3 of the Best Side Hustles in Barcelona (2026)
Preply tutoring, Laundito laundry gigs, and Rover pet sitting, three of the best side hustles in Barcelona for 2026, compared side by side.
Written by the Laundito team, based in Barcelona.
Barcelona's strong expat community, large dog-owning population, and genuine neighbourhood gig economy make it a good city to run a side hustle from. The short answer: three of the best options right now are Preply (tutoring), Laundito (laundry), and Rover (pet sitting), and they suit very different people. Preply has the highest income ceiling if you can teach a language. Laundito offers the most consistent, low-effort income stream you can run from home alongside a full-time job. Rover is a great fit for pet lovers. Below, we break down each one and compare them side by side.
Preply: Online Tutoring
Preply connects you with students worldwide for one-on-one language lessons, taught entirely online. If you're a fluent or native speaker of English, or any other in-demand language, this is one of the highest-earning side hustles available in Barcelona.
Rates typically run €15 to €50 per hour, depending on experience and specialization, with exam prep and business English at the higher end. Income builds as you gain reviews and repeat students, but it requires live availability and real teaching ability, not just fluency.
Good for: anyone who speaks a widely-learned language fluently and is comfortable teaching live, one-on-one sessions.
Laundito: Laundry From Home
Laundito is an online marketplace connecting Barcelona residents who need laundry done with local providers, neighbours, who wash, iron, and fold from their own home. If you already have a washer and dryer with spare capacity, this turns idle time and equipment into income.
Providers are ID-verified through Stripe Identity before they can accept bookings, and you set your own hours and availability. Because it's done from home with no live sessions or outdoor time required, it's easy to run alongside a full-time job.
If you want to start earning from home, you can become a provider on Laundito and begin accepting laundry bookings from your neighbours.
Good for: anyone who wants a steady, low-effort income stream that fits around an existing job, without needing a specialized skill.
Rover: Pet Sitting & Dog Walking
Rover connects Barcelona dog owners with local sitters and walkers for walks, drop-in visits, and boarding. Barcelona has a large dog-owning population, so real demand exists, especially from owners who work long hours or travel.
Bookings tend to come in bursts rather than a steady weekly stream, and the work is active: you're outdoors, walking or caring for animals, not something you can do from your couch.
Good for: genuine animal lovers with time to be outdoors and a schedule flexible enough to handle irregular booking patterns.
Preply vs. Laundito vs. Rover: Which Should You Choose?
| Preply (tutoring) | Laundito (laundry) | Rover (pet sitting) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income potential | Highest, if you can teach a language | Moderate, but consistent | Moderate |
| Consistency of bookings | Steady once you have regular students | Steady, ongoing demand | Irregular, comes in bursts |
| Effort per booking | High (prep, live sessions, teaching skill required) | Low (wash, fold, done from home) | High (walks, visits, active time outdoors) |
| Skill required | Fluency and teaching ability in a language | None specialized | Comfort and experience with dogs |
| Works alongside a day job | Requires live availability | Easy, fits around your own schedule | Harder to schedule around walks |
The honest verdict: if you want the highest income ceiling and already know how to teach a language, Preply is the best option. For flexibility with the least active effort involved, Laundito is the best option. It's a steady, frequent income stream you can run from home around a full-time job, without needing a specialized skill or live availability. If you love dogs, Rover is a genuinely good option, but bookings are irregular, so it's harder to count on as a consistent income stream.
Do You Need to Register as Autónomo?
If the activity is regular and ongoing, yes, you generally need to register as autónomo, Spain's self-employment system, even if it's a side hustle alongside a full-time job.
| Cost | Detail |
|---|---|
| First 12 months (tarifa plana) | Roughly €80 to €89/month, flat rate regardless of earnings |
| From month 13+ (standard brackets) | Roughly €206 to €607/month, scaled to your real net profit |
If you already have a full-time job, look into pluriactividad, a status that can qualify you for a partial refund on your autónomo contributions at year-end, since you're already paying into social security through your employer.
Frequently Asked Questions
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