Region · Spain
Living in the Balearics
the Balearics runs hot and dry: summer highs average 30.7°C over only about 57 rainy days a year, with plenty of sun. That suits sun-seekers, but summer water stress is worth watching (WEI+ 69 vs a national 56). On our six settler profiles, the Balearics is worth a look if you're american retirees (ranks #1 of 17 regions), and probably not the one if you're investor (#15 of 17).
Overview
On the wallet: homes run about €3,698/m² (83% above the national average (€2,024/m²)); median net income is about €16,092 per person (13% above the national average (€14,279)).
Public healthcare here means a mean surgical wait around 105 days (about the national average (103 days)), with 22.4% of the surgical list waiting over six months — a real, published number, not a brochure claim.
We publish 5 of the Balearics's 67 municipalities in depth so far — the ones with a full guide portrait to sit alongside the numbers, weighted toward the warm-summer south and interior. Every figure below is shown against the national reference, gaps included.
Who the Balearics is for — and who should look elsewhere
Not our opinion: we ran the same scoring engine behind the quiz for six settler profiles across all 8,132 municipalities, then took the median score of the Balearics's towns and ranked it among Spain's 17 comunidades. It answers "how does the typical town here score, versus the typical town elsewhere?"
Good to explore if you're
- American retirees #1 of 17 regions
- english_speaker #1 of 8 regions
- Remote-working couples #2 of 17 regions
- year_round_mild #2 of 17 regions
- Retiring couples #3 of 17 regions
- british_retiree #3 of 8 regions
- british_settler #3 of 8 regions
- winter_sun #3 of 17 regions
- couple_starting_family #4 of 17 regions
- Budget-first coastal settlers #4 of 17 regions
- Heat-averse settlers #5 of 17 regions
- Families with school-age kids #5 of 17 regions
Probably skip if you want
- investor #15 of 17 regions
Ranked 1–17 by the median national percentile of the region's municipalities for each profile (higher median = better place to explore). Hover a town's own page for the town-level version.
The numbers for the Balearics
Region-level data, each figure against the national reference. Where a figure is a comunidad-autónoma reading rather than a town measurement, we say so under the card.
Climate
- Winter average
- 11.8°C #4 of 17 regions · +4.1°C vs national 4.1 °C above the national average (7.8°C)
- Summer high
- 30.7°C #10 of 17 regions · +0.5°C vs national 0.5 °C above the national average (30.2°C)
- Rainy days a year
- 57 days #5 of 17 regions · −12 days vs national 17% below the national average (69 days)
- Sunshine
- 7.6 h/day #6 of 17 regions · +0.4 h/day vs national 5% above the national average (7.2 h/day)
- Summer water stress (WEI+)
- 69 #12 of 16 regions · +12 vs national 12 points above the national average (56)
Aggregated from the region's municipalities (AEMET/derived); summer water stress is a river-basin (WEI+) reading.
Schools
- PISA maths
- 471 #11 of 17 regions · −8 vs national 8 points below the national average (479)
- PISA reading
- 472 #10 of 17 regions · −6 vs national 6 points below the national average (478)
- PISA science
- 480 #11 of 17 regions · −9 vs national 9 points below the national average (489)
PISA 2022, reported per comunidad autónoma (INEE). National reference = the mean across the 17 comunidades.
Healthcare
- Surgical wait
- 105 days #11 of 17 regions · +2 days vs national about the national average (103 days)
- Waiting over 6 months
- 22.4% #13 of 17 regions · +5.8 pts vs national 5.8 pts above the national average (16.6%)
- Specialist consult wait
- 71 days #7 of 17 regions · −24 days vs national 25% below the national average (95 days)
Public waiting lists, SISLE-SNS Dic 2025 (2025-12-31), per comunidad autónoma.
Cost & economy
- Median net income / person
- €16,092 #3 of 17 regions · +€1,813 vs national 13% above the national average (€14,279)
- Median home price
- €3,698/m² #17 of 17 regions · +€1,674/m² vs national 83% above the national average (€2,024/m²)
Median across the region's municipalities (INE net income; Catastro-derived sale price).
Who lives here
- Born in Spain
- 74.9% 13.9 pts below the national average (88.8%)
- Born elsewhere in EU/UK
- 9.1% 5.3 pts above the national average (3.8%)
Share of residents by place of birth, averaged across the region's municipalities (INE).
Tax posture (2025)
- Wealth tax standard
- Own scale (top ~3.45%) with no general bonificación — a real annual wealth tax above the €700k exemption.
- Inheritance & gifts none
- 100% bonificación for spouse, ascendants and descendants (Grupo I & II) — inheritance is effectively free for close family.
- Buying resale (ITP)
- General transfer tax around 8% — Progressive 8–13% by value bands (higher brackets for expensive homes). 8 is the entry general band.
- Buying new-build
- IVA/IGIC around 10%; AJD around 1.2%.
- Annual property tax (IBI)
- Municipal rates typically 0.4–1.1% of cadastral value — set by each town, not the region.
State ITSGF above ~€3M net worth; wealth tax paid is credited against it. Source: primary source. General posture, not personal tax advice — thresholds, reduced rates and reliefs change and depend on your circumstances. ITP/AJD figures are regional general rates for budgeting, not a quote.
Best towns in the Balearics, by what you're after
The same engine as the quiz, run over the Balearics's towns and filtered to the ones we profile in depth. Top of each list, in the engine's order — not hand-picked.
Best towns in the Balearics for families
schools, coast and cost, scored for remote-working parents
- Formentera 1 km from the sea · a hospital in town
- Maó 3 km from the sea · a hospital in town
- Valldemossa 14 km from the sea · 24 min to a hospital
- Sóller 16 km from the sea · 16 min to a hospital
- Palma 5 km from the sea · a hospital in town
Best towns in the Balearics for winter sun
ranked on winter warmth and sunshine
- Formentera a hospital in town · a health centre close by
- Valldemossa 24 min to a hospital · a health centre close by
- Maó a hospital in town · a health centre close by
- Palma a hospital in town · a health centre close by
- Sóller 16 min to a hospital · a health centre close by
Best-value towns in the Balearics
cheap to buy in, but still a real town with services
- Formentera 1 km from the sea · 11,690 people
- Maó 3 km from the sea · 30,986 people
- Valldemossa 14 km from the sea · 24 min to a hospital
- Sóller 13,996 people · 16 km from the sea
- Palma 5 km from the sea · a hospital in town
Town profiles in the Balearics
We profile 5 of the Balearics's 67 municipalities in depth — numbers plus an honest portrait. More as we cover them.
Compare the Balearics with…
Torn between two regions? Head-to-head, data-only — climate, cost, schools, health waits and tax, side by side.
See how the Balearics's towns rank for you
These are the Balearics's regional numbers. Whether it fits you depends on your priorities — winter sun or mild summers, short medical waits, a city or a village, an easy flight home. The 3-minute quiz scores every one of Spain's 8,132 municipalities on what you care about — and we'll flag the Balearics as one to watch, so your results surface its best towns for you.
Take the quiz — rank the Balearics for you →