City comparison
Granada vs Palma de Mallorca: which is better to live in?
Quick verdict
Granada is the cheaper of the two: our estimate for a single person is about €350 a month less than Palma de Mallorca, mostly because of rent. Palma de Mallorca has the milder winter (about 16°C vs 13°C average highs in Dec to Feb). Both are in Spain, so the visa rules, taxes and healthcare system are the same: the choice comes down to cost, climate and lifestyle.
Choose Granada for
- Affordability
- Mountains nearby
- Culture
- Lower living costs
Choose Palma de Mallorca for
- Beach life
- Flights home
- English-friendliness
- Expat community
Granada vs Palma de Mallorca at a glance
| Granada | Palma de Mallorca | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Spain | Spain |
| Single budget / month | €1,550 | €1,900 |
| Couple budget / month | €2,250 | €2,750 |
| 1-bed rent, center | €600 | €1,100 |
| Winter highs (Dec to Feb) | 13°C / 56°F | 16°C / 61°F |
| Summer highs (Jun to Aug) | 33°C / 91°F | 29°C / 84°F |
| Sunshine (hours/yr) | 2,881 | 2,858 |
| City size | Mid-size city | Large city |
| Coastal | No | Yes |
| Direct flights to the US | No | Yes |
| Affordability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Sunny, warm climate | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| English-friendliness | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Safety | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Walkability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Public transport | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nature & green space | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Beach life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Mountains nearby | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Culture | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nightlife | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Family life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Remote-work scene | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Expat community | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Flights home | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Calm, slower pace | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
Cost of living: Granada or Palma de Mallorca?
By our estimates, a comfortable mid-range life costs about €1,550 a month for one person in Granada and €1,900 in Palma de Mallorca, rent included. For a couple it’s €2,250 vs €2,750, and for a family of four €3,300 vs €4,100.
Rent drives most of the gap: a one-bedroom in the center runs about €600 in Granada against €1,100 in Palma de Mallorca, while a monthly transit pass costs - vs -. Want to plug in your own lifestyle? Use the cost of living calculator.
Climate and weather
Winters average highs of about 13°C (56°F) in Granada and 16°C (61°F) in Palma de Mallorca. In summer it’s roughly 33°C vs 29°C. Granada gets about 2,881 hours of sunshine a year and Palma de Mallorca about 2,858.
2,881 hours of sunshine a year · 353 mm of rain a year · Source: Granada air base (687 m) normals (AEMET) via the Wikipedia climate table; period not stated in the table
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13°C / 55°F | 1°C / 34°F |
| Feb | 15°C / 58°F | 2°C / 36°F |
| Mar | 18°C / 64°F | 5°C / 41°F |
| Apr | 20°C / 67°F | 7°C / 44°F |
| May | 24°C / 75°F | 10°C / 50°F |
| Jun | 30°C / 86°F | 15°C / 58°F |
| Jul | 34°C / 94°F | 18°C / 64°F |
| Aug | 34°C / 92°F | 18°C / 64°F |
| Sep | 29°C / 84°F | 14°C / 58°F |
| Oct | 23°C / 73°F | 10°C / 50°F |
| Nov | 17°C / 62°F | 5°C / 42°F |
| Dec | 13°C / 56°F | 3°C / 37°F |
2,858 hours of sunshine a year · 470 mm of rain a year · Source: Palma port 1991-2020 provisional normals (AEMET OpenData) via the Wikipedia climate table
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16°C / 60°F | 9°C / 47°F |
| Feb | 16°C / 60°F | 8°C / 47°F |
| Mar | 18°C / 64°F | 10°C / 50°F |
| Apr | 20°C / 67°F | 12°C / 54°F |
| May | 23°C / 73°F | 16°C / 60°F |
| Jun | 27°C / 81°F | 19°C / 67°F |
| Jul | 30°C / 85°F | 22°C / 72°F |
| Aug | 30°C / 86°F | 23°C / 73°F |
| Sep | 27°C / 81°F | 20°C / 68°F |
| Oct | 24°C / 75°F | 17°C / 62°F |
| Nov | 20°C / 67°F | 12°C / 54°F |
| Dec | 17°C / 62°F | 10°C / 50°F |
Daily life
Granada is a mid-size city; Palma de Mallorca is a large city on the coast. Granada is a student city at the foot of the Sierra Nevada with the Alhambra, free tapas culture and some of the lowest rents in Spain. Summers are very hot, winters are cold at night, and the nearest big airport is in Malaga. Palma is a real year-round city with an international community, a handsome old town and the Tramuntana mountains and coves of Mallorca around it. Housing is expensive and scarce, so it suits higher budgets best.
Living in Granada: the upsides and downsides
- Very low rents for a famous city
- The Alhambra and a historic center you never tire of
- Skiing in the Sierra Nevada and the coast each about an hour away
- Downside: Summer highs above 34 degrees C and cold winter nights
- Downside: Limited jobs and an inland, provincial feel
Living in Palma de Mallorca: the upsides and downsides
- Big English- and German-speaking community
- Beaches, sailing and mountain hiking within minutes
- Flights to most of Europe, many of them year-round
- Downside: Some of the highest rents in Spain
- Downside: Summer crowds and tourist pressure
Visas and residency
Both cities are in Spain, so you’d use the same residence routes either way:
- Spain Digital Nomad Visa (Telework Visa) - Digital nomad visa, open, €2,442/mo income
- Spain Entrepreneur Visa - Entrepreneur route, open, €600/mo income
- Spain Golden Visa (Closed 2025) - Golden visa, closed, €500,000 investment
- Spain Non-Lucrative Visa (Residence Without Work) - Retirement visa, open, €2,400/mo income
Read the full guides: living in Granada and living in Palma de Mallorca.
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Costs are our estimates for a comfortable mid-range lifestyle; scores are editorial, relative to the 56 cities we cover. Methodology.