Living in Torrox: Essential Information
Population
According to Spain’s National Institute of Statistics (INE), Torrox had a total population of 20,932 in 2023. The latest available stats from the Instituto de Estadística y Cartografía de Andalucía in 2022, show that 7,454 of these were foreigners. Those from the UK make up the largest number of foreigners in the municipality – a total of 24.6 percent, but it’s also very popular with Germans. In fact, the area even holds its own version of Oktoberfest each year.
Healthcare in Torrox
The healthcare facilities you visit in Torrox will depend on if you have private or public healthcare. Broadly speaking, you will have access to public healthcare if you pay into the social security system and work or are self-employed.
There are two main public health centres in Torrox – the one in the main town is the Centro de salud Torrox and the one on the coast is the Consultorio El Morche. The one you go to will depend on where you live.
For more serious health issues and emergencies, the nearest hospital is Hospital de La Axarquía located in nearby Torre del Mar.
If you have private health insurance, there are many different clinics and surgeries that you can visit. These include Medical Center Arztezentrum Torrox-Costa and Centro Mar y Salud.
The first private hospital in the Eastern Costa del Sol region is the HM Hospital in Vélez-Málaga which is due to open in 2027. Until then, there are other private hospitals in Málaga city including the Vithas Málaga Hospital.
Read our full guide to find out more about healthcare in Spain.
Working in La Torrox
Moving to Torrox may mean that you will need to find a new job or even have to find a new career. This may be a challenge, but our handy guide to finding a job in Spain will help you out.
According to the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and local government, the majority of positions in Torrox are in the commercial sector, followed by jobs in agriculture and fishing, then hospitality such as hotels and restaurants, followed by construction. Professional careers in science and tech make up the fifth most popular type of work here.
The main types of jobs for foreigners here would be within the hospitality industry because you can use your language skills to your advantage and work with other tourists and foreigners.
Remember, if you’re from a non-EU country such as the UK you won’t be eligible for these types of jobs unless you already have a visa with permission that allows you to work in Spain. If you’re hoping to get a company to sponsor you so that you can move over here, your best bet would be to apply for jobs in international companies in Málaga city and commute. The city is around 40 minutes by car from Torrox and one hour and half by bus.
There are several traditional websites that list jobs within the area including Glassdoor and Indeed and InfoJobs. There are also a lot of vacancies listed on English-speaking jobs in Spain.
Since Spain’s Digital Nomad Visa has become available, there are many more options for you to work remotely from towns such as Torrox, keeping your job with a company back in your home country for example.
If this is your case, then you’ll want to make sure you have a good place to work from with reliable internet. This would either be a home office or a co-working space. There is one main co-working space in Torrox itself – the Torrox Business & Community Hub, but you’ll find a couple more in nearby Nerja including Hygge House Coworking and Nerja Coworking.
According to the Fair Internet Report, Torrox has an average internet speed of 206 Mbps, which is 44 percent above the Spanish average.
Schools and education in Torrox
The Instituto de Estadística y Cartografía de Andalucía, lists 18 main public schools in Torrox, ranging from kindergartens all the way up to high school and even higher education colleges.
According to the ranking site MiCole.net, the three best public schools in the area are Colegio Colina del Sol, Colegio El Faro and Colegio El Morche. All three of these are kindergarten and primary schools and the language of instruction is Spanish. The two secondary schools are Alfaguar and Instituto Jorge Guillén, which go up to Bachillerato, which is equivalent to A-levels in the UK. The latter is a bilingual Spanish and German school.
There are no international schools in Torrox or in nearby Nerja. The nearest one is located in Almuñécar – Almuñécar International School which takes ages 3-18 and teaches in English. It offers both IGCSE and A-levels. It takes around a 30 minutes-drive from Torrox, so it is a possible option if you want to live in Torrox.
Read more about how to find the best school for your expat family in our guide. You can also find out more about the school system in general from the Ministry of Education.
Transport in Torrox
Torrox is served by public buses, which run along the coast, as well as to nearby towns such as Nerja and all the way to Málaga. But to really make the most out of your time here, you’ll more than likely need your own car. This will be useful for travelling around the nearby coastal urbanisations as well as to other nearby towns for shopping and activities such as hiking in the mountains and going to the beaches. Read our guide on driving in Spain to find out more.
The nearest train station can be found in Málaga city. From here, you can take the Cercanías regional trains west along the coast from the capital of the province to other resorts on the Costa del Sol. From the city itself, you can also take high speed RENFE trains to other cities across the country including Madrid and Barcelona.
The nearest international airport is in Málaga. Málaga Airport is the fourth busiest in Spain and takes on 85 percent of the air traffic in Andalucía. easyJet, Ryanair, British Airways, Jet2, Iberia, TUI, BA Euroflyer and American Airlines all fly direct to Málaga, making it a big hub.
