Castellón/Castelló · Comunidad Valenciana
Sant Mateu
The historical capital of the Maestrazgo, its wool-trade wealth still visible in its arcaded Plaza Mayor and Gothic palaces.
Living in Sant Mateu
Sant Mateu is a small inland Castellón town of 2,000, the historical capital of the Maestrazgo, its former wool-trade wealth still visible in an arcaded Plaza Mayor and a run of 15th-century Gothic palaces. For its size it's fairly mixed, with Moroccan and Romanian communities among a mostly Spanish population. Set inland at around 340m, it has warm dry summers near 31°C and mild winters around 11°C. It's a quiet country town — a hospital is towards Vinaròs, about forty minutes off, and the coast a similar drive, with Castellón nearly an hour away.
Sant Mateu'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 Sant Mateu's percentile for that group — 87 means it beats 87% of the towns we could score. How scoring works.
Higher than 99% of the 8,088 Spanish municipalities we could score for retiring couples.
The historical capital of the Maestrazgo, its wool-trade wealth still visible in its arcaded Plaza Mayor and Gothic palaces. A strong pick for a retiring couple — 37 min to a hospital and a health centre close by.
- Winter average temp 11.2°C
- Drive to a hospital 37 min
- Surgical wait (region) 88 days
- Registered long-let rent €3.19/m²·mo
Higher than 93% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for budget-first coastal settlers.
The historical capital of the Maestrazgo, its wool-trade wealth still visible in its arcaded Plaza Mayor and Gothic palaces. A strong pick for coastal living on a budget — low cost of living (registered rent ~€3.19/m²·mo) and 22 km from the sea.
- Registered long-let rent €3.19/m²·mo
- Net income per person €13,535
- Summer high (Jul–Aug) 31°C
Higher than 90% of the 8,088 Spanish municipalities we could score for American retirees.
The historical capital of the Maestrazgo, its wool-trade wealth still visible in its arcaded Plaza Mayor and Gothic palaces. A strong pick for American retirees — 37 min to a hospital and a health centre close by.
- Winter average temp 11.2°C
- Drive to a hospital 37 min
- U.S.-born residents 0 per 1,000
- Registered long-let rent €3.19/m²·mo
Higher than 85% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for families.
The historical capital of the Maestrazgo, its wool-trade wealth still visible in its arcaded Plaza Mayor and Gothic palaces. A strong pick for a family with school-age kids — low cost of living (registered rent ~€3.19/m²·mo) and 22 km from the sea.
- Schools in town 3
- PISA maths (region) 473
- Registered long-let rent €3.19/m²·mo
- Drive to a hospital 37 min
Higher than 84% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for remote workers.
The historical capital of the Maestrazgo, its wool-trade wealth still visible in its arcaded Plaza Mayor and Gothic palaces. A strong pick for a remote-working couple — low cost of living (registered rent ~€3.19/m²·mo) and 22 km from the sea.
- 100 Mbps+ coverage 87%
- Drive to nearest airport 41 min
- Registered long-let rent €3.19/m²·mo
- Summer high (Jul–Aug) 31°C
Higher than 58% of the 2,555 Spanish municipalities we could score for heat-averse settlers.
The historical capital of the Maestrazgo, its wool-trade wealth still visible in its arcaded Plaza Mayor and Gothic palaces. A strong pick if you can't stand hot summers — 22 km from the sea and low cost of living (registered rent ~€3.19/m²·mo).
- Summer high (Jul–Aug) 31°C
- Rainy days a year 39 days
- Summer water stress (WEI+) 115
- Winter average temp 11.2°C
What is the climate like in Sant Mateu?
Sant Mateu's reported winter average is 11.2°C, while July–August highs reach 31°C.
Climate
- Winter average temp
- 11.2°C top 15% of 8,131 towns 3.4°C above the Spanish average (7.8°C)
- Summer high (Jul–Aug)
- 31°C bottom 38% of 8,131 towns 0.8°C above the Spanish average (30.2°C)
- Rainy days a year
- 39 days top 4% of 8,088 towns 43% less than the Spanish average (69 days)
- Sunshine
- no local data
- Summer water stress (WEI+) regional estimate
- 115 bottom 14% of 8,033 towns 59 above 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)
- 0.73 ha/km² bottom 20% of 8,132 towns 1.58 ha/km² below the Spanish average (2.31 ha/km²)
- Forest fires (2010–23)
- 9 bottom 12% of 8,132 towns 3 above the Spanish average (6)
- High fire-weather days (province) regional estimate
- 22.3% top 42% of 8,130 towns 0.6% 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.
How good is healthcare in Sant Mateu?
Sant Mateu's nearest health centre is 0.7 km away, and the reported hospital drive is 37 min.
Healthcare
- Drive to a hospital
- 37 min bottom 45% of 8,132 towns
- Nearest health centre
- 0.7 km top 3% of 8,132 towns
- Surgical wait (region) regional estimate
- 88 days #6 of 17 regions, −15 days vs national 18% less than the Spanish average (108 days)
What are schools like in Sant Mateu?
Sant Mateu has 3 schools in town; the nearest international school is 54 km away.
Schools
- Schools in town
- 3 top 19% of 7,042 towns
- Nearest international school
- 54 km bottom 38% of 8,132 towns
- PISA maths (region) regional estimate
- 473 #10 of 17 regions, −6 vs national 8 below the Spanish average (481)
How much does it cost to live in Sant Mateu?
Sant Mateu's reported registered long-let rent is €3.19/m²·mo.
Cost & economy
- Home price
- no local data
- Asking price
- no local data
- Registered long-let rent
- €3.19/m²·mo
- Registered rent p25
- €2.34/m²·mo
- Registered rent p75
- €4.66/m²·mo
- Registered-rent yield
- no reliable sale-price data — yield not imputed
- Net income per person
- €13,535 bottom 38% of 8,059 towns 7% less than the Spanish average (€14,495)
- Income growth ’18–’23
- 23.5% bottom 35% of 6,605 towns
Which languages are used in schools in Sant Mateu?
the Valencia region has a co-official regional language, and public schools commonly use regional-language immersion or bilingual models rather than Spanish-only teaching. The exact classroom language depends on the school and programme, so confirm the current model before enrolling. See the the Valencia region region guide for the wider regional context.
What is the community like in Sant Mateu?
Sant Mateu's reported population is 2,010.
Who lives here
- Population
- 2,010
- Born in Spain
- 79.4% 9.4% below the Spanish average (88.8%)
- Born elsewhere in EU/UK
- 9.2% 5.4% above the Spanish average (3.8%)
- U.S.-born residents
- 0 per 1,000
How easy is it to get around Sant Mateu?
Sant Mateu is a reported 41 min drive from the nearest airport, with 78% fibre-to-home coverage.
Getting around
- Drive to nearest airport
- 41 min top 15% of 8,132 towns
- Fibre-to-home coverage
- 78% bottom 27% of 8,132 towns 1% below the Spanish average (79%)
- 100 Mbps+ coverage
- 87% bottom 31% of 8,132 towns 3% above the Spanish average (83%)
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 Sant Mateu 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 Sant Mateu against every one of Spain's 8,132 municipalities on your priorities. It sits about 58 min from Castelló de la Plana/Castellón de la Plana, if that's your anchor.
Take the quiz — rank Sant Mateu 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.