City comparison
Palma de Mallorca vs San Sebastian: which is better to live in?
Quick verdict
San Sebastian is the cheaper of the two: our estimate for a single person is about €50 a month less than Palma de Mallorca, mostly because of rent. Palma de Mallorca has the milder winter (about 16°C vs 14°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 Palma de Mallorca for
- Expat community
- Sunny, warm climate
- Flights home
- Affordability
Choose San Sebastian for
- Safety
- Walkability
- Public transport
- Family life
- Lower living costs
Palma de Mallorca vs San Sebastian at a glance
| Palma de Mallorca | San Sebastian | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Spain | Spain |
| Single budget / month | €1,900 | €1,850 |
| Couple budget / month | €2,750 | €2,700 |
| 1-bed rent, center | €1,100 | €1,050 |
| Winter highs (Dec to Feb) | 16°C / 61°F | 14°C / 56°F |
| Summer highs (Jun to Aug) | 29°C / 84°F | 25°C / 77°F |
| Sunshine (hours/yr) | 2,858 | 1,784 |
| City size | Large city | Mid-size city |
| Coastal | Yes | Yes |
| Direct flights to the US | Yes | 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: Palma de Mallorca or San Sebastian?
By our estimates, a comfortable mid-range life costs about €1,900 a month for one person in Palma de Mallorca and €1,850 in San Sebastian, rent included. For a couple it’s €2,750 vs €2,700, and for a family of four €4,100 vs €4,000.
Rent drives most of the gap: a one-bedroom in the center runs about €1,100 in Palma de Mallorca against €1,050 in San Sebastian, 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 16°C (61°F) in Palma de Mallorca and 14°C (56°F) in San Sebastian. In summer it’s roughly 29°C vs 25°C. Palma de Mallorca gets about 2,858 hours of sunshine a year and San Sebastian about 1,784.
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 |
1,784 hours of sunshine a year · 1,747 mm of rain a year · Source: San Sebastian airport (Hondarribia) 1991-2020 normals (Meteo Climat) via the Wikipedia climate table
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13°C / 56°F | 5°C / 42°F |
| Feb | 14°C / 57°F | 5°C / 42°F |
| Mar | 16°C / 61°F | 8°C / 46°F |
| Apr | 18°C / 64°F | 9°C / 49°F |
| May | 21°C / 69°F | 12°C / 54°F |
| Jun | 23°C / 74°F | 15°C / 60°F |
| Jul | 25°C / 77°F | 18°C / 64°F |
| Aug | 26°C / 79°F | 18°C / 64°F |
| Sep | 24°C / 75°F | 15°C / 59°F |
| Oct | 21°C / 70°F | 12°C / 54°F |
| Nov | 16°C / 61°F | 8°C / 47°F |
| Dec | 14°C / 57°F | 6°C / 43°F |
Daily life
Palma de Mallorca is a large city on the coast; San Sebastian is a mid-size city on the coast. 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. San Sebastian is a small, safe and very beautiful seaside city, famous for its food and three city beaches. It is also one of the most expensive places to rent in our Spanish set, and it rains a lot.
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
Living in San Sebastian: the upsides and downsides
- One of Europe's great food cities
- Three city beaches and green hills to hike
- Very safe and easy to walk or cycle
- Downside: High rents and very few long-term rentals
- Downside: Rainy, mild climate with fewer sunny days than southern Spain
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 Palma de Mallorca and living in San Sebastian.
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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.