City comparison
Palma de Mallorca vs Seville: which is better to live in?
Quick verdict
Seville is the cheaper of the two: our estimate for a single person is about €300 a month less than Palma de Mallorca, mostly because of rent. 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
- Beach life
- Nature & green space
- English-friendliness
- Mountains nearby
Choose Seville for
- Affordability
- Culture
- Lower living costs
Palma de Mallorca vs Seville at a glance
| Palma de Mallorca | Seville | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Spain | Spain |
| Single budget / month | €1,900 | €1,600 |
| Couple budget / month | €2,750 | €2,350 |
| 1-bed rent, center | €1,100 | €750 |
| Winter highs (Dec to Feb) | 16°C / 61°F | 17°C / 63°F |
| Summer highs (Jun to Aug) | 29°C / 84°F | 35°C / 95°F |
| Sunshine (hours/yr) | 2,858 | 3,089 |
| City size | Large city | Large city |
| Coastal | Yes | No |
| Direct flights to the US | Yes | No |
| 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 Seville?
By our estimates, a comfortable mid-range life costs about €1,900 a month for one person in Palma de Mallorca and €1,600 in Seville, rent included. For a couple it’s €2,750 vs €2,350, and for a family of four €4,100 vs €3,400.
Rent drives most of the gap: a one-bedroom in the center runs about €1,100 in Palma de Mallorca against €750 in Seville, while a monthly transit pass costs - vs €30. 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 17°C (63°F) in Seville. In summer it’s roughly 29°C vs 35°C. Palma de Mallorca gets about 2,858 hours of sunshine a year and Seville about 3,089.
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 |
3,089 hours of sunshine a year · 502 mm of rain a year · Source: AEMET 1991-2020 normals (Seville airport) via the Wikipedia climate table
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16°C / 61°F | 6°C / 43°F |
| Feb | 18°C / 65°F | 7°C / 45°F |
| Mar | 22°C / 71°F | 10°C / 49°F |
| Apr | 24°C / 75°F | 12°C / 53°F |
| May | 28°C / 83°F | 15°C / 59°F |
| Jun | 33°C / 91°F | 19°C / 65°F |
| Jul | 36°C / 97°F | 21°C / 69°F |
| Aug | 36°C / 97°F | 21°C / 70°F |
| Sep | 32°C / 89°F | 18°C / 65°F |
| Oct | 26°C / 79°F | 15°C / 59°F |
| Nov | 20°C / 69°F | 10°C / 50°F |
| Dec | 17°C / 62°F | 7°C / 45°F |
Daily life
Palma de Mallorca is a large city on the coast; Seville is a large city. 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. Seville is Spain's most atmospheric southern city: monumental, affordable, and made for long evenings outdoors. It is also very hot in summer and has fewer English speakers and no direct North American flights.
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 Seville: the upsides and downsides
- Lower rents than Madrid, Barcelona or Malaga in our estimates
- Superb monuments, tapas and festivals
- Compact, bikeable center
- Downside: Extreme summer heat: average July highs of 36.3 C
- Downside: English is less common than in other big Spanish cities
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 Seville.
Related comparisons
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- Palma de Mallorca vs Valencia
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- Madrid vs Palma de Mallorca
- Malaga vs Palma de Mallorca
- Palma de Mallorca vs San Sebastian
Costs are our estimates for a comfortable mid-range lifestyle; scores are editorial, relative to the 56 cities we cover. Methodology.