10 Best Places to Learn Spanish Abroad

As the official language of 20 countries and nearly 500 million people worldwide, Spanish has the world’s second-highest number of native speakers and is essential to many job markets. For the travel-minded, speaking Spanish opens up a whole new world of friends and deeper connections with those you meet as you trot across the globe! 

So, where’s the best place to learn Spanish abroad? There's no one-size-fits-all answer, considering the major linguistic, cultural, and even economic differences between countries. Luckily, this means that you’re guaranteed to find one that is entirely perfect for you.

Despite differences in vocabulary, accents, and minor grammar points, the fact is, any dialect of Spanish you choose will be understood across all Spanish-speaking countries. When choosing a country, what truly matters most are your goals, interests, budget, and desire to engage with the culture and people. 

Consider the following points to narrow down your perfect location:

• Budget: Guatemala, Peru, and Colombia are great for budget travelers. Spain, Uruguay, and Cuba, while still affordable, will run up a bigger tab.
• Interests: Do you want to surround yourself with nature or be in a big city? Do you prefer hiking or dancing? Are your culinary tastes spicy or a little more suave? Nailing down your interests will help you decide which country ticks all your boxes.
• Level of Spanish: Colombia or Spain are often considered the best places to start for beginners while more advanced students may want to jump into trickier accents like those in Argentina or Uruguay.

Read more: Should You Learn Spanish in Spain or Latin America?

• Popular cities: Medellín, Bogotá, Cartagena 
• Typical program cost: $200-$350 USD per week (generally includes accommodation) 
• Average monthly cost of living: $600-$950 USD 
• Best times to go: December to March 

✅ Pro:

• The neutral accent of many Colombians makes communication a lot easier for new Spanish speakers.

❌ Con:

• Spanish class tuition in Colombia can be more expensive than comparative classes in other parts of Latin America.

Rolos (residents of the capital city of Bogotá) are quick to inform travelers that they speak the best Spanish in all of Latin America. While this title is up for debate, it’s true that Spanish speakers in central Colombia have a minimal accent and talk relatively slowly, making their Spanish easier to understand. 

Locals understand the considerable language advantage they have to offer, with Spanish schools popping up in major cities faster than you can say "arepa con queso." The government has even sponsored an initiative to market Spanish language schools as part of the country’s new branding campaign. Bogotá and Medellín are ideal bases for weekend breaks away from the classroom to take in the coffee fincas, volcano-scattered national parks, and impenetrable jungle filled with astonishing wildlife. 

• Popular cities: Antigua, Quetzaltenango (Xela), Panajachel 
• Typical program cost: $155-$350 USD per week (generally includes accommodation) 
• Average monthly cost of living: $800-$1,200 USD 
• Best times to go: November to March 

✅ Pro:

• The low cost of living makes it an attractive destination for budget-minded Spanish learners.

❌ Con:

• The rainy season, which lasts from May through October, can take some serious adjusting to.

Stunning Guatemala is filled with unique sights and experiences sure to tempt any traveler. From its black sand beaches to beautifully preserved Mayan ruins, the country offers plenty in terms of culture, outdoor adventures, and affordable language learning. Beyond affordability, Antigua, with its veritable feast of historic architecture and dynamic nightlife, is a popular destination for students and travelers alike. 

• Popular cities: Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Mendoza 
• Typical program cost: $165-$250 USD per week 
• Average monthly cost of living: $750-$1,200 USD 
• Best times to go: December to February 

✅ Pro:

• Argentina is known around the globe for its dynamic culture – learn the sultry tango in Buenos Aires or take a ride with the gauchos in the grasslands that dot the countryside.

❌ Con:

• Argentina’s long-standing financial difficulties can make studying here astoundingly cheap, or painfully expensive, depending on the current situation.

Everyone else on the continent will tell you that Argentina is the most challenging place to learn Spanish, mainly due to its distinctive accent, differing verb conjugations, and range of unique slang. However, by studying Argentine Spanish, you’re guaranteed a warm, friendly welcome from local residents who are intensely proud of their culture and identity. 

Argentina’s popularity among expats, study abroad students, and volunteers has made it a top destination for travelers, many of whom arrive in need of a little help with their Spanish. Buenos Aires has one of the highest numbers of Spanish schools in Latin America, not to mention plenty of high-ranked universities that are open to international students. 

• Popular cities: San Jose, Manuel Antonio, Heredia 
• Typical program cost: $290-$400 USD per week 
• Average monthly cost of living: $1,300-$1,500 USD 
• Best times to go: December to April 

✅ Pro:

• Few countries around the globe can compete with Costa Rica when it comes to observing unique wildlife in its natural habitat.

❌ Con:

• If sightseeing is on your list, it may take some time to get to and from the major tourist attractions that are spread out across the country.

You may arrive in Costa Rica to learn, but when you’re not reviewing the past perfect or practicing rolling your Rs, rest assured, you certainly won’t find boredom. With hundreds of miles of beaches on both coasts, zip lines strung through misty cloud forests, and some of the world’s most impressive biodiversity, Costa Rica has so many extracurricular offerings that you might struggle to find time for actual study! 

Despite opportunities to learn in the capital of San José, even the locals will tell you to head somewhere a little more scenic -- as in, pretty much anywhere else in the country. Luckily, wherever you go, the laid-back Ticos and Ticas of Costa Rica speak at a pace that won’t be too intimidating for newbies. 

• Popular cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Valencia 
• Typical program cost: $200-$750 USD per week 
• Average monthly cost of living: $1,000-$1,600 USD 
• Best times to go: March to May 

✅ Pro:

• Learning Spanish in Spain can put you in good stead for understanding Spanish in most other Spanish-speaking countries.

❌ Con:

• Because Spain is popular among tourists and expats alike, you may find many English speakers in major cities. While some may see that as a pro, it may prevent you from meeting and making local friends to practice your Spanish!

If you’re interested in learning Spanish, why not do it in the birthplace of the language? Spain’s rich literary and cinematic traditions make it a truly unique place to study for international students and an excellent -- and affordable -- introduction to European life. 

The most popular destination is Spain’s elegant capital city, Madrid. Granada, known for its striking medieval Moorish architecture, is another great option if you want to be further south. Coastal Barcelona, home to both Spanish and the native language of Catalan offers a culturally and linguistically unique experience in the eastern part of the country. 

• Popular cities: Lima, Cusco, Arequipa 
• Typical program cost: $75-$250 USD per week 
• Average monthly cost of living: $750-$950 USD 
• Best times to go: April to November 

✅ Pro:

• The Peruvian accent is understandable for newbies and few other countries can rival Peru’s considerable ancient archeological sites.

❌ Con:

• Cusco and Lima are chock full of English-speaking travelers which can make it harder to put your new linguistic skills into practice.

Few countries grip would-be travelers with quite the same sense of awe as the former Inca stronghold of Peru. And while Machu Picchu is certainly a major jewel in this South American nation’s crown, the rest of the country has far more to offer -- from affordable Spanish lessons in marvelous historic cities. 

Take Lima for starters: this capital city is home to faded colonial architecture, pre-Hispanic temples, and row upon row of mouth-watering cevicherías. Cusco, nestled into the Andes Mountains in the southeast of Peru, is equally breathtaking for its high-altitude location and wealth of Inca relics that dots its ancient streets. What's more, the city is now teeming with plenty of Spanish language schools so finding the right fit won’t be hard. 

• Popular cities: Mexico City, Guanajuato, Guadalajara 
• Typical program cost: $400-$700 USD per week (generally includes accommodation) 
• Average cost of living: $1,200-$1,500 USD 
• Best times to go: December to April 

✅ Pro:

• If eating is high on your list, you’ll have no shortage of amazingly delicious dishes to try while studying Spanish in Mexico.

❌ Con:

• Mexicans speak Spanish fast and with a liberal dose of slang that can be hard for newbies.

Mexico has a robust linguistic tradition and a dictionary’s worth of great slang. Here, linguistic divisions are plenty, from the Mayan-influenced Spanish of the Yucatán Peninsula in the south to the more familiar norteño accent in the north, so it’s well worth doing plenty of research before you decide to learn Spanish in Mexico. 

That said, the country’s enormous capital - Mexico City - is a great option, while the more sedate Cuernavaca is both picturesque and on the doorstep of a wealth of historical sites. However, for serious Spanish-language students hoping to leave the English speakers far behind, Oaxaca has a wide variety of schools and a much lower volume of tourists, meaning you’ll likely see progress far more rapidly than in the other, more popular Mexican cities. 

• Popular cities: Montevideo, Salto, Colonia del Sacramento 
• Typical program cost: $200-$400 USD per week 
• Average cost of living: $1,300-$1,500 USD 
• Best times to go: October to March 

✅ Pro:

• Review your notes on the beach after Spanish class and spend the weekend horseback riding through the green countryside – what’s not to love?

❌ Con:

• The accent and grammar of Uruguayan Spanish may be hard to get used to if you’ve learned Spanish from Spain or another Latin American country such as Mexico.

With over 6,000 miles of sparkling coastline, Uruguay is a nature lover’s paradise. As a country with more sheep than people, you’ll be surrounded by plenty of rolling plains where you can disconnect and find a renewed sense of peace in between mastering the subjunctive. 

If city life is more your speed, there are plenty of courses to choose from in the capital. Stroll Montevideo’s palm tree-lined streets in the afternoon after a long day of Spanish study or practice your verb tenses with new friends as you lie on its white sand beaches. However, similar to Argentina, Uruguayans speak Rioplatense Spanish which has a distinctive (and sometimes hard to understand!) accent and uses vos (not to be confused with vosotros!) instead of tú for the second-person singular. 

• Popular cities: Santiago, Valparaíso, Viña del Mar 
• Typical program cost: $100-$350 USD per week 
• Average cost of living: $1,100-$1,300 USD 
• Best times to go: November to March 

✅ Pro:

• Chile’s dramatic landscapes have something for everyone, whether you like hiking, surfing, or tasting local fare on a winery tour.

❌ Con:

• Chilean Spanish is challenging to understand for both new learners and native speakers.

Long and thin running down 2,700 miles of South America’s western coastline, Chile is easy to overlook but is definitely not to be missed! Chile has an incredible diversity of terrain from rugged mountains to gentle sand beaches. Famous for its massive and mysterious stone figures, a trip to Easter Island is a must in between your classes. 

Chilean Spanish will certainly train your ear - it has an accent unlike other Spanish-speaking countries. Native speakers across Latin America and Spain often claim that Chilean Spanish is the most difficult to understand due to pronunciation and slang alike. So, if you’re up for the challenge, give studying Spanish in Chile a try! 

• Popular cities: Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Cienfuegos 
• Typical program cost: $400-$600 USD per week (generally includes accommodation) 
• Average cost of living: $800-$1,100 USD 
• Best times to go: November to April 

✅ Pro:

• Language learning programs in Cuba tend to be all-inclusive so there’s no need to worry about arranging housing, meals, or cultural activities!

❌ Con:

• US citizens can’t use ATMs or credit cards in Cuba so you’ll have to come with all the cash you’ll need for the duration of your stay.

Cuba draws travelers in with its bright classic cars and intricate architecture, smooth beats of salsa on the radio that mix with the laughter of people enjoying a coffee on an outdoor terrace. Havana is a city full of energy, and students can join the lively and sometimes frenetic pace of day-to-day life. 

There are over 2 million Cubans and Cuban Americans living in the US. While US citizens can’t travel to Cuba for traditional tourism, they can visit to study Spanish by obtaining an education visa through a language school. Travel must fall under one of 12 authorized categories - but overall, studying Spanish in Cuba is far simpler than it sounds!

Learning Spanish abroad is a big step in your language learning journey and likely one you won't regret. To make the most of your experience, consider some of these helpful tips before you go.

• Research programs thoroughly: Aside from the cost, you’ll want to compare what programs include. You may want add-ons like cultural events, cooking or dance classes, or a language exchange with community members. There are tons of great providers out there offering all sorts of programs and activities.
• Take your time: Spanish grammar and pronunciation can take some practice so go easy on yourself. Enjoy the process and don’t beat yourself up if you feel you aren’t progressing as quickly as you’d like to.
• Distance yourself from English: Being around other English speakers all the time won’t help you practice speaking Spanish. You’re more likely to lapse back into your native language because it’s comfortable. Stepping outside of your comfort zone is going to drastically improve your Spanish! Better yet, find a local conversation partner for a language exchange!
• Consider a homestay: A tie that unites many Spanish-speaking nations is the importance of family. Choosing a homestay with a Spanish-speaking family will give you an insight into this widely held value by introducing you to the culture (and food!) firsthand. It will also provide you with a home away from home and potential lifelong friends.
• Be fearless! Even if you don’t speak perfectly, use every opportunity to talk to strangers. Chances are, they’ll be impressed with your skills and effort even if you don’t conjugate that verb just right.

With the number of countries that speak Spanish, you'll undoubtedly be able to find a great fit for your lifestyle and learning goals. No matter where you choose to learn Spanish abroad, the opportunity to learn about another culture will provide you with much more than just an increased vocabulary. 

Learn more about studying Spanish abroad:

• How to Pick a Great Spanish Language Course Abroad
• The 9 Best Spanish Immersion Programs Around the World
• 5 Tips to Overcome Language Barriers