CITY / CITYVerified city comparison
HeraklionvsLas Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is stronger on 6 of 8 headline facts; Heraklion on 2. Cost of living (single, excl. rent): Heraklion $766/mo, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria $941/mo. Freelancer tax burden: Heraklion 30.9%, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 28.4%. Climate comfort: Heraklion 10/12 mo, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 12/12 mo.
VerifiedUpdated
14 compared criteria · 29 sources · country-level facts are clearly inherited
gr / es · SettleMetric
01
The key differences
The key numbers head-to-head — the stronger side is marked. The overall score stays decoration; what matters is which facts fit you.
Headline result
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria leads on 6 of 8
Heraklion
2
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
6
01Cost of living (single, excl. rent)
Heraklionstronger
$766/mo
ELSTAT — Household Budget Survey 2023
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- ELSTAT HBS 2023: average annual expenditure per person = €8,358.24 = €696.52/month (monetary purchases, excludes imputed owner rent). Subtracted the actual-rent component (~€24.6/person) → €671.9/person excl. rent × 1.1399 = $766. Same low-reading per-capita HBS basis as peers.
- Notes
- Greek monetary household consumption is genuinely depressed (ELSTAT reports it ~20.5% below 2008), so the per-capita figure lands near Czechia despite Greece feeling pricier in tourist zones. Rent shown separately.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$941/mo
INE — Encuesta de Presupuestos Familiares 2024 (household budget survey), rent stripped
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- INE EPF 2024 average household spending by COICOP group (total €34,044/hh). Housing group €11,029 reduced to utilities only (imputed rent €9,299 removed), leaving a non-rent basket of €24,746/hh. Divided by average household size 2.50 (€34,044 ÷ €13,626 per-person) → €9,905/person/yr = €825/mo; converted at EUR/USD 1.1399 (ECB 2026-07-02) → $941/mo. Cross-checked against Eurostat comparative price levels (Spain ≈ 92% of EU27; ≈ 1.28× Poland, whose figure is $753).
- Notes
- National per-capita non-rent basket. A person living alone typically spends somewhat more per head (fixed costs not shared) — this figure is the reproducible household-survey floor. City files (Madrid/Barcelona) run higher; Valencia/smaller cities lower.
02Freelancer tax burden
Heraklion
30.9%
SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Law 5246/2025 income-tax scale + e-EFKA Class 1)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Standard freelancer scheme at €60,000, single (scheme gr-freelancer-standard): EFKA Class 1 = 3,006/yr (deductible); income tax on 56,994 via the 2026 scale (9/20/26/34/39%) = 15,528. Levies 18,534 → 30.9%. NOTE: a relocating new tax resident gets the 50% income-tax exemption (Article 5C, scheme gr-freelancer-newresident-50) for 7 years, cutting this to ≈13.5% — but the 30.9% standard figure is the unconditional, steady-state burden shown as the headline.
Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger
28.4%
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- Best realistically-eligible scheme for a solo IT freelancer = es-autonomo-estimacion-directa at €60,000 revenue with 10% (€6,000) expenses. RETA cuota tramo 14 (base 1,732.03 × 31.5%) = 6,547.08/yr; difícil-justificación 2,000 (notional); IRPF base 39,902.92 (after mínimo personal 5,550) → 10,465.58. Total levies 17,012.66 / 60,000 = 28.4%. The Beckham regime (flat 24%) is NOT open to ordinary freelancers, only to eligible employed/relocated impatriates — see es-beckham-impatriate.
03Homicide rate
Heraklion
0.78/100k
Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (crim_off_cat, ICCS0101, unit P_HTHAB, geo=EL)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Police-recorded intentional homicide, 2024 (0.78). Very low by global standards (world average ~5.8) and down over the series (1.29 in 2008 to 0.68–0.88 recently). One of the safer countries in the set.
Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger
0.72/100k
Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (ICCS 0101, per 100k)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Notes
- Latest year 2024 = 0.72 per 100k (2023: 0.69; 2022: 0.69). Spain is among the safer EU countries for intentional homicide.
04Climate comfort
Heraklion
10/12 mo
SettleMetric computation over climate-normals (NOAA GSOD 1991–2020, Heraklion Airport)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2020
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- Months whose mean daily maximum is between 15 and 28 °C AND whose monthly precipitation is under 150 mm: Jan (15.3), Feb (15.6), Mar (17.4), Apr (20.3), May (23.9), Jun (27.5), Sep (27.3), Oct (24.2), Nov (20.4), Dec (16.9) = 10. Only July and August are excluded, both at 29.4 °C. The precipitation test excludes nothing: the wettest month is January at 90.2 mm.
- Notes
- Ten sits at the top of this dataset’s range: Lisbon and Los Angeles also reach ten, and only Bogotá, Las Palmas, Mexico City and Funchal reach twelve. The count rewards a winter that never gets cold rather than a gentle summer — January and February qualify here purely because their daily maxima sit just above the 15 °C floor.
Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger
12/12 mo
SettleMetric computation over climate-normals (NOAA/WMO 1991–2020, Gran Canaria/Aeropuerto 60030)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2020
- Verified
- Aug 28, 2026
- Method
- Months whose 1991–2020 normals have mean daily maximum between 15°C and 28°C and precipitation below 150mm. All twelve qualify: the coldest month by day is January at 21.1°C and the warmest is August at 27.5°C, and the wettest month, December, brings 25.9mm. No month is excluded on either test, which is why the figure hits the ceiling of 12.
- Notes
- Only three other cities in this dataset score 12 — Mexico City, Bogotá and Funchal — and all three are far wetter (574–877mm a year against 132mm here). The score says nothing about wind: the trade winds blow across the city most of the year, and Saharan dust episodes (calima) close the picture for a few days at a time.
05Internet speed
Heraklion
37 Mbps
M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Greece
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Median of the 343 daily country-median download values for GR in 2023 = 37.3 Mbps (268,076 download tests; daily medians ranged 21.3–47.3). M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads below Ookla-style tests — comparable only within this criterion. 2023 is the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API.
- Notes
- Greece's fixed broadband is improving as fibre rolls out; the single-stream M-Lab median is used only for cross-country comparability on one consistent method.
Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger
50 Mbps
M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Spain
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- Median of 344 daily country medians, 9,298,577 tests (2023 — latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API; 2024 file is partial at 86 days with a similar 52.5 Mbps median).
- Notes
- M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures — comparable only within this criterion. Spain has extensive FTTH coverage; real advertised fibre speeds are far higher than this test-based median.
06English proficiency
Heraklionstronger
High
EF EPI 2025 — Greece (score 592, rank 20/123, High band)
Research
- Data as of
- Nov 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First): Greece scores 592, rank 20/123 — top of the 'High' band, just below the 'Very High' threshold (~600); global average 488. English is widely functional in tourism, services and among younger Greeks, though the score slipped 10 points from the prior edition.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Moderate
EF EPI 2025 (Spain rank 36/123, score 540 — Moderate band)
Research
- Data as of
- Nov 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Notes
- Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First; Spain score 540, Moderate band, weakest in speaking 462). English is workable in tourist/hospitality zones and among younger urban professionals, but limited in government offices, healthcare, and everyday services outside big cities — a moderate rating for daily life.
07Private healthcare cost
Heraklion
$1,368/yr
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Midpoint of local comprehensive (inpatient + outpatient) annual premiums for a healthy 35-year-old, €600–1,800 from major Greek insurers (mid-range €100–180/month) → ~€1,200/yr × 1.1399 = $1,368.
- Notes
- Public cover exists via EOPYY (funded through EFKA contributions), but waiting lists and gaps drive a large private market. Local plans run cheaper than international/expat plans ($2,000–4,000+/yr). Greek insurers raised premiums ~14% in 2025 — a rising curated midpoint, not a firm quote.
Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger
$821/yr
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 4, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- Comprehensive Spanish private health policies (póliza de salud) include outpatient AND hospitalization/inpatient by default. For a healthy 35-year-old, full-cover plans run ≈ €45–52/mo with modest copays and ≈ €65–90/mo copay-free (Sanitas, Adeslas, DKV — 2026 published ranges). Comprehensive midpoint ≈ €60/mo ≈ €720/yr ≈ $821 at EUR/USD 1.1399 (range ≈ $615–$1,230/yr).
- Notes
- Residents in the contributory system have public healthcare (Sistema Nacional de Salud); private cover is optional and widely bought for speed/choice. Premiums are quoted on request and vary by province (Madrid/Barcelona highest) and copay structure, so this is a curated market midpoint on a comprehensive (outpatient+inpatient) basis, not a single public quote.
08Air quality (PM2.5)
Heraklion
11.7 µg/m³
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- Row Irakleio/GRC, year 2024, of the WHO Ambient Air Quality Database v8.0 (2026): pm25_concentration = 11.66 µg/m³ at 99% temporal coverage over 1 station, reference "European Environmental Agency". Cross-checked against the EEA statistic it is built from, queried directly on 2026-09-20: station GR0433A HERAKLION-2, urban traffic, annual mean 11.663023 µg/m³, data coverage 98.95%, verification flag 1 (validated). The row’s station sits at 35.3328°N 25.1382°E, 0.9 km from this city’s recorded coordinates. Reference year 2024 is the latest year with a full-year figure and the year already used by the other European cities here; the database also carries 2025 at 10.97 µg/m³, but on 56% coverage, far below the EU’s 90% data-quality objective, so it is reported here rather than used.
- Notes
- ONE station, and an urban traffic one, so this reads high relative to where people actually live — Heraklion has no urban background PM2.5 monitor. For scale, the nearest background site, Finokalia on the coast 48 km east, measured 7.08 µg/m³ in the same year, and the whole Greek network reported between 7.08 and 24.51. Preceding year in the same series: 2023, 13.30 µg/m³ at 88% coverage. Even on the traffic station the figure is well under the EU limit value of 25 and the lowest of the three Greek cities here — Athens 14.2 (a five-station average) and Thessaloniki 16.11 (six stations, four of them traffic) for the same year.
Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger
7.1 µg/m³
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2025
- Verified
- Aug 28, 2026
- Method
- Mean of the 2025 annual means of the three stations that the network's own annual report places in the municipality of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and runs on the Gobierno de Canarias network: Mercado Central 7.77 µg/m³ (95.7% valid hours), Néstor Álamo 6.81 (95.4%) and San Nicolás 6.60 (98.9%), computed from the network's own hourly workbook — (7.77 + 6.81 + 6.60) / 3 = 7.06. Jinámar fase 3 (4.68) is excluded: it is an industrial-type station on the ENDESA network beside the Jinámar power plant at the far southern edge of the municipality, classified "industrial" in the EEA station register while the other three are urban traffic or urban background. The computation was validated by reproducing the network's published 2024 annual means exactly from the 2024 hourly workbook: Mercado Central 11.10 against 11.1 published, Néstor Álamo 10.06 against 10.1, San Nicolás 9.65 against 9.7 and Jinámar 4.82 against 4.8, with the valid-hour percentages matching to the tenth of a point.
- Notes
- 2025 was much cleaner than 2024, when the same three stations averaged 10.27 µg/m³. The swing is Saharan dust: EU law lets member states discount natural contributions, and this network publishes the correction factors for exactly that purpose, but the figure here is the raw measured mean with nothing subtracted. Even so it is the lowest of any Spanish city in this dataset (Madrid 9, Valencia 12.4, Barcelona 14.0) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³, but below the EU limit of 25 and below the 10 that takes effect in 2030. The EEA European city air quality viewer, the criterion's first-choice source, has no static per-city export.
02
Which city fits your plan?
Each lens weighs only the facts that matter to that plan, and names the side it favours.
Remote IT / freelancer
Contract or freelance in tech, billing clients abroad.
A close call for this plan
01Freelancer tax burden
Heraklion
30.9%
SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Law 5246/2025 income-tax scale + e-EFKA Class 1)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Standard freelancer scheme at €60,000, single (scheme gr-freelancer-standard): EFKA Class 1 = 3,006/yr (deductible); income tax on 56,994 via the 2026 scale (9/20/26/34/39%) = 15,528. Levies 18,534 → 30.9%. NOTE: a relocating new tax resident gets the 50% income-tax exemption (Article 5C, scheme gr-freelancer-newresident-50) for 7 years, cutting this to ≈13.5% — but the 30.9% standard figure is the unconditional, steady-state burden shown as the headline.
Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger
28.4%
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- Best realistically-eligible scheme for a solo IT freelancer = es-autonomo-estimacion-directa at €60,000 revenue with 10% (€6,000) expenses. RETA cuota tramo 14 (base 1,732.03 × 31.5%) = 6,547.08/yr; difícil-justificación 2,000 (notional); IRPF base 39,902.92 (after mínimo personal 5,550) → 10,465.58. Total levies 17,012.66 / 60,000 = 28.4%. The Beckham regime (flat 24%) is NOT open to ordinary freelancers, only to eligible employed/relocated impatriates — see es-beckham-impatriate.
02Internet speed
Heraklion
37 Mbps
M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Greece
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Median of the 343 daily country-median download values for GR in 2023 = 37.3 Mbps (268,076 download tests; daily medians ranged 21.3–47.3). M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads below Ookla-style tests — comparable only within this criterion. 2023 is the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API.
- Notes
- Greece's fixed broadband is improving as fibre rolls out; the single-stream M-Lab median is used only for cross-country comparability on one consistent method.
Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger
50 Mbps
M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Spain
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- Median of 344 daily country medians, 9,298,577 tests (2023 — latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API; 2024 file is partial at 86 days with a similar 52.5 Mbps median).
- Notes
- M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures — comparable only within this criterion. Spain has extensive FTTH coverage; real advertised fibre speeds are far higher than this test-based median.
03English proficiency
Heraklionstronger
High
EF EPI 2025 — Greece (score 592, rank 20/123, High band)
Research
- Data as of
- Nov 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First): Greece scores 592, rank 20/123 — top of the 'High' band, just below the 'Very High' threshold (~600); global average 488. English is widely functional in tourism, services and among younger Greeks, though the score slipped 10 points from the prior edition.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Moderate
EF EPI 2025 (Spain rank 36/123, score 540 — Moderate band)
Research
- Data as of
- Nov 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Notes
- Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First; Spain score 540, Moderate band, weakest in speaking 462). English is workable in tourist/hospitality zones and among younger urban professionals, but limited in government offices, healthcare, and everyday services outside big cities — a moderate rating for daily life.
04Cost of living (single, excl. rent)
Heraklionstronger
$766/mo
ELSTAT — Household Budget Survey 2023
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- ELSTAT HBS 2023: average annual expenditure per person = €8,358.24 = €696.52/month (monetary purchases, excludes imputed owner rent). Subtracted the actual-rent component (~€24.6/person) → €671.9/person excl. rent × 1.1399 = $766. Same low-reading per-capita HBS basis as peers.
- Notes
- Greek monetary household consumption is genuinely depressed (ELSTAT reports it ~20.5% below 2008), so the per-capita figure lands near Czechia despite Greece feeling pricier in tourist zones. Rent shown separately.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$941/mo
INE — Encuesta de Presupuestos Familiares 2024 (household budget survey), rent stripped
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- INE EPF 2024 average household spending by COICOP group (total €34,044/hh). Housing group €11,029 reduced to utilities only (imputed rent €9,299 removed), leaving a non-rent basket of €24,746/hh. Divided by average household size 2.50 (€34,044 ÷ €13,626 per-person) → €9,905/person/yr = €825/mo; converted at EUR/USD 1.1399 (ECB 2026-07-02) → $941/mo. Cross-checked against Eurostat comparative price levels (Spain ≈ 92% of EU27; ≈ 1.28× Poland, whose figure is $753).
- Notes
- National per-capita non-rent basket. A person living alone typically spends somewhat more per head (fixed costs not shared) — this figure is the reproducible household-survey floor. City files (Madrid/Barcelona) run higher; Valencia/smaller cities lower.
05Domestic delivery quality
Heraklion
Good
Greek carrier networks (ELTA, ACS, BoxNow) — composite
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Dense mainland-city coverage: national couriers (ELTA post, ACS, Geniki Taxydromiki, Speedex) plus one of SE Europe's largest parcel-locker networks (BoxNow) and Skroutz Last Mile; cash-on-delivery ('αντικαταβολή') is mainstream. Athens/Thessaloniki are excellent, but ELTA's financial troubles and ferry-dependent island last-mile keep the national rating at 'good' rather than 'excellent'.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Good
Correos official (network of delivery points, Citypaq lockers) + private carriers
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- Correos ~13,000 attention/pickup points (2,380 offices + rural points + 2,115+ Citypaq lockers, plus new Punto Correos convenience points, end-2025); SEUR, MRW, GLS, DHL, UPS, Correos Express operate nationwide with tracking; 24–48h delivery standard in cities. Locker density lower than the most locker-dense EU markets, so classified 'good' rather than 'excellent'.
- Notes
- Reliable, tracked 1–3 day domestic delivery with a growing parcel-locker network (Citypaq); to-door and PUDO pickup both common.
Family
Relocating with a partner and school-age children.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria fits better — 4 of 5
01International schools
Heraklion
1
Official source
- Data as of
- Sep 20, 2026
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- Accreditor-verified: the School of European Education – Heraklion (A. Nioti and Savathianon 8, seeh.eu) is listed on the European Schools registry as accredited to teach the European Schools curriculum from nursery to the European Baccalaureate, English and Greek language sections, first Baccalaureate session 2015. It is the only Accredited European School in Greece, one of the 24 locations on that registry, and was set up around the EU agency ENISA, which the registry names as its linked agency.
- Notes
- VERIFIED FLOOR. The IB World Schools directory (ibo.org) has refused our requests since the Polish work in August 2026 and the Internet Archive holds no snapshot of its country listings, so any IB-authorised school in Heraklion could not be counted or ruled out — the same blocked check that leaves thirteen other published cities in this dataset without a count. Heraklion is unusual in that one accredited school could be confirmed at a different registry, so it carries a number rather than a gap; treat it as "at least one", not as a complete count.
Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger
6
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Aug 28, 2026
- Verified
- Aug 28, 2026
- Method
- Count of distinct schools in the Las Palmas metro area, each verified today against a reachable accreditor registry. NABSS, whose members are British-curriculum schools inspected and recognised for the province of Las Palmas: The British School of Gran Canaria (Tafira campus, plus a Maspalomas campus counted once), Canterbury School and Oakley College. AEFE (aefe.fr/fr/etablissements): Lycée français René Verneau / Liceo Francés Internacional de Gran Canaria, listed under "Las Palmas (Telde)". PASCH, the German Federal Foreign Office school network (pasch-net.de school portrait): Deutsche Schule Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Lomo del Drago s/n, 35018, school type "Deutsche Auslandsschule", 772 pupils and 76 teachers. IB: Colegio Arenas, IB school code 003583, an IB World School since 13 June 2007, read from an Internet Archive snapshot (2025-09-14) of its canonical ibo.org school page. = 6 distinct schools.
- Notes
- A verified FLOOR, not a census. ibo.org answers our requests with a Cloudflare challenge (HTTP 403), which was not circumvented, so schools whose only accreditation is the IB are probably missing: Colegio Heidelberg (IB code 000412) and Colegio Arenas Internacional (006015) both have ibo.org school pages, but neither has an Internet Archive snapshot recent enough to confirm current authorisation, so neither is counted. Canterbury School also holds IB code 062683 and is counted once, through NABSS. international-schools-database.com, used as the IB mirror for Madrid in this dataset, has no Las Palmas or Canary Islands page at all — /in/las-palmas, /in/gran-canaria and /in/canary-islands all fall back to the site home while the /in/madrid control resolves.
02Homicide rate
Heraklion
0.78/100k
Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (crim_off_cat, ICCS0101, unit P_HTHAB, geo=EL)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Police-recorded intentional homicide, 2024 (0.78). Very low by global standards (world average ~5.8) and down over the series (1.29 in 2008 to 0.68–0.88 recently). One of the safer countries in the set.
Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger
0.72/100k
Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (ICCS 0101, per 100k)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Notes
- Latest year 2024 = 0.72 per 100k (2023: 0.69; 2022: 0.69). Spain is among the safer EU countries for intentional homicide.
03Private healthcare cost
Heraklion
$1,368/yr
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Midpoint of local comprehensive (inpatient + outpatient) annual premiums for a healthy 35-year-old, €600–1,800 from major Greek insurers (mid-range €100–180/month) → ~€1,200/yr × 1.1399 = $1,368.
- Notes
- Public cover exists via EOPYY (funded through EFKA contributions), but waiting lists and gaps drive a large private market. Local plans run cheaper than international/expat plans ($2,000–4,000+/yr). Greek insurers raised premiums ~14% in 2025 — a rising curated midpoint, not a firm quote.
Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger
$821/yr
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 4, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- Comprehensive Spanish private health policies (póliza de salud) include outpatient AND hospitalization/inpatient by default. For a healthy 35-year-old, full-cover plans run ≈ €45–52/mo with modest copays and ≈ €65–90/mo copay-free (Sanitas, Adeslas, DKV — 2026 published ranges). Comprehensive midpoint ≈ €60/mo ≈ €720/yr ≈ $821 at EUR/USD 1.1399 (range ≈ $615–$1,230/yr).
- Notes
- Residents in the contributory system have public healthcare (Sistema Nacional de Salud); private cover is optional and widely bought for speed/choice. Premiums are quoted on request and vary by province (Madrid/Barcelona highest) and copay structure, so this is a curated market midpoint on a comprehensive (outpatient+inpatient) basis, not a single public quote.
04Air quality (PM2.5)
Heraklion
11.7 µg/m³
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- Row Irakleio/GRC, year 2024, of the WHO Ambient Air Quality Database v8.0 (2026): pm25_concentration = 11.66 µg/m³ at 99% temporal coverage over 1 station, reference "European Environmental Agency". Cross-checked against the EEA statistic it is built from, queried directly on 2026-09-20: station GR0433A HERAKLION-2, urban traffic, annual mean 11.663023 µg/m³, data coverage 98.95%, verification flag 1 (validated). The row’s station sits at 35.3328°N 25.1382°E, 0.9 km from this city’s recorded coordinates. Reference year 2024 is the latest year with a full-year figure and the year already used by the other European cities here; the database also carries 2025 at 10.97 µg/m³, but on 56% coverage, far below the EU’s 90% data-quality objective, so it is reported here rather than used.
- Notes
- ONE station, and an urban traffic one, so this reads high relative to where people actually live — Heraklion has no urban background PM2.5 monitor. For scale, the nearest background site, Finokalia on the coast 48 km east, measured 7.08 µg/m³ in the same year, and the whole Greek network reported between 7.08 and 24.51. Preceding year in the same series: 2023, 13.30 µg/m³ at 88% coverage. Even on the traffic station the figure is well under the EU limit value of 25 and the lowest of the three Greek cities here — Athens 14.2 (a five-station average) and Thessaloniki 16.11 (six stations, four of them traffic) for the same year.
Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger
7.1 µg/m³
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2025
- Verified
- Aug 28, 2026
- Method
- Mean of the 2025 annual means of the three stations that the network's own annual report places in the municipality of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and runs on the Gobierno de Canarias network: Mercado Central 7.77 µg/m³ (95.7% valid hours), Néstor Álamo 6.81 (95.4%) and San Nicolás 6.60 (98.9%), computed from the network's own hourly workbook — (7.77 + 6.81 + 6.60) / 3 = 7.06. Jinámar fase 3 (4.68) is excluded: it is an industrial-type station on the ENDESA network beside the Jinámar power plant at the far southern edge of the municipality, classified "industrial" in the EEA station register while the other three are urban traffic or urban background. The computation was validated by reproducing the network's published 2024 annual means exactly from the 2024 hourly workbook: Mercado Central 11.10 against 11.1 published, Néstor Álamo 10.06 against 10.1, San Nicolás 9.65 against 9.7 and Jinámar 4.82 against 4.8, with the valid-hour percentages matching to the tenth of a point.
- Notes
- 2025 was much cleaner than 2024, when the same three stations averaged 10.27 µg/m³. The swing is Saharan dust: EU law lets member states discount natural contributions, and this network publishes the correction factors for exactly that purpose, but the figure here is the raw measured mean with nothing subtracted. Even so it is the lowest of any Spanish city in this dataset (Madrid 9, Valencia 12.4, Barcelona 14.0) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³, but below the EU limit of 25 and below the 10 that takes effect in 2030. The EEA European city air quality viewer, the criterion's first-choice source, has no static per-city export.
05English proficiency
Heraklionstronger
High
EF EPI 2025 — Greece (score 592, rank 20/123, High band)
Research
- Data as of
- Nov 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First): Greece scores 592, rank 20/123 — top of the 'High' band, just below the 'Very High' threshold (~600); global average 488. English is widely functional in tourism, services and among younger Greeks, though the score slipped 10 points from the prior edition.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Moderate
EF EPI 2025 (Spain rank 36/123, score 540 — Moderate band)
Research
- Data as of
- Nov 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Notes
- Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First; Spain score 540, Moderate band, weakest in speaking 462). English is workable in tourist/hospitality zones and among younger urban professionals, but limited in government offices, healthcare, and everyday services outside big cities — a moderate rating for daily life.
