Best places to live in Spain (2026): six shortlists

The best place depends on who you are. Here are six shortlists, each with the weights we used, so you can see why a town is on it and change them.

Short answer: there is no single best place to live in Spain; it depends on what you need. We ran the match score from our compare page over all 333 towns of 25,000 or more, with six sets of priorities. The winners:

• Best places to retire in Spain: Santa Cruz de Tenerife
• Best places to live in Spain by the sea on a budget: Ferrol
• Best small towns to live in Spain: Puerto Real
• Best places to live in Spain for families: Vila-real
• Best places in Spain for remote workers and digital nomads: Elx/Elche
• Best places to live in Spain for a hotter future: Santander

The ten cities most people shortlist, side by side

Before the data-picked lists: the familiar names, so you can see how they compare on the same measures. Each links to its full page.

Each list below shows the top 8, the weights we used and a link that opens the same list in the tool, where you can change them. A match score of 100 would mean best in Spain on every topic that counts.

Best places to retire in Spain

For retirees who want winter sun and a hospital close by. Weights: Mild winters +++, Public hospital close by +++, Lots of sunshine ++, Large hospital close by ++, Everyday essentials within a short walk ++, Low crime +, Airport close by +. 5 of the top 10 are in Andalusia.

Open this shortlist in the compare tool and change the weights →

Best places to live in Spain by the sea on a budget

For anyone who wants the sea on the doorstep without Costa del Sol prices. Weights: Close to the sea +++, Low rent +++, Low purchase price ++, Blue Flag beach nearby +, Everyday essentials within a short walk +. 3 of the top 10 are in Galicia.

Open this shortlist in the compare tool and change the weights →

Best small towns to live in Spain

Towns of 25,000 to 50,000 that still have the basics: shops on foot, a hospital, low crime. Weights: Everyday essentials within a short walk +++, Public hospital close by +++, Low crime ++, Low rent +, Mild winters +. 4 of the top 10 are in Andalusia. Only towns under 50,000 inhabitants; on the compare page, set “Population, at most” to 50,000 to get the same list.

Open this shortlist in the compare tool and change the weights → * Climate estimated from the three nearest weather stations.

Best places to live in Spain for families

Safe, growing towns where daily life works on foot and the neighbours live there all year. The distance to the nearest international school (from the Ministry of Education's register) counts a little; if you need one, raise it in the tool. No official data compare the quality of Spanish schools town by town. Weights: Low crime +++, Everyday essentials within a short walk ++, Low rent ++, Growing town ++, Public hospital close by +, Few holiday lets +, International school nearby +. 3 of the top 10 are in the Valencian Community.

Open this shortlist in the compare tool and change the weights →

Best places in Spain for remote workers and digital nomads

A lively centre, an airport and a fast train, at a rent you can carry. We have no data on internet speeds. Weights: Lively town centre +++, Airport close by ++, Fast train to Madrid ++, Low rent ++, Lots of sunshine +. 4 of the top 10 are in the Valencian Community.

Open this shortlist in the compare tool and change the weights →

Best places to live in Spain for a hotter future

For anyone who wants a place that will still be liveable when summers get hotter. Weights: Cool summers around 2055 +++, Reservoirs held up in droughts ++, Mild winters +, Public hospital close by +. 4 of the top 10 are in Asturias.

Open this shortlist in the compare tool and change the weights → * Climate estimated from the three nearest weather stations. The islands have no reservoir data; for them the score leaves that topic out.

The all-rounders

Some towns come back in several lists. In the top 25 of at least three of the six: Narón (4); Arrecife (3); Avilés (3); Castelló de la Plana/Castellón de la Plana (3); Langreo (3); Mieres (3); Mislata (3); Puerto Real (3).

How the score works: for each topic a place gets 100 × the share of the other places that are not better (100 = best in Spain), and the topics are averaged with the weights (+ = 1, ++ = 2, +++ = 4). The data behind each topic, with sources, are on the method page.

How we did this

The compare page's match score, computed the same way for all 333 places; the weights per list are shown with each table. Data and sources per topic: see the method page. Built 2026-10-18.