a good idea though). We have internet cafes (1 euro an hour in Las Palmas and the Canarian areas, up to 4 euros an hour in the tourist areas).
9 Andy // Jun 25, 2011 at 6:46 am
Hi myself and my wife have been considering moving to GC for many years now. We have savings of about £47k we just wondered if this is enough to ma e a life in GC.I am trying to learn Spanish at the moment.Any info will be gratefully received.
Regards Andy
10 Victoria // Jun 25, 2011 at 6:47 am
That’s about 10 times what I went over with! Having savings and learning the language are obviously helpful but there are no guarantees as to whether you will settle in GC. Property is more affordable outside the resorts. What kind of work can you do or are you retired?
11 Andy // Jun 25, 2011 at 6:59 am
Hi I’ve done bar work, warehousing, driving,sales basically a bit of everything I am a welder by trade but haven’t done it for a few years. No I am not retired yet I am only 50
12 Victoria // Jun 25, 2011 at 7:01 am
I see. Well the bar work and sales should be good. I mean, it’s something you can use to start with. Then you can get a different job later. Bar work is pretty easy to find as long as you do a lot of legwork and get a Spanish phone etc. People come to GC with practically nothing sometimes, so you sound more prepared than them. Keep your options open, do a lot of research and the best of luck to you.
13 Andy // Jun 25, 2011 at 7:03 am
Thanks, sound like a bit more research and we could be on our way
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