Side by side
Each place uses its own local data. National rules (economy, geopolitical stability, governance, tax & finance) are the same for both, so they cannot separate them. Neither wins everywhere; the tradeoffs below are what matter.
All about CanariasAll about Illes BalearsChange a place
Data as of
Region
Seven volcanic islands off the coast of Africa with an all-year spring climate and a tax regime of their own.
29th of 35 European metro regions
Region
Four sunlit islands, a tourism economy that runs on summer and a housing market that has outrun local wages.
21st of 35 European metro regions
Watch out: Low wages and high unemployment with housing costs that have climbed; Long waits for specialist appointments and distance from the mainland.
Watch out: Some of the highest housing costs in Spain against ordinary local wages; A season-driven job market with many places shut from November to March.
Of 45 figures both publish in the same unit, Canarias is better on 16 and Illes Balears on 13; the rest are close or have no better direction.
| Figure | Canarias | Illes Balears | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Rent per m² | €7.7 a month2024 | €9.6 a month2024 | Canarias 19% lower |
| Rent for a 70 m² flat | €542 a month2024 | €673 a month2024 | Canarias 19% lower |
| Typical rent, existing lease | €550 a month2024 | €750 a month2024 | Canarias 27% lower |
| Rents, change in a year | 3.7%2024 | 4.0%2024 | about the same |
| Buying price per m² | €2,279Q2 2026 | €3,981Q2 2026 | Canarias 43% lower |
| Price of an 80 m² flat | €182,352Q2 2026 | €318,464Q2 2026 | Canarias 43% lower |
| House prices, change in a year | 11.0%Q2 2026 | 13.7%Q2 2026 | Canarias 2.7 pts lower |
| Households spending >40% of income on housing | 5.0%2025 | 6.4%2025 | Canarias 1.4 pts lower |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household spending | €32,921 a year2025 | €37,812 a year2025 | Canarias 13% lower |
| Inflation | 4.4%Sep 2026 | 5.1%Sep 2026 | Canarias 0.7 pts lower |
| Money & work | |||
| Household income per person | 17,000 PPS a year2023 | 21,100 PPS a year2023 | Canarias 19% lower |
| Net income per person (survey) | €14,222 a year2025 | €16,735 a year2025 | Canarias 15% lower |
| Average gross salary | €25,120 a year2024 | €29,075 a year2024 | Canarias 14% lower |
| Median gross salary | €20,632 a year2024 | €24,962 a year2024 | Canarias 17% lower |
| Economic output per person | 28,900 PPS2024 | 40,300 PPS2024 | Canarias 28% lower |
| Unemployment | 13.5%2025 | 8.8%2025 | Canarias 4.7 pts higher |
| Youth unemployment (15–24) | 29.5%2025 | 17.1%2025 | Canarias 12.4 pts higher |
| Employment rate (20–64) | 67.7%2025 | 75.5%2025 | Canarias 7.8 pts lower |
| Jobs in high-tech sectors | 2.1% of jobs2025 | 2.6% of jobs2025 | Canarias 0.5 pts lower |
| Safety | |||
| Recorded crime | 48.8 per 1,000 people2025 | 67.9 per 1,000 people2025 | Canarias 28% lower |
| Homicides | 0.63 per 100k people2024 | 0.57 per 100k people2024 | Canarias 11% higher |
| Robberies | 78 per 100k people2024 | 116 per 100k people2024 | Canarias 32% lower |
| Burglaries | 84 per 100k people2024 | 166 per 100k people2024 | Illes Balears 2.0× |
| Thefts | 397 per 100k people2024 | 940 per 100k people2024 | Illes Balears 2.4× |
| Road deaths | 3.1 per 100k people2024 | 5.0 per 100k people2024 | Canarias 38% lower |
| Health | |||
| Life expectancy | 82.9 years2024 | 83.5 years2024 | about the same |
| Doctors | 498 per 100k people2024 | 419 per 100k people2024 | Canarias 19% higher |
| Wait for surgery | 106 daysH2 2025 | 105 daysH2 2025 | about the same |
| Wait for a specialist appointment | 162 daysH2 2025 | 71 daysH2 2025 | Canarias 2.3× |
| Education | |||
| Adults with a university degree | 36%2025 | 35%2025 | Canarias 1.1 pts higher |
| People | |||
| Population | 2,258,8662025 | 1,249,8442025 | Canarias 81% higher |
| Residents who speak English | 28.6% of residents2021 | 28.4% of residents2021 | about the same |
| Residents who speak English well | 17.6% of residents2021 | 19.8% of residents2021 | Canarias 2.2 pts lower |
| At risk of poverty | 22.9%2025 | 11.6%2025 | Canarias 11.3 pts higher |
| Who lives here | |||
| Residents born abroad | 23.5%2025 | 28.7%2025 | Canarias 5.2 pts lower |
| Born in another EU country | 5.6% of residents2025 | 6.4% of residents2025 | Canarias 0.7 pts lower |
| Born elsewhere in Europe | 2.0% of residents2025 | 2.5% of residents2025 | about the same |
| Born in Latin America | 12.3% of residents2025 | 13.8% of residents2025 | Canarias 1.5 pts lower |
| Born in Africa | 2.3% of residents2025 | 4.1% of residents2025 | Canarias 1.8 pts lower |
| Born in Asia | 1.1% of residents2025 | 1.5% of residents2025 | about the same |
| Born in North America or Oceania | 0.2% of residents2025 | 0.4% of residents2025 | about the same |
| Born abroad, change in 5 years | 3.5 points2025 | 4.4 points2025 | Canarias 0.9 pts lower |
| Employment rate, born abroad | 68.3%2025 | 70.1%2025 | Canarias 1.8 pts lower |
| Employment rate, born in Spain | 67.5%2025 | 78.5%2025 | Canarias 11.0 pts lower |
| Employment gap, born abroad vs born in Spain | 0.8 points2025 | -8.4 points2025 | Canarias 9.2 pts higher |
Data through Jun 2026 (Canarias) and Jun 2026 (Illes Balears). Figures are compared only when both places publish them in the same unit; a dot marks the better value where better is clear.
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Always verify important information with the relevant official authority or a qualified adviser before acting. This website uses large language models together with various public data sources, official government documents and other established sources. Due to the amount of data on this website, some information might be wrong. Information may also be incomplete or outdated.