
Sanxenxo
Sanxenxo is a coastal town seventeen kilometres from Pontevedra, with around seventeen thousand residents. It is Galicia's main summer resort: Spaniards come from Madrid and the north, and in August the population multiplies.
For anyone moving that means Sanxenxo is closer to the Mediterranean model than the rest of Galicia: full in summer, noticeably quieter in winter. It does not close entirely, though — this is still a Galician town with residents of its own. Housing costs more than in the towns along the coast from it, and less than at Mediterranean resorts. The water in the inlet warms better than the open ocean, and the beaches are sandy. It still rains all year, as everywhere in Galicia.
- Pontevedra · 17 km — the provincial capital and its pedestrian centre
- O Grove · 15 km — the peninsula of beaches and oysters
- Combarro · 12 km — the village of stone granaries by the water
Sanxenxo sits in Galicia, Rías Baixas, right on the water. Winters are damp at 77% humidity, so ask about mould before you sign. Summers are packed: tourist load hits 5 out of 5 at the peak against 1 in winter. Fast internet at a median of 350 Mbps: remote work is not a problem here.
Hospital, terrain, getting around
Where from: the Ministry of Health hospital catalogue, road time · elevations from the Copernicus terrain model · OpenStreetMap · ratings for car-free and hospital minutes are ours.
Sanxenxo sea temperature by month
0 months above 20 °CsourceAverage sea surface temperature, °C, for 2015–2024 — NOAA OISST satellite series, grid cell 6 km from the centre.
Tourist load
Sanxenxo beaches and water quality
sourceSanxenxo has 19 beaches tested under EU bathing water rules, at 20 sampling points. In the 2025 season, all 19 were graded excellent. No beach here has been graded “poor” since testing began in 1990.
The grade is bacteria in water samples over the last four seasons — not sand, views or crowds. “Poor” means bathing there is advised against.
| Beach | From the centre | Grade 2025 | “Excellent” in a row | Last “poor” |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playa Silgar | 0 km | excellent | 25 seasons | none since 1990 |
| Playa Panadeira | 0.6 km | excellent | 9 seasons | none since 1990 |
| Playa Baltar | 1.2 km | excellent | 15 seasons | none since 2002 |
| Playa Canelinas | 1.6 km | excellent | 9 seasons | none since 1990 |
| Playa Canelas - Sanxenxo | 2.1 km | excellent | 36 seasons | none since 1990 |
| Playa Areas | 2.6 km | excellent | 9 seasons | none since 1990 |
| Playa Paxarinas | 2.9 km | excellent | 36 seasons | none since 1990 |
| Playa Montalvo | 3.2 km | excellent | 36 seasons | none since 1990 |
| Playa Agra | 3.5 km | excellent | 22 seasons | none since 2002 |
| Playa Bascuas | 3.9 km | excellent | 24 seasons | none since 2002 |
| Playa Pampaido | 4.3 km | excellent | 2 seasons | none since 2024 |
| Playa Pragueira | 4.3 km | excellent | 24 seasons | none since 2002 |
| Playa Major | 4.6 km | excellent | 24 seasons | none since 2002 |
| Playa Foxos | 6 km | excellent | 24 seasons | none since 2002 |
| Playa A Lapa | 6.1 km | excellent | 24 seasons | none since 2002 |
| Playa Areas Gordas | 6.1 km | excellent | 24 seasons | none since 2002 |
| Playa Nuestra Senora Da Lanzada | 6.2 km | excellent | 24 seasons | none since 2002 |
| Playa Espineiro - Sanxenxo | 6.4 km | excellent | 16 seasons | none since 2002 |
| Playa A Lanzada-Sanxenxo | 6.6 km | excellent | 18 seasons | none since 2008 |
Where from: European Environment Agency, bathing water register, seasons 1990–2025, licence CC BY 4.0. Distance is from the centre in a straight line. Every place in one table
On the map
What tenants actually pay
sourcedThis is the median rent on active leases — tax records for 2024, a sample of 475 leases. It includes long-standing contracts at unchanged rents, so it sits below what is asked today: our estimate of asking rent is 780 € for a two-bedroom.
The point of the 75th percentile: it is closer to what is being signed now than the median. The gap between them shows how much a new tenant overpays relative to long-standing ones.
Where from: SERPAVI, Ministerio de Vivienda · municipality: Sanxenxo
Rent by number of bedrooms
asking price, estimate| 1 bedroom | 600 €/mo | |
| 2 bedrooms | 780 €/mo | |
| 3 bedrooms | ≈ 1 010 €/mo | model: two-bed × 1.3, no measurement yet |
| Median of active leases, 2024 | 406 €/mo | SERPAVI · 81 m² |
Asking prices are what long lets are advertised at today; the registry is what tenants pay on signed leases, including old ones. The gap between them is your negotiating argument.
Schools nearby
estimateInternational schools counted in the base: 0. Names and curricula for this place are not verified yet — the school registry covers the thirty most-requested places so far.
Renting without a Spanish contract
How realistic a long lease is without a nómina — on foreign income, savings or prepayment.
- —4.7% foreign residents — the market is built for locals with a contract
- —Prices rising 14.5% a year — the landlord picks, and the first filter is a nómina
- —Stock goes to tourist lets: long leases are scarce and competed for
This is our model, not a measurement: demanding a nómina is an individual landlord's practice and nobody publishes it. The rating is derived from the share of foreign residents, the presence of a community with services, price growth, seasonality of the stock and the size of the town.
Who lives here
INE 2025- Colombia163
- Venezuela111
- Portugal59
- Brazil57
- Morocco45
- Italy41
- Argentina32
- Uruguay30
- enEnglish~300
Where from: INE, Censo Anual de Población · the register-based census counts padrón registrations by citizenship on 1 January, not everyone living here: seasonal owners and the unregistered are outside it, and naturalised residents count as Spanish.
Winter direct flights from VGO
January 2026/2735 min to the airportThe winter schedule for this airport is not verified yet.
Destinations served at least weekly in January; checked 2026-09-17.
Paperwork and practicalities
From OpenStreetMap — an open map filled in by volunteers. Something missing there may still exist: read this as «we found this many», not «there are no more».
Articles that include this place
- How long the swimming season actually lasts«Three hundred days of sunshine» is said of every coast. You swim in the water, and by water the places range from two months to nine.
- Retiring to coastal Spain: who already lives there, how far the hospital is, and whether the town stays open in winterThe share of residents over 65 and over 80 in every place we cover, from the INE census, the drive to the nearest public hospital, and the measured winter score. No ranking: only what the numbers show.
Where to look next
- Pontevedra2 027 €/m²
- Vigo2 335 €/m²
- A Coruña2 762 €/m²
- Vigo2 335 €/m²
- Pontevedra2 027 €/m²