Money & crypto
Optimising tax, banking and crypto rules.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria fits better — 2 of 3
01Crypto regulation
Heraklion
Legal regulated
Official source
- Data as of
- Apr 10, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- EU MiCA applies and was transposed by Law 5193/2025 (10 April 2025), with CASP licensing and EU passporting, supervised by HCMC and the Bank of Greece. Individual crypto capital gains are taxed at a flat 15% (from 1 Jan 2025), with a €500 annual tax-free threshold and 5-year loss carry-forward. Fully legal and now clearly regulated/taxed rather than a grey area.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Legal regulated
Official source
- Data as of
- Jul 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Notes
- Holding/trading legal for individuals. Gains on disposal (to fiat OR crypto-to-crypto swaps, which ARE taxable, unlike Poland) are savings income (renta del ahorro) taxed 19–30% under IRPF; FIFO applies. EU MiCA fully applicable in Spain from 1 July 2026 (CASPs licensed/supervised by CNMV and Banco de España); DAC8 reporting from 2026. Buying with fiat is not a taxable event.
02Financial control level
Heraklion
Moderate
Official source
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Composite: EUR (eurozone), full EU free movement of capital; the 2015 crisis-era capital controls were fully lifted on 1 September 2019, so funds move abroad without restriction. Offsetting this: Greece has the STRICTEST cash-payment cap in the EU (€500 for consumer transactions; breaches fined at double the amount) plus routine AML/CASP reporting. The open capital account alone reads 'low', but the €500 everyday-cash restriction pulls the composite up to 'moderate'.
- Notes
- A 2025–26 proposal to cut the cap to €200 was withdrawn; the €500 limit remains.
Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger
Low
Agencia Tributaria — límite de pagos en efectivo (Ley 11/2021); eurozone member, no capital controls
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- Composite: eurozone member, euro fully convertible, no currency/capital controls (free EU capital movement). Cash-payment limit €1,000 per transaction when a party acts as business/professional (Ley 11/2021), €10,000 for non-resident private individuals. Standard EU CRS/DAC bank reporting and DAC8 for crypto; Modelo 720 declaration of foreign assets >€50,000 exists (informational). No exchange restrictions on personal funds; non-residents can open bank accounts (NIE required).
- Notes
- Modelo 720 foreign-asset reporting (>€50,000) is an information duty; EU Court struck down its disproportionate penalty regime in 2022, penalties since aligned to general rules. Overall personal money movement is free (low control) by the criterion's definition.
03Freelancer tax burden
Heraklion
30.9%
SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Law 5246/2025 income-tax scale + e-EFKA Class 1)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Standard freelancer scheme at €60,000, single (scheme gr-freelancer-standard): EFKA Class 1 = 3,006/yr (deductible); income tax on 56,994 via the 2026 scale (9/20/26/34/39%) = 15,528. Levies 18,534 → 30.9%. NOTE: a relocating new tax resident gets the 50% income-tax exemption (Article 5C, scheme gr-freelancer-newresident-50) for 7 years, cutting this to ≈13.5% — but the 30.9% standard figure is the unconditional, steady-state burden shown as the headline.
Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger
28.4%
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- Best realistically-eligible scheme for a solo IT freelancer = es-autonomo-estimacion-directa at €60,000 revenue with 10% (€6,000) expenses. RETA cuota tramo 14 (base 1,732.03 × 31.5%) = 6,547.08/yr; difícil-justificación 2,000 (notional); IRPF base 39,902.92 (after mínimo personal 5,550) → 10,465.58. Total levies 17,012.66 / 60,000 = 28.4%. The Beckham regime (flat 24%) is NOT open to ordinary freelancers, only to eligible employed/relocated impatriates — see es-beckham-impatriate.
Calm lifestyle
Prioritising safety, air, and an easy daily life.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria fits better — 3 of 4
01Homicide rate
Heraklion
0.78/100k
Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (crim_off_cat, ICCS0101, unit P_HTHAB, geo=EL)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Police-recorded intentional homicide, 2024 (0.78). Very low by global standards (world average ~5.8) and down over the series (1.29 in 2008 to 0.68–0.88 recently). One of the safer countries in the set.
Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger
0.72/100k
Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (ICCS 0101, per 100k)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Notes
- Latest year 2024 = 0.72 per 100k (2023: 0.69; 2022: 0.69). Spain is among the safer EU countries for intentional homicide.
02Air quality (PM2.5)
Heraklion
11.7 µg/m³
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- Row Irakleio/GRC, year 2024, of the WHO Ambient Air Quality Database v8.0 (2026): pm25_concentration = 11.66 µg/m³ at 99% temporal coverage over 1 station, reference "European Environmental Agency". Cross-checked against the EEA statistic it is built from, queried directly on 2026-09-20: station GR0433A HERAKLION-2, urban traffic, annual mean 11.663023 µg/m³, data coverage 98.95%, verification flag 1 (validated). The row’s station sits at 35.3328°N 25.1382°E, 0.9 km from this city’s recorded coordinates. Reference year 2024 is the latest year with a full-year figure and the year already used by the other European cities here; the database also carries 2025 at 10.97 µg/m³, but on 56% coverage, far below the EU’s 90% data-quality objective, so it is reported here rather than used.
- Notes
- ONE station, and an urban traffic one, so this reads high relative to where people actually live — Heraklion has no urban background PM2.5 monitor. For scale, the nearest background site, Finokalia on the coast 48 km east, measured 7.08 µg/m³ in the same year, and the whole Greek network reported between 7.08 and 24.51. Preceding year in the same series: 2023, 13.30 µg/m³ at 88% coverage. Even on the traffic station the figure is well under the EU limit value of 25 and the lowest of the three Greek cities here — Athens 14.2 (a five-station average) and Thessaloniki 16.11 (six stations, four of them traffic) for the same year.
Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger
7.1 µg/m³
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2025
- Verified
- Aug 28, 2026
- Method
- Mean of the 2025 annual means of the three stations that the network's own annual report places in the municipality of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and runs on the Gobierno de Canarias network: Mercado Central 7.77 µg/m³ (95.7% valid hours), Néstor Álamo 6.81 (95.4%) and San Nicolás 6.60 (98.9%), computed from the network's own hourly workbook — (7.77 + 6.81 + 6.60) / 3 = 7.06. Jinámar fase 3 (4.68) is excluded: it is an industrial-type station on the ENDESA network beside the Jinámar power plant at the far southern edge of the municipality, classified "industrial" in the EEA station register while the other three are urban traffic or urban background. The computation was validated by reproducing the network's published 2024 annual means exactly from the 2024 hourly workbook: Mercado Central 11.10 against 11.1 published, Néstor Álamo 10.06 against 10.1, San Nicolás 9.65 against 9.7 and Jinámar 4.82 against 4.8, with the valid-hour percentages matching to the tenth of a point.
- Notes
- 2025 was much cleaner than 2024, when the same three stations averaged 10.27 µg/m³. The swing is Saharan dust: EU law lets member states discount natural contributions, and this network publishes the correction factors for exactly that purpose, but the figure here is the raw measured mean with nothing subtracted. Even so it is the lowest of any Spanish city in this dataset (Madrid 9, Valencia 12.4, Barcelona 14.0) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³, but below the EU limit of 25 and below the 10 that takes effect in 2030. The EEA European city air quality viewer, the criterion's first-choice source, has no static per-city export.
03Cost of living (single, excl. rent)
Heraklionstronger
$766/mo
ELSTAT — Household Budget Survey 2023
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- ELSTAT HBS 2023: average annual expenditure per person = €8,358.24 = €696.52/month (monetary purchases, excludes imputed owner rent). Subtracted the actual-rent component (~€24.6/person) → €671.9/person excl. rent × 1.1399 = $766. Same low-reading per-capita HBS basis as peers.
- Notes
- Greek monetary household consumption is genuinely depressed (ELSTAT reports it ~20.5% below 2008), so the per-capita figure lands near Czechia despite Greece feeling pricier in tourist zones. Rent shown separately.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$941/mo
INE — Encuesta de Presupuestos Familiares 2024 (household budget survey), rent stripped
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- INE EPF 2024 average household spending by COICOP group (total €34,044/hh). Housing group €11,029 reduced to utilities only (imputed rent €9,299 removed), leaving a non-rent basket of €24,746/hh. Divided by average household size 2.50 (€34,044 ÷ €13,626 per-person) → €9,905/person/yr = €825/mo; converted at EUR/USD 1.1399 (ECB 2026-07-02) → $941/mo. Cross-checked against Eurostat comparative price levels (Spain ≈ 92% of EU27; ≈ 1.28× Poland, whose figure is $753).
