Málaga · Andalucía
Marbella
A favourite destination of the jet-set, synonymous with glamour — yet it retains an old quarter with white houses.
Why people fall for Marbella
Portrait drawn from the Michelin Green Guide.
Worth the trip
- Luxury boutiques, health resorts and golf courses
- The Orange Square, a pleasant terrace spot in the old quarter
Who it suits: Jet-set travellers
Marbella'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 Marbella's percentile for that group — 87 means it beats 87% of the towns we could score. How scoring works.
Higher than 96% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for American retirees.
A favourite destination of the jet-set, synonymous with glamour — yet it retains an old quarter with white houses. A strong pick for American retirees — a hospital in town and a health centre close by.
- Winter average temp 14.6°C
- Drive to a hospital 0 min
- U.S.-born residents 3.46 per 1,000
- Home price €4,333/m²
Higher than 92% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for remote workers.
A favourite destination of the jet-set, synonymous with glamour — yet it retains an old quarter with white houses. A strong pick for a remote-working couple — 1 km from the sea and 160,478 people.
- 100 Mbps+ coverage 100%
- Drive to nearest airport 48 min
- Home price €4,333/m²
- Summer high (Jul–Aug) 26.9°C
Higher than 91% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for heat-averse settlers.
A favourite destination of the jet-set, synonymous with glamour — yet it retains an old quarter with white houses. A strong pick if you can't stand hot summers — 1 km from the sea and mild 26.9°C summer highs.
- Summer high (Jul–Aug) 26.9°C
- Rainy days a year 43 days
- Summer water stress (WEI+) 30
- Winter average temp 14.6°C
Higher than 91% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for retiring couples.
A favourite destination of the jet-set, synonymous with glamour — yet it retains an old quarter with white houses. A strong pick for a retiring couple — a hospital in town and a health centre close by.
- Winter average temp 14.6°C
- Drive to a hospital 0 min
- Surgical wait (region) 173 days
- Home price €4,333/m²
Higher than 90% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for families.
A favourite destination of the jet-set, synonymous with glamour — yet it retains an old quarter with white houses. A strong pick for a family with school-age kids — 1 km from the sea and a hospital in town.
- Schools in town 88
- PISA maths (region) 457
- Home price €4,333/m²
- Drive to a hospital 0 min
Higher than 87% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for budget-first coastal settlers.
A favourite destination of the jet-set, synonymous with glamour — yet it retains an old quarter with white houses. A strong pick for coastal living on a budget — 1 km from the sea and a hospital in town.
- Home price €4,333/m²
- Net income per person €13,384
- Summer high (Jul–Aug) 26.9°C
What is the climate like in Marbella?
Marbella's reported winter average is 14.6°C, while July–August highs reach 26.9°C.
Climate
- Winter average temp
- 14.6°C top 1% of 8,131 towns 6.8°C above the Spanish average (7.8°C)
- Summer high (Jul–Aug)
- 26.9°C top 13% of 8,131 towns 3.3°C below the Spanish average (30.2°C)
- Rainy days a year
- 43 days top 9% of 8,088 towns 37% less than the Spanish average (69 days)
- Sunshine
- no local data
- Summer water stress (WEI+) regional estimate
- 30 top 32% of 8,033 towns 26 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)
- 0.13 ha/km² bottom 42% of 8,132 towns 2.18 ha/km² below the Spanish average (2.31 ha/km²)
- Forest fires (2010–23)
- 8 bottom 14% of 8,132 towns 2 above the Spanish average (6)
- High fire-weather days (province) regional estimate
- 24.5% bottom 28% of 8,130 towns 1.6% 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 Marbella?
Marbella's nearest health centre is 0.4 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
- 0.4 km top 1% 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 Marbella?
Marbella has 88 schools in town; the nearest international school is 1 km away.
Schools
- Schools in town
- 88 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 Marbella?
Marbella's reported home price is €4,333/m², while registered long-let rent is €9.63/m²·mo.
Cost & economy
- Home price
- €4,333/m² bottom 5% of 306 towns 96% more than the Spanish average (€2,208/m²)
- Registered long-let rent
- €9.63/m²·mo
- Registered rent p25
- €7.53/m²·mo
- Registered rent p75
- €12.7/m²·mo
- Registered-rent yield
- 2.67% bottom 2% of 306 towns
- Net income per person
- €13,384 bottom 36% of 8,059 towns 8% less than the Spanish average (€14,495)
- Income growth ’18–’23
- 35.5% top 10% of 6,605 towns
Which languages are used in schools in Marbella?
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 Marbella?
Marbella's reported population is 160,478.
Who lives here
- Population
- 160,478
- Born in Spain
- 60.8% 28% below the Spanish average (88.8%)
- Born elsewhere in EU/UK
- 10.2% 6.4% above the Spanish average (3.8%)
- U.S.-born residents
- 3.46 per 1,000
How easy is it to get around Marbella?
Marbella is a reported 48 min drive from the nearest airport, with 97% fibre-to-home coverage.
Getting around
- Drive to nearest airport
- 48 min top 23% of 8,132 towns
- Fibre-to-home coverage
- 97% top 19% of 8,132 towns 18% above the Spanish average (79%)
- 100 Mbps+ coverage
- 100% top 13% 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 Marbella 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 Marbella against every one of Spain's 8,132 municipalities on your priorities. It sits about 25 min from Fuengirola, if that's your anchor.
Take the quiz — rank Marbella for you →Nearby towns
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