City · Comunitat Valenciana · All places
A baroque inland city of the poet Miguel Hernández joined to a holiday-home coast, with very cheap rents and a burglary problem.
Orihuela is two places in one municipality. The old city sits inland on the Segura river, about twenty-five kilometres from Murcia, with a cathedral, a baroque university college and a hill topped by a ruined castle. The other part is Orihuela Costa, a long strip of beaches, golf courses and urbanisations on the Mediterranean, where Spanish and northern European retirees and holidaymakers live in low-rise estates. The municipality has 84,560 residents (2025).
These two parts have little to do with each other and are some twenty minutes apart by car. The result is a city with a real history and a coast built for sun, at some of the lowest rents in the country. It suits people who want cheap, warm living with a car, and it suits them better than anyone who needs fast internet, a career or low crime.
Data as of · the latest figures cover Jun 2026
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What the data says
Orihuela is weaker on digital and connectivity. A typical 70 m² rental costs about €342 a month (2024).
Who it suits, 0 to 100
Practical conclusions we draw from Orihuela’s figures. They are inferences, not official statistics: each says what it rests on.
Few residents come from English-speaking or northern European countries, so daily life runs in Spanish. Contracts, the town hall and most doctors work in Spanish or Valencian.
Valencian is an official language alongside Spanish. Expect it on signs, at the town hall and in state schools.
Summer nights stay warm, so sleep depends on a cooled bedroom. Check for air-conditioning before you sign.
People born abroad are in work less often than people born in Spain across Comunitat Valenciana. Remote income or a job offer makes the move far easier.
Rice with a crust, artichokes from the Vega Baja, rabbit, and fresh vegetables, with British and Scandinavian cafes on the coast.
Provincial and slow in the old city, with a siesta that is still observed, and resort-paced on the coast.
Bars on the Calle Mayor and the old centre in the evenings, and beach bars, golf clubs and Irish pubs on the coast.
The old city under the castle hill, the baroque quarter around the cathedral, and the coastal districts of La Zenia, Playa Flamenca, Cabo Roig and Campoamor.
Spanish inland, with English the working language on much of the coast.
Easter processions, with the Diablesa leading the Sunday parade, and the Moors and Christians parades in July.
Beaches, golf, cycling along the coast and walks up the Sierra de Orihuela.
The old city is a surprise. The cathedral of El Salvador, the baroque Colegio de Santo Domingo, the diocesan museum and the town's many churches give a historic centre far grander than the size of the town suggests, and the house of Miguel Hernández is a place of pilgrimage for lovers of Spanish poetry. The Calle Mayor and its side streets are lined with bars, and the market still sells local vegetables.
Easter is the year's high point. The Holy Week processions of Orihuela are among the most notable in the south-east, and on Easter Sunday the Diablesa, a costumed devil figure, takes part in the Resurrection procession in a local tradition. In July the Moors and Christians festival marks the Reconquest, with parades and mock battles.
Orihuela Costa is another world. La Zenia Boulevard shopping centre, the beach bars of Playa Flamenca, the coves of Cabo Roig and the golf courses of Campoamor and Villamartín serve a largely foreign community, mainly British, Irish and Scandinavian. Everything is low-rise, tidy and designed for retirees and holidaymakers. You can live here in English with little contact with the old city.
Orihuela is the historic capital of the Vega Baja, the fertile lower valley of the Segura. It was a significant Moorish and later Christian city, and in the sixteenth century it had a bishop and a university, which is why a Gothic cathedral and the baroque Colegio de Santo Domingo dominate the inland town. The poet Miguel Hernández was born here in 1910, worked as a goatherd and died in a Franco prison in 1942, and he remains the city's most beloved figure.
The valley is farmland, with vegetables, citrus and artichokes grown on the river plain, and the economy there is agriculture, food processing and local services. The coast changed in the nineties and the 2000s, when developers built thousands of holiday homes and golf resorts on the dry land between the sea and the hills, aimed at Spanish, British and northern European buyers. The result is one municipality with a farm economy inland and a holiday economy on the coast, and little wealth in either.
Incomes are low. Household income is €12,288 a year (2024), and prosperity comes out weak. That is why housing is cheap: a typical 70 m² flat rents for about €342 a month (2024), and buying costs €2,080 per square metre (Q2 2026). Housing comes out average, but rents rose by 4.5% in one year (2024), and house prices are up 17.9% (Q2 2026), so the bargain is shrinking.
Crime is the notable weakness, and it is mostly burglary. The rate is 617 per 100k people (2025), the highest of any Spanish city of its size, because thousands of holiday homes stand empty for much of the year. Theft is 1,576 per 100k people (2025), and robbery is 143 per 100k people (2025). The municipality comes out below average on safety.
