Retired journalist sleeps in metro with 830 euro pension in Barcelona

He earns 830 euros pension: room costs 640 and he slept on the metro

Joan-Ignasi Ortuño is 67 years old, a cultural journalist with a retirement pension of 830 euros per month. He previously paid 700 euros in rent; today, renting just a room in Barcelona costs nearly 640 euros on average. After losing his apartment, he spent days sleeping on the metro, between the Eixample district and Sants station. "I had to leave because I couldn't afford it," he states.

With 830 euros and a room costing 640, he has about 190 euros left for food, utilities, and transport. This is not guaranteed: without a paycheck or guarantors, many doors remain closed. "If you lack guarantees, they won't even rent you a room," he laments.

A year in Granada and return to Barcelona with zero savings

His first attempt to escape was Granada, a smaller city that appeared cheaper on paper. He calculated he could live on 800 euros, contribute to costs, and avoid debt. The math failed. Month after month, his meager savings vanished, forcing him back to Barcelona.

Hitting rock bottom was literal: he spent days on the street, the exact number unknown but deeply impactful. He had no security issues, but the hardest part was waking up each day with his mental strength already diminished.

Final working years without social security contributions

The 830 euro pension did not fall from the sky: it reflects a work history with low contribution bases and a final period without Social Security coverage. In his last jobs before retirement, he was not insured. "I worked the last few years, but I was not covered," he admits. He adds that he did not plan for this, lacked access to many jobs, and finding journalism work at a certain age is very difficult.

Before that, he had a long, recognized career: El Correo Catalán, BTV, COM Ràdio, and over a decade at El Periódico, always within cultural journalism, alongside writing and theater direction. "I was an active, restless person, culturally motivated, and contributing to society," he says. Today, that sentence sounds like an unpaid bill.

The guaranteed minimum cited: 11,552 euros per year

This is the figure driving the debate. A participant notes that the guaranteed minimum pension for someone without a spouse is 11,552 euros annually, and those below this amount may apply for top-up benefits if other income permits. With a base of 830 euros monthly, it is unclear if he receives this mechanism: the only available data is that Social Services and primary care have offered no solution. "The social worker tells me she can do nothing."

The repeated solution: move to a small town

The most common response to this case is simple arithmetic: if Barcelona is unaffordable, change cities. Debates cite rooms in provinces for 150 or 200 euros, rental houses in small towns for 250, and some rooms for 100. With 830 euros, the argument suggests there is enough to live.

The catch, according to his account, is that moving at 67 means losing his network of acquaintances and the cultural activities that defined his life. He says he has many acquaintances but few friends willing to offer shelter. "I started calling many friends, and everyone said the same: sorry, but I have no rooms."

Personal failure or broken system?

Two narratives cross in interpreting this case, rarely intersecting. One focuses on individual foresight: those who contribute little and late receive little; those who did not buy housing in easier decades lack a safety net in old age. From this view, the problem is decided in the years when one can still decide, not at 67.

The other narrative looks at the market: with rooms averaging 640 euros and pensions not reaching the cited minimum, the result does not depend on any specific individual's behavior. Some add a comparison: 900 euros monthly over 14 payments, adjusted for inflation, would seem an unattainable horizon for a portion of the working-age population.

The cost not appearing on any payslip

The declared damage goes beyond housing. He reports damaged memory since living on the street, lost concentration, orientation, and analytical ability, and a clear depressive state. "I cannot read, I cannot write, and that is my profession," he points out. He has also lost clothes, books, and memories along the way. He is now hosted by a friend.

The guaranteed minimum cited in the thread for someone living alone is 11,552 euros annually. He earns 830 monthly and sleeps wherever he is allowed. A few nights on the street, he asserts, are enough to lose one's memory. His profession was reading and writing.