Region · Spain

Living in La Rioja

La Rioja sits between Spain's extremes on climate: winters near 6.8°C, summer highs around 29.3°C, and roughly 77 rainy days a year. Summer water stress reads WEI+ 32 against a national 56.

Overview

On the wallet: homes run about €1,892/m² (7% below the national average (€2,024/m²)); median net income is about €15,727 per person (10% above the national average (€14,279)).

Public healthcare here means a mean surgical wait around 78 days (24% below the national average (103 days)), with 6.4% of the surgical list waiting over six months — a real, published number, not a brochure claim.

We publish 6 of La Rioja's 174 municipalities in depth so far — the ones with a full guide portrait to sit alongside the numbers, weighted toward the milder-summer north. Every figure below is shown against the national reference, gaps included.

Schools PISA science 500 — 11 points above the national average (489)
Surgery wait 78 days — 24% below the national average (103 days)
Homes €1,892/m² — 7% below the national average (€2,024/m²)

The numbers for La Rioja

Region-level data, each figure against the national reference. Where a figure is a comunidad-autónoma reading rather than a town measurement, we say so under the card.

Climate

Winter average
6.8°C 1 °C below the national average (7.8°C)
Summer high
29.3°C 0.9 °C below the national average (30.2°C)
Rainy days a year
77 days 12% above the national average (69 days)
Sunshine
6.7 h/day 8% below the national average (7.2 h/day)
Summer water stress (WEI+)
32 24 points below the national average (56)

Aggregated from the region's municipalities (AEMET/derived); summer water stress is a river-basin (WEI+) reading.

Schools

PISA maths
493 14 points above the national average (479)
PISA reading
487 9 points above the national average (478)
PISA science
500 11 points above the national average (489)

PISA 2022, reported per comunidad autónoma (INEE). National reference = the mean across the 17 comunidades.

Healthcare

Surgical wait
78 days 24% below the national average (103 days)
Waiting over 6 months
6.4% 10.2 pts below the national average (16.6%)
Specialist consult wait
32 days 66% below the national average (95 days)

Public waiting lists, SISLE-SNS Dic 2025 (2025-12-31), per comunidad autónoma.

Cost & economy

Median net income / person
€15,727 10% above the national average (€14,279)
Median home price
€1,892/m² 7% below the national average (€2,024/m²)

Median across the region's municipalities (INE net income; Catastro-derived sale price).

Who lives here

Born in Spain
87.5% 1.3 pts below the national average (88.8%)
Born elsewhere in EU/UK
4.4% 0.6 pts above the national average (3.8%)

Share of residents by place of birth, averaged across the region's municipalities (INE).

Town profiles in La Rioja

We profile 6 of La Rioja's 174 municipalities in depth — numbers plus an honest portrait. More as we cover them.

Is La Rioja right for you?

These are La Rioja's regional numbers. Whether it fits you depends on your priorities — winter sun or mild summers, short medical waits, a city or a village, an easy flight home. The 3-minute quiz scores every one of Spain's 8,132 municipalities on what you care about, La Rioja included.

Take the quiz — rank La Rioja for you →

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