Rocafort, La Eliana, Godella: Where Anglophone Families Settle North of Valencia

If you're looking to settle down with your family just north of Valencia, three towns keep coming up: Rocafort, La Eliana and Godella. Short version: Rocafort is the most exclusive and expensive of the three, with a leading British international school right on its doorstep; Godella plays a "premium and close to school" card just minutes from the city; La Eliana offers more space and the oldest international community in the area, but leans on schools in neighbouring towns for education. If you've ever weighed a commuter town in the Home Counties against a flat in London, or a leafy suburb of Westchester or the North Shore against city-centre living in New York or Chicago, the trade-off will feel familiar here too: more space and better schools, against a longer, more car-dependent commute. Here's what each town actually means for an anglophone family settling in, or seriously considering it.

How much does a square metre cost in each town?

The official benchmarks come from Spain's property price indices. In Rocafort, idealista records an average of €2,625/m² for sales (July 2026 reading). In La Eliana, Fotocasa lists €2,761/m² across all property types (July 2026 index), though the portal flags a limited sample for this town. In Godella, idealista puts the figure at €2,921/m² (April 2026 index), up 11.5% on the month and 15.7% on the year. By this measure, Godella is, per square metre, the most expensive of the three.

One thing to watch: the ranges quoted by expat property blogs (valenciamove.com) are consistently lower than these official indices, most likely because they draw on older averages or a different basket of properties. Treat them as a general sense of tier, not as competing price quotes.

Rocafort, La Eliana, Godella: the comparison table

Note: the Godella population figure used here is the INE padrón 2024 count (13,437), the most recent confirmed figure to date.

Rocafort: why international families rank it top

Property blogs describe it as "by far the most exclusive of the three": quiet, green and international. Its biggest draw for a family is that Cambridge House British International School sits physically inside the town (Calle Profesorado Español 1, 46111 Rocafort), one of the most well-regarded international schools in the metropolitan area. On the sports side, the Club Español de Tenis has 21 floodlit tennis courts, 6 padel courts, a frontón court and a swimming pool, alongside the municipal sports centre (Calle Pou 10: football, padel, a 25m pool, tennis). idealista lists around forty detached houses from €550,000, with semi-detached and terraced homes starting around €445,000. The trade-off: a car remains essential for daily life. If you're weighing a British curriculum against the Spanish state system, our British school or Spanish school in Valencia guide is worth reading before you decide.

La Eliana: the most established international community, but what about schools?

This is where the international community goes back furthest, with British, American, French and German families settled here since the 1990s. One thing worth being clear-eyed about: no international school is based in La Eliana itself. Families rely on schools in neighbouring towns instead: Cambridge House in Rocafort, Los Olivos in Godella, or El Plantío in La Cañada/Paterna. What La Eliana does offer is more space for your money: idealista lists 157 houses and chalets from €319,000. You'll find supermarkets, pharmacies, a weekly market, restaurants, and tennis and padel clubs on the doorstep. Because the schools are nearby rather than on-site, it's worth checking how getting around Valencia actually works before you commit to a particular urbanisation.

Godella: premium and next to school, who is it for?

Godella is squarely aimed at school-focused families: "premium and close to the schools." Locally, the English School Los Olivos is a British school founded in 1976 (primary campus at C/Pino Panera 25, secondary at Av. de los Almendros 13, 46110 Godella), running a British curriculum from age 3 to 18 in the leafy Campo Olivar neighbourhood. Colegio Sagrado Corazón (Plaça Santa Magdalena Sofía 1) covers nursery through to bachillerato. Nearby, but outside Godella itself, El Plantío International School (La Cañada/Paterna) remains the only school in the area offering the International Baccalaureate, and has done since 1982. idealista lists 87 houses and chalets from €480,000, in areas such as Campolivar or Ermita, with some plots up to 3,484m² and swimming pools. To see how this compares with the city itself, have a look at our guide to Valencia's own neighbourhoods.

What about safety and quality of life?

All three towns have a reputation as among the safest in the metropolitan area. We're being careful here: no reliable crime statistics could be verified for any of them, so this is local reputation, not a statistic you can cite. The real differentiator is lifestyle: residential, leafy, built around schools and sport, with a car as close to mandatory in Rocafort and La Eliana.

Which town should anglophone families choose?

If having an international school on your doorstep matters most and the budget allows, choose Rocafort. If you want to be right next to the schools while staying close to Valencia, choose Godella. If you want more space and an established international community, and don't mind driving to school, choose La Eliana.

Is there an international school in La Eliana?

No, there is no international school based in La Eliana itself. Families use schools in neighbouring towns: Cambridge House (Rocafort), Los Olivos (Godella), or El Plantío (La Cañada/Paterna).

Do you need a car to live in these towns?

In Rocafort and La Eliana, yes, a car is needed day to day despite the Metrovalencia connection (L1 for Rocafort, L2 for La Eliana). Godella, closer to the centre, is the most practical of the three. Before committing, it can help to test the area by renting a flat in Valencia first.

How do these towns compare with commuter towns back home?

The logic is much the same as choosing a commuter town outside London or a suburb outside a major US city: you trade a shorter commute for more space, greener surroundings and, often, a specific school place. Rocafort and Godella are the closest equivalent to a well-connected, school-focused commuter town; La Eliana is closer to a spread-out, established suburb where you accept a longer drive to school in exchange for more house for your money.

Sources

Sources: idealista (readings and indices, July and April 2026); Fotocasa (July 2026 index); INE (population, 2024 and 2025 padrón); viamichelin and rutadistancia (distances); valenciamove.com (practical benchmarks); the cited schools' own published information. Figures recorded on 16 July 2026.

Information verified in July 2026. Property prices and indices move fast: check current figures with the portals and schools before making any decision. The Daily Valencia is an AI-assisted publication with human review before every article goes live.