---
title: "Palma de Mallorca vs Santa Cruz de Tenerife for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/palma-vs-santa-cruz-de-tenerife
description: "Under balanced weights Santa Cruz de Tenerife edges it, 75 to 74, winning 1 of the 9 factors. Palma de Mallorca is stronger on nothing outright; Santa Cruz de Tenerife on climate. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.09.4 (2026-09-26)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Palma de Mallorca vs Santa Cruz de Tenerife for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Santa Cruz de Tenerife edges it, 75 to 74, winning 1 of the 9 factors. Palma de Mallorca is stronger on nothing outright; Santa Cruz de Tenerife on climate. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Palma de Mallorca | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 33 | 33 | tie |
| Safety | 77 | 77 | tie |
| Healthcare | 87 | 87 | tie |
| Internet | 88 | 81 | Palma de Mallorca |
| Visa ease | 90 | 90 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 51 | 43 | Palma de Mallorca |
| Climate | 67 | 100 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
| Air quality | 89 | 86 | Palma de Mallorca |
| Quality of life | 80 | 80 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Palma de Mallorca | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,200 | $2,200 | tie |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Palma de Mallorca | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 0.5 | 0.5 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 65.8 | 65.8 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 84 | 84 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 82.7 yrs | 82.7 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Palma de Mallorca | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 92 Mbps | 69.6 Mbps | Palma de Mallorca |
| Upload | 84.3 Mbps | 54.5 Mbps | Palma de Mallorca |

## Visa

| Metric | Palma de Mallorca | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | International Telework Visa (Digital Nomad, Ley 14/2013 amended Dec 2022) | International Telework Visa (Digital Nomad, Ley 14/2013 amended Dec 2022) | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | $2,714/mo | $2,714/mo | tie |
| Visa-free days, US passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited | tie |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Palma de Mallorca | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 180 | 129 | Palma de Mallorca |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 4 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Palma de Mallorca | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 8 | 12 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 9.8 µg/m³ | 11.1 µg/m³ | Palma de Mallorca |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Palma de Mallorca or Santa Cruz de Tenerife?

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is cheaper: about $2,200 per month versus $2,200 for one person.

### Is Palma de Mallorca or Santa Cruz de Tenerife safer?

Palma de Mallorca scores higher on safety (77 vs 77), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Palma de Mallorca or Santa Cruz de Tenerife?

Palma de Mallorca: a measured median of 92 Mbps versus 69.6 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Palma de Mallorca](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/palma) · [Santa Cruz de Tenerife](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/santa-cruz-de-tenerife). Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; 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).

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/palma-vs-santa-cruz-de-tenerife