SpainScore comparison · Updated July 2026
The Balearics vs the Canary Islands for settling in Spain (2026)
The Balearics or the Canary Islands? the Balearics is warm-south — hot, dry and sunny; the Canary Islands is temperate — cooler summers, moderate rain. Below, every settler number side by side — a winner called only where the gap is real, "similar" where it isn't — plus the tax split that can be worth five figures a year.
How we compare
Every figure below is pulled from the same SpainScore dataset behind the region briefs and the quiz. We put the two regions' numbers side by side and call a "winner" on a row only when the gap is big enough to matter — otherwise it reads "similar". Nothing here is hand-picked or editorialised.
- Data AEMET climate normals, regional PISA (INEE), the Health Ministry's SISLE waiting lists, INE income & Catastro home prices, and AEAT-joined regional tax postures — each against the Spanish average.
- Winners Called only on a meaningful gap (e.g. a home-price row needs a 15% difference, a surgical-wait row 20 days). Smaller gaps say "similar". A missing number on either side says "no data" and never picks a winner.
- Persona ranks From our region roll-up: each region's towns scored for six settler profiles and ranked 1–17 among Spain's comunidades. Lower rank = the better place to look.
The verdict, by who you are
For each of the six settler profiles we score, which region its towns rank better for — straight from the region roll-up (1–17 among Spain's comunidades, lower is better).
| If you're… | the Balearics | the Canary Islands | Better bet |
|---|---|---|---|
| investor | #15 of 17 | #1 of 17 | the Canary Islands |
| American retirees | #1 of 17 | #7 of 17 | the Balearics |
| year_round_mild | #5 of 17 | #1 of 17 | the Canary Islands |
| Retiring couples | #2 of 17 | #4 of 17 | the Balearics, narrowly |
| Families with school-age kids | #9 of 17 | #11 of 17 | the Balearics, narrowly |
| winter_sun | #3 of 17 | #2 of 17 | the Canary Islands, narrowly |
| Heat-averse settlers | #5 of 17 | #6 of 17 | the Balearics, narrowly |
| Remote-working couples | #7 of 17 | #8 of 17 | the Balearics, narrowly |
| Budget-first coastal settlers | #9 of 17 | #10 of 17 | the Balearics, narrowly |
| budget_inland | #17 of 17 | #16 of 17 | the Canary Islands, narrowly |
Ranked 1–17 by the median national percentile of each region's municipalities for that profile. Ties read "similar".
The numbers, side by side
Each region's figure with its rank chip where we have one. A "winner" only where the gap is real.
Climate
| Metric | the Balearics | the Canary Islands | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer high (Jul–Aug avg) | 30.7°C | 26.2°C | the Canary Islands |
| Winter average | 11.8°C | 15.7°C | the Canary Islands |
| Rainy days a year | 57 days | 35 days | similar |
| Sunshine | 7.6 h/day | 7.8 h/day | similar |
| Summer water stress (WEI+) | 69 #12 of 16 regions · +12 vs national | no data | — |
Aggregated from each region's municipalities (AEMET/derived); summer water stress is a river-basin (WEI+) reading. Chips rank the region among Spain's comunidades.
Schools (PISA)
| Metric | the Balearics | the Canary Islands | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| PISA science | 480 #11 of 17 regions · −9 vs national | 473 #16 of 17 regions · −16 vs national | similar |
| PISA maths | 471 #11 of 17 regions · −8 vs national | 447 #17 of 17 regions · −32 vs national | the Balearics |
| PISA reading | 472 #10 of 17 regions · −6 vs national | 463 #15 of 17 regions · −15 vs national | similar |
PISA 2022, reported per comunidad autónoma (INEE). Chips rank among the 17 regions.
Public healthcare
| Metric | the Balearics | the Canary Islands | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean surgical wait | 105 days #11 of 17 regions · +2 days vs national | 106 days #12 of 17 regions · +3 days vs national | similar |
| Waiting over 6 months | 22.4% | 17.4% | the Canary Islands |
| Specialist consult wait | 71 days | 162 days | the Balearics |
Public waiting lists — SISLE-SNS Dic 2025, per comunidad autónoma. Lower is better.
Cost & economy
| Metric | the Balearics | the Canary Islands | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | €3,698/m² | €2,016/m² | the Canary Islands |
| Median net income / person | €16,092 | €13,285 | the Balearics |
Median across each region's municipalities (INE net income; Catastro-derived sale price).
Tax face-off (2025)
Wealth and inheritance/gift posture for each region — often the single five-figure difference between two otherwise similar places.
The two land in a similar place on wealth tax and inheritance.
the Balearics
- 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.
State ITSGF above ~€3M net worth; wealth tax paid is credited against it. Source: primary source.
the Canary Islands
- Wealth tax standard
- Applies the state wealth-tax scale with no general bonificación — a real annual wealth tax above the €700k exemption.
- Inheritance & gifts none
- 99.9% bonificación for spouse, children and parents (Grupo I & II) — inheritance is effectively negligible.
State ITSGF above ~€3M net worth; wealth tax paid is credited against it. Source: primary source.
General posture, not personal tax advice — thresholds and reliefs change and depend on your circumstances.
Choose the Balearics, or the Canary Islands?
Built straight from the winners above — the reasons each region actually pulls ahead on the data.
Choose the Balearics if you…
- put school (PISA) results first
- want shorter public-health waits
- want a more prosperous local economy
- are american retirees (it ranks #1 of 17 here vs #7 there)
Choose the Canary Islands if you…
- want to dodge the peak summer heat
- want a milder winter
- want shorter public-health waits
- are buying property on a budget
- are investor (it ranks #1 of 17 here vs #15 there)
- are year_round_mild (it ranks #1 of 17 here vs #5 there)
Best towns in each, to start from
The same engine as the quiz, run over each region'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
Best towns in the Canary Islands for families
schools, coast and cost, scored for remote-working parents
- Arrecife 2 km from the sea · a hospital in town
- Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las 3 km from the sea · a hospital in town
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife 3 km from the sea · a hospital in town
- Puerto de la Cruz 13 km from the sea · 31,589 people
- Orotava, La 7 km from the sea · 42,669 people
Questions
Is the Balearics or the Canary Islands better for settling in Spain?
Neither is "better" outright — it depends on what you weigh. On our data the Balearics takes 3 of the head-to-head measures, the Canary Islands takes 4, and 5 come out similar. See the row-by-row table and the "choose X if…" summary above.
How do taxes compare between the Balearics and the Canary Islands?
The two land in a similar place on wealth tax and inheritance.
Which is better for investor?
the Canary Islands. Across Spain's 17 comunidades, the Balearics ranks #15 of 17 for that profile and the Canary Islands ranks #1 of 17 — so the Canary Islands is the stronger place to look.
Go deeper on either region
This compares two regions, not your priorities
Get your ranking across both →
Answer a dozen honest questions and we score all 8,132 municipalities — in the Balearics, the Canary Islands and everywhere else — against what you care about, tradeoffs shown as plainly as the wins.
Take the 3-minute quiz →Updated July 2026. Re-generated from the SpainScore dataset on each data release — the comparison is reproducible, not editorial.