- Notes
- National per-capita non-rent basket. A person living alone typically spends somewhat more per head (fixed costs not shared) — this figure is the reproducible household-survey floor. City files (Madrid/Barcelona) run higher; Valencia/smaller cities lower.
04Climate comfort
Heraklion
10/12 mo
SettleMetric computation over climate-normals (NOAA GSOD 1991–2020, Heraklion Airport)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2020
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- Months whose mean daily maximum is between 15 and 28 °C AND whose monthly precipitation is under 150 mm: Jan (15.3), Feb (15.6), Mar (17.4), Apr (20.3), May (23.9), Jun (27.5), Sep (27.3), Oct (24.2), Nov (20.4), Dec (16.9) = 10. Only July and August are excluded, both at 29.4 °C. The precipitation test excludes nothing: the wettest month is January at 90.2 mm.
- Notes
- Ten sits at the top of this dataset’s range: Lisbon and Los Angeles also reach ten, and only Bogotá, Las Palmas, Mexico City and Funchal reach twelve. The count rewards a winter that never gets cold rather than a gentle summer — January and February qualify here purely because their daily maxima sit just above the 15 °C floor.
Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger
12/12 mo
SettleMetric computation over climate-normals (NOAA/WMO 1991–2020, Gran Canaria/Aeropuerto 60030)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2020
- Verified
- Aug 28, 2026
- Method
- Months whose 1991–2020 normals have mean daily maximum between 15°C and 28°C and precipitation below 150mm. All twelve qualify: the coldest month by day is January at 21.1°C and the warmest is August at 27.5°C, and the wettest month, December, brings 25.9mm. No month is excluded on either test, which is why the figure hits the ceiling of 12.
- Notes
- Only three other cities in this dataset score 12 — Mexico City, Bogotá and Funchal — and all three are far wetter (574–877mm a year against 132mm here). The score says nothing about wind: the trade winds blow across the city most of the year, and Saharan dust episodes (calima) close the picture for a few days at a time.
03
The full comparison
Open any fact to see what it measures, how fresh it is and the complete source trail for both cities.
01
Taxes
CriterionHeraklionLas Palmas de Gran Canaria
01+−Freelancer tax burden% effective burden at €60k/year self-employed profileHeraklion30.9Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger28.4
What this measures
Effective total burden (income tax + mandatory social and health contributions) for a solo IT freelancer with €60,000/year revenue and 10% deductible expenses, using the most favourable eligible scheme in the country's tax-schemes data. Computed by the SettleMetric tax engine; recorded as a curated value with the winning scheme id in method.
Lower is better· % effective burden at €60k/year self-employed profile· re-verified every 365 days
Heraklion
SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Law 5246/2025 income-tax scale + e-EFKA Class 1)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Standard freelancer scheme at €60,000, single (scheme gr-freelancer-standard): EFKA Class 1 = 3,006/yr (deductible); income tax on 56,994 via the 2026 scale (9/20/26/34/39%) = 15,528. Levies 18,534 → 30.9%. NOTE: a relocating new tax resident gets the 50% income-tax exemption (Article 5C, scheme gr-freelancer-newresident-50) for 7 years, cutting this to ≈13.5% — but the 30.9% standard figure is the unconditional, steady-state burden shown as the headline.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- Best realistically-eligible scheme for a solo IT freelancer = es-autonomo-estimacion-directa at €60,000 revenue with 10% (€6,000) expenses. RETA cuota tramo 14 (base 1,732.03 × 31.5%) = 6,547.08/yr; difícil-justificación 2,000 (notional); IRPF base 39,902.92 (after mínimo personal 5,550) → 10,465.58. Total levies 17,012.66 / 60,000 = 28.4%. The Beckham regime (flat 24%) is NOT open to ordinary freelancers, only to eligible employed/relocated impatriates — see es-beckham-impatriate.
02
Legalization
CriterionHeraklionLas Palmas de Gran Canaria
01+−Remote-work legalization easeHeraklionDedicated nomad visaLas Palmas de Gran CanariaDedicated nomad visa
What this measures
Best available legalization route for a location-independent earner with a median (non-EU, non-US) passport, classified from this country's legalization-paths data: dedicated digital-nomad visa; general freelance/self-employment permit; realistic long-stay path (e.g. renewable temporary residence); only short visa-free/tourist stays; effectively none.
Rated by category· re-verified every 180 days
Heraklion
Hellenic Republic MFA — Digital Nomad Visa (Law 4825/2021)
Official source
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Greece runs a dedicated digital-nomad visa (Law 4825/2021): a 12-month visa then a 2-year residence permit for non-EU remote workers earning ≥ €3,500/month net from abroad. Paired with the 50% new-resident income-tax exemption it is one of the EU's most marketed relocation deals for mid-income freelancers, though the income bar is higher than in Albania or Bulgaria. EU citizens simply register.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Official source
- Data as of
- Jul 4, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Notes
- Spain has a dedicated digital-nomad route: the international-teleworking residence authorization (autorización de residencia por teletrabajo de carácter internacional), created by Ley 28/2022 (Startups Law), in force since Jan 2023. Open to non-EU nationals working remotely for non-Spanish companies (max 20% of activity from Spanish firms). Income requirement 200% SMI. Initial visa 1 year (from abroad) or 3-year residence permit via UGE-CE, renewable, path to permanent residence.
03
Cost of living
CriterionHeraklionLas Palmas de Gran Canaria
01+−Cost of living (single, excl. rent)USD/month, single person, excluding rentHeraklionstronger766Las Palmas de Gran Canaria941
What this measures
Monthly cost of a defined single-person basket (food, transport, utilities, mobile+internet, modest leisure) excluding rent, curated from national statistics office price data and large local retailers' published prices, converted to USD at the ECB rate recorded in fx-rates. The method field of each value itemizes the basket inputs.
Lower is better· USD/month, single person, excluding rent· re-verified every 365 days
Heraklion
ELSTAT — Household Budget Survey 2023
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- ELSTAT HBS 2023: average annual expenditure per person = €8,358.24 = €696.52/month (monetary purchases, excludes imputed owner rent). Subtracted the actual-rent component (~€24.6/person) → €671.9/person excl. rent × 1.1399 = $766. Same low-reading per-capita HBS basis as peers.
- Notes
- Greek monetary household consumption is genuinely depressed (ELSTAT reports it ~20.5% below 2008), so the per-capita figure lands near Czechia despite Greece feeling pricier in tourist zones. Rent shown separately.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
INE — Encuesta de Presupuestos Familiares 2024 (household budget survey), rent stripped
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- INE EPF 2024 average household spending by COICOP group (total €34,044/hh). Housing group €11,029 reduced to utilities only (imputed rent €9,299 removed), leaving a non-rent basket of €24,746/hh. Divided by average household size 2.50 (€34,044 ÷ €13,626 per-person) → €9,905/person/yr = €825/mo; converted at EUR/USD 1.1399 (ECB 2026-07-02) → $941/mo. Cross-checked against Eurostat comparative price levels (Spain ≈ 92% of EU27; ≈ 1.28× Poland, whose figure is $753).
- Notes
- National per-capita non-rent basket. A person living alone typically spends somewhat more per head (fixed costs not shared) — this figure is the reproducible household-survey floor. City files (Madrid/Barcelona) run higher; Valencia/smaller cities lower.
Monthly spending by category (excl. rent)
Heraklion
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
ELSTAT — Household Budget Survey 2023, Table 1 (COICOP shares)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- ELSTAT HBS 2023 Table 1 per-household monthly amounts, with €59.5 rent removed from the Housing line, each divided by household size 2.42 and converted at 1.1399. Items sum to ≈$766. Housing here is utilities/energy/water/maintenance only (rent excluded); Greek energy costs are relatively high, keeping that line large.
INE — Encuesta de Presupuestos Familiares 2024 (household budget survey)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- INE EPF 2024 per-household COICOP category spending, rent removed (imputed rent €9,299 stripped from the housing group, utilities kept), divided by average household size 2.50 to a per-capita non-rent basket, converted at EUR/USD 1.1399. Categories sum to the ~$941/mo cost-of-living aggregate. National per-capita basis — living alone in Madrid/Barcelona runs higher.
