🇪🇸Palma for Digital Nomads
Mallorca, Spain · Island city, real winter
Photo: David Vives / Unsplash
Costs
—
community-reported
Wifi
59Mbps
Mild months
2of 12
Safety
7.4
Overall
6.2
Palma at a glance
Palma is the island base that keeps city rules: Mallorca's capital runs twelve months a year — offices, theatres, a food scene beyond the beach economy — on full European overlap1 (source: Copernicus ERA5 — overlap of a 09:00-17:00 day against Central Europe), with Spain's telework visa covering non-EU stays12 (source: Government sources — visado de teletrabajo, checked 2026-07-29). Behind it, the Tramuntana range carries 35 mapped hiking routes4 (source: OpenStreetMap — July 2026, within 30 km) and the winter peloton that made the island cycling's European capital.
The honest calendar: only 2 of 12 months land in the mild band2 (source: Nomadbase comfort index — from 2025 data) — the summer runs hot and the winter is real, bright but cool, with the sea off-limits to all but the committed. The measured internet holds a 59 Mbps median download5 (source: M-Lab — median download speed), the tap water is drinkable10 (source: Nomadbase country research — country tap-water tier), and the island premium on housing is the price of the postcode.
It suits you if you want Mediterranean island life without seasonal ghost-town risk, and sport — riding, hiking, sailing — as a weekly structure. It suits you less if budget tops the list or you expect year-round swimming: this is Spain's polished tier, with a proper off-season.
What works
- A real year-round city on full European overlap1 (source: Copernicus ERA5 — 09:00-17:00 against Central Europe)
- 35 hiking routes mapped within 30 km4 (source: OpenStreetMap — July 2026) and cycling's winter capital
- Spain's telework visa for non-EU passports12 (source: Government sources — checked 2026-07-29)
- Median download of 59 Mbps5 (source: M-Lab — median download speed) and drinkable tap water10 (source: Nomadbase country research — country tap-water tier)
Worth knowing
- Only 2 of 12 months in the mild band2 (source: Nomadbase comfort index — from 2025 data) — summer hot, winter real
- Island housing premium; the national price level reads 68.7 (US = 100)9 (source: World Bank — household consumption price level)
- August delivers crowds and heat in the same envelope
- The beach-city compromise: Palma's own sand is functional, not fabulous
Living in Palma
Neighbourhoods, finding a place and getting around — the practical layer the data tiles below cannot carry. Working, money, people and time off live in their own sections.
Where to stay
Santa Catalina is the answer most are looking for: the old fishermen's quarter turned café-and-market district, walkable to everything with the marina at its feet. The Casco Antiguo delivers golden-stone old-town living with acoustics to match; Portixol and El Molinar put the seafront promenade at the door for the morning-swim demographic. La Lonja is beautiful and nightlife-adjacent, meaning both things fully. Inland villages — Esporles, Santa Maria — trade city convenience for Tramuntana proximity.
Finding a place
The market is tight and seasonal: winter long-lets are findable through Idealista and local agents, while spring flips supply toward the holiday economy — the long-stay hunt rewards autumn timing and direct-owner conversations. Non-negotiables to verify: heating (island buildings under-invest), actual fibre, and summer cross-ventilation. The telework-visa crowd has professionalised the mid-term market; competition is real.
Getting around
The city walks and cycles flat; buses and the two train lines reach the island's spine (the Sóller wooden train being commute-as-heritage), and a car unlocks the coves and villages on your own schedule. Summer parking is a blood sport near any water. The airport's proximity is the island's quiet superpower — Europe's cities are ninety-minute neighbours.
Cost of living
#86of 101 destinations
What a month actually costs, as a range — housing you can verify, everyday spending modelled from national price levels, and every line labelled with which it is.
Money
Spanish norms: cards everywhere, menú del día as the honest lunch institution, and a clear split between resident prices one street inland and marina prices on the front. Island logistics add a visible margin to groceries; the markets — Santa Catalina, Olivar — return it in quality.
