Living in Palencia
In Palencia, the statutory reference rent is €5.00 per m² a month (2022) and unemployment is 8.1% (2024).
Palencia had 77,466 residents at the start of 2025 and is a city in Spain. Annual PM2.5 was 7 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. Gigabit broadband availability was 99% in 2025.
Higher unemployment than 91% of Spanish cities that publish it, less recorded crime than 91% of Spanish cities that publish it and cleaner air than 83% of Spanish cities that publish it.
Which Spain-wide rules apply when you move to Palencia?
National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.
Housing and cost
How much does it cost to rent in Palencia?
Average net cold rent is 5 EUR/m² per month (2022), excluding heating and operating charges.
Published average over existing tenancies; a specific flat can sit either side of it. Asking-rent series, where present, are separate rows in the table.
- Average net rent (nettokalt): 5 EUR/m²/month · cdn.mivau.gob.es2
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited | 20 EUR/month | 30 Sept 2026 | DIGI 300 Mbps fibre4Official · national market |
| Mobile plan, 10 GB | 12 EUR/month | 30 Sept 2026 | DIGI 100GB mobile plan3Official · national market |
| Dwellings | 44,610 dwellings | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain17Official |
| Main residence dwellings | 33,006 dwellings | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain17Official |
| Secondary, seasonal or vacant dwellings | 11,604 dwellings | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain17Official |
| Average net rent (nettokalt) | 5 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €5.10 | 31 Dec 2022 | cdn.mivau.gob.es2Official |
| Official reference rent (median) | 450 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2024 | SERPAVI — VDP001_01 — rental price and surface indicators by municipality25Official |
Is Palencia a good place to live?
There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.
Worked out from these numbers
What does a 60 m² flat cost?
About 300 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 5 EUR/m² per month, before heating and operating charges.
Heating, water and operating charges come on top, and a specific flat can sit either side of an average.
Work and income
The unemployment rate was 8.07% in 2024.
What is the unemployment rate in Palencia?
The unemployment rate is about 8.1 % (2024).
- Unemployment rate: 8.07 % · INE Urban Indicators — unemployment rate by city12
Palencia 8.1%
Unemployment rate (%)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gigabit broadband availability | 99.01 % | 30 Jun 2025 | SETELECO Cobertura Banda Ancha España 2021-202526Official |
| People in employment | 30,144 people | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain17Official |
| Median gross salary (regional) | 1,881 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2024 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)13Official · regional context |
| Unemployment rate | 8.07 %country median 4.4% | 31 Dec 2024 | INE Urban Indicators — unemployment rate by city12Official |
Unemployment rate fell 64.0% between 2015 and 2024, from 22.4% to 8.1%.
What does a salary buy in Palencia?
Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.
RentInternetMobileLeft over
Line-by-line breakdown and sources
| Each month | € |
|---|---|
| Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions. | €1,520 |
| Rent, 60 m²€5.00/m² · official · cdn.mivau.gob.es · 2022-12-31 | − €300 |
| Internet€20 · official · DIGI 300 Mbps fibre · 2026-09-30 | − €20 |
| Mobile plan€12 · official · DIGI 100GB mobile plan · 2026-09-30 | − €12 |
| Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities | — |
| Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish | €1,188 |
Public employment service
No exact public employment office is currently linked to Palencia. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.
Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal — Public employment service
Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Palencia. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.
Healthcare
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital beds per 100,000 residents | 1,043 beds per 100,000 | 31 Dec 2025 | Ministerio de Sanidad – Catálogo Nacional de Hospitales 202518Official |
Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Palencia under the national coverage rules.
Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.
Open the official coverage guideSafety
How safe is Palencia?
Police recorded about 3,258 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: MIR 2024 Q4 exact III. TOTAL INFRACCIONES PENALES, enero-diciembre 2024; INE 29005 denominator.19
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents | 3,258 incidents per 100,000country median 4,281 | 31 Dec 2024 | MIR 2024 Q4 exact III. TOTAL INFRACCIONES PENALES, enero-diciembre 2024; INE 29005 denominator.19Official |
Mobility and administration
Language courses and integration
No exact city-level course record is currently published for Palencia. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.
Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas — public language education network — State Language Course
Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports / autonomous education authorities
For adult language learners, residents.
Climate and air quality
Is the air quality good in Palencia?
The annual PM2.5 mean is 7 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — Spain 2024 PM2.5 provenance repair5
Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.
Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³
City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.
