---
title: "Living in Santa Cruz de Tenerife as a digital nomad: cost, safety, visa, internet"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/santa-cruz-de-tenerife
description: "Year-round spring on the biggest Canary Island"
dataset: 2026.09.4 (2026-09-26)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

Santa Cruz de Tenerife scores 75.3/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 1 of 309 cities. Expect about $2,200 per month (country-level estimate), a nomad visa (International Telework Visa (Digital Nomad, Ley 14/2013 amended Dec 2022)), and a measured median download speed of 69.6 Mbps.

Santa Cruz is Tenerife's working capital, quieter than the southern resorts and with a proper local life. Weather barely changes across the year, and the Canary Islands sit in the EU with a low VAT regime.

Known for: Mild all year, Teide volcano, Carnival, Two airports.

## Scores (balanced weights, 0–100)

| Factor | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | 75.3 |
| Cost of living | 33 |
| Safety | 77 |
| Healthcare | 87 |
| Internet | 81 |
| Visa ease | 90 |
| Getting there & around | 43 |
| Climate | 100 |
| Air quality | 86 |
| Quality of life | 80 |

## The numbers behind the scores

| Metric | Value | Level | As of | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,200 | country | 2026-09 | [^2] |
| Central 1-bedroom rent | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Outskirts 1-bedroom rent (basis of the monthly total) | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Homicide rate (per 100k) | 0.5 | country | 2021 | [^4] |
| Political stability (0–100) | 65.8 | country | 2024 | [^5] |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 84 | country | 2023 | [^6] |
| Life expectancy (years) | 82.7 | country | 2021 | [^7] |
| Median download (Mbps) | 69.6 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Median upload (Mbps) | 54.5 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Nomad visa | International Telework Visa (Digital Nomad, Ley 14/2013 amended Dec 2022) (min $2,714/mo) | country | 2026-07 | [^9] |
| Visa-free days US / EU / UK | 90 days / unlimited / 90 days | editorial | 2026-02 | [^10] |
| Non-stop destinations (TFN/TFS) | 129 | city | 2026-09 | [^11] |
| Walkability / transit (1–5) | 4 / 3 | editorial | 2026-09 | [^12] |
| Comfortable months | 12 of 12 | city | 2001–2020 | [^13] |
| Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 11.1 | city | 2024 | [^14] |
| Human Development Index | 0.918 | country | 2023 | [^15] |
| English proficiency band | moderate | country | 2024 | [^16] |

## Climate (2001–2020 normals)

| Month | Mean °C | Rain mm | Humidity % | Comfortable |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jan | 17.2 | 25 | 76 | yes |
| Feb | 16.9 | 32 | 76 | yes |
| Mar | 17.3 | 22 | 78 | yes |
| Apr | 18 | 15 | 76 | yes |
| May | 19.1 | 7 | 77 | yes |
| Jun | 20.6 | 3 | 79 | yes |
| Jul | 21.6 | 2 | 82 | yes |
| Aug | 22.5 | 5 | 82 | yes |
| Sep | 22.8 | 10 | 79 | yes |
| Oct | 22.2 | 25 | 77 | yes |
| Nov | 20.2 | 35 | 76 | yes |
| Dec | 18.6 | 39 | 76 | yes |

## Airports and nonstop flights

| Airport | IATA | Nonstop destinations | International | From US airports |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Tenerife North–Ciudad de La Laguna Airport | TFN | 34 | 6 | 0 |
| Tenerife South Airport | TFS | 107 | 40 | 0 |

Unique destinations across all airports: 129, of which 42 international (Wikipedia, 2026-09).

## Similar cities

- [Las Palmas de Gran Canaria](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/las-palmas) (75.1) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/las-palmas-vs-santa-cruz-de-tenerife)
- [Funchal (Madeira)](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/funchal) (74.7) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/funchal-vs-santa-cruz-de-tenerife)
- [Valletta](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/valletta) (73.2) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/santa-cruz-de-tenerife-vs-valletta)
- [Palma de Mallorca](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/palma) (73.5) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/palma-vs-santa-cruz-de-tenerife)
- [Málaga](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/malaga) (71.8) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/malaga-vs-santa-cruz-de-tenerife)

## FAQ

### How much does it cost to live in Santa Cruz de Tenerife as a digital nomad?

A single person typically spends about $2,200 per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (a country-level estimate for Spain). That is a 33/100 cost score, where 100 is the cheapest city in the dataset.

### Is Santa Cruz de Tenerife safe for digital nomads?

Santa Cruz de Tenerife scores 77/100 on safety. Spain records 0.5 homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2021) and a political-stability score of 65.8/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.

### Does Spain have a digital nomad visa?

Yes. Spain offers the International Telework Visa (Digital Nomad, Ley 14/2013 amended Dec 2022) with a minimum income of about $2,714 per month. Verify current rules with the issuing authority before applying.

### How fast is the internet in Santa Cruz de Tenerife?

Measured median download speed in Santa Cruz de Tenerife was 69.6 Mbps (upload 54.5 Mbps) across 10,394 M-Lab tests in 2024. Measured speeds run below advertised plan speeds everywhere, so compare cities rather than reading the number as a plan.

### Which airports serve Santa Cruz de Tenerife and how many nonstop flights are there?

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is served by Tenerife North–Ciudad de La Laguna Airport (TFN) with 34 nonstop destinations and Tenerife South Airport (TFS) with 107 nonstop destinations, 129 unique destinations across all of them, of which 42 are international. 0 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-09.

### When is the best time of year to be in Santa Cruz de Tenerife?

The most comfortable months are Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec. Mean temperatures range from 62°F (17°C) in Feb to 73°F (23°C) in Sep (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).

### Santa Cruz de Tenerife or Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: which is better for digital nomads?

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is the city with the closest factor profile to Santa Cruz de Tenerife in this dataset. Which one wins depends on your weights; the comparison page puts every factor side by side with the numbers behind them.

## Sources

[^1]: City population (latest census or official estimate), Wikipedia (citing national statistics offices). CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^2]: 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/data/cost-of-living-2026 (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^3]: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows), WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^4]: Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/estimates-of-rates-of-homicides-per-100-000-population (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^5]: Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100), World Bank. CC BY 4.0. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^6]: UHC service coverage index, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/uhc-index-of-service-coverage (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^7]: Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/life-expectancy-at-birth-(years) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^8]: M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024), Measurement Lab. CC0 1.0. https://statistics.measurementlab.net/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^9]: Digital Nomad Visas 2026, WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^10]: Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations), Ilya Ilyankou (compiled from passportindex.org). MIT. https://github.com/ilyankou/passport-index-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^11]: Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables), Wikipedia contributors; countries via Wikidata. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-24)
[^12]: Walkability and transit ratings (editorial), Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/methodology (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^13]: NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means), NASA Langley Research Center. Public domain (US Government). https://power.larc.nasa.gov/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^14]: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8), World Health Organization. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/who-ambient-air-quality-database-(update-jun-2026) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^15]: Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023), United Nations Development Programme. CC BY 3.0 IGO. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/documentation-and-downloads (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^16]: EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band), EF Education First. Proprietary; band cited as a fact with attribution. https://www.ef.com/epi/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/santa-cruz-de-tenerife