City · Cataluña · All places
A wool-town turned services city north of Barcelona, with a big hospital, a music tradition and the UAB next door.
Sabadell is one of the biggest cities in Catalonia, in the Vallès Occidental about twenty kilometres north of Barcelona. It sits next to Terrassa and the two are often confused: both grew on wool, both are large, both are linked to the capital by train. Sabadell is the more urban of the two, with a pedestrian centre, a large public hospital and a long music tradition.
It is a working city with its own economy and its own social life, not a dormitory for Barcelona. Many people do commute to the capital, and the train connection is the reason a lot of newcomers pick it. Others work locally in healthcare, industry, logistics and services, or at the university campus next door.
The city has 225,368 residents (2025). Residents born abroad make up 20.9% (2025).
Data as of · the latest figures cover Jun 2026
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What the data says
Sabadell stands out for prosperity, digital and housing; it is weaker on connectivity. A typical 70 m² rental costs about €600 a month (2024).
Who it suits, 0 to 100
Practical conclusions we draw from Sabadell’s figures. They are inferences, not official statistics: each says what it rests on.
You will meet English speakers, mostly in the centre and at international employers. Shops, landlords and schools expect Spanish. Contracts, the town hall and most doctors work in Spanish or Catalan.
Catalan is an official language alongside Spanish. Expect it on signs, at the town hall and in state schools.
New leases cost about 24% more than what sitting tenants pay, so the averages you read understate what a newcomer will pay. Good flats go fast.
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 Cataluña. Remote income or a job offer makes the move far easier.
Almost every home can get gigabit fibre, so working from home is not a gamble on the flat you pick.
Non-urgent surgery takes longer than in most of Spain (Cataluña-wide figure). Many residents add private health insurance.
Catalan home cooking, vermouth at the weekend and a lunch menu in every neighbourhood.
Busy on weekdays, local on weekends, with a pedestrian centre built for strolling.
Bars on the Rambla and around the Plaça Sant Roc, plus concert halls and rehearsal rooms.
The pedestrian centre, the residential Gràcia and Creu Alta, and the denser outer districts such as Can Puiggener.
Catalan in the town hall and schools, Spanish alongside it in daily talk.
The late-summer Festa Major, jazz and classical seasons at the auditorium and Easter processions.
Associative, practical and musical, with a long-standing mix of Catalan, southern Spanish and newer immigrant families.
Sabadell is bigger and busier than its reputation. The centre, around the Plaça de Sant Roc and the Rambla, is pedestrian and packed on Saturdays, with a good covered market and a run of modernist merchants' houses. The Ripoll runs through the city in a channel, and the old mills along it are being turned into flats, offices and cultural centres.
Music is the city's real culture. Choirs, amateur bands, a municipal school and the Auditori make it one of the more musical places of its size, and concerts, from jazz to chamber music, run most of the year. The football club and the water polo club have loyal followings, and the associations (neighbourhood groups, sports and dance clubs) are the main social structure.
Neighbourhoods differ. Gràcia and Creu Alta are tidy and residential. Torre-romeu and the north-west are suburban, with detached houses. Ca n'Oriac and the outer districts are dense and working-class. The Parc Taulí and the main hospital area is a hub of its own.
Catalan is the language of the town hall and schools, and Spanish is heard everywhere. English is less common than in Barcelona. The Festa Major in late summer is the main street party, with giants, bands and a night of dancing.
Sabadell was the Catalan capital of wool. From the nineteenth century, mills powered first by the Ripoll river and then by steam filled the town, drawing workers from rural Catalonia and later from Andalucía, Extremadura and abroad. The mills made it rich enough to build a theatre, a bank that still carries the town's name and an unusually dense network of choirs, bands and societies.
When wool collapsed, the city turned to services, light industry, logistics and healthcare. The Parc Taulí hospital is now one of the largest employers, and the nearby Autonomous University of Barcelona, in Bellaterra, brings students, researchers and technology firms. Prosperity comes out above average and jobs average. Unemployment is 9.7% (2025), and household income per person is €16,463 a year (2024). Adults with a university degree make up 42% (2024).
Housing is cheaper than in Barcelona, but not cheap. A typical 70 m² flat rents for about €600 a month (2024), and buying costs €2,397 per square metre (Q2 2026). New leases cost more than old ones, at about €869 a month a month (Q1 2026). Housing comes out above average.
The city is built around cars and trains. The average commute is 44 min (2021), and mobility comes out average. The airport at Barcelona is 29 km away (2026). Recorded crime is 47.8 per 1,000 people (2024), and safety comes out average. Homicide is rare, but robbery, a mugging-style offence, runs higher than the calm streets suggest: 197 per 100k people (2025).
Figures for Sabadell itself, not its region. Each shows the period it covers.
