Las Palmas de Gran Canaria vs Santa Cruz de Tenerife
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 75. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Europe's winter-sun nomad base
Full Las Palmas de Gran Canaria profile →Plan a trip to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria →Year-round spring on the biggest Canary Island
Full Santa Cruz de Tenerife profile →Plan a trip to Santa Cruz de Tenerife →Where they differ
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, getting there & around, air quality, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Las Palmas de Gran Canaria if you want
- no clear edge over Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the data
Pick Santa Cruz de Tenerife if you want
- no clear edge over Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 36 | 36 |
| Safety | 76 | 76 |
| Healthcare | 90 | 90 |
| Internet | 81 | 83 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 80 | 80 |
| Getting there & around | 42 | 44 ✓ |
| Climate | 100 | 100 |
| Air quality | 88 ✓ | 86 |
| Quality of life | 81 | 81 |
Cost
| Metric | Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $2,200 | $2,200 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.73 | 0.73 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 68.7 | 68.7 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 84 | 84 |
| Life expectancy | 83.3 yrs | 83.3 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 61.8 Mbps | 69.6 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 51.3 Mbps | 54.5 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | International teleworking visa (digital nomad visa) | International teleworking visa (digital nomad visa) |
| Minimum income for the visa | $2,741/mo | $2,741/mo |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 118 | 130 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 4 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 12 | 12 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 10.4 µg/m³ ✓ | 11.1 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria or Santa Cruz de Tenerife?
- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife cost about the same: roughly $2,200 per month for one person.
- Is Las Palmas de Gran Canaria or Santa Cruz de Tenerife safer?
- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife score the same on safety (76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria or Santa Cruz de Tenerife?
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife: a measured median of 69.6 Mbps versus 61.8 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria vs Puerto de la Cruz
- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria vs Arrecife (Lanzarote)
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs Puerto de la Cruz
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs Arrecife (Lanzarote)
- All comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.3. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.