Watercolor illustration of Andalusia, Spain

Region · Spain

Living in Andalusia

Andalusia runs hot and dry: summer highs average 33.1°C over only about 49 rainy days a year, with plenty of sun. That suits sun-seekers, but summer water stress is worth watching (WEI+ 22 vs a national 56). On our six settler profiles, Andalusia is worth a look if you're english_speaker (ranks #3 of 8 regions).

On the wallet: homes run about €1,745/m² (14% below the national average (€2,024/m²)); median net income is about €11,132 per person (22% below the national average (€14,279)).

Public healthcare here means a mean surgical wait around 173 days (68% above the national average (103 days)), with 32.2% of the surgical list waiting over six months — a real, published number, not a brochure claim.

We publish 41 of Andalusia's 785 municipalities in depth so far — the ones with a full guide portrait to sit alongside the numbers, weighted toward the warm-summer south and interior. Every figure below is shown against the national reference, gaps included.

Schools PISA science 473 — 16 points below the national average (489)

Surgery wait 173 days — 68% above the national average (103 days)

Homes €1,745/m² — 14% below the national average (€2,024/m²)

Who Andalusia is for — and who should look elsewhere

Not our opinion: we ran the same scoring engine behind the quiz for six settler profiles across all 8,132 municipalities, then took the median score of Andalusia's towns and ranked it among Spain's 17 comunidades. It answers "how does the typical town here score, versus the typical town elsewhere?"

Good to explore if you're

english_speaker #3 of 8 regions
british_retiree #4 of 8 regions
british_settler #4 of 8 regions
Retiring couples #5 of 17 regions
winter_sun #5 of 17 regions
budget_inland #5 of 17 regions
investor #5 of 17 regions
year_round_mild #6 of 17 regions

Ranked 1–17 by the median national percentile of the region's municipalities for each profile (higher median = better place to explore). Hover a town's own page for the town-level version.

The numbers for Andalusia

Region-level data, each figure against the national reference. Where a figure is a comunidad-autónoma reading rather than a town measurement, we say so under the card.

Climate

Winter average: 11.3°C #5 of 17 regions · +3.6°C vs national 3.6 °C above the national average (7.8°C)
Summer high: 33.1°C #15 of 17 regions · +2.9°C vs national 2.9 °C above the national average (30.2°C)
Rainy days a year: 49 days #4 of 17 regions · −20 days vs national 29% below the national average (69 days)
Sunshine: 8.3 h/day #1 of 17 regions · +1.1 h/day vs national 15% above the national average (7.2 h/day)
Summer water stress (WEI+): 22 #5 of 16 regions · −35 vs national 35 points below the national average (56)

Aggregated from the region's municipalities (AEMET/derived); summer water stress is a river-basin (WEI+) reading.

Schools

PISA maths: 457 #16 of 17 regions · −22 vs national 22 points below the national average (479)
PISA reading: 461 #17 of 17 regions · −17 vs national 17 points below the national average (478)
PISA science: 473 #16 of 17 regions · −16 vs national 16 points below the national average (489)

PISA 2022, reported per comunidad autónoma (INEE). National reference = the mean across the 17 comunidades.

Healthcare

Surgical wait: 173 days #17 of 17 regions · +70 days vs national 68% above the national average (103 days)
Waiting over 6 months: 32.2% #17 of 17 regions · +15.5 pts vs national 15.5 pts above the national average (16.6%)
Specialist consult wait: 136 days #14 of 17 regions · +41 days vs national 43% above the national average (95 days)

Public waiting lists, SISLE-SNS Dic 2025 (2025-12-31), per comunidad autónoma.

Cost & economy

Median net income / person: €11,132 #17 of 17 regions · −€3,147 vs national 22% below the national average (€14,279)
Median home price: €1,745/m² #9 of 17 regions · −€280/m² vs national 14% below the national average (€2,024/m²)

Median across the region's municipalities (INE net income; Catastro-derived sale price).

Who lives here

Born in Spain: 89.4% 0.7 pts above the national average (88.8%)
Born elsewhere in EU/UK: 4.6% 0.8 pts above the national average (3.8%)

Share of residents by place of birth, averaged across the region's municipalities (INE).

Tax posture (2025)

Wealth tax none: ≈100% bonificación (difference/capture design) — no annual wealth tax below the Grandes Fortunas threshold.
Inheritance & gifts none: 99% bonificación for spouse, children and parents (Grupo I & II), on top of large reductions.
Buying resale (ITP): General transfer tax around 7% — General 7%; higher bands historically apply above ~€400k/€700k in some years. Reduced rates for under-35 / habitual dwelling.
Buying new-build: IVA/IGIC around 10%; AJD around 1.2%.
Annual property tax (IBI): Municipal rates typically 0.4–1.1% of cadastral value — set by each town, not the region.

State ITSGF applies above ~€3M net worth, but Andalucía's bonificación is designed to absorb it so there is no extra bill versus a normal wealth-tax region. Source: primary source. General posture, not personal tax advice — thresholds, reduced rates and reliefs change and depend on your circumstances. ITP/AJD figures are regional general rates for budgeting, not a quote.

Best towns in Andalusia, by what you're after

The same engine as the quiz, run over Andalusia's towns and filtered to the ones we profile in depth. Top of each list, in the engine's order — not hand-picked.

Best towns in Andalusia for families

schools, coast and cost, scored for remote-working parents

Órgiva 15 km from the sea · a settled international community
Arcos de la Frontera a settled international community · 31,281 people
Nerja 6 km from the sea · a settled international community
Níjar 10 km from the sea · a settled international community
Marbella 1 km from the sea · a settled international community

Best towns in Andalusia for winter sun

ranked on winter warmth and sunshine

Níjar 30 min to a hospital · only 25 rainy days a year
Almería a hospital in town · a health centre close by
Órgiva 33 min to a hospital · a health centre close by
Cádiz a hospital in town · a health centre close by
Mojácar only 34 rainy days a year · a settled international community

Best-value towns in Andalusia

cheap to buy in, but still a real town with services

Órgiva a settled international community · low cost of living (registered rent ~€3.42/m²·mo)
Arcos de la Frontera a settled international community · 31,281 people
Níjar a settled international community · 32,772 people
Nerja a settled international community · 6 km from the sea
Mijas a settled international community · 4 km from the sea

Town profiles in Andalusia

We profile 41 of Andalusia's 785 municipalities in depth — numbers plus an honest portrait. More as we cover them.

Compare Andalusia with…

Torn between two regions? Head-to-head, data-only — climate, cost, schools, health waits and tax, side by side.

See how Andalusia's towns rank for you

These are Andalusia's regional numbers. Whether it fits you depends on your priorities — winter sun or mild summers, short medical waits, a city or a village, an easy flight home. The 3-minute quiz scores every one of Spain's 8,132 municipalities on what you care about — and we'll flag Andalusia as one to watch, so your results surface its best towns for you.

Take the quiz — rank Andalusia for you →

Overview