Each card uses Sabadell data only and compares it with similar cities. Open “Why this score?” to see the measures behind it.
Prosperity is above average: better than most Spanish cities above 50,000.
Household income per person: 16,463 € a year per person — better than 66% of Spanish cities above 50,000
Above average: 66 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 personSabadell · 2024 | 16,463 € a year per person | better than 66% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
Digital is above average: better than most Spanish cities above 50,000.
Homes that can get gigabit internet: 99.6% — better than 85% of Spanish cities above 50,000
Above average: 63 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 internetSabadell · 2025 | 99.6% | better than 85% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Homes with fibre to the doorSabadell · 2025 | 99.6% | better than 81% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| 5G coverageSabadell · 2025 | 99.9% | better than 12% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
Housing is above average: in the top quarter of Spanish cities above 50,000.
House prices, change in a year: 8.95% — better than 86% of Spanish cities above 50,000
Above average: 61 out of 100, where 50 is typical for the comparison group. These are the measures behind it.
| Measure | Value | Compared with peers |
|---|---|---|
| Rent per m²Sabadell · 2024 | 8.57 €/m² a month | better than 40% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Rents, change in a yearSabadell · 2024 | 3.00% | better than 71% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Buying price per m²Sabadell · 2026-Q2 | 2,397 €/m² | better than 46% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Rent growth a year, over 3 yearsSabadell · 2024 | 4.23% | better than 72% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| House prices, change in a yearSabadell · 2026-Q2 | 8.95% | better than 86% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
Climate is around the middle: in the top quarter of major European cities.
Pleasant days (18–28 °C, dry): 111 days a year — better than 88% of major European cities
Average: 57 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)Sabadell · 2015-01-01..2024-12-31 | 111 days a year | better than 88% of major European cities |
| Days above 35 °CSabadell · 2015-01-01..2024-12-31 | 3.20 days a year | better than 39% of major European cities |
| Nights above 20 °CSabadell · 2015-01-01..2024-12-31 | 53.3 nights a year | better than 12% of major European cities |
Safety is around the middle: around the middle of Spanish cities above 50,000.
Homicides: 0.00 per 100k people — better than 78% of Spanish cities above 50,000
Average: 54 out of 100, where 50 is typical for the comparison group. These are the measures behind it.
| Measure | Value | Compared with peers |
|---|---|---|
| HomicidesSabadell · 2025 | 0.00 per 100k people | better than 78% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Recorded crimeSabadell · 2024 | 47.8 per 1,000 people | better than 54% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| RobberiesSabadell · 2025 | 197 per 100k people | better than 16% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| BurglariesSabadell · 2025 | 132 per 100k people | better than 38% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Sexual offencesSabadell · 2024 | 0.33 per 1,000 people | better than 73% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| TheftsSabadell · 2025 | 1,307 per 100k people | better than 37% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Vehicle theftsSabadell · 2025 | 113 per 100k people | better than 21% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
Healthcare is around the middle: around the middle of Spanish cities above 50,000.
Life expectancy: 83.4 years — better than 53% of Spanish cities above 50,000
Average: 53 out of 100, where 50 is typical for the comparison group. These are the measures behind it.
| Measure | Value | Compared with peers |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancySabadell · 2023 | 83.4 years | better than 53% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
Jobs is around the middle: around the middle of Spanish cities above 50,000.
Unemployment: 9.68% — better than 61% of Spanish cities above 50,000
Average: 52 out of 100, where 50 is typical for the comparison group. These are the measures behind it.
| Measure | Value | Compared with peers |
|---|---|---|
| UnemploymentSabadell · 2025 | 9.68% | better than 61% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Unemployment, change in a yearSabadell · 2025 | -0.82 points | better than 38% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
Transport is around the middle: behind most Spanish cities above 50,000.
Commute by public transport: 18.8% — better than 75% of Spanish cities above 50,000
Average: 43 out of 100, where 50 is typical for the comparison group. These are the measures behind it.
| Measure | Value | Compared with peers |
|---|---|---|
| Average commute (one way)Sabadell · 2021 | 44.5 minutes | better than 19% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Commute by carSabadell · 2021 | 62.1% | better than 40% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Commute by public transportSabadell · 2021 | 18.8% | better than 75% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
Connectivity is weak: in the bottom 10% of major European cities.
Distance to the main airport: 28.8 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 airportSabadell · 2026-10-21 | 28.8 km | better than 3% of major European cities |
What we cannot score for Sabadell yet
Highs around 31° in July, lows around 4° in January. 111 pleasant days a year (dry, 18–28 °C). 53 warm nights above 20 °C: check for air-conditioning.
