Palma de Mallorca, Spain

The economy here runs on tourism and real estate, with a side of port logistics and a growing but still modest tech scene. Remote work is absolutely viable if you already have a job, and the 80 Mbps internet holds up fine for video calls across time zones. What you won't find is much of a local job market for foreigners who don't speak Spanish, and even then, salaries are low compared to northern Europe. A one-bedroom in the city center will set you back about $1,250 a month, and your other costs, groceries, utilities, the occasional tapas crawl, will hover around $880. That's manageable on a US or UK salary but tight on a local one. The airport sits less than six kilometers from the center, which means you can land and be at your front door in 20 minutes, a detail you will never stop appreciating.

Summers are a siege. The population of 434,000 swells with tourists, the narrow streets of Santa Catalina and the old town clog, and finding a rental from June through September feels like a blood sport. You'll need to speak Spanish. Not a little, not restaurant Spanish, but enough to argue with a landlord or explain symptoms to a doctor. The public healthcare system is good and cheap once you're registered, but the bureaucracy to get there is slow and paper-heavy and will make you want to scream. Public transport is fine for getting around the city, but if you want to explore the Tramuntana mountains or the calas on the other side of the island, you need a car. Crime is low, a 25 on the index, and the safety score of 75 reflects a city where you can walk home at 2 a.m. without much worry, though pickpockets work the tourist zones hard in high season.

If you're a retiree or someone with steady remote income who wants 300 days of sun and can handle the administrative grind, this place scores an 87 for a reason. You'll get long lunches, swims in the sea in October, and a pace of life that actually feels different from wherever you left. Digital nomads rate it a 75, and that feels right, good but not great, because the scene is fragmented and the island can feel small by February. Don't come here expecting Berlin or Barcelona. It's not that. It's a Mediterranean port city with a tourism addiction and a language you need to learn. If you want anonymity and a big career ladder, keep looking. If you want to slow down and you've got the patience for Spanish paperwork, it works.