Spain’s Best Places to Relocate Revealed — With a Surprise Winner

Spain’s Best Places to Relocate Revealed — With a Surprise Winner
Ourense takes first place as all four Galician provinces reach the top ten, ahead of Spain’s best-known relocation hotspots.
For immediate release|5 November 2026
Ourense in Galicia has topped a new ranking of Spain’s best places to relocate, beating several of the country’s most familiar destinations.
The Spain Relocation Index 2026, published by Spanish tax, accounting and property finance business Baleario, compares all 50 provinces across housing affordability, public healthcare waiting times, lifestyle and connectivity.
Ourense scores 85.5 out of 100, followed by A Coruña and Cuenca. All four Galician provinces finish in the top ten, while Málaga, the Balearic Islands and Barcelona occupy the bottom three positions.
Spain’s top 10 provinces
Rank
Province
Score /100
1
Ourense
85.5
2
A Coruña
79.8
3
Cuenca
78.3
4
Ciudad Real
77.9
5
Lugo
77.9
6
La Rioja
77.3
7
Palencia
75.7
8
Pontevedra
74.9
9
Zamora
74.6
10
Castellón
74.3

Scores rounded to one decimal; tied scores are ordered using unrounded results.
WHY OURENSE WINS
Ourense combines affordable housing with relatively short regional healthcare waits, climate comfort and low recorded crime. It retained first place in all six scoring scenarios tested.
Tinsa’s third-quarter 2026 mortgage-effort measure puts theoretical payments at 21% of local household disposable income in Ourense, compared with 58.3% in the Balearic Islands and 53.3% in Málaga. Ciudad Real records the lowest figure, at 17.6%.
Ourense has trade-offs: connectivity is its weakest pillar, with comparatively limited gigabit broadband coverage and less convenient access to major international airports. It also has a wetter climate than many Mediterranean destinations. The index measures temperature comfort rather than rainfall, although Ourense remained first when rainfall was included in a sensitivity test.
A CORUÑA: A STRONG ALL-ROUNDER
Runner-up A Coruña stands out for its breadth of appeal, ranking second overall, third for retirees and 14th for remote workers. The province combines coastal living with international-school options, including Coruña British International School, alongside airport access and high-speed rail connections, making it an appealing option for households balancing different priorities.

A Coruña, Galicia. Photo: Eduardo Fernández / Unsplash.
THE PRICE OF POPULARITY
Perhaps surprisingly, Málaga ranks 50th overall, the Balearic Islands 49th, Barcelona 48th and Madrid 47th. Housing affordability weighs heavily on their results, although these destinations offer employment opportunities, culture, established international communities and other advantages the index does not fully capture.
Chad Harwood-Jones, Director of Baleario, said:
“Spain has so much more to offer than the destinations most people immediately think of. What surprised us was just how strongly some of the less familiar provinces performed, particularly in Galicia.
“Places like Mallorca and Málaga are popular for very good reasons, but the financial pressures are real. The days when you could take affordable living and a laid-back lifestyle for granted in some of Spain’s most sought-after destinations are increasingly behind us.
“Our research isn’t suggesting people should avoid these places. It’s about understanding the trade-offs and discovering alternatives they might otherwise overlook.
“Ultimately, the best place to relocate depends on your lifestyle, your finances and what matters most to you.”
DIFFERENT PRIORITIES, DIFFERENT WINNERS
Separate rankings place Ourense first for retirees and Jaén first for remote workers. The report also scores Spain’s 50 provincial capitals, with Ourense, Lugo and Pontevedra taking the top three city positions.
The overall provincial index weights housing affordability at 35%, healthcare at 20%, lifestyle at 30% and connectivity at 15%. Sources include Tinsa, INE, AEMET and Spain’s ministries of Health and the Interior.
Full report, rankings and methodology:
https://baleario.com/spain-relocation-index/
ENDS
Notes to editors
The index compares specified practical indicators rather than providing a universal quality-of-life ranking. Healthcare waiting times are measured by autonomous community; housing affordability reflects local household incomes. City rankings are calculated separately from province rankings.
The 14-page report includes all 50 provincial rankings, provincial-capital comparisons, retiree and remote-worker rankings, methodology and sources.
About Baleario
Baleario provides Spanish accounting, taxation and property finance intermediary services to international residents and businesses.
Media enquiries
Chad Harwood-Jones, Director, Baleario
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +34 711 011 059
Website: https://baleario.com