- Coworking deskadd-on, not in the range
- €119/mo8 (source: Published prices — Comodo&Co and Buena Onda, monthly flex desk (both 119 EUR ex 21% IVA), checked 2026-08-05)
Spot prices: Big Mac €6.148 (source: Published prices — The Economist Big Mac Index, Euro-area average (6.19 EUR = 7.08 USD), July 2026 release — data CC BY 4.0) · eSIM, 30 days €138 (source: Published prices — Airalo Spain eSIM — 10 GB / 30 days (Guay Mobile, Orange network), 10GB/30d 13.00 EUR from the Standard packages (slug guay-mobile-in-30days-10gb, verified in page payload; plain fetch shows only Unlimited — Unlimited 30d is 57.00 EUR)., checked 2026-07-29)
We cannot put a month together for Palma yet: we have no housing price for it — neither a coliving room nor a place of your own. Everyday spending we can model from national price levels, but housing is the part that actually varies by city, and a month without it would say more about our data than about Palma. The prices we do hold are above.
Live in Palma? Members report what they pay — and the medians appear right here.
Join the waitlistWork
#11of 103 destinations
59Mbps
median download, measured in the city
Connection, desks and whether a day here meets yours — the three things that decide whether you can do your job from this city.
Working from here
Palma's coworking scene is established and international, concentrated between Santa Catalina and the centre, with café-working culture to match. Fibre is standard in renovated stock. The rhythm advantage is the island's: European hours, Mediterranean lunches, and the Tramuntana close enough that a Wednesday-morning col before calls is a lifestyle, not a fantasy.
Internet
Coliving & coworking
CoworkingClick the map to open it — 23 places mapped in Palma altogether.
- Coworking spaces mapped
- 34 (source: OpenStreetMap — within 15km)
- Cafés mapped
- 7754 (source: OpenStreetMap — within 15km)
Time zones
Workday overlap with Europe
8 of 8 h1 (source: Copernicus ERA5 — Nomadbase overlap of a 09:00-17:00 day against Open-Meteo time zone (Europe/Madrid), standard time; Europe reference UTC+1)
Workday overlap with US East
2 of 8 h1 (source: Copernicus ERA5 — Nomadbase overlap of a 09:00-17:00 day against Open-Meteo time zone (Europe/Madrid), standard time; US East reference UTC-5)
Overlap is the hours a 09:00–17:00 day here meets a 09:00–17:00 day there, at standard time.
Climate & air
#50of 103 destinations
2of 12
mild months — felt temperature between 18 and 27 °C
Month by month, not as one annual average. 18–27 °C is the range where being outside feels good — we count how much of the year sits inside it.
Seasons
The island year has four honest acts: an almond-blossom late winter that is the connoisseur's secret; a long, perfect spring; a hot, full summer that peaks in August's crowds; and an autumn that keeps the sea warm and the trails golden into November. Winter is bright, cool and alive in the city — the season the day-trip economy never sees, and the reason Palma works as a base rather than a resort.
Tap a month for details.
feels-like monthly mean · ticks = rain days1 (source: Copernicus ERA5 — 2025 monthly means (felt temperature, rain-day share, cloud share))
comfortable & clearcomfortable, wetter/greyeroutside the 18–27 °C band
- Dry days a year
- 282 days/year1 (source: Copernicus ERA5 — 2025 full-year count)
- Cloud cover, annual mean
- 42%1 (source: Copernicus ERA5 — 2025 annual average)
Air quality — PM2.5, recent median
17 µg/m³ · poor3 (source: OpenAQ — median of 4 stations, 2026-08-03)
The climate score is built from that band plus rain and cloud cover, month by month — so a hot summer costs a destination points rather than earning them.
Safety & everyday life
#16of 103 destinations
8.6/ 10
women's safety — Georgetown WPS index, country level
Country-level indicators — a practical baseline for the whole country, not the vibe of one neighbourhood. Community reports refine this picture over time.
Staying safe
Palma's register is polished-city calm: pickpockets work the old town's tourist crush and the airport bus in season, beach bags walk when unattended, and that is substantially the list. The real risk lives outdoors: Tramuntana weather turns fast on the ridges, the winter sea is for the trained, and August heat on exposed rides is a medical variable. The nightlife strips run boisterous in season — ordinary care suffices.
- Homicide rate, national
- 0.7 per 100k7 (source: UNODC — intentional homicide rate for Spain, 2024)
- Hospitals & clinics
- ≈ 16 / 100k4 (source: OpenStreetMap — within 15km)
- Pharmacies
- ≈ 32 / 100k4 (source: OpenStreetMap — within 15km)
Safety for women
8.6 / 10
Georgetown WPS index — inclusion, justice and security, country level
71 mapped within 15 km
139 mapped within 15 km
Getting by in English
5.6 / 10
moderate English proficiency
LGBTQ+ legal position · Spain10 (source: Nomadbase country research — checked 2026-07-29)
10.0 / 10- Same-sex relationshipsLegal
- Partnership recognitionMarriage
- Employment protectionsYes
- Legal gender changePossible
3 queer venues mapped in the city · ≈ 0.7 per 100k residents4 (source: OpenStreetMap — within 15km)
Among the most protective countries globally: marriage since 2005 and self-determination gender recognition since the 2023 trans law (Ley 4/2023). Large, open LGBTQ scenes in Madrid, Barcelona and the islands.
