Ávila · Castilla Y Leon

Ávila

A walled city on a high plain below the Sierra de Gredos, defined by two perfectly preserved kilometres of golden 11th-century walls and the cult of the mystic writer Santa Teresa, born here.

59,480 residents~46 min to Segovia
Ávila, Ávila
Photo: Anual · CC BY 3.0

Living in Ávila

Ávila is the great walled city of Castile — 59,000 people on a high plain at nearly 1,200m below the Sierra de Gredos, ringed by two perfectly preserved kilometres of golden 11th-century walls with 88 towers, and steeped in the cult of Santa Teresa, the mystic born here. It's Spain's highest provincial capital, and the climate shows it: winters are long and cold, averaging under 5°C with hard frosts, summers warm but short near 29°C. Most residents are Spanish-born, with Colombian, Moroccan and Peruvian communities. It has its own hospital; Segovia is about forty-five minutes away and Madrid's orbit within reach, though its own airport is far.

Ávila's Spainability Scores — by who's moving

Not our opinion: we ran the same scoring engine behind the quiz for six settler profiles across all 8,132 municipalities. Each score is Ávila's percentile for that group — 87 means it beats 87% of the towns we could score. How scoring works.

American-retiree Spainability Score 55

Higher than 55% of the 8,088 Spanish municipalities we could score for American retirees.

A walled city on a high plain below the Sierra de Gredos, defined by two perfectly preserved kilometres of golden 11th-century walls and the cult of the mystic writer Santa Teresa, born here. A strong pick for American retirees — a hospital in town and a health centre close by.

  • Winter average temp 4.8°C
  • Drive to a hospital 0 min
  • U.S.-born residents 0.39 per 1,000
  • Registered long-let rent €5.92/m²·mo
Retiree Spainability Score 41

Higher than 41% of the 8,088 Spanish municipalities we could score for retiring couples.

A walled city on a high plain below the Sierra de Gredos, defined by two perfectly preserved kilometres of golden 11th-century walls and the cult of the mystic writer Santa Teresa, born here. A strong pick for a retiring couple — a hospital in town and a health centre close by.

  • Winter average temp 4.8°C
  • Drive to a hospital 0 min
  • Surgical wait (region) 87 days
  • Registered long-let rent €5.92/m²·mo
Family Spainability Score 20

Higher than 20% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for families.

A walled city on a high plain below the Sierra de Gredos, defined by two perfectly preserved kilometres of golden 11th-century walls and the cult of the mystic writer Santa Teresa, born here. A strong pick for a family with school-age kids — a hospital in town and 59,480 people.

  • Schools in town 43
  • PISA maths (region) 499
  • Registered long-let rent €5.92/m²·mo
  • Drive to a hospital 0 min
Heat-averse Spainability Score 19

Higher than 19% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for heat-averse settlers.

A walled city on a high plain below the Sierra de Gredos, defined by two perfectly preserved kilometres of golden 11th-century walls and the cult of the mystic writer Santa Teresa, born here. A strong pick if you can't stand hot summers — a hospital in town and a real food scene.

  • Summer high (Jul–Aug) 28.7°C
  • Rainy days a year 66 days
  • Summer water stress (WEI+) 60
  • Winter average temp 4.8°C
Remote-work Spainability Score 19

Higher than 19% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for remote workers.

A walled city on a high plain below the Sierra de Gredos, defined by two perfectly preserved kilometres of golden 11th-century walls and the cult of the mystic writer Santa Teresa, born here. A strong pick for a remote-working couple — 59,480 people and a hospital in town.

  • 100 Mbps+ coverage 98%
  • Drive to nearest airport 85 min
  • Registered long-let rent €5.92/m²·mo
  • Summer high (Jul–Aug) 28.7°C
Budget-coastal Spainability Score 7

Higher than 7% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for budget-first coastal settlers.

A walled city on a high plain below the Sierra de Gredos, defined by two perfectly preserved kilometres of golden 11th-century walls and the cult of the mystic writer Santa Teresa, born here. A strong pick for coastal living on a budget — 59,480 people and a hospital in town.

  • Registered long-let rent €5.92/m²·mo
  • Net income per person €15,261
  • Summer high (Jul–Aug) 28.7°C

What is the climate like in Ávila?

Ávila's reported winter average is 4.8°C, while July–August highs reach 28.7°C.