01Transport
Heraklioncheaper
$104
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$147
02Food & non-alcoholic drinks
Heraklion
—
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$205
03Food & non-alcoholic beverages
Heraklion
$164
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
—
04Restaurants & eating out
Heraklion
—
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$128
05Health (out-of-pocket)
Heraklion
$61
Las Palmas de Gran Canariacheaper
$52
06Recreation & culture
Heraklioncheaper
$35
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$64
07Clothing & footwear
Heraklioncheaper
$37
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$54
08Restaurants, cafes & hotels
Heraklion
$90
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
—
09Utilities, energy, water & home upkeep (excl. rent)
Heraklion
$84
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
—
10Communications
Heraklioncheaper
$34
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$42
11Miscellaneous goods & services
Heraklion
$67
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
—
12Utilities (water, electricity, gas)
Heraklion
—
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$66
13Education
Heraklion
$27
Las Palmas de Gran Canariacheaper
$21
14Household goods
Heraklion
—
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$48
15Insurance & financial services
Heraklion
—
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$48
16Personal care & misc.
Heraklion
—
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$47
17Alcohol & tobacco
Heraklion
$27
Las Palmas de Gran Canariacheaper
$17
18Household durables & equipment
Heraklion
$35
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
—
Total (excl. rent)
Heraklion$765/mo
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria$939/mo
04
Housing
Rent by apartment type
Asking rent, central price with outside-centre in parentheses ($/mo).
Heraklion
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
RE/MAX Ελλάς — nationwide residential rent survey 2026 (rents agreed through the network), Heraklion
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Sep 3, 2026
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- DERIVED (€/m² × standardized size). RE/MAX Ελλάς, "Πανελλαδική αύξηση 3,8% στα ενοίκια των κατοικιών το 2026" (published 2026-09-03), price table "Υπόλοιπη Ελλάδα": Ηράκλειο €8.5/m²/month. Standardized sizes studio 30, 1br 40, 2br 60, 3br 85 m², converted at the ECB rate in data/fx-rates.json (EUR 1 = USD 1.1534). E.g. 1br = 8.5 × 40 = €340 × 1.1534 = $392. The table lists a second "Ηράκλειο" at €9.0 under Δυτικά Προάστια — that is the Attica municipality of the same name, not this city.
- Notes
- FLAT BY LOCATION and on a different basis from the other two Greek cities. RE/MAX publishes one figure for Heraklion with no central/suburban split, so both columns carry the same number; the real spread within the city is not published anywhere readable. The figures are rents actually agreed through the network (93 offices, 1,200+ agents, 124 areas), not asking prices, while Athens and Thessaloniki here are Spitogatos asking prices — see the same survey for the size of the gap: it puts central Athens at €9.8/m² against Spitogatos’ €11.5, and the Municipality of Thessaloniki at €9.6 against €10.4, so agreed rents run 8–15% under asking. An asking-basis Heraklion would therefore be roughly €9.2–10.0/m², or $425–460 for the 1-bedroom cell. The ordering is not affected: on the one basis that covers all three, Heraklion (8.5) is below Thessaloniki (9.6) and Athens (9.8), exactly as the stored numbers show.
idealista rental price index — municipality and districts of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, July 2026
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 31, 2026
- Verified
- Aug 28, 2026
- Method
- Base rent per type = idealista city index 14.8 €/m²/month (July 2026) × representative floor area: studio 35 m² (€518), 1BR 50 m² (€740, matching rent-1br-center), 2BR 70 m² (€1,036), 3BR 95 m² (€1,406). Centre/outside multipliers from idealista's own district indices: centre = mean of Centro (14.0), Puerto–Canteras (17.3) and Vegueta–Triana (12.7) = 14.67 €/m² → ×0.991 of the city average; outside = mean of Ciudad Alta (12.7), Tamaraceite–San Lorenzo (11.8) and Carretera del Centro–Cono Sur (12.0) = 12.17 €/m² → ×0.822. Converted at ECB EUR/USD 1.1534 (data/fx-rates.json, 2026-08-13). E.g. 1BR centre = 740 × 0.991 × 1.1534 = $846; studio outside = 518 × 0.822 × 1.1534 = $491.
- Notes
- ALL cells are DERIVED: idealista publishes €/m² by district but never a studio/1BR/2BR/3BR × centre/outside grid. The centre premium here is almost nil — nine-tenths of one per cent below the city average — because the two things pulling the average up and down cancel: the dearest district is Puerto–Canteras, the beach quarter around Las Canteras, while the historic core of Vegueta–Triana is among the cheapest in the city. Centre = the three coastal and old-town districts; outside = the three upper and inland ones. The multipliers come from district €/m², which is size-controlled, unlike a district average rent.
01Studio
Heraklioncheaper
$294$294 outside
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$592$491 outside
021-bedroom
Heraklioncheaper
$392$392 outside
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$846$702 outside
032-bedroom
Heraklioncheaper
$588$588 outside
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$1,184$982 outside
043-bedroom
Heraklioncheaper
$833$833 outside
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
$1,607$1,333 outside
05
Safety
CriterionHeraklionLas Palmas de Gran Canaria
01+−Homicide rateintentional homicides per 100,000/yearHeraklion0.8Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger0.7
What this measures
Intentional homicide victims per 100,000 population, latest available year. Country level: UNODC national series. City level: official municipal/police statistics where published; otherwise null (country value shown as country-level).
Lower is better· intentional homicides per 100,000/year· re-verified every 730 days
Heraklion
Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (crim_off_cat, ICCS0101, unit P_HTHAB, geo=EL)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Police-recorded intentional homicide, 2024 (0.78). Very low by global standards (world average ~5.8) and down over the series (1.29 in 2008 to 0.68–0.88 recently). One of the safer countries in the set.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (ICCS 0101, per 100k)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Notes
- Latest year 2024 = 0.72 per 100k (2023: 0.69; 2022: 0.69). Spain is among the safer EU countries for intentional homicide.
06
Climate
CriterionHeraklionLas Palmas de Gran Canaria
01+−Climate comfortpleasant months/yearHeraklion10Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger12
What this measures
Number of months whose 1991–2020 climate normals satisfy: mean daily maximum between 15°C and 28°C and monthly precipitation under 150mm. Computed from the city's climate-normals indicator; the raw normals are stored alongside so users can judge by their own taste.
Higher is better· pleasant months/year· re-verified every 3650 days
Heraklion
SettleMetric computation over climate-normals (NOAA GSOD 1991–2020, Heraklion Airport)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2020
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- Months whose mean daily maximum is between 15 and 28 °C AND whose monthly precipitation is under 150 mm: Jan (15.3), Feb (15.6), Mar (17.4), Apr (20.3), May (23.9), Jun (27.5), Sep (27.3), Oct (24.2), Nov (20.4), Dec (16.9) = 10. Only July and August are excluded, both at 29.4 °C. The precipitation test excludes nothing: the wettest month is January at 90.2 mm.
- Notes
- Ten sits at the top of this dataset’s range: Lisbon and Los Angeles also reach ten, and only Bogotá, Las Palmas, Mexico City and Funchal reach twelve. The count rewards a winter that never gets cold rather than a gentle summer — January and February qualify here purely because their daily maxima sit just above the 15 °C floor.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
SettleMetric computation over climate-normals (NOAA/WMO 1991–2020, Gran Canaria/Aeropuerto 60030)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2020
- Verified
- Aug 28, 2026
- Method
- Months whose 1991–2020 normals have mean daily maximum between 15°C and 28°C and precipitation below 150mm. All twelve qualify: the coldest month by day is January at 21.1°C and the warmest is August at 27.5°C, and the wettest month, December, brings 25.9mm. No month is excluded on either test, which is why the figure hits the ceiling of 12.
- Notes
- Only three other cities in this dataset score 12 — Mexico City, Bogotá and Funchal — and all three are far wetter (574–877mm a year against 132mm here). The score says nothing about wind: the trade winds blow across the city most of the year, and Saharan dust episodes (calima) close the picture for a few days at a time.
02+−Air quality (PM2.5)µg/m³, annual mean PM2.5Heraklion11.7Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger7.1
What this measures
Annual mean fine-particulate (PM2.5) concentration for the city, latest available year. Anchors follow the WHO 2021 guideline (5 µg/m³ → 10) through the EU limit value territory (25 µg/m³ → 2). Preferred source: European Environment Agency city-level air quality data; outside Europe: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database or the national monitoring network.
