Informed Move
Menu
Updated Contains AI-generated informationMore information

Side by side

Elche or Valencia?

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 ElcheAll about ValenciaChange a place

Data as of

City · Comunitat Valenciana

Elche

A palm-grove city of shoemakers and sunshine, beside Alicante's airport and a short drive from the beaches.

Quality of life51average
Momentum56average
Outlook–Spain-wide only
Inland cityPalm groveMild wintersHot summersCar-dependentPleasant weatherAffordable rent

105th of 153 Spanish cities above 50,000

City · Comunitat Valenciana

Valencia

Sea, sun and a city you can cross by bike, with a river-bed park, a city beach and the home of paella.

Quality of life54average
Momentum44average
Outlook–Spain-wide only
Beach cityRegional capitalUniversity townBike-friendlyPort cityWatch your pocketsFast internetInternational crowd

88th of 153 Spanish cities above 50,000

Why Elche

  • Stronger on climate (63 vs 51)
  • Stronger on safety (52 vs 20)
  • Stronger on housing (48 vs 20)
  • Frost days: 0 a year vs 4 a year
  • Days above 35 °C: 1 a year vs 24 a year
  • Robberies with violence: 65 per 100k people vs 248 per 100k people
  • Thefts without violence: 1,046 per 100k people vs 2,811 per 100k people
  • Low rents and house prices near a major airport

Watch out: Hot and sticky summer nights; A weak job market with high unemployment and low local incomes.

Why Valencia

  • Stronger on digital (88 vs 20)
  • Stronger on prosperity (75 vs 11)
  • Stronger on transport (64 vs 47)
  • Commute by public transport: 22% of commuters vs 10% of commuters
  • Hospital beds: 5.0 per 1,000 people vs 2.9 per 1,000 people
  • Adults with a university degree: 55% vs 32%
  • Nights above 20 °C: 53 a year vs 112 a year
  • A flat and bikeable city with a beach and an airport

Watch out: Competition for flats in Ruzafa and El Carmen; Crowds around the centre and the beach in summer.

Of 39 figures both publish in the same unit, Elche is better on 16 and Valencia on 13; the rest are close or have no better direction.

Life domains

63 · above averageClimate51 · average
57 · averageConnectivity46 · average
52 · averageSafety20 · weak
48 · averageHealthcare46 · average
48 · averageHousing20 · weak
47 · averageTransport64 · above average
33 · below averageJobs37 · below average
20 · weakDigital88 · strong
11 · weakProsperity75 · above average

Side by side, figure by figure

FigureElcheValenciaDifference
Housing
Rent per m²€5.4 a month2024€8.2 a month2024Elche 33% lower
Rent for a 70 m² flat€381 a month2024€573 a month2024Elche 33% lower
Typical rent, existing lease€482 a month2024€681 a month2024Elche 29% lower
Rents, change in a year5.0%20245.9%2024Elche 0.9 pts lower
Buying price per m²€1,635Q2 2026€2,973Q2 2026Elche 45% lower
Price of an 80 m² flat€130,808Q2 2026€237,824Q2 2026Elche 45% lower
House prices, change in a year13.9%Q2 202617.0%Q2 2026Elche 3.0 pts lower
Money & work
Household income per person€12,552 a year2024€16,944 a year2024Elche 26% lower
Net income per household€33,516 a year2024€42,374 a year2024Elche 21% lower
Unemployment14.8%202510.9%2025Elche 4.0 pts higher
Safety
Recorded crime40.2 per 1,000 people202475.3 per 1,000 people2024Elche 47% lower
Sexual offences0.54 per 1,000 people20240.54 per 1,000 people2024about the same
Homicides1.22 per 100k people20250.71 per 100k people2025Elche 71% higher
Robberies with violence65 per 100k people2025248 per 100k people2025Valencia 3.8×
Home burglaries140 per 100k people2025188 per 100k people2025Elche 26% lower
Thefts without violence1,046 per 100k people20252,811 per 100k people2025Valencia 2.7×
Vehicle thefts107 per 100k people202583 per 100k people2025Elche 29% higher
Health
Life expectancy83.4 years202383.3 years2023about the same
Hospital beds2.9 per 1,000 people20255.0 per 1,000 people2025Elche 41% lower
Climate
Days above 35 °C1 a year2015–202424 a year2015–2024Valencia 39.3×
Days above 30 °C36 a year2015–202481 a year2015–2024Valencia 2.3×
Nights above 20 °C112 a year2015–202453 a year2015–2024Elche 2.1×
Pleasant days (18–28 °C, dry)161 a year2015–2024119 a year2015–2024Elche 36% higher
Rainfall385 mm a year2015–2024462 mm a year2015–2024Elche 17% lower
Rainy days (≥1 mm)59 a year2015–202470 a year2015–2024Elche 15% lower
Frost days0 a year2015–20244 a year2015–2024Valencia Infinity×
Getting around
Average commute (one way)36 min202142 min2021Elche 15% lower
Commute by public transport10% of commuters202122% of commuters2021Elche 12.1 pts lower
Commute by car67% of commuters202148% of commuters2021Elche 19.1 pts higher
Distance to the main airport10 km20269 km2026Elche 10% higher
Internet
Homes that can get gigabit internet96%2025100%2025Elche 3.9 pts lower
Homes with fibre to the door98%2025100%2025Elche 2.2 pts lower
Education
Adults with a university degree32%202455%2024Elche 22.2 pts lower
People
Population245,5572025840,7922025Valencia 3.4×
Median age45.5 years202546.0 years2025about the same
Residents aged 65+18.9%202521.4%2025Elche 2.5 pts lower
Who lives here
Residents born abroad18.6%202526.5%2025Elche 7.9 pts lower
Residents with a foreign nationality14.2%202418.8%2024Elche 4.6 pts lower
Foreign residents, change in 5 years3.0 points20245.1 points2024Elche 2.1 pts lower

Who each suits, 0–100

66Beach, mountains and the outdoors62
58Retirees46
54Remote workers61
54Budget-conscious movers28
53High earners and investors49
52Students51
52Culture, food and nightlife62
51Families with children33
46Founders and self-employed59
43Young professionals48

Weather through the year

0°18°35°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid: average daily high · dashed: average nightly low, °C.

Our read of each

Elche

  • Plan on Spanish from day one
  • Valencian is co-official here
  • Air-conditioning is not a luxury
  • You will probably want a car
  • Line up work before you come

Valencia

  • English gets you by day to day
  • Valencian is co-official here
  • Air-conditioning is not a luxury
  • Keep an eye on your phone
  • Line up work before you come
  • Ready for remote work

Data through Jun 2026 (Elche) and Jun 2026 (Valencia). Figures are compared only when both places publish them in the same unit; a dot marks the better value where better is clear.

Need certainty before you act?

For important relocation decisions, speak with a qualified human specialist.

Consult with a human specialist

For decisions that depend on your own circumstances, a qualified human professional should look at your case. Tell us what you need help with and we will reply by email.

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.

What matters to me

Tell us who you are and what you care about. Fit scores and rankings across the site follow your answers.