Bizkaia · País Vasco

Ondarroa

The easternmost coastal town in Bizkaia, a workaday place squeezed on either side of a narrow, steep-sided river mouth, its seaward end dominated by a no-nonsense fishing port.

8,092 residents~49 min to Donostia/San Sebastián
Ondarroa, Bizkaia
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Txo assumed (based on copyright claims). · Public domain

Living in Ondarroa

Ondarroa is the easternmost coastal town in Bizkaia — a workaday fishing town of 8,000 squeezed on either side of a narrow, steep-sided river mouth, its seaward end all no-nonsense working port, quite unlike the prettier resorts towards San Sebastián. It's mostly Basque and Spanish-born, with a notable Senegalese community. The climate is cool green-coast, mild winters around 10°C and cool summers near 23°C. There's a beach within walking distance and a bigger one round the headland; a hospital is about twenty minutes away at Mendaro, San Sebastián under an hour.

Ondarroa'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 Ondarroa's percentile for that group — 87 means it beats 87% of the towns we could score. How scoring works.

American-retiree Spainability Score 92

Higher than 92% of the 8,088 Spanish municipalities we could score for American retirees.

The easternmost coastal town in Bizkaia, a workaday place squeezed on either side of a narrow, steep-sided river mouth, its seaward end dominated by a no-nonsense fishing port. A strong pick for American retirees — 21 min to a hospital and a health centre close by.

  • Winter average temp 10.5°C
  • Drive to a hospital 21 min
  • U.S.-born residents 2.35 per 1,000
  • Registered long-let rent €7.07/m²·mo
Heat-averse Spainability Score 87

Higher than 87% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for heat-averse settlers.

The easternmost coastal town in Bizkaia, a workaday place squeezed on either side of a narrow, steep-sided river mouth, its seaward end dominated by a no-nonsense fishing port. A strong pick if you can't stand hot summers — 4 km from the sea and mild 23.2°C summer highs.

  • Summer high (Jul–Aug) 23.2°C
  • Rainy days a year 105 days
  • Summer water stress (WEI+) 25
  • Winter average temp 10.5°C
Retiree Spainability Score 78

Higher than 78% of the 8,088 Spanish municipalities we could score for retiring couples.

The easternmost coastal town in Bizkaia, a workaday place squeezed on either side of a narrow, steep-sided river mouth, its seaward end dominated by a no-nonsense fishing port. A strong pick for a retiring couple — 21 min to a hospital and a health centre close by.

  • Winter average temp 10.5°C
  • Drive to a hospital 21 min
  • Surgical wait (region) 64 days
  • Registered long-let rent €7.07/m²·mo
Family Spainability Score 68

Higher than 68% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for families.

The easternmost coastal town in Bizkaia, a workaday place squeezed on either side of a narrow, steep-sided river mouth, its seaward end dominated by a no-nonsense fishing port. A strong pick for a family with school-age kids — 4 km from the sea and 21 min to a hospital.

  • Schools in town 7
  • PISA maths (region) 482
  • Registered long-let rent €7.07/m²·mo
  • Drive to a hospital 21 min
Remote-work Spainability Score 57

Higher than 57% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for remote workers.

The easternmost coastal town in Bizkaia, a workaday place squeezed on either side of a narrow, steep-sided river mouth, its seaward end dominated by a no-nonsense fishing port. A strong pick for a remote-working couple — 4 km from the sea and 21 min to a hospital.

  • 100 Mbps+ coverage 100%
  • Drive to nearest airport 54 min
  • Registered long-let rent €7.07/m²·mo
  • Summer high (Jul–Aug) 23.2°C
Budget-coastal Spainability Score 57

Higher than 57% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for budget-first coastal settlers.

The easternmost coastal town in Bizkaia, a workaday place squeezed on either side of a narrow, steep-sided river mouth, its seaward end dominated by a no-nonsense fishing port. A strong pick for coastal living on a budget — 4 km from the sea and 21 min to a hospital.

  • Registered long-let rent €7.07/m²·mo
  • Net income per person €17,387
  • Summer high (Jul–Aug) 23.2°C

What is the climate like in Ondarroa?

Ondarroa's reported winter average is 10.5°C, while July–August highs reach 23.2°C.

