Town · Madeira, Portugal · 32.65°N 16.84°W

Caniço, Portugal

Caniço is a town of 23,368 people in Madeira, with a hospital 4.4 km from the centre and Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (FNC) 8 km away.

Updated 1 November 2026 · 10 of 10 core measures available · 16 open datasets · How we calculate this

Weather now

Normal for November, 1991-2020

19°high · low 16°C · 15 rain days

Good fit for

  • Beach lovers
    A beach 1.1 km from the centre

Weaker fit for

Nothing stands out as a weaker fit.

What makes Caniço stand out

A fact appears when a town ranks first for a measure in Portugal, in its region, or among towns of similar size there.

Car-free living

79/ 100

Top 12% in Portugal

Based on: Grocery stores within a 15-minute walk, Pharmacies within a 15-minute walk, Cafés within a 15-minute walk, Distance to the nearest train station, Distance to the nearest bus station

Built on 75% of its inputs; the rest are not published for this town.

Access to services

67/ 100

Top 25% in Portugal

Based on: Distance to the nearest hospital, Nearest airport with scheduled flights, Grocery stores within a 15-minute walk, Doctors and clinics within a 15-minute walk, Schools within a 15-minute walk

How precise is each number?Town-levelmeasured or computed for this townModelledestimated from a grid or a modelRegionalonly available for the wider area

Caniço compared with Porto

Pick another town in Portugal to see the differences in plain terms.

  • Average January highShown for reference: at least one value is not precise enough to call a difference.Caniço Regional16°CPorto 13°C
  • Average July highShown for reference: at least one value is not precise enough to call a difference.Caniço Regional23°CPorto 26°C
  • Days with rain per yearShown for reference: at least one value is not precise enough to call a difference.Caniço Regional118Porto 119
  • Days above 35°C per yearShown for reference: at least one value is not precise enough to call a difference.Caniço Regional0Porto 1.0
  • 48 min more daylight in DecemberDaylight on 21 DecemberCaniço 10 h 00 minPorto 9 h 12 min

Housing & costs

Official · INE Portugal, Eurostat
Median rent €9.02/m²Per month, 2024, new leases · Portugal €7.97/m²
Sale price €2,853/m²2026 Q2, median of the last 12 months · Portugal €2,264/m²
Price change, 5 years +126%Since 2021 Q2 · Portugal +86%
Crimes per 1,000 residents 16.6Recorded by the police in 2025 · Portugal 32.0
Price level, Portugal 85EU average = 100 (whole country, 2024)

At these medians, a 70 m² home costs about €630 a month to rent and about €200,000 to buy.

Caniço is in the municipality of Santa Cruz. Rents, prices and crime are published for each municipality as a whole, not for single towns.

Climate today

Regional · ERA5-Land reanalysis 1991-2020
Average daily high (°C)Average daily low (°C)
Days with rain 1181 mm or more, per year
Tropical nights 45Nights staying above 20°C, 2016-2025
Feels 32°C or hotter 0Days a year when heat and humidity feel like 32°C or more, 2016-2025
Daylight on 21 Dec 10 h 00 min14 h 18 min on 21 Jun
Sea temperature Modelled17 to 23°CMarch to September, open sea nearby
Windy days 8Hourly wind of 30 km/h or more, per year, 2016-2025
Wettest month Dec82 mm on average
Frost days 0Below 0°C, per year, 2016-2025
Days above 35°C 0Per year, 2016-2025
Highest UV index Modelled11July, noon on a clear day

Month by month

Regional · ERA5-Land reanalysis 1991-2020

August is the warmest month (24°C average high) and February the coolest (16°C). December is the wettest (82 mm) and July the driest (11 mm).

Best time to visit

  • Sea at 20°C or warmer ModelledJune to NovemberOpen sea nearby, monthly average
  • JanuaryAir 16° · Sea 18°11 rain daysCrowds: Medium
  • FebruaryAir 16° · Sea 17°11 rain daysCrowds: Medium
  • MarchAir 17° · Sea 17°12 rain daysCrowds: Medium
  • AprilAir 17° · Sea 18°10 rain daysCrowds: High
  • MayAir 19° · Sea 18°8 rain daysCrowds: High
  • JuneAir 21° · Sea 20°5 rