Galicia vs the Costa del Sol in 11 numbers
Green, rainy and cool against sunny and warm: two very different corners of Spain, side by side on the same official data.
On one side the seven largest Galician cities, on the coast and inland: A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela, Vigo, Pontevedra, Ferrol, Lugo, Ourense. On the other the Costa del Sol around Málaga: Málaga, Marbella, Fuengirola, Torremolinos, Benalmádena, Estepona, Mijas, Vélez-Málaga, Rincón de la Victoria. Each number is the median of the towns in the group.
What the numbers say
Weather. The Costa del Sol has the sun: 8.1 hours a day against 5.9, and 5.2 hours in December against 2.9. It also has the mildest winters (9.0°C nights in January against 6.8°C). Galicia has 85 more rainy days a year but cooler, fresher summers: around 2055 the Costa del Sol is projected to have 76 warm nights a year, Galicia 3.
Money. Homes cost €1,958 per m² in Galicia against €3,418 on the Costa del Sol, and a typical apartment rents for €500 against €675 a month. Holiday lets make up 0.5% of homes in Galicia and 6.3% on the Costa del Sol.
Healthcare. The planned-surgery wait is 73 days in Galicia and 173 days in Andalusia.
Flights home. Year-round direct flights to Amsterdam: from Galicia Porto (110–251 km); summer only from Santiago; from the Costa del Sol Málaga (6–64 km). To the United States: from Galicia Porto (110–251 km); summer only from Santiago; from the Costa del Sol Madrid (415–449 km), Lisbon (438–451 km); summer only from Málaga.
The table
| Galicia | Costa del Sol | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. August average high | 26.1°C | 28.9°C |
| 2. January average low | 6.8°C | 9.0°C |
| 3. Sunshine, hours per day | 5.9 h | 8.1 h |
| 4. December sunshine, hours per day | 2.9 h | 5.2 h |
| 5. Rainy days per year | 127 | 42 |
| 6. August dew point (mugginess) | 15.0°C | 18.2°C |
| 7. Warm nights a year around 2055 | 3 | 76 |
| 8. Home price, €/m² (appraisal) | €1,958 | €3,418 |
| 9. Rent, typical apartment / month | €500 | €675 |
| 10. Holiday lets, % of homes | 0.5% | 6.3% |
| 11. Surgery wait in the region, days | 73 | 173 |
Want a closer look? Compare A Coruña, Vigo, Málaga and Marbella side by side.
How we did this
Medians of the towns listed. Climate: AEMET 1991-2020 station averages; 2055: Escenarios-PNACC 2024 (SSP2-4.5). Prices: Ministry of Housing appraisals; rents: SERPAVI 2024; holiday lets: INE May 2026; waits: SISLE-SNS December 2025; flights: airport route tables, 4 October 2026 (Porto counts for Galicia). Built 2026-10-18.