Climate

Winter average temp
4.8°C bottom 15% of 8,131 towns 3°C below the Spanish average (7.8°C)
Summer high (Jul–Aug)
28.7°C top 26% of 8,131 towns 1.5°C below the Spanish average (30.2°C)
Rainy days a year
66 days bottom 44% of 8,088 towns 4% less than the Spanish average (69 days)
Sunshine
7.3 h/day top 46% of 3,829 towns about the Spanish average (7.2 h/day)
Summer water stress (WEI+) regional estimate
60 bottom 41% of 8,033 towns 3 above the Spanish average (56)
River-flood depth (T=100, town centre) estimated
0 m top 1% of 8,129 towns 0.04 m below the Spanish average (0.04 m)
River-flood risk score estimated
0 top 1% of 8,129 towns about the Spanish average (0)
Wildfire burn rate (2010–23)
0.52 ha/km² bottom 25% of 8,132 towns 1.79 ha/km² below the Spanish average (2.31 ha/km²)
Forest fires (2010–23)
20 bottom 5% of 8,132 towns 14 above the Spanish average (6)
High fire-weather days (province) regional estimate
19.8% top 13% of 8,130 towns 3.1% below the Spanish average (22.9%)

The year, month by month

AEMET 30-year climate normals — what a January or an August actually feels like, not the annual average.

vs London: ~4°C colder winters+1.5h December daylight⅔ the rain~5°C hotter summers
-5° 15° 25° 35° 100 0 mm -1° -1° 13° 15° 19° 25° 11° 29° 14° 28° 14° 23° 10° 17° 11° day high night low JFMAMJJASOND
day high → night low (°C) rain (mm/month, right axis) Measured at the ÁVILA station.

How good is healthcare in Ávila?

Ávila's nearest health centre is 3.4 km away, and the reported hospital drive is 0 min.

Healthcare

Drive to a hospital
0 min top 1% of 8,132 towns
Nearest health centre
3.4 km top 17% of 8,132 towns
Surgical wait (region) regional estimate
87 days #5 of 17 regions, −16 days vs national 19% less than the Spanish average (108 days)

What are schools like in Ávila?

Ávila has 43 schools in town; the nearest international school is 4 km away.

Schools

Schools in town
43 top 1% of 7,042 towns
Nearest international school
4 km top 2% of 8,132 towns
PISA maths (region) regional estimate
499 #1 of 17 regions, +20 vs national 18 above the Spanish average (481)

How much does it cost to live in Ávila?

Ávila's reported home price is €1,605/m², while registered long-let rent is €5.92/m²·mo.

Cost & economy

Home price
€1,605/m² appraisal (valor tasado) top 33% of 306 towns 27% less than the Spanish average (€2,208/m²)
Asking price
no local data
Registered long-let rent
€5.92/m²·mo
Registered rent p25
€4.7/m²·mo
Registered rent p75
€7.37/m²·mo
Registered-rent yield
4.43% top 37% of 306 towns
Net income per person
€15,261 top 37% of 8,059 towns 5% more than the Spanish average (€14,495)
Income growth ’18–’23
22.3% bottom 28% of 6,605 towns

Which languages are used in schools in Ávila?

Spanish is the only region-wide official language in Castilla y León, and Spanish-medium teaching is the public-school default. Individual bilingual and international programmes can use other languages, so check the specific school. See the Castilla y León region guide for the wider regional context.

What is the community like in Ávila?

Ávila's reported population is 59,480.

Who lives here

Population
59,480
Born in Spain
85.4% 3.4% below the Spanish average (88.8%)
Born elsewhere in EU/UK
2% 1.8% below the Spanish average (3.8%)
U.S.-born residents
0.39 per 1,000

How easy is it to get around Ávila?

Ávila is a reported 85 min drive from the nearest airport, with 96% fibre-to-home coverage.

Getting around

Drive to nearest airport
85 min bottom 39% of 8,132 towns
Fibre-to-home coverage
96% top 24% of 8,132 towns 17% above the Spanish average (79%)
100 Mbps+ coverage
98% top 27% of 8,132 towns 15% above the Spanish average (83%)
Nearest airport Salamanca Airport (SLM) — 85 min drive · domestic routes only — nearest international hub: Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), ~96 min

Numbers: Spainability town dataset, derived from INE, AEMET, Mitma and the Catastro. Registered long-let rent is SERPAVI declared-contract data; its p25–p75 values show the observed band. Registered-rent yield is gross, excludes costs and is never imputed. Percentile chips count only the municipalities that report the figure — the "of n" says how many. Region-ranked figures (PISA, surgical waits) compare Spain's 17 comunidades autónomas. A blank means no municipal-level figure is published — not a zero.

How does Ávila fit you?

These are the town's numbers. Whether it's your town depends on what you're optimising for — winter sun or mild summers, a city or a village, short medical waits, an easy flight home. The 3-minute quiz scores Ávila against every one of Spain's 8,132 municipalities on your priorities. It sits about 46 min from Segovia, if that's your anchor.

Take the quiz — rank Ávila for you →

Questions to verify locally

  • Ask whether current long-let rents match the registered-contract figure.
  • Request recent comparable sales before relying on the appraisal figure.
  • Test fibre speed at the exact address, not the town average.
  • Visit local schools and confirm places for incoming families.
  • Confirm health-centre registration and opening hours in person.
  • Ask an insurer how the mapped flood or wildfire exposure affects cover.

Nearby towns

Other places we profile within easy reach.

The Spainability Letter

Get the full data — all 8,132 Spanish towns, free.

Climate, cost, healthcare, and settlement data for every municipality we map — plus The Spainability Letter, a monthly letter for people actually settling in Spain.

One monthly letter. The dataset download is on the next page. Unsubscribe anytime.

Not sure where to settle? Take the 3-minute quiz →