Lower is better· µg/m³, annual mean PM2.5· re-verified every 730 days
Heraklion
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- Row Irakleio/GRC, year 2024, of the WHO Ambient Air Quality Database v8.0 (2026): pm25_concentration = 11.66 µg/m³ at 99% temporal coverage over 1 station, reference "European Environmental Agency". Cross-checked against the EEA statistic it is built from, queried directly on 2026-09-20: station GR0433A HERAKLION-2, urban traffic, annual mean 11.663023 µg/m³, data coverage 98.95%, verification flag 1 (validated). The row’s station sits at 35.3328°N 25.1382°E, 0.9 km from this city’s recorded coordinates. Reference year 2024 is the latest year with a full-year figure and the year already used by the other European cities here; the database also carries 2025 at 10.97 µg/m³, but on 56% coverage, far below the EU’s 90% data-quality objective, so it is reported here rather than used.
- Notes
- ONE station, and an urban traffic one, so this reads high relative to where people actually live — Heraklion has no urban background PM2.5 monitor. For scale, the nearest background site, Finokalia on the coast 48 km east, measured 7.08 µg/m³ in the same year, and the whole Greek network reported between 7.08 and 24.51. Preceding year in the same series: 2023, 13.30 µg/m³ at 88% coverage. Even on the traffic station the figure is well under the EU limit value of 25 and the lowest of the three Greek cities here — Athens 14.2 (a five-station average) and Thessaloniki 16.11 (six stations, four of them traffic) for the same year.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2025
- Verified
- Aug 28, 2026
- Method
- Mean of the 2025 annual means of the three stations that the network's own annual report places in the municipality of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and runs on the Gobierno de Canarias network: Mercado Central 7.77 µg/m³ (95.7% valid hours), Néstor Álamo 6.81 (95.4%) and San Nicolás 6.60 (98.9%), computed from the network's own hourly workbook — (7.77 + 6.81 + 6.60) / 3 = 7.06. Jinámar fase 3 (4.68) is excluded: it is an industrial-type station on the ENDESA network beside the Jinámar power plant at the far southern edge of the municipality, classified "industrial" in the EEA station register while the other three are urban traffic or urban background. The computation was validated by reproducing the network's published 2024 annual means exactly from the 2024 hourly workbook: Mercado Central 11.10 against 11.1 published, Néstor Álamo 10.06 against 10.1, San Nicolás 9.65 against 9.7 and Jinámar 4.82 against 4.8, with the valid-hour percentages matching to the tenth of a point.
- Notes
- 2025 was much cleaner than 2024, when the same three stations averaged 10.27 µg/m³. The swing is Saharan dust: EU law lets member states discount natural contributions, and this network publishes the correction factors for exactly that purpose, but the figure here is the raw measured mean with nothing subtracted. Even so it is the lowest of any Spanish city in this dataset (Madrid 9, Valencia 12.4, Barcelona 14.0) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³, but below the EU limit of 25 and below the 10 that takes effect in 2030. The EEA European city air quality viewer, the criterion's first-choice source, has no static per-city export.
07
Healthcare
CriterionHeraklionLas Palmas de Gran Canaria
01+−Private healthcare costUSD/year, comprehensive private insurance premium, healthy 35-year-oldHeraklion1,368Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger821
What this measures
Median of at least three publicly quoted annual premiums for comprehensive private medical insurance (outpatient + inpatient, ~$100k coverage, small deductible) for a healthy 35-year-old resident foreigner, from local and international insurers. Method field lists the insurers quoted.
Lower is better· USD/year, comprehensive private insurance premium, healthy 35-year-old· re-verified every 365 days
Heraklion
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Midpoint of local comprehensive (inpatient + outpatient) annual premiums for a healthy 35-year-old, €600–1,800 from major Greek insurers (mid-range €100–180/month) → ~€1,200/yr × 1.1399 = $1,368.
- Notes
- Public cover exists via EOPYY (funded through EFKA contributions), but waiting lists and gaps drive a large private market. Local plans run cheaper than international/expat plans ($2,000–4,000+/yr). Greek insurers raised premiums ~14% in 2025 — a rising curated midpoint, not a firm quote.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 4, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- Comprehensive Spanish private health policies (póliza de salud) include outpatient AND hospitalization/inpatient by default. For a healthy 35-year-old, full-cover plans run ≈ €45–52/mo with modest copays and ≈ €65–90/mo copay-free (Sanitas, Adeslas, DKV — 2026 published ranges). Comprehensive midpoint ≈ €60/mo ≈ €720/yr ≈ $821 at EUR/USD 1.1399 (range ≈ $615–$1,230/yr).
- Notes
- Residents in the contributory system have public healthcare (Sistema Nacional de Salud); private cover is optional and widely bought for speed/choice. Premiums are quoted on request and vary by province (Madrid/Barcelona highest) and copay structure, so this is a curated market midpoint on a comprehensive (outpatient+inpatient) basis, not a single public quote.
08
Money & crypto
CriterionHeraklionLas Palmas de Gran Canaria
01+−Crypto regulationHeraklionLegal regulatedLas Palmas de Gran CanariaLegal regulated
What this measures
Own classification of the legal status of holding, trading and cashing out cryptocurrency for individuals: legal-friendly (legal with clear, favourable rules or explicit tax exemptions), legal-regulated (legal under standard licensing/AML and taxation), restricted (partial bans: payments or banking access prohibited), banned (holding/trading prohibited). Classified from national regulators' and central banks' official positions.
Rated by category· re-verified every 180 days
Heraklion
Official source
- Data as of
- Apr 10, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- EU MiCA applies and was transposed by Law 5193/2025 (10 April 2025), with CASP licensing and EU passporting, supervised by HCMC and the Bank of Greece. Individual crypto capital gains are taxed at a flat 15% (from 1 Jan 2025), with a €500 annual tax-free threshold and 5-year loss carry-forward. Fully legal and now clearly regulated/taxed rather than a grey area.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Official source
- Data as of
- Jul 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Notes
- Holding/trading legal for individuals. Gains on disposal (to fiat OR crypto-to-crypto swaps, which ARE taxable, unlike Poland) are savings income (renta del ahorro) taxed 19–30% under IRPF; FIFO applies. EU MiCA fully applicable in Spain from 1 July 2026 (CASPs licensed/supervised by CNMV and Banco de España); DAC8 reporting from 2026. Buying with fiat is not a taxable event.
02+−Financial control levelHeraklionModerateLas Palmas de Gran CanariastrongerLow
What this measures
Own composite of state control over personal money flows: currency/capital controls (IMF AREAER), restrictions on foreign accounts and transfers, mandatory income declaration scope for residents, cash payment limits, banking access for foreigners. Low = free movement of personal funds and easy non-resident banking; very-high = strict capital controls and pervasive reporting. Method field on each value lists the inputs used.
Rated by category· re-verified every 365 days
Heraklion
Official source
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Composite: EUR (eurozone), full EU free movement of capital; the 2015 crisis-era capital controls were fully lifted on 1 September 2019, so funds move abroad without restriction. Offsetting this: Greece has the STRICTEST cash-payment cap in the EU (€500 for consumer transactions; breaches fined at double the amount) plus routine AML/CASP reporting. The open capital account alone reads 'low', but the €500 everyday-cash restriction pulls the composite up to 'moderate'.
- Notes
- A 2025–26 proposal to cut the cap to €200 was withdrawn; the €500 limit remains.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Agencia Tributaria — límite de pagos en efectivo (Ley 11/2021); eurozone member, no capital controls
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- Composite: eurozone member, euro fully convertible, no currency/capital controls (free EU capital movement). Cash-payment limit €1,000 per transaction when a party acts as business/professional (Ley 11/2021), €10,000 for non-resident private individuals. Standard EU CRS/DAC bank reporting and DAC8 for crypto; Modelo 720 declaration of foreign assets >€50,000 exists (informational). No exchange restrictions on personal funds; non-residents can open bank accounts (NIE required).
- Notes
- Modelo 720 foreign-asset reporting (>€50,000) is an information duty; EU Court struck down its disproportionate penalty regime in 2022, penalties since aligned to general rules. Overall personal money movement is free (low control) by the criterion's definition.