Palencia 7.0
Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| NO₂ — annual mean | 8 µg/m³ | 31 Dec 2024 | EEA air quality statistics — ES NO2 annual mean 2024 (station PALENCIA 3)6Official · nearest-station reading |
| PM10 — annual mean | 15 µg/m³ | 31 Dec 2024 | EEA air quality statistics — ES PM10 annual mean 2024 (station PALENCIA 3)7Official · nearest-station reading |
| PM2.5 — annual mean | 7 µg/m³country median 8.7 | 31 Dec 2024 | EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — Spain 2024 PM2.5 provenance repair5Official |
| Monthly extreme high temperature | Jan 17.85 · Feb 19.73 · Mar 23.87 · Apr 27.64 · May 32.19 · Jun 38.39 · Jul 36.55 · Aug 37.59 · Sep 36.4 · Oct 28.9 · Nov 21.8 · Dec 16.8 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center20Official |
| Monthly extreme low temperature | Jan -7.6 · Feb -7.06 · Mar -8.91 · Apr -3.19 · May -1.62 · Jun 2.26 · Jul 5.89 · Aug 5.73 · Sep 1.98 · Oct -2.15 · Nov -5.64 · Dec -9.9 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center20Official |
| Average temperature by month | Jan 3.2 · Feb 3.98 · Mar 6.98 · Apr 9.89 · May 13.66 · Jun 18.44 · Jul 20.88 · Aug 20.72 · Sep 17.17 · Oct 12.47 · Nov 6.72 · Dec 3.59 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center20Official |
Population and city profile
How many people live in Palencia?
The published population was 77,466 people in January 2025. Source: Palencia - official stats24
By nationality
National passport93.5%
Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars per 1,000 residents | 468.6 cars per 1000 people | 31 Dec 2024 | Eurostat8Official |
| City area | 94.91 km² | 31 Dec 2024 | Eurostat GISCO, European Commission10Official |
| Foreign-resident share | 6.6 % | 31 Dec 2024 | Eurostat9Official |
| Foreign residents | 5,028 people | 1 Jan 2024 | Official INE municipal population by country of nationality; foreign total derived as Total nationality minus España.21Official |
| Population density | 806.9 people/km² | 31 Dec 2024 | Eurostat GISCO / Eurostat Urban Audit10Official |
| Female residents | 40,447 people | 31 Dec 2023 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)14Official |
| Male residents | 35,884 people | 31 Dec 2023 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)14Official |
| Population | 77,466 people | 1 Jan 2025 | Palencia - official stats24Official |
Population fell 5.7% between 2010 and 2025, from 82,169 to 77,466.
Foreign residents rose 91.3% between 2014 and 2025, from 3,139 to 6,006.
International community in Palencia
Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.
Country of birth
Population resident in Spain; both sexes; official INE Census 2021 municipal table · 2021 Census
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 77,086 | 100.0% |
| Spain | 71,736 | 93.1% |
| South America | 2,449 | 3.2% |
| European Union (without Spain) | 1,096 | 1.4% |
| Africa | 695 | 0.9% |
| Central America and Caribbean | 408 | 0.5% |
| Asia | 323 | 0.4% |
| Rent of Europe | 277 | 0.4% |
| North America | 94 | 0.1% |
| Oceania | 8 | 0.0% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source15
Citizenship
Population resident in Spain; both sexes; official INE Census 2021 municipal table · 2021 Census
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 77,086 | 100.0% |
| Spanish | 73,493 | 95.3% |
| South America | 1,353 | 1.8% |
| European Union (without Spain) | 845 | 1.1% |
| Africa | 692 | 0.9% |
| Asia | 292 | 0.4% |
| Central America and Caribbean | 207 | 0.3% |
| Rent of Europe | 146 | 0.2% |
| North America | 57 | 0.1% |
| Oceania | 1 | 0.0% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source16
Additional context
Alternatives for people set on Palencia
Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.
Venta de Baños as a Palencia alternative in the same region
11 km away, better on 2 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.
- Rent: €4.00/m² Venta de Baños vs €5.00/m² Palencia−20%
- Residents: 6,372 Venta de Baños vs 77,466 Palencia−92%
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,030 (2025) Venta de Baños vs 3,258 (2024) Palenciano percentage
- Nearest airport: 38.1 km Venta de Baños vs 43.5 km Palencia−12%
- Median gross pay, region: €1,881 Venta de Baños vs €1,881 Palenciasame level
Getxo as a Palencia alternative in the same country
A move, not a commute, at 193 km, better on 2 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Rent and foreign residents cannot be compared like for like.
- Median gross pay, region: €2,659 Getxo vs €1,881 Palencia+41%
- Rent: €11.70/m² (2024) Getxo vs €5.00/m² (2022) Palenciano percentage
- Nearest airport: 9.1 km Getxo vs 43.5 km Palencia−79%
- Foreign residents: 7.7% (2025) Getxo vs 6.6% (2024) Palenciano percentage
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 3,393 Getxo vs 3,258 Palencia+4%
- Residents: 75,752 Getxo vs 77,466 Palencia−2%
Tallinn as a Palencia alternative in another country
A move, not a commute, at 2786 km, better on 2 of 2 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Rent and median gross pay, region cannot be compared like for like.