Infrastructure lags. The coastal estates and rural plots often have poor connections, and gigabit coverage is only 83% (2025), among the lowest in Spain. Digital comes out weak, and connectivity comes out weak. The nearest main airport is 33 km away (2026).
The land itself carries a risk. The Segura meanders across a very flat plain, and the Vega Baja floods when heavy autumn rain arrives. The storm of September 2019 hit Orihuela hard, and it is worth knowing which parts of any chosen area are low-lying.
Figures for Orihuela itself, not its region. Each shows the period it covers.
Each card uses Orihuela data only and compares it with similar cities. Open “Why this score?” to see the measures behind it.
Climate is around the middle: around the middle of major European cities.
Pleasant days (18–28 °C, dry): 131 days a year — better than 92% of major European cities
Average: 48 out of 100, where 50 is typical for the comparison group. These are the measures behind it.
| Measure | Value | Compared with peers |
|---|---|---|
| Pleasant days (18–28 °C, dry)Orihuela · 2015-01-01..2024-12-31 | 131 days a year | better than 92% of major European cities |
| Days above 35 °COrihuela · 2015-01-01..2024-12-31 | 40.2 days a year | better than 3% of major European cities |
| Nights above 20 °COrihuela · 2015-01-01..2024-12-31 | 63.1 nights a year | better than 5% of major European cities |
Housing is around the middle: behind most Spanish cities above 50,000.
Rent per m²: 4.89 €/m² a month — better than 95% of Spanish cities above 50,000
Average: 42 out of 100, where 50 is typical for the comparison group. These are the measures behind it.
| Measure | Value | Compared with peers |
|---|---|---|
| Rent per m²Orihuela · 2024 | 4.89 €/m² a month | better than 95% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Rents, change in a yearOrihuela · 2024 | 4.50% | better than 12% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Buying price per m²Orihuela · 2026-Q2 | 2,080 €/m² | better than 60% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Rent growth a year, over 3 yearsOrihuela · 2024 | 6.71% | better than 12% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| House prices, change in a yearOrihuela · 2026-Q2 | 17.9% | better than 23% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
Safety is below average compared with similar cities.
Not ranked: too little comparable evidence yet.
Burglaries: 617 per 100k people — worse than 100% of Spanish cities above 50,000
Below average: 25 out of 100, where 50 is typical for the comparison group. These are the measures behind it.
| Measure | Value | Compared with peers |
|---|---|---|
| HomicidesOrihuela · 2025 | 1.18 per 100k people | better than 32% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| RobberiesOrihuela · 2025 | 143 per 100k people | better than 26% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| BurglariesOrihuela · 2025 | 617 per 100k people | better than 0% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| TheftsOrihuela · 2025 | 1,576 per 100k people | better than 25% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Vehicle theftsOrihuela · 2025 | 115 per 100k people | better than 20% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
Prosperity is weak: in the bottom 10% of Spanish cities above 50,000.
Household income per person: 12,288 € a year per person — worse than 92% of Spanish cities above 50,000
Weak: 8 out of 100, where 50 is typical for the comparison group. These are the measures behind it.
| Measure | Value | Compared with peers |
|---|---|---|
| Household income per personOrihuela · 2024 | 12,288 € a year per person | better than 8% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
Connectivity is weak: in the bottom 10% of major European cities.
Distance to the main airport: 33.2 km — worse than 97% of major European cities
Weak: 3 out of 100, where 50 is typical for the comparison group. These are the measures behind it.
| Measure | Value | Compared with peers |
|---|---|---|
| Distance to the main airportOrihuela · 2026-10-21 | 33.2 km | better than 3% of major European cities |
Digital is weak: in the bottom 10% of Spanish cities above 50,000.
Homes that can get gigabit internet: 83.1% — worse than 99% of Spanish cities above 50,000
Weak: 2 out of 100, where 50 is typical for the comparison group. These are the measures behind it.
| Measure | Value | Compared with peers |
|---|---|---|
| Homes that can get gigabit internetOrihuela · 2025 | 83.1% | better than 1% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Homes with fibre to the doorOrihuela · 2025 | 92.0% | better than 2% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| 5G coverageOrihuela · 2025 | 98.9% | better than 2% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
What we cannot score for Orihuela yet
Highs around 36° in July, lows around 5° in January. 131 pleasant days a year (dry, 18–28 °C). 63 warm nights above 20 °C: check for air-conditioning.
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16.0°C | 4.7°C | 30 mm |
| February | 17.7°C | 5.8°C | 8 mm |
| March | 20.1°C | 7.7°C | 53 mm |
| April | 22.5°C | 9.8°C | 35 mm |
| May | 27.2°C | 13.7°C | 26 mm |
| June | 31.7°C | 17.8°C | 16 mm |
| July | 35.7°C | 21.3°C | 2 mm |
| August | 34.9°C | 21.6°C | 13 mm |
| September | 30.1°C | 18.3°C | 42 mm |
| October | 25.9°C | 14.3°C | 30 mm |
| November | 20.4°C | 9.1°C | 29 mm |
| December | 17.6°C | 6.7°C | 32 mm |
The climate is dry and warm. Summers are hot, with very hot days numbering 40 a year (2015–2024), and tropical nights number 63 a year (2015–2024). The inland city is hotter than the coast, where the sea breeze helps in the afternoons.
