Granada · Andalucía
Granada
The Moors' last stronghold in Spain, dramatically backed by the Sierra Nevada — home to the Alhambra, whose calligraphy-etched palaces are without peer in Europe.
Why people fall for Granada
Portrait drawn from Lonely Planet.
Against the backdrop of the often snow-tipped peaks of the Sierra Nevada.
On the table. Myriad tapas bars and restaurants radiating off from the cathedral and central Plaza de la Trinidad.
Worth the trip
- The Alhambra, the Nasrid rulers' fortress-palace
- The Albayzín, a UNESCO-listed hilly, labyrinthine historic Muslim quarter
- Sacromonte's cave dwellings and flamenco peñas
- Realejo's edgy street art
A little history
Granada was the Moors' last stronghold in Spain, and inspired the work of the great Spanish poet Federico García Lorca.
Who it suits: History and architecture travellers · Flamenco fans
Granada's SpainScores — 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 Granada's percentile for that group — 87 means it beats 87% of the towns we could score. How scoring works.
Higher than 95% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for remote workers.
The Moors' last stronghold in Spain, dramatically backed by the Sierra Nevada — home to the Alhambra, whose calligraphy-etched palaces are without peer in Europe. A strong pick for a remote-working couple — 235,294 people and a hospital in town.
- 100 Mbps+ coverage 100%
- Drive to nearest airport 25 min
- Home price €2,427/m²
- Summer high (Jul–Aug) 34.5°C
Higher than 94% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for American retirees.
The Moors' last stronghold in Spain, dramatically backed by the Sierra Nevada — home to the Alhambra, whose calligraphy-etched palaces are without peer in Europe. A strong pick for American retirees — a hospital in town and a health centre close by.
- Winter average temp 8.6°C
- Drive to a hospital 0 min
- U.S.-born residents 3.15 per 1,000
- Home price €2,427/m²
Higher than 91% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for retiring couples.
The Moors' last stronghold in Spain, dramatically backed by the Sierra Nevada — home to the Alhambra, whose calligraphy-etched palaces are without peer in Europe. A strong pick for a retiring couple — a hospital in town and a health centre close by.
- Winter average temp 8.6°C
- Drive to a hospital 0 min
- Surgical wait (region) 173 days
- Home price €2,427/m²
Higher than 91% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for families.
The Moors' last stronghold in Spain, dramatically backed by the Sierra Nevada — home to the Alhambra, whose calligraphy-etched palaces are without peer in Europe. A strong pick for a family with school-age kids — a hospital in town and 50 km from the sea.
- Schools in town 218
- PISA maths (region) 457
- Home price €2,427/m²
- Drive to a hospital 0 min
Higher than 88% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for budget-first coastal settlers.
The Moors' last stronghold in Spain, dramatically backed by the Sierra Nevada — home to the Alhambra, whose calligraphy-etched palaces are without peer in Europe. A strong pick for coastal living on a budget — a hospital in town and 235,294 people.
- Home price €2,427/m²
- Net income per person €16,024
- Summer high (Jul–Aug) 34.5°C
Higher than 80% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for heat-averse settlers.
The Moors' last stronghold in Spain, dramatically backed by the Sierra Nevada — home to the Alhambra, whose calligraphy-etched palaces are without peer in Europe. A strong pick if you can't stand hot summers — 50 km from the sea and a hospital in town.
- Summer high (Jul–Aug) 34.5°C
- Rainy days a year 51 days
- Summer water stress (WEI+) 4
- Winter average temp 8.6°C
What is the climate like in Granada?
Granada's reported winter average is 8.6°C, while July–August highs reach 34.5°C.
Climate
- Winter average temp
- 8.6°C top 32% of 8,131 towns 0.8°C above the Spanish average (7.8°C)
- Summer high (Jul–Aug)
- 34.5°C bottom 11% of 8,131 towns 4.3°C above the Spanish average (30.2°C)
- Rainy days a year
- 51 days top 19% of 8,088 towns 26% less than the Spanish average (69 days)
- Sunshine
- 8.1 h/day top 11% of 3,829 towns 12% more than the Spanish average (7.2 h/day)
- Summer water stress (WEI+) regional estimate
- 4 top 4% of 8,033 towns 52 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)
- 3.26 ha/km² bottom 9% of 8,132 towns 0.95 ha/km² above the Spanish average (2.31 ha/km²)
- Forest fires (2010–23)
- 17 bottom 6% of 8,132 towns 11 above the Spanish average (6)
- High fire-weather days (province) regional estimate
- 27.1% bottom 13% of 8,130 towns 4.2% above 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 Granada?
Granada's nearest health centre is 0.5 km away, and the reported hospital drive is 0 min.
Healthcare
- Drive to a hospital
- 0 min top 1% of 8,132 towns
- Nearest health centre
- 0.5 km top 2% of 8,132 towns
- Surgical wait (region) regional estimate
- 173 days #17 of 17 regions, +70 days vs national 60% more than the Spanish average (108 days)
What are schools like in Granada?
Granada has 218 schools in town; the nearest international school is 1 km away.
Schools
- Schools in town
- 218 top 1% of 7,042 towns
- Nearest international school
- 1 km top 1% of 8,132 towns
- PISA maths (region) regional estimate
- 457 #16 of 17 regions, −22 vs national 24 below the Spanish average (481)
How much does it cost to live in Granada?
Granada's reported home price is €2,427/m², while registered long-let rent is €6.85/m²·mo.
Cost & economy
- Home price
- €2,427/m² bottom 38% of 306 towns 10% more than the Spanish average (€2,208/m²)
- Registered long-let rent
- €6.85/m²·mo
- Registered rent p25
- €5.28/m²·mo
- Registered rent p75
- €8.67/m²·mo
- Registered-rent yield
- 3.39% bottom 14% of 306 towns
- Net income per person
- €16,024 top 26% of 8,059 towns 11% more than the Spanish average (€14,495)
- Income growth ’18–’23
- 26.5% top 47% of 6,605 towns
Which languages are used in schools in Granada?
Spanish is the only region-wide official language in Andalusia, and Spanish-medium teaching is the public-school default. Individual bilingual and international programmes can use other languages, so check the specific school. See the Andalusia region guide for the wider regional context.
What is the community like in Granada?
Granada's reported population is 235,294.
Who lives here
- Population
- 235,294
- Born in Spain
- 85.2% 3.6% below the Spanish average (88.8%)
- Born elsewhere in EU/UK
- 2.1% 1.8% below the Spanish average (3.8%)
- U.S.-born residents
- 3.15 per 1,000
How easy is it to get around Granada?
Granada is a reported 25 min drive from the nearest airport, with 100% fibre-to-home coverage.
Getting around
- Drive to nearest airport
- 25 min top 5% of 8,132 towns
- Fibre-to-home coverage
- 100% top 3% of 8,132 towns 21% above the Spanish average (79%)
- 100 Mbps+ coverage
- 100% top 9% of 8,132 towns 16% above the Spanish average (83%)
Numbers: SpainScore 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 Granada 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 Granada against every one of Spain's 8,132 municipalities on your priorities. It sits about 59 min from Motril, if that's your anchor.
Take the quiz — rank Granada for you →Nearby towns
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