Climate

Winter average temp
10.5°C top 17% of 8,131 towns 2.8°C above the Spanish average (7.8°C)
Summer high (Jul–Aug)
23.2°C top 4% of 8,131 towns 7°C below the Spanish average (30.2°C)
Rainy days a year
105 days bottom 9% of 8,088 towns 53% more than the Spanish average (69 days)
Sunshine
no local data
Summer water stress (WEI+) regional estimate
25 top 30% of 8,033 towns 32 below 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)
0.7 ha/km² bottom 21% of 8,132 towns 1.61 ha/km² below the Spanish average (2.31 ha/km²)
Forest fires (2010–23)
1 top 39% of 8,132 towns 5 below the Spanish average (6)
High fire-weather days (province) regional estimate
21.7% top 37% of 8,130 towns 1.2% 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 milder winters+1h December daylight
10° 15° 20° 25° 30° 100 0 mm 13° 13° 14° 16° 18° 12° 21° 15° 23° 17° 24° 17° 22° 15° 20° 13° 15° 13° day high night low JFMAMJJASOND
day high → night low (°C) rain (mm/month, right axis) Measured at the LEKEITIO station.

How good is healthcare in Ondarroa?

Ondarroa's nearest health centre is 0 km away, and the reported hospital drive is 21 min.

Healthcare

Drive to a hospital
21 min top 24% of 8,132 towns
Nearest health centre
0 km top 1% of 8,132 towns
Surgical wait (region) regional estimate
64 days #2 of 17 regions, −39 days vs national 41% less than the Spanish average (108 days)

What are schools like in Ondarroa?

Ondarroa has 7 schools in town; the nearest international school is 35 km away.

Schools

Schools in town
7 top 9% of 7,042 towns
Nearest international school
35 km top 41% of 8,132 towns
PISA maths (region) regional estimate
482 #9 of 17 regions, +3 vs national 1 above the Spanish average (481)

How much does it cost to live in Ondarroa?

Ondarroa's reported registered long-let rent is €7.07/m²·mo.

Cost & economy

Home price
no local data
Asking price
no local data
Registered long-let rent
€7.07/m²·mo
Registered rent p25
€5.88/m²·mo
Registered rent p75
€8.16/m²·mo
Registered-rent yield
no reliable sale-price data — yield not imputed
Net income per person
€17,387 top 13% of 8,059 towns 20% more than the Spanish average (€14,495)
Income growth ’18–’23
18.5% bottom 13% of 6,605 towns

Which languages are used in schools in Ondarroa?

the Basque Country has a co-official regional language, and public schools commonly use regional-language immersion or bilingual models rather than Spanish-only teaching. The exact classroom language depends on the school and programme, so confirm the current model before enrolling. See the the Basque Country region guide for the wider regional context.

What is the community like in Ondarroa?

Ondarroa's reported population is 8,092.

Who lives here

Population
8,092
Born in Spain
88.3% 0.5% below the Spanish average (88.8%)
Born elsewhere in EU/UK
1.4% 2.4% below the Spanish average (3.8%)
U.S.-born residents
2.35 per 1,000

How easy is it to get around Ondarroa?

Ondarroa is a reported 54 min drive from the nearest airport, with 100% fibre-to-home coverage.

Getting around

Drive to nearest airport
54 min top 30% of 8,132 towns
Fibre-to-home coverage
100% top 2% of 8,132 towns 21% above the Spanish average (79%)
100 Mbps+ coverage
100% top 9% of 8,132 towns 16% above the Spanish average (83%)
Nearest airport Bilbao Airport (BIO) — 54 min drive · international hub: direct flights to 26 countries (incl. UK, Germany, US, Sweden)

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 Ondarroa 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 Ondarroa against every one of Spain's 8,132 municipalities on your priorities. It sits about 49 min from Donostia/San Sebastián, if that's your anchor.

Take the quiz — rank Ondarroa for you →

Questions to verify locally

  • Ask whether current long-let rents match the registered-contract figure.
  • Request comparable sales; neither appraisal nor asking data is published.
  • 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 about summer rental crowds and parking near the coast.

Nearby towns

Other places we profile within easy reach.

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