Winters are mild and sunny, with frost days numbering 3 a year (2015–2024). Rainfall is low, at 317 mm a year (2015–2024), but it comes in violent bursts, often in September and October, when flash floods are a real risk. Pleasant days number 131 a year (2015–2024). Spring and autumn are the best seasons, and the coast fills with northern European winter residents from October.
Lines start with Spain; switch the others on to compare.
17.9% in Q2 2026
€4.9 per m² a month in 2024
€2,080 per m² in Q2 2026
Facts about the people who live in Orihuela. Shown as context only: none of this changes a score.
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Fit from the data, 0 to 100, against other Spanish cities. Open a group to see the figures behind it.
This is where Orihuela is strongest, with some of the lowest rents in Spain in a sunny climate with cheap fresh produce.
Not measured yet: Cost of Living, Households spending >40% of income on housing, Jobs, Price level vs EU average, Unemployment.
Beaches, golf, cycling and the Sierra de Orihuela give plenty to do in a warm, dry climate.
Better nearby for beach, mountains and the outdoors: Benidorm (70), Sagunto (69), Elche (66)
Not measured yet: Environment, Fine-particle pollution (PM2.5), Lifestyle, Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), Strong-wind days.
The coast is a proven choice for foreign retirees, with sun, golf and a community, as long as security and a car are in order.
Better nearby for retirees: San Vicente del Raspeig (60), Vila-real (60), Castellón de la Plana (58)
Not measured yet: Cost of Living, Doctors, Environment, Healthcare, Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂).
Golf villas on the coast are good value, but the wealthy usually look to Marbella, Altea or Jávea, and burglary counts against Orihuela.
Better nearby for high earners and investors: San Vicente del Raspeig (58), Torrent (57), Paterna (54)
Not measured yet: Average dwelling size, Education, Environment, Healthcare, Income tax and social security, average earner, Total tax on labour, average earner.
Cheap homes with space and a pool, though local incomes are low, schools are Spanish-language and burglary is a worry.
Better nearby for families with children: Alcoy (57), Castellón de la Plana (56), Elda (54)
Not measured yet: 15-year-olds' maths (PISA), Average commute (one way), Average dwelling size, Childcare availability, Education, Environment, Healthcare, Jobs, Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), Pre-primary participation, Recorded crime.
Cheap and sunny, but internet coverage is among the weakest in Spain, which matters more than the weather.
Better nearby for remote workers: Paterna (65), Valencia (61), Sagunto (57)
Not measured yet: Cost of Living, Fixed broadband penetration, Lifestyle, Residents born abroad.
Agri-food, logistics for the Vega Baja and services for the foreign coast are the natural businesses, in a low-income market.
Nothing stands out.
Better nearby for founders and self-employed: Paterna (64), Valencia (59), Alicante (54)
Not measured yet: Adults with a university degree, Jobs, Jobs in high-tech sectors, Regulatory quality, Residents born abroad.
Not a place to build a career, since jobs are in farming, tourism and local services, and the social scene is thin.
Not measured yet: Commute by public transport, Jobs, Jobs in high-tech sectors, Lifestyle, Median age, Median gross salary, Residents born abroad, Transport, Unemployment, Youth unemployment (15–24).
The Miguel Hernández University has a campus in Orihuela, with agriculture and engineering degrees, and rooms are among the cheapest in Spain.
Not measured yet: Adults with a university degree, Commute by public transport, Cost of Living, Cycle most, Education, Lifestyle, Median age, Price level vs EU average, Transport, Walk most, Youth unemployment (15–24).
The old city has a real heritage in Miguel Hernández, the cathedral, Easter and the Moors and Christians festival, which rewards a visit.
Nothing stands out.
Not measured yet: Adults with a university degree, Commute by public transport, Lifestyle, Median age, Residents born abroad, Transport, Walk most.
Taxes, residency and the wider economy are set nationally, so they are the same in Orihuela as anywhere in Spain.
Compared with Orihuela; each card says where it is better or worse for someone living there.
70 m²: €380 a month
Compare with Orihuela70 m²: €315 a month
Compare with Orihuela70 m²: €381 a month
Compare with Orihuela70 m²: €591 a month
Compare with Orihuela70 m²: €497 a month
Compare with Orihuela70 m²: €315 a month
Compare with OrihuelaGuide written 2026-10-22. Figures are refreshed as new official data is published; the period beside each number says what it covers. “Our read” cards are our inferences from those figures. How we score
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