Coruña, A · Galicia
Santiago de Compostela
The destination of half a million pilgrims a year on the Camino de Santiago, and one of Spain's most beautiful cities — the aura of past centuries lives on the strongest here.
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Why people fall for Santiago de Compostela
Portrait drawn from Lonely Planet & The Rough Guide.
An ancient pilgrimage centre, its medieval core a superb, largely pedestrianized ensemble of stone lanes and squares.
On the table. One of Spain's most engaging food markets and scores of characterful watering holes serving fine Galician food and wine.
Worth the trip
- Plaza do Obradoiro and the majestic Catedral, tradition holding the tomb of St James beneath the high altar
- One of Spain's top universities
- The Paseo da Ferradura promenade in the Alameda for an overall view of the old town
Fiestas
- Festival of St James, 25 July, with 'Holy Years' when the date falls on a Sunday (next in 2027) drawing even more intense activity
A little history
Weatherbeaten pilgrims at the end of a 1200-year-old tradition are seen any day of the year in Plaza do Obradoiro before the cathedral.
Who it suits: Camino pilgrims · Culture and food travellers
Santiago de Compostela'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 Santiago de Compostela's percentile for that group — 87 means it beats 87% of the towns we could score. How scoring works.
Higher than 97% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for heat-averse settlers.
The destination of half a million pilgrims a year on the Camino de Santiago, and one of Spain's most beautiful cities — the aura of past centuries lives on the strongest here. A strong pick if you can't stand hot summers — 41 km from the sea and mild 24.9°C summer highs.
- Summer high (Jul–Aug) 24.9°C
- Rainy days a year 128 days
- Summer water stress (WEI+) 7
- Winter average temp 9.8°C
Higher than 95% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for families.
The destination of half a million pilgrims a year on the Camino de Santiago, and one of Spain's most beautiful cities — the aura of past centuries lives on the strongest here. A strong pick for a family with school-age kids — 41 km from the sea and a hospital in town.
- Schools in town 72
- PISA maths (region) 486
- Home price €2,365/m²
- Drive to a hospital 0 min
Higher than 94% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for remote workers.
The destination of half a million pilgrims a year on the Camino de Santiago, and one of Spain's most beautiful cities — the aura of past centuries lives on the strongest here. A strong pick for a remote-working couple — 100,842 people and a hospital in town.
- 100 Mbps+ coverage 99%
- Drive to nearest airport 13 min
- Home price €2,365/m²
- Summer high (Jul–Aug) 24.9°C
Higher than 90% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for budget-first coastal settlers.
The destination of half a million pilgrims a year on the Camino de Santiago, and one of Spain's most beautiful cities — the aura of past centuries lives on the strongest here. A strong pick for coastal living on a budget — 100,842 people and a hospital in town.
- Home price €2,365/m²
- Net income per person €17,514
- Summer high (Jul–Aug) 24.9°C
Higher than 83% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for American retirees.
The destination of half a million pilgrims a year on the Camino de Santiago, and one of Spain's most beautiful cities — the aura of past centuries lives on the strongest here. A strong pick for American retirees — a hospital in town and direct flights to new york.
- Winter average temp 9.8°C
- Drive to a hospital 0 min
- U.S.-born residents 2.49 per 1,000
- Home price €2,365/m²
Higher than 69% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for retiring couples.
The destination of half a million pilgrims a year on the Camino de Santiago, and one of Spain's most beautiful cities — the aura of past centuries lives on the strongest here. A strong pick for a retiring couple — a hospital in town and 9.8°C average winters.
- Winter average temp 9.8°C
- Drive to a hospital 0 min
- Surgical wait (region) 73 days
- Home price €2,365/m²
What is the climate like in Santiago de Compostela?
Santiago de Compostela's reported winter average is 9.8°C, while July–August highs reach 24.9°C.
Climate
- Winter average temp
- 9.8°C top 25% of 8,131 towns 2°C above the Spanish average (7.8°C)
- Summer high (Jul–Aug)
- 24.9°C top 7% of 8,131 towns 5.3°C below the Spanish average (30.2°C)
- Rainy days a year
- 128 days bottom 3% of 8,088 towns 87% more than the Spanish average (69 days)
- Sunshine
- no local data
- Summer water stress (WEI+) regional estimate
- 7 top 10% of 8,033 towns 49 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)
- 6.32 ha/km² bottom 6% of 8,132 towns 4.01 ha/km² above the Spanish average (2.31 ha/km²)
- Forest fires (2010–23)
- 68 bottom 1% of 8,132 towns 62 above the Spanish average (6)
- High fire-weather days (province) regional estimate
- 15.5% top 1% of 8,130 towns 7.4% 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.
How good is healthcare in Santiago de Compostela?
Santiago de Compostela's nearest health centre is 23.6 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
- 23.6 km bottom 12% 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 Santiago de Compostela?
Santiago de Compostela has 72 schools in town; the nearest international school is 1 km away.
Schools
- Schools in town
- 72 top 1% of 7,042 towns
- Nearest international school
- 1 km top 1% 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 Santiago de Compostela?
Santiago de Compostela's reported home price is €2,365/m², while registered long-let rent is €7.21/m²·mo.
Cost & economy
- Home price
- €2,365/m² bottom 39% of 306 towns 7% more than the Spanish average (€2,208/m²)
- Registered long-let rent
- €7.21/m²·mo
- Registered rent p25
- €5.48/m²·mo
- Registered rent p75
- €9.21/m²·mo
- Registered-rent yield
- 3.66% bottom 24% of 306 towns
- Net income per person
- €17,514 top 12% of 8,059 towns 21% more than the Spanish average (€14,495)
- Income growth ’18–’23
- 25.5% bottom 47% of 6,605 towns
Which languages are used in schools in Santiago de Compostela?
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 Santiago de Compostela?
Santiago de Compostela's reported population is 100,842.
Who lives here
- Population
- 100,842
- Born in Spain
- 85.6% 3.2% below the Spanish average (88.8%)
- Born elsewhere in EU/UK
- 2.4% 1.4% below the Spanish average (3.8%)
- U.S.-born residents
- 2.49 per 1,000
How easy is it to get around Santiago de Compostela?
Santiago de Compostela is a reported 13 min drive from the nearest airport, with 95% fibre-to-home coverage.
Getting around
- Drive to nearest airport
- 13 min top 1% of 8,132 towns
- Fibre-to-home coverage
- 95% top 25% of 8,132 towns 17% above the Spanish average (79%)
- 100 Mbps+ coverage
- 99% top 22% of 8,132 towns 15% 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 Santiago de Compostela 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 Santiago de Compostela against every one of Spain's 8,132 municipalities on your priorities. It sits about 52 min from Coruña, A, if that's your anchor.
Take the quiz — rank Santiago de Compostela for you →Nearby towns
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