Tap water · Spain10 (source: Nomadbase country research — checked 2026-07-29)
10.0 / 10Unsafe
Bottled advised
Mostly fine
Drink the tap
Safe to drink nationwide
Potable nationwide under EU standards; taste varies on the coasts (hard or desalinated water), so many drink bottled by preference rather than necessity.
Getting there & staying
#7of 103 destinations
no limit
visa-free on an EU passport · set in Your setup
How you get in, how long you may stay, and what it takes to run a business from here.
Visa & entry requirements
Digital nomad visa
Visado de teletrabajo (international telework visa)12 (source: Government sources — Dedicated remote-work visa: Visado de teletrabajo (international telework visa) (checked 2026-07-27))
EU citizens can stay indefinitely; visa-exempt non-EU travellers get 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area. Spain has an international telework visa for non-EU remote workers, and the route from inside Spain grants three years rather than one.12 (source: Government sources — checked against the official source on July 27, 2026)
How long you can stay
- EU, EEA and Swiss citizens: no limit. You may need to register locally after a few months.
- Visa-exempt non-EU travellers (US, UK, Canada, Australia and others): 90 days within any 180-day period. That allowance is shared across the whole Schengen area, not per country — days spent in Berlin count against days in Lisbon.
- Everyone else needs a Schengen visa before travelling.
Since 10 April 2026 the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) records every crossing biometrically at all air, land and sea borders, so the 90/180 count is now tracked automatically rather than by passport stamp.
Staying longer as a remote worker
Spain's visado de teletrabajo de carácter internacional (the digital nomad visa, created by the 2022 startups law) is for non-EU nationals working remotely for companies outside Spain. EU citizens do not need it and cannot apply.
Two routes, and they are not equivalent:
- From a consulate abroad — a visa valid up to one year.
- From inside Spain, legally present, through the Large Business Unit (UGE) — a residence authorisation of up to three years, decided within 20 working days.
You need to show income of 200% of the Spanish minimum wage. The SMI is paid in 14 annual instalments and the immigration unit annualises them, so with the 2026 SMI at €1,221 the bar works out to about €2,850 per month (≈€34,190 a year) — noticeably more than the €2,442 a naive twelve-month reading suggests. Add 75% of the SMI for a first family member and 25% for each additional one. You also need either a degree from a recognised institution or three years of professional experience.
No more than 20% of your income may come from Spanish clients.
Visa rules change frequently. This information was last checked on July 27, 2026. It is not legal advice — confirm before booking with the official source.
Flights
The nearest major airport — Palma de Mallorca Airport — is 8 km6 (source: OurAirports — nearest major airport is Palma de Mallorca Airport) out, with 1 airport6 (source: OurAirports — major and regional airports with scheduled service) within 100 km overall.
Company & banking
Setting up a company
6.0 / 10
on-site · 100% foreign ownership · no real minimum capital · ~15 days to register
Opening an account
8.0 / 10
personal account straightforward · business account straightforward · branch visit needed · Wise + Revolut
Setting up, in practice
The SL minimum capital dropped to 1 EUR, but the process still runs through a notary and the Registro Mercantil, and a foreigner needs a NIE first. Autonomo is the faster route for one person.Banking, in practice
Non-resident accounts exist and are commonly opened, but require an NIE and usually a branch visit; several banks charge a non-resident maintenance fee.Not legal or tax advice. Company law, fees and bank policy change without notice — confirm with the registry linked on each figure and with a local adviser before you act on any of it.
Going out
#47of 103 destinations
19.6/ 100
bars, pubs and clubs per 100 restaurants & cafés
Evenings, eating and what there is to do once the laptop closes.
Time off
The island is the itinerary: Deià and Sóller's terraced valleys, the Formentor lighthouse road, Cap de Ses Salines' empty south, and the cove-hopping east coast out of season. Ferries make Menorca and Ibiza weekend neighbours, and the airport makes everywhere else one. The deepest luxury is subtractive — a winter Tuesday in a village square the summer never meets.
CafésBars & pubsClick the map to open it — 23 places mapped in Palma altogether.
