Benalmadena weather, location, vibes make it ‘idyllic’ place: Spain’s top realty site
PinScenic coastal towns that dot Spain’s Costa del Sol boast ideal beach weather and relaxed lifestyle. Which one is best for living?
Let’s see what a leading player in Spain’s real estate market has to say on this point.
Alex Taukatch
Co-founder & Managing Editor BestSpainLiving.com
Hello from sunny Benalmadena!
And indeed, it has been mostly sunny and warm here through January, February, and early March. During the day, the highs often hit 75F, with 60 to 65F being a pleasant norm. The sky has been typically clear and blue. In fact, clear skies have been so ubiquitous this winter that it has prompted pleas for some rain-laden clouds.
But I digress. Well, come to think of it, not so much. The above riff on the weather does have something to do with the topic at hand.
Which is: “5 reasons why you should live in Benalmadena,” according to one of Spain’s leading real estate companies.
Well, we will try to get there ASAP. But first, another quick digression, of a personal kind.
Where’s Benalmadena, Costa del Sol?
In Florida, there is the Suncoast. In southern Spain, there is the Costa del Sol, often translated as the Coast of the Sun, or the Sunny Coast.
Which one is better known in America? The Florida Suncoast, one would assume. We’ve encountered ample proof of that assumption since our recent move to Spain’s Sunny Coast from the Northeast United States.
Especially, when the conversation got around the town we chose — Benalmadena. Quite often, the name didn’t ring a bell. As a result, lots of questions, ranging from perplexed curiosity about the area’s geography, climate, and lifestyle to strong interest in specific aspects of living there.
Where exactly is Benalmadena, Costa del Sol? What’s Benalmadena weather like? Is it similar to Costa del Sol weather? Is Benalmadena safe? And the list goes on…
How do you say that?
At times, a questioner would stumble over the name: “Why choose — what’s it called again – ah, Benalmadena? How do you pronounce it? Oh, I see – BenalMAdena…”
Among English-speakers, the tendency is to say BenalmaDENa. In Spanish, however, the town is spelled with an accented “á” – Benalmádena — which indicates the stressed syllable. So, the correct pronunciation is BenalMAdena. Just to get this minor point out of the way. And by the way, if you’d like to find out more about the town’s history and the origin of its name, click here.
To be fair, such questions are not surprising. As far as name recognition goes, Benalmádena is still lagging such well-known Costa del Sol destinations as nearby Malaga and Marbella, not to speak of the likes of Madrid, Barcelona, or Valencia.
But we were happy about the interest. With the questions about Benalmadena weather, for instance, after two years we knew what to expect, so answering them appeared to be a breeze (no pun intended, but would work when talking about the weather in Benalmadena).
Others proved to be more difficult, but all of these questions helped to lay the groundwork for what later turned into an exciting project — bestspainliving.com. The website was launched in August 2033. It didn’t hurt that Benalmadena weather was just one of the reasons we enjoyed living here.
The idea behind the website was to share insights into what makes this area such an attractive place not just to visit, but to live. Naturally, we had our own ideas about it. But as we researched the subject and followed the news about Spain — and Benalmadena, Costa del Sol — it helped us get fresh perspectives from other sources.
Strategic location
In many cases — we’d call them our “aha moments” — those assessments would echo our own conclusions. That was the case, for instance, with an analysis published in Forbes Magazine which selected Malaga among the world’s top three destinations to enjoy comfortable living.
The Forbes article‘s main focus was on numerous charms and advantages of Malaga, known as the capital of the Costa del Sol and Picasso’s birthplace. But this major historical, cultural and transportation center happens to be within quick and easy reach of Benalmadena — and that of course is fully in tune our thesis about the latter’s ideal location.
And then just a about week ago, that very point — location, location, location — got prominent play in an analysis by another authoritative source.
Idealista, south Europe’s leading real estate marketplace, underscored that the Benalamdena Costa del Sol location was a “strategic” advantage that offered many benefits, beyond ideal beach weather.
“Set in the heart of the Costa del Sol, the town offers easy access to Malaga International Airport,” concluded Idealista in the piece headlined, “Living in Benalmadena: why choose this town, the best neighbourhoods and quality of life.”
