At the time of writing this, I’ve stayed in Ronda for 4 nights. However, I feel like I could have stayed for much longer. Out of all of the Spanish experiences that I’ve had in my life, this one is the fondest. I think it is because the city, the culture and the landmarks capture the essence of the Andalusian culture and lifestyle.
Ronda is situated in the south-west of Spain.
It has a long and colourful history. It is also associated with Ernest Hemingway, who celebrated his last birthday in Ronda.
Ronda is not a cheap city to live in as a digital nomad like Granada. But it does offer a unique blend of tourism and locality. If you go to the main high street, you will find the commercial stores that you would usually find on any high street. But if you go a couple streets further back, you actually start to immerse yourself in the local suburban culture with local shops.
There are people who do speak some English, but you will quickly find yourself needing to speak basic Spanish to really get by in the area.
The city dates back hundreds of years to the Moorish rule and sits on top of a deep gorge, which is connected by a stone bridge that spans the gorge. If you walk around the town, you will find churches built from stone or even lookout points that will allow you to see the Andalusian mountain range.
Inside the city, you will find several cafes with coffee starting from 1 Euro a cup. You will also find bakeries, patisseries, tapas bars and several restaurants.
If you don’t want to spend much money, you can easily head to the supermarket and pick up a baguette and cheese for less than 2 Euros. This should give you 2-3 meals throughout the day if you are on a tight budget.
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How is the cost of living in Ronda?
As I said before, it isn’t as cheap as Granada. However, I feel like the quality of life and the experience that you can enjoy here compensates for it.
Accommodation
I rented a room on Airbnb, which was a part of a suburban home. I was able to secure the room for $25 a night. I was also very fortunate to have a very, very good host. I was located about 5-minute walk away from the main part of the city. There were some other accommodation spots for approximately $30-40AUD a night.
You can use Agoda to search for accommodation that’s available.
Or click here to find hostel bunks on Hostelworld.
If you would like to stay at campsites whilst travelling in a campervan or motorhome, you can consider searching for rental options.
Transportation.
Once you are in town, you can actually walk everywhere because everything is central. So I didn’t spend anything extra when it came to accommodation. The only thing I spent money on was my ticket to catch the bus and train from Granada to Ronda, which was just over 20 Euros. I did see a sign that offered return tickets from Seville for 15 Euros with one of the local bus lines.
Suggestion: You can hire a car from France to Spain to visit Ronda.
Ability to work.
I run an online agency and I usually work from my room. Unfortunately, the Wi-Fi signal wasn’t strong enough to reach my room, but I could conduct my work in the kitchen where the signal was strong. If I wanted to work somewhere else, I could head into town to one of the cafes and enjoy a coffee and some lunch whilst using their wi-fi.
If you decide to stay in Spain for more than a month, I would actually recommend purchasing a sim card, which will give you the freedom to hotspot from anywhere.
Food.
I kept my budget tight in Ronda, but still had a great experience. I shopped at the local supermarket and spent under 5 Euros a day on food, which mainly consisted of homemade sandwiches with Spanish salami, cheese and baguettes, with some yoghurt to finish it off. Then I’d drink water (simply because I personally try to avoid sugary drinks).
If I wanted to go for tapas, I could have purchased some for approximately 1.50-2 Euros each. Some places offered tapas for free with a 2 Euro beverage.
I did treat myself to one Sangria in one of the plazas when I saw a young man playing flamenco on the guitar. So I treated myself to watch his performance with a Sangria in one hand and the Spanish sunshine warming my back.
Below you can see a couple of my Instagram videos, which highlight some of the landmarks that I was able to visit whilst I was in Ronda.
I really enjoyed Ronda. I was fortunate to be in a good homestay. If you decide to rent an entire place, it is going to cost you more. However, the experience of Ronda is really worth it and I do believe the memories are ones that you will cherish for a lifetime.
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