- Bars, pubs and clubs
- 3474 (source: OpenStreetMap — within 15km)
- Restaurants
- 9934 (source: OpenStreetMap — within 15km)
- Vegan-friendly places
- 244 (source: OpenStreetMap — within 15km)
- Vegetarian-friendly places
- 384 (source: OpenStreetMap — within 15km)
mapped within 15 km
mapped within 15 km — the base the shares below are measured against
1.4 per 100 restaurants & cafés
2.1 per 100 restaurants & cafés
Being active
#26of 103 destinations
61spots
gyms and yoga studios mapped in town
Gyms, studios and board sports in town, and the nature within reach — counted where counting is honest, shown as a badge where the map is too sparse to rank.
Staying active
Cycling is the island religion — the Tramuntana cols host half of Europe's pelotons from January to May, and the flat interior serves every other level — while the range's trails, from Deià's coastal paths to the Puig main events, carry the hiking calendar. The promenade runs from the cathedral to Portixol for the daily kilometres, ocean swimmers work the coves in three seasons, and sailing remains the harbour's founding sport. Gyms and studios fill the gaps at city standard.
In town
GymsYogaSurf spotsClick the map to open it — 23 places mapped in Palma altogether.
- Gyms
- 574 (source: OpenStreetMap — within 15km)
- Yoga studios
- 44 (source: OpenStreetMap — within 15km)
mapped within 15 km — ≈ 13 / 100k
mapped within 15 km — ≈ 0.9 / 100k
Nature within reach
Community
1here now
members checked in right now
Who is here, who is coming, and who has been. Counts only — never names.
Meeting people
The international community is layered — sailing crews, cycling migrants, German and Scandinavian part-year residents, a growing remote-work stratum — and organised through sport above all: the ride groups, the swim clubs, the hiking calendars. Spanish and Catalan both live here; either earns warmth. Winter is when the real community surfaces and the joining is easiest.
here now
arriving soon
have been
See who they are, message them and join local meetups in the Nomadbase app.
Nomadbase app · opening city by city
Be there when Palma opens
- See who's in Palma right now and join their meetups
- Real prices, café wifi and reports from members on the ground
- One email when your city goes live — nothing else
Double opt-in. Unsubscribe in one click.
Scan to open this guide on your phone
Keep up with Palma
Visa rules, costs and what members report from Palma — a short email when something on this page actually changes.
Double opt-in, unsubscribe in one click, no sharing with anyone.
Places like Palma
The closest matches in the catalogue, measured across cost, climate, connection and safety — with the reason each one is here. Compare any of them against this page in one click.
How the scores work
Every score runs 0–10 and is comparative — where Palma lands across the catalogue, not a grade in isolation.
Cost
1.7#86 of 101 · 1 of 1 measured
What a month costs, from the cheapest way of living here to the dearest we can price.
No housing price is verified here yet, so the score rests on the country price level (69, US = 100). Across the catalogue that ranks 86th of 101.
Public data 1.7
Work
7.8#11 of 103 · 2 of 2 measured
Connection, desks and whether the working day here meets yours.
Typical downloads run around 59 Mbps and 3 coworking spaces are mapped in town. Across the catalogue that ranks 11th of 103.
Public data 8.3
Public data 7.3
Climate
6.5#50 of 103 · 1 of 1 measured
How the year feels outside, air quality included.
2 of the 12 months sit in the comfortable 18–27 °C range and air pollution is moderate (17.0 µg/m³ PM2.5). Across the catalogue that ranks 50th of 103.
Public data 6.5
Safety
7.7#16 of 103 · 6 of 6 measured
The country-level baseline: violence, healthcare, water, and who the law protects.
Violent crime is rare nationwide (0.73 homicides per 100k), women's safety scores 8.6/10 on the Georgetown index, 71 clinics and hospitals are mapped within reach and tap water is drinkable. Across the catalogue that ranks 16th of 103.
Public data 7.4
Public data 6.0
Public data 8.6
Public data 10.0
Public data 10.0
Public data 5.6
Getting there
8.1#7 of 103 · 3 of 3 measured
Getting in, staying legally, and flying out again.
An EU passport can stay without a time limit, there is a dedicated nomad visa and the nearest major airport is 8 km from town. Across the catalogue that ranks 7th of 103.
Public data 8.7
Public data 7.9
Public data 7.0
Going out
5.3#47 of 103 · 4 of 4 measured
Evenings, eating and what there is to do when the laptop closes.
