Retiring to Spain from the UK or the US: where?

Two shortlists from the same official data, one for people who need a quick flight to Britain, one for people who need a direct flight to America. Mild winters, a large hospital, short waiting lists, affordable homes and a walkable centre weigh in both.

Most "best places to retire in Spain" lists are the same ten resorts. This one starts from what retirees actually weigh and lets the data pick: mild winter nights and plenty of sun (the reason to move), a large public hospital nearby and short regional waiting lists (the reason to worry), affordable homes, a walkable centre and low crime. Each town gets the site's match score (0-100) on those seven topics, with winters and hospitals at the highest weight. Then one filter differs: for Britain, an airport with year-round direct flights to London within 100 km; for the United States, an airport with year-round direct flights to the US within 150 km.

From the UK: 298 towns have a London airport within 100 km

London is served all year from so many Spanish airports that the flight hardly narrows the choice; the hospital, the waiting list and the winter do. The top 20 by score are in Andalusia, Canary Islands, Galicia, Murcia and Valencian Community. Cartagena comes first with 84 points: January nights of 9.0°C, a large hospital 0 km away and 103 days' wait for planned surgery in Murcia.

Score = match score on mild winters (weight 4), large hospital nearby (4), sunshine (2), short waiting times (2), low purchase price (2), everyday essentials on foot (2), low crime (1). Open these weights in the tool to change them and to add a region or a budget. * = climate estimated from nearby stations.

From the US: only 3 airports fly direct all year

Year-round non-stop flights between Spain and the United States leave only from Barcelona, Madrid and Porto (Porto is in Portugal but closer than Madrid for western Galicia). That limits a no-connection retirement to 106 towns within 150 km of one of them. The top 20 by the same score are in Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, Galicia and Madrid; Pontevedra leads with 74 points.

Or: a fast train to Madrid

Americans who accept a train ride before the flight can look much further. These towns are more than 150 km from a US-flight airport but within 2 h 30 of Madrid by train; the best-scoring is Alacant/Alicante.

Where British and other foreign retirees already live

The share of foreign nationals among residents aged 65 and over shows where retirees from abroad settled (all nationalities together). The median town has 2.8%; the ten highest are below. Expect English-speaking doctors and clubs, and also higher prices and a town that empties in summer or fills with tourists.

The rules, in one paragraph each

Healthcare. UK state pensioners who register as residents can use Spain's public health service through the S1 form (apply via the NHS Business Services Authority before moving; see gov.uk: healthcare in Spain). Americans have no such arrangement: the retirement visa requires full private health insurance from a company operating in Spain, and that remains the normal route after arrival; after one year of residence a paid-in "convenio especial" to the public system is possible in most regions. Private insurance avoids most of the regional waiting lists shown above on either path.

Visas. Neither British nor American citizens can stay more than 90 days in any 180 without a visa. The usual route for retirees is the non-lucrative visa: proof of passive income (roughly 2,400 € a month for one person in 2025, more per dependant), private health insurance and a clean record, applied for at the Spanish consulate in your own country. Check the consulate's current figures: they change yearly. Tax residence follows after 183 days a year, with Spain's double-taxation treaties with both countries deciding where pensions are taxed.

Money. Appraised values in the tables are averages for all homes in a town and sit below asking prices; purchase costs add roughly 10-14%. Rents are the 2024 median for a typical apartment on an annual contract. Nothing here is advice; it is the data to take to one.

How we did this

Match score as on the compare page: per topic, 100 × the share of the other towns that are not better; weights + = 1, ++ = 2, +++ = 4; the town's score is the weighted mean. Topics and sources: January lows and sunshine (AEMET 1991-2020, estimates marked *), distance to the nearest public hospital with 500+ beds and regional waits for planned surgery at 31 Dec 2025 (Ministry of Health), appraised values to Q2 2026 (Ministry of Housing), everyday essentials within 800 m (OpenStreetMap), conventional crime 2025 (Ministry of the Interior). Flights: airport route tables on 4 Oct 2026, year-round routes only; distances straight-line from the town centre. Foreign share of over-65s: INE Padrón 2022. The healthcare and visa paragraphs summarise public rules as understood on 2026-10-18; they are not legal advice and the figures change yearly. Built 2026-10-18.