Ourense · Galicia

Celanova

Hardly more than a village, overshadowed by a vast and palatial Benedictine monastery where a king retired into monastic life.

5,695 residents~27 min to Ourense
Celanova, Ourense
Photo: Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez (Lmbuga) · CC BY-SA 3.0

Living in Celanova

Celanova is a small Ourense town of 5,700 in inland Galicia, dwarfed by the vast Baroque Benedictine monastery of San Salvador at its heart, where a Spanish king once retired from the world. For its size it has a striking Latin American presence — a large Venezuelan community — leaving under 80% of residents Spanish-born. At around 670m the climate is green but cool: winters near 7°C, warm summers around 28°C, and plenty of rain. Ourense and the nearest hospital are both under half an hour away, keeping it more connected than most interior villages.

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

Heat-averse Spainability Score 96

Higher than 96% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for heat-averse settlers.

Hardly more than a village, overshadowed by a vast and palatial Benedictine monastery where a king retired into monastic life. A strong pick if you can't stand hot summers — a settled international community and low cost of living (registered rent ~€3.14/m²·mo).

  • Summer high (Jul–Aug) 27.8°C
  • Rainy days a year 107 days
  • Summer water stress (WEI+) 1
  • Winter average temp 7.4°C
Remote-work Spainability Score 92

Higher than 92% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for remote workers.

Hardly more than a village, overshadowed by a vast and palatial Benedictine monastery where a king retired into monastic life. A strong pick for a remote-working couple — low cost of living (registered rent ~€3.14/m²·mo) and a settled international community.

  • 100 Mbps+ coverage 87%
  • Drive to nearest airport 77 min
  • Registered long-let rent €3.14/m²·mo
  • Summer high (Jul–Aug) 27.8°C
Family Spainability Score 91

Higher than 91% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for families.

Hardly more than a village, overshadowed by a vast and palatial Benedictine monastery where a king retired into monastic life. A strong pick for a family with school-age kids — low cost of living (registered rent ~€3.14/m²·mo) and a settled international community.

  • Schools in town 5
  • PISA maths (region) 486
  • Registered long-let rent €3.14/m²·mo
  • Drive to a hospital 28 min
Budget-coastal Spainability Score 88

Higher than 88% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for budget-first coastal settlers.

Hardly more than a village, overshadowed by a vast and palatial Benedictine monastery where a king retired into monastic life. A strong pick for coastal living on a budget — low cost of living (registered rent ~€3.14/m²·mo) and a settled international community.

  • Registered long-let rent €3.14/m²·mo
  • Net income per person €12,647
  • Summer high (Jul–Aug) 27.8°C
American-retiree Spainability Score 80

Higher than 80% of the 8,088 Spanish municipalities we could score for American retirees.

Hardly more than a village, overshadowed by a vast and palatial Benedictine monastery where a king retired into monastic life. A strong pick for American retirees — 28 min to a hospital and a settled international community.

  • Winter average temp 7.4°C
  • Drive to a hospital 28 min
  • U.S.-born residents 5.44 per 1,000
  • Registered long-let rent €3.14/m²·mo
Retiree Spainability Score 70

Higher than 70% of the 8,088 Spanish municipalities we could score for retiring couples.

Hardly more than a village, overshadowed by a vast and palatial Benedictine monastery where a king retired into monastic life. A strong pick for a retiring couple — 28 min to a hospital and a settled international community.

  • Winter average temp 7.4°C
  • Drive to a hospital 28 min
  • Surgical wait (region) 73 days
  • Registered long-let rent €3.14/m²·mo

What is the climate like in Celanova?

Celanova's reported winter average is 7.4°C, while July–August highs reach 27.8°C.

Climate

Winter average temp
7.4°C top 44% of 8,131 towns 0.3°C below the Spanish average (7.8°C)
Summer high (Jul–Aug)
27.8°C top 16% of 8,131 towns 2.4°C below the Spanish average (30.2°C)
Rainy days a year
107 days bottom 9% of 8,088 towns 56% more than the Spanish average (69 days)
Sunshine
no local data
Summer water stress (WEI+) regional estimate
1 top 1% of 8,033 towns 55 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)
0.36 ha/km² bottom 29% of 8,132 towns 1.95 ha/km² below the Spanish average (2.31 ha/km²)
Forest fires (2010–23)
6 bottom 18% of 8,132 towns about the Spanish average (6)
High fire-weather days (province) regional estimate
17.5% top 3% of 8,130 towns 5.4% 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: +1.5h December daylight~1.5× the rain~4°C hotter summers
10° 15° 20° 25° 30° 150 0 mm 11° 13° 16° 18° 21° 25° 11° 28° 13° 28° 12° 25° 10° 19° 13° 11° day high night low JFMAMJJASOND
day high → night low (°C) rain (mm/month, right axis) Measured at the ALLARIZ station, 15 km away — the nearest with full 30-year normals.

How good is healthcare in Celanova?

Celanova's nearest health centre is 54.6 km away, and the reported hospital drive is 28 min.

Healthcare

Drive to a hospital
28 min top 38% of 8,132 towns
Nearest health centre
54.6 km bottom 4% of 8,132 towns
Surgical wait (region) regional estimate
73 days #3 of 17 regions, −30 days vs national 32% less than the Spanish average (108 days)

What are schools like in Celanova?

Celanova has 5 schools in town; the nearest international school is 57 km away.

Schools

Schools in town
5 top 12% of 7,042 towns
Nearest international school
57 km bottom 35% of 8,132 towns
PISA maths (region) regional estimate
486 #8 of 17 regions, +7 vs national 5 above the Spanish average (481)

How much does it cost to live in Celanova?

Celanova's reported registered long-let rent is €3.14/m²·mo.

Cost & economy

Home price
no local data
Asking price
no local data
Registered long-let rent
€3.14/m²·mo
Registered rent p25
€2.33/m²·mo
Registered rent p75
€4/m²·mo
Registered-rent yield
no reliable sale-price data — yield not imputed
Net income per person
€12,647 bottom 25% of 8,059 towns 13% less than the Spanish average (€14,495)
Income growth ’18–’23
28.1% top 37% of 6,605 towns

Which languages are used in schools in Celanova?

Galician and Spanish are co-official in Galicia. Public schools use both languages, with substantial Galician-medium teaching rather than a Spanish-only default; the balance can vary by school. See the Galicia region guide for the wider regional context.

What is the community like in Celanova?

Celanova's reported population is 5,695.

Who lives here

Population
5,695
Born in Spain
79.3% 9.5% below the Spanish average (88.8%)
Born elsewhere in EU/UK
3.6% 0.2% below the Spanish average (3.8%)
U.S.-born residents
5.44 per 1,000

How easy is it to get around Celanova?

Celanova is a reported 77 min drive from the nearest airport, with 88% fibre-to-home coverage.

Getting around

Drive to nearest airport
77 min bottom 46% of 8,132 towns
Fibre-to-home coverage
88% bottom 44% of 8,132 towns 9% above the Spanish average (79%)
100 Mbps+ coverage
87% bottom 31% of 8,132 towns 3% above the Spanish average (83%)
Nearest airport Vigo Airport (VGO) — 77 min drive · domestic routes only — nearest international hub: Santiago-Rosalía de Castro Airport (SCQ), ~100 min

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 Celanova 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 Celanova against every one of Spain's 8,132 municipalities on your priorities. It sits about 27 min from Ourense, if that's your anchor.

Take the quiz — rank Celanova 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 an insurer how the mapped flood or wildfire exposure affects cover.

Nearby towns

Other places we profile within easy reach.

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