If you are living on or visiting the Costa Blanca, there is good news. A new report shows this part of Spain ranks among the best places in the country for quality of life.
The Spain Happy Index 2026, published by Sonneil Homes, places the Costa Blanca among the top areas in Spain for overall wellbeing, with many local towns scoring highly.
Costa Blanca, quality of life: Santa Pola leads the way
At the top of the provincial ranking is Santa Pola, with 90.62 points. It is also one of the highest scoring towns in the whole country.
The town stands out for its coastal setting, Mediterranean climate and easy access to services and infrastructure, including the airport.
In second place is Alicante (89.99 points), which also ranks as one of the happiest provincial capitals in Spain.
Elche (89.40 points) takes third place, combining green spaces, a Mediterranean climate and strong local services.
Strong results across the Costa Blanca
The index highlights a wide range of towns across the province, showing that high quality of life is not limited to just a few locations.
In the Vega Baja, the following towns are among the highest ranked:
- Guardamar del Segura (87.55)
- Torrevieja (87.19)
- Orihuela (85.15)
- Los Montesinos (83.32)
- Catral (83.26)
- San Fulgencio (82.94)
- Dolores (82.91)
- San Miguel de Salinas (82.86)
These areas benefit from a mix of climate, coastal access and local services.
In the Marina Baixa, the list includes:
- Benidorm (86.87)
- Villajoyosa (86.57)
- l’Alfàs del Pi (85.29)
- Finestrat (84.89)
- Altea (84.77)
Here, tourism, infrastructure and coastal living all play a role.
In l’Alacantí, towns close to Alicante city also score well:
- El Campello (87.24)
- San Vicente del Raspeig (84.35)
- San Juan (Sant Joan d’Alacant) (83.88)
- Mutxamel (83.75)
These areas offer easy access to the city along with established residential communities.
In the Vinalopó area, notable towns include:
- Crevillent (83.28)
- Monforte del Cid (82.95)
- Aspe (82.90)
How Spain compares overall
Looking at Spain as a whole, Málaga ranks as the happiest city with 91.36 points. It benefits from around 310 days of sun each year, an average temperature of 18°C and relatively low rainfall.
It is followed by:
- Almería (90.88)
- Ibiza (90.86)
Alicante ranks fourth nationally with 89.99 points, helped by 299 days of sun, an average temperature of 20°C, just 24 days of rain and very low wind levels.
Other cities scoring highly include:
- Tarragona (88.70)
- Cádiz (88.12)
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife (88.06)
- Barcelona (86.90)
- Valencia (85.97)
- Sevilla (84.35)
- Granada (83.15)
- Madrid (83.13)
What the index measures
The Spain Happy Index 2026 looks at more than 8,000 municipalities across Spain.
It measures quality of life based on factors such as:
- Number of sunny days
- Rainfall
- Average temperature
- Wind conditions
- Access to hospitals and airports
- Availability of schools
- Whether the area is coastal or inland