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13.1°C | 4.1°C | 37 mm |
| February | 14.8°C | 5.3°C | 28 mm |
| March | 16.8°C | 6.8°C | 49 mm |
| April | 19.2°C | 9.1°C | 59 mm |
| May | 23.3°C | 12.8°C | 44 mm |
| June | 27.5°C | 17.6°C | 40 mm |
| July | 31.1°C | 20.8°C | 28 mm |
| August | 30.8°C | 21.0°C | 40 mm |
| September | 26.5°C | 17.6°C | 63 mm |
| October | 22.4°C | 13.9°C | 77 mm |
| November | 17.3°C | 8.7°C | 68 mm |
| December | 14.5°C | 6.0°C | 32 mm |
Sabadell has a Mediterranean climate with an inland edge: warm summers with the occasional hot afternoon, cool winters with some frost and fog, and rain in short bursts in spring and autumn. It sits a little higher than Barcelona and has no sea breeze.
Very hot days: 3 a year (2015–2024). Tropical nights are 53 a year (2015–2024). Frost days are 4 a year (2015–2024). Rainfall is 566 mm a year (2015–2024).
Pleasant days, mild and dry, number 111 a year (2015–2024). It is a year-round city, best in spring and autumn. Many older blocks have no cooling, so summer nights call for fans, and winters call for proper heating.
Lines start with Spain; switch the others on to compare.
52/100 · average · 66th of 106 Spanish cities above 50,000
9.7% in 2025
8.9% in Q2 2026
€8.6 per m² a month in 2024
€2,397 per m² in Q2 2026
83.4 years in 2023
Facts about the people who live in Sabadell. 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.
A music-minded city with an auditorium, theatres, museums of the wool era and active associations. The scene is local, in Catalan, and quieter than Barcelona's.
Not measured yet: Lifestyle, Walk most.
Employers in healthcare, industry, logistics and education, and the Barcelona market within reach. Nightlife is local rather than citywide.
Not measured yet: Jobs in high-tech sectors, Lifestyle, Median gross salary, Youth unemployment (15–24).
Comfortable houses with gardens in the north-west suburbs and good private clinics nearby, but fewer luxury services than in Sant Cugat or Barcelona.
Nothing stands out.
Not measured yet: Average dwelling size, Education, Environment, Income tax and social security, average earner, Total tax on labour, average earner.
The Autonomous University of Barcelona campus is close, and rooms are cheaper than in Barcelona, though bus and train links to campus matter.
Not measured yet: Cost of Living, Cycle most, Education, Lifestyle, Price level vs EU average, Walk most, Youth unemployment (15–24).
A full city with a large public hospital and a calm centre, though winters are cool, hills and ring roads split the city, and there is no sea.
Nothing stands out.
Better nearby for retirees: Granollers (67), Sant Cugat del Vallès (63), Santa Coloma de Gramenet (61)
Not measured yet: Cost of Living, Doctors, Environment, Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂).
Reasonable prices for space, a wide choice of schools and parks, and a rail link to Barcelona. Commutes and car dependence weigh on parents.
Not measured yet: 15-year-olds' maths (PISA), Average dwelling size, Childcare availability, Education, Environment, Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), Pre-primary participation.
Fast gigabit fibre across the city, cheaper rents than Barcelona and an easy train link for events in the capital.
Better nearby for remote workers: Reus (70), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (67), Cornellà de Llobregat (66)
Not measured yet: Cost of Living, Fixed broadband penetration, Lifestyle.
Industrial and logistics sites, a skilled workforce from the university and the hospital, and lower costs than in Barcelona.
Nothing stands out.
Better nearby for founders and self-employed: Barcelona (68), Cornellà de Llobregat (67), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (67)
Not measured yet: Jobs in high-tech sectors, Regulatory quality.
Cheaper than Barcelona, but rents have climbed and wages are middling.
Better nearby for budget-conscious movers: Lleida (72), Reus (58), Manresa (57)
Not measured yet: Cost of Living, Households spending >40% of income on housing, Price level vs EU average.
The Serra de Sant Llorenç del Munt and the Collserola hills are close enough by car, but the city itself is urban and warm in summer.
Nothing stands out.
Better nearby for beach, mountains and the outdoors: Vilanova i la Geltrú (70), Mollet del Vallès (64), Granollers (63)
Not measured yet: Environment, Fine-particle pollution (PM2.5), Lifestyle, Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), Strong-wind days.
Taxes, residency and the wider economy are set nationally, so they are the same in Sabadell as anywhere in Spain.
Compared with Sabadell; each card says where it is better or worse for someone living there.
70 m²: €766 a month
Compare with Sabadell70 m²: €794 a month
Compare with Sabadell70 m²: €958 a month
Compare with Sabadell70 m²: €703 a month
Compare with Sabadell70 m²: €896 a month
Compare with Sabadell70 m²: €712 a month
Compare with SabadellGuide 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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