“Benalmadena has become a sought-after destination for those looking for an idyllic place to live on the Costa del Sol.”
Weather in Benalmadena
PinWhich brings us back to the subject of the opening paragraph – Benalmadena weather.
One of the main advantages of Benalmadena, says Idealista, is its “perfect climate,” characterized by mild winters and warm summers thanks to the sea breeze.”
No argument here. For those tired of overcast and gloomy skies, the Costa del Sol has an excellent remedy: an estimated average of 320 days of sun per year. This dry part of southern Anadulusia usually gets about 12 inches of rainfall a year, compared to Spain’s average of 25.6 inches. November and December tend to be the rainiest months, but then “rainiest” is a relative term around here given the number of sunny days.
‘The sunniest city in Europe’
Indeed, sunshine is something that you can be assured of getting a lot in the area, as anyone living here will be happy to tell you. And this is not just a subjective opinion: there’s enough empirical evidence to confirm it, the latest one based on an analysis of meteorological records to identify European cities where the sun shines the most.
“Malaga conquers first place in the ranking and can this year call itself the sunniest city in Europe,” announced Holidu, a popular holiday rental portal, with the release of its 2024 list of “The 30 Sunniest Cities in Europe.”
After analyzing data from World Weather Online for the years 2009 to 2024, the company calculated that in Malaga one can enjoy an average of 280.2 hours of sunshine every month. “Sunseekers can enjoy the beaches and pavement cafes all year round in this beautiful Spanish city,” observed Holidu, highlighting a feature that’s common for Costa del Sol weather overall, including, of course, Malaga’s close neighbor, Benalmadena.
Notably, Spain accounted for 7 out of the top 10 sunniest European destinations, with three of them located in Andalusia – Malaga, Seville, and Cordoba. Other Spanish cities in the top 10 were Alicante, Murcia, Madrid and Zaragoza.
Summer weather: Not ‘hot and humid.’
As for the summer, you may get stretches of hot weather here in July or August with temperatures in mid-90s F. But as many locals will point out, even with the temperatures in the 90’s the heat here is not of the oppressive kind. And certainly, no complaints from beachgoers who have plenty of sun to enjoy the sea and numerous water activities.
The sea breeze noted by Idealista is a key factor, but no less important is the comfortably low level of humidity.
For example, in Florida, which frequently comes up as a point of comparison, “high humidity is often more of a problem than the heat and is quite high in the peak of the summer months,” according to a ThomasCook.com article about Florida weather. It added that “the weather remains hot and humid for most of the year.”
“Hot and humid” is also often used to describe summer weather in places like Washington D.C. or New York City and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. Thankfully, as far as Benalmadena weather is concerned high humidity is not something you need to worry about.
Of course, “perfect weather” can mean different things to different people. Still, expert opinion seems to revolve around the idea of temperatures that are neither too hot nor very cold, with moderate levels of rainfall and humidity and lots of sunshine.
A recent analysis by Insider Monkey, for instance, suggested that “an ideal or best weather is the one which is typically moderate and safe from extreme temperatures, thereby tolerable and preferred by all body types.”
Cultural diversity
The above reference to expat positive experience in Spain and its linkage to pleasant weather makes an interesting point. Indeed, if one were to judge the climate in a given location by the number of foreigners it attracts, then Benalmadena weather can easily qualify the town for all kinds of Top-10 lists for best climate.
It is a truly cosmopolitan city with a large expat community, something that Idealista highlighted among the five reasons to choose Benalmadena, Costa del Sol.
Cultural diversity, it underscored, is noticeable in its streets: “the many nationalities of residents enrich the town’s social and cultural life.”
Quality of life. Rounding off its set of reasons for choosing Benalmadena, the company drew attention to two other notable features. One of them is the city’s “outstanding” educational and health services, said Idealista, adding that Benalmadena has a wide range of international schools and health centers.
Finally, the company described Benalmadena’s quality of life as “exceptional.” Calling its lifestyle “envy-inducing” it noted that the town’s residential neighbourhoods are peaceful, while leisure and dining areas are lively and vibrant.
“Benalmadena has become a sought-after destination for those looking for an idyllic place to live on the Costa del Sol,” said Idealista.