- Annual PM2.5: 3.0 µg/m³ Tallinn vs 7.0 µg/m³ Palencia−57%
- Rent: €7.33/m² (2008) Tallinn vs €5.00/m² (2022) Palenciano percentage
- Nearest airport: 5.6 km Tallinn vs 43.5 km Palencia−87%
- Median gross pay, region: €2,068 (2025) Tallinn vs €1,881 (2024) Palenciano percentage
Cities near Palencia
Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.
- Rent
- 4 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
- Rent
- 4 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
Alternative cities in Spain
Other cities in Spain to compare with Palencia, nearest in population first.
How does Palencia compare?
Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Palencia's.
School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 6 to 16. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: Regional reception programmes (aulas de enlace Madrid / aules d acollida Catalonia etc). How to enrol a child (educacionfpydeportes.gob.es).
A country-wide rule for Spain; Palencia's school authority applies it locally.
Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.
Common questions
Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.
How many people live in Palencia?
The published population was 77,466 people in January 2025. Source: Palencia - official stats.
How much does it cost to rent in Palencia?
Average net cold rent is 5 EUR/m² per month (2022), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 350 EUR a month before utilities. Source: cdn.mivau.gob.es.
Is the air quality good in Palencia?
The annual PM2.5 mean is 7 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — Spain 2024 PM2.5 provenance repair.
How safe is Palencia?
Police recorded about 3,258 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: MIR 2024 Q4 exact III. TOTAL INFRACCIONES PENALES, enero-diciembre 2024; INE 29005 denominator..
What is the unemployment rate in Palencia?
The unemployment rate is about 8.1 % (2024). Source: INE Urban Indicators — unemployment rate by city.
What is the typical salary around Palencia?
The median gross salary is 1,881 EUR/month. Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE).
Is Palencia a good place to live?
Palencia may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.
Which cities are near Palencia?
Villamuriel de Cerrato, Venta de Baños are near Palencia. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.
How many people born in Spain live in Palencia?
The official country of birth distribution records 71,736 people (93.1%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.
Cite this page
Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.
APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Palencia, Spain: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 58642426cd0e267fdb53b2f3cbf6540d]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/es/palencia/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_palencia-spain-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_fad42ff47037,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Palencia, Spain: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-16},
version = {58642426cd0e267fdb53b2f3cbf6540d},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/es/palencia/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Palencia, Spain: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/es/palencia/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 58642426cd0e267fdb53b2f3cbf6540d; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.
Sources
- Catálogo Nacional de Hospitales 2025 sanidad.gob.es · checked 2026-07-16
- cdn.mivau.gob.es cdn.mivau.gob.es · checked 2026-08-26
- DIGI 100GB mobile plan digimobil.es · checked 2026-09-15
- DIGI 300 Mbps fibre digimobil.es · checked 2026-09-15
- EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — Spain 2024 PM2.5 provenance repair EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-29
- EEA air quality statistics — ES NO2 annual mean 2024 (station PALENCIA 3) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
- EEA air quality statistics — ES PM10 annual mean 2024 (station PALENCIA 3) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-02
- Eurostat GISCO, European Commission gisco-services.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
Show 19 more sources
- GISCO Urban Audit 2021 — Functional Urban Areas (URAU_RG_100K_2021_4326_FUA) GISCO Urban Audit 2021 · gisco-services.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-19
- INE Urban Indicators — unemployment rate by city INE Urban Indicators · servicios.ine.es · checked 2026-07-26
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) servicios.ine.es · checked 2026-08-06
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) ine.es · checked 2026-08-07
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Spain servicios.ine.es · checked 2026-08-30
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Spain servicios.ine.es · checked 2026-08-30
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain ine.es · checked 2026-08-07
- Ministerio de Sanidad – Catálogo Nacional de Hospitales 2025 sanidad.gob.es · checked 2026-08-03
- MIR 2024 Q4 exact III. TOTAL INFRACCIONES PENALES, enero-diciembre 2024; INE 29005 denominator. estadisticasdecriminalidad.ses.mir.es · checked 2026-07-16
- NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
- Official INE municipal population by country of nationality; foreign total derived as Total nationality minus España. ine.es · checked 2024-01-01
- OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
- OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
- Palencia - official stats ine.es · checked 2026-07-14
- SERPAVI — VDP001_01 — rental price and surface indicators by municipality SERPAVI · cdn.mivau.gob.es · checked 2026-09-12
- SETELECO Cobertura Banda Ancha España 2021-2025 digital.gob.es · checked 2025-06-30
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.