Valencia, Spain
Firsthand Experience - I live there
Cost of Living - 6 (1 = most expensive) According to expatistan.com, aside from some other cities in Spain*, Valencia is the least expensive city in
Western Europe as defined by the United Nations with a population above 300,000 people.
That isn't to say that it's still not expensive. Western Europe in general is expensive. Valencia is still more expensive than practically every notable city in Central and Eastern Europe.
*Murcia, Valladolid, Cordoba, and Malaga are slightly less expensive than Valencia.
Recreation - 8: Valencia has pretty much everything any other major city has. It is not quite as cosmopolitan as Madrid or Barcelona and the clubs aren't quite as vibrant, but it still has enough to cover nearly any hobby or interest you may have.
In terms of tourism, Valencia is often overlooked on short-term vacations. If people have enough time to travel beyond Madrid and Barcelona, they'll try their hand at Bilbao up north, Seville towards the south or Palma de Mallorca off the coast. Hell, people skip over Valencia for Alicante and they're both in the same province. That isn't to say that it's not worth visiting for a weekend. Even if it's just a day trip to see something such as The City Of Arts And Sciences, Valencia is definitely worth a gander if you have the time.
How safe - 9 (1 = least safe) So long as you exercise common sense and don't put yourself in compromising situations, you will have no problem with safety. The corruption in the police force has dropped dramatically since the Francisco Franco regime fell. They do have a uniformed presence in the center of the city, normally around the subway stops in order to keep beggars from pestering people or watching out for pickpockets.
Poker Playing - 2 Like the rest of Spain, people in Spain can only play on .es websites which has a smaller player pool. Valencia does have its own casino called Casino Cirsa Valencia which actually is not in the city but rather on the edge of the city limits. I have not yet been to the casino yet. So, I cannot personally attest to its quality.
Getting There - 10 - Pretty easy to get there. EU citizens have right to work and travel throughout the EU. American citizens can travel there visa free if they are staying for less than 3 months.
Valencia Airport is located a few miles outside of the city center and has domestic connections throughout Spain and connects to major airports in 15 other countries. With exception to Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca, all international flights are within Europe (flying as far east as Ukraine and Turkey). Most people flying from the west will fly through Heathrow or Madrid-Barajas on their way to Valencia.
Getting Around - 10 - Taxis start at 4 Euros and rarely go above 10 Euros unless you hit major traffic or travel to a suburb outside of the city proper. Subways are quite extensive and travel to the suburbs outside of the main city as well as within the city itself. It's normally 2.5 Euros one way unless you are traveling to the end of the line where it's a bit more expensive, but you can buy passes should you stay long-term. However, most of the tourist areas (save The City of Arts and Sciences) are within the city center and you could travel from one to the other by foot or bicycle should you choose to do so.
Staying There - 6 - A single room in a hostel is 25-30 Euros per night. EU citizens can stay there no problem. If you are not an EU citizen, it is quite a pain to get a work visa unless you have a sponsor and the paperwork process for one is lengthy. The economic situation is quite bad but it is getting better. There are way better places to play poker than Spain.