09
Infrastructure
CriterionHeraklionLas Palmas de Gran Canaria
01+−Domestic delivery qualityHeraklionGoodLas Palmas de Gran CanariaGood
What this measures
Quality of in-country parcel delivery. excellent = nationwide next-day widely available, dense parcel-locker network, real-time tracking standard; good = 1–3 day delivery, lockers in major cities; basic = reliable but slow (3–7 days), mostly to-door or post-office pickup; poor = unreliable delivery, street addresses often unusable, informal workarounds common. Classified from official service/coverage data of the national postal operator and the two largest private carriers; inputs itemized in each value's method field.
Rated by category· re-verified every 730 days
Heraklion
Greek carrier networks (ELTA, ACS, BoxNow) — composite
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Dense mainland-city coverage: national couriers (ELTA post, ACS, Geniki Taxydromiki, Speedex) plus one of SE Europe's largest parcel-locker networks (BoxNow) and Skroutz Last Mile; cash-on-delivery ('αντικαταβολή') is mainstream. Athens/Thessaloniki are excellent, but ELTA's financial troubles and ferry-dependent island last-mile keep the national rating at 'good' rather than 'excellent'.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Correos official (network of delivery points, Citypaq lockers) + private carriers
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- Correos ~13,000 attention/pickup points (2,380 offices + rural points + 2,115+ Citypaq lockers, plus new Punto Correos convenience points, end-2025); SEUR, MRW, GLS, DHL, UPS, Correos Express operate nationwide with tracking; 24–48h delivery standard in cities. Locker density lower than the most locker-dense EU markets, so classified 'good' rather than 'excellent'.
- Notes
- Reliable, tracked 1–3 day domestic delivery with a growing parcel-locker network (Citypaq); to-door and PUDO pickup both common.
02+−International delivery easeHeraklionstrongerSeamlessLas Palmas de Gran CanariaMinor friction
What this measures
Ease of receiving goods from abroad. seamless = major international carriers deliver door-to-door, meaningful duty-free de-minimis threshold, customs clearance predictable in days; minor-friction = carriers present but low de-minimis, extra paperwork or routine delays; significant-friction = frequent customs holds, high brokerage fees, some marketplaces refuse to ship; unreliable = parcels regularly lost or blocked, informal import channels dominate. De-minimis thresholds and clearance rules from the national customs authority (official source, cite the regulation); carrier presence from carriers' official pages.
Rated by category· re-verified every 365 days
Heraklion
EU single market / customs union membership (Greece) + integrator coverage
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Qualitative rating from EU membership: as an EU/Schengen customs-union member, intra-EU parcels move without customs or border VAT, so the bulk of European e-commerce is frictionless, and all major integrators (DHL, FedEx, UPS, ACS/Aramex) operate → 'seamless'. Minor caveats (not enough to downgrade): Greece is geographically peripheral (a day or two longer than core-EU hubs), non-EU imports clear customs normally, and island delivery adds domestic delay.
- Notes
- Intra-EU frictionless; the geographic periphery and islands add some transit time but not customs friction.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Official source
- Data as of
- Jul 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Notes
- Intra-EU shipping is frictionless (single market, all major carriers). Non-EU imports: the €150 duty-free threshold was removed EU-wide on 2026-07-01 — a temporary flat €3-per-item customs duty applies to ≤€150 consignments (until 2028); VAT already collected at checkout via IOSS since 2021. Predictable but no longer duty-free; DHL/UPS/FedEx/SEUR clear customs routinely.
03+−Internet speedMbps, median fixed downloadHeraklion37.3Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger50.4
What this measures
Median fixed-broadband download speed over the trailing 6 months from M-Lab NDT open data (CC0), aggregated at country or city level. Not comparable with Ookla figures (different test methodology) — do not mix sources within this criterion.
Higher is better· Mbps, median fixed download· re-verified every 365 days
Heraklion
M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Greece
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Median of the 343 daily country-median download values for GR in 2023 = 37.3 Mbps (268,076 download tests; daily medians ranged 21.3–47.3). M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads below Ookla-style tests — comparable only within this criterion. 2023 is the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API.
- Notes
- Greece's fixed broadband is improving as fibre rolls out; the single-stream M-Lab median is used only for cross-country comparability on one consistent method.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Spain
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- Median of 344 daily country medians, 9,298,577 tests (2023 — latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API; 2024 file is partial at 86 days with a similar 52.5 Mbps median).
- Notes
- M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures — comparable only within this criterion. Spain has extensive FTTH coverage; real advertised fibre speeds are far higher than this test-based median.
10
Language
CriterionHeraklionLas Palmas de Gran Canaria
01+−English proficiencyHeraklionstrongerHighLas Palmas de Gran CanariaModerate
What this measures
Own banding of how far English gets a resident in daily life (government offices, healthcare, housing, services). Informed by EF EPI band (research source, cited with attribution, not republished) plus official language status and service-sector realities. Values are our bands, not EF scores.
Rated by category· re-verified every 730 days
Heraklion
EF EPI 2025 — Greece (score 592, rank 20/123, High band)
Research
- Data as of
- Nov 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First): Greece scores 592, rank 20/123 — top of the 'High' band, just below the 'Very High' threshold (~600); global average 488. English is widely functional in tourism, services and among younger Greeks, though the score slipped 10 points from the prior edition.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
EF EPI 2025 (Spain rank 36/123, score 540 — Moderate band)
Research
- Data as of
- Nov 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Notes
- Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First; Spain score 540, Moderate band, weakest in speaking 462). English is workable in tourist/hospitality zones and among younger urban professionals, but limited in government offices, healthcare, and everyday services outside big cities — a moderate rating for daily life.
11
Education
CriterionHeraklionLas Palmas de Gran Canaria
01+−International schoolsaccredited international schools, countHeraklion1Las Palmas de Gran Canariastronger6
What this measures
Count of international schools in the metro area accredited by or member of IB, CIS, COBIS, or an equivalent national-curriculum-abroad body (verified against the accreditor's public registry, not aggregator sites).
Higher is better· accredited international schools, count· re-verified every 730 days
Heraklion
Official source
- Data as of
- Sep 20, 2026
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- Accreditor-verified: the School of European Education – Heraklion (A. Nioti and Savathianon 8, seeh.eu) is listed on the European Schools registry as accredited to teach the European Schools curriculum from nursery to the European Baccalaureate, English and Greek language sections, first Baccalaureate session 2015. It is the only Accredited European School in Greece, one of the 24 locations on that registry, and was set up around the EU agency ENISA, which the registry names as its linked agency.
- Notes
- VERIFIED FLOOR. The IB World Schools directory (ibo.org) has refused our requests since the Polish work in August 2026 and the Internet Archive holds no snapshot of its country listings, so any IB-authorised school in Heraklion could not be counted or ruled out — the same blocked check that leaves thirteen other published cities in this dataset without a count. Heraklion is unusual in that one accredited school could be confirmed at a different registry, so it carries a number rather than a gap; treat it as "at least one", not as a complete count.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Aug 28, 2026
- Verified
- Aug 28, 2026
- Method
- Count of distinct schools in the Las Palmas metro area, each verified today against a reachable accreditor registry. NABSS, whose members are British-curriculum schools inspected and recognised for the province of Las Palmas: The British School of Gran Canaria (Tafira campus, plus a Maspalomas campus counted once), Canterbury School and Oakley College. AEFE (aefe.fr/fr/etablissements): Lycée français René Verneau / Liceo Francés Internacional de Gran Canaria, listed under "Las Palmas (Telde)". PASCH, the German Federal Foreign Office school network (pasch-net.de school portrait): Deutsche Schule Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Lomo del Drago s/n, 35018, school type "Deutsche Auslandsschule", 772 pupils and 76 teachers. IB: Colegio Arenas, IB school code 003583, an IB World School since 13 June 2007, read from an Internet Archive snapshot (2025-09-14) of its canonical ibo.org school page. = 6 distinct schools.
- Notes
- A verified FLOOR, not a census. ibo.org answers our requests with a Cloudflare challenge (HTTP 403), which was not circumvented, so schools whose only accreditation is the IB are probably missing: Colegio Heidelberg (IB code 000412) and Colegio Arenas Internacional (006015) both have ibo.org school pages, but neither has an Internet Archive snapshot recent enough to confirm current authorisation, so neither is counted. Canterbury School also holds IB code 062683 and is counted once, through NABSS. international-schools-database.com, used as the IB mirror for Madrid in this dataset, has no Las Palmas or Canary Islands page at all — /in/las-palmas, /in/gran-canaria and /in/canary-islands all fall back to the site home while the /in/madrid control resolves.