For every 100 restaurants and cafés there are 20 bars, pubs or clubs and 1 vegan-friendly places per 100 restaurants and cafés. Across the catalogue that ranks 47th of 103.
Public data 6.4
Public data 6.6
Public data 3.2
Public data 2.9
Being active
6.5#26 of 103 · 2 of 2 measured
Gyms and studios, board sports, and the nature within reach.
57 gyms and 4 yoga studios are mapped in town, 11 nature reserves and 35 hiking routes lie within 30 km, it sits on the coast and the wind is kiteable on 18 days a year. Across the catalogue that ranks 26th of 103.
Public data 5.1
Public data 7.8
Community
Nothing measured here yet
Members on the ground, chapters and events — our own data, not a proxy.
1 member is in Palma right now.
Not measured here yet: community.
Read the sectionSources
Every figure on this page carries the source it came from and the date it was measured. Where no source exists, the field is left empty rather than estimated.
- 1
Copernicus ERA5Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information
ECMWF’s ERA5 reanalysis, retrieved through Open-Meteo. Temperatures, rainfall, cloud cover and wind are daily values for the last complete calendar year.
- 2
Our own reading of ERA5 data, not a measurement: a month-by-month score for how comfortable the felt temperature is, damped for rain and cloud. The formula is published.
- 3
OpenAQCC BY 4.0
Air quality measured at ground stations. Only reaches part of the catalogue — a city needs a station nearby that is still reporting.
- 4
OpenStreetMapODbL
Community-mapped places: coworking, cafés, gyms and diet options within 15km. Counts are a floor rather than a census — coverage depends on local mappers.
- 5
M-LabCC BY-SA 4.0
Internet speed from real speed tests run by people in the city, aggregated over a seven-day window.
- 6
OurAirportsPublic domain
Airport locations and types. Distances are to the nearest major airport with scheduled service.
- 7
UNODCFree with attribution
Intentional homicide rate from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime — a national figure, because no free source measures crime per city. The year next to the number is the year the country last reported.
- 8
Prices read by hand from the operator’s or authority’s own published price list — a transit tariff, a coworking rate card, an eSIM store — on the date shown. Checked quarterly; the linked page is the source.
- 9
World BankCC BY 4.0
Price level of household consumption at market exchange rates (US = 100) — a national figure that anchors the cost score where no city-level source exists yet. It measures what arriving with foreign income feels like, which is why a weak currency lowers it.
- 10
Hand-maintained country tables for the LGBTQ+ legal position and tap-water safety, compiled from advocacy databases (ILGA World, Human Dignity Trust), national authorities and government travel advice, and scored with a published rubric. Country-level by nature — city reality can differ, which is what the practical note is for.
- 11
WikidataCC0
Structural facts taken from the place’s Wikidata entity — resident population, which mirrors a national census figure, and elevation above sea level. The year is the one Wikidata records for that figure; where the entity was the wrong scale for the place we describe, the number has been replaced by a hand-sourced one from the statistics office instead.
- 12
Government sources
Visa and entry rules come from the responsible authority for each country, linked in the visa section and re-checked by hand on the date shown.
Frequently asked questions
How fast is the internet in Palma?
Median download speed is about 59 Mbps. Source: M-Lab median of 8,445 tests within 50 km, last 7 days.
What visa do I need for Palma?
EU citizens can stay indefinitely; visa-exempt non-EU travellers get 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area. Spain has an international telework visa for non-EU remote workers, and the route from inside Spain grants three years rather than one. Last checked 2026-07-27. Always confirm with the official source before booking.
What is the weather like in Palma?
Winters average 13.8 °C and summers 26.7 °C. 2 of 12 months average a comfortable 18–27 °C (felt temperature). Source: Copernicus ERA5, 2025 annual average.
Can I work European or US hours from Palma?
A 09:00–17:00 working day in Palma overlaps 8 hours with Central European time and 2 hours with US Eastern time, at standard time.
Are there coworking spaces in Palma?
3 coworking spaces are mapped in Palma, plus 775 cafés to work from. Source: OpenStreetMap, within 15km. Counts are a floor, not a census — coverage depends on local mappers.
How do you get to Palma?
The nearest major airport is about 8 km away. 1 airport with scheduled service within 100 km. Source: OurAirports — nearest major airport is Palma de Mallorca Airport.
Where Palma ranks
Last reviewed August 5, 2026. Every figure carries its own measurement date; hover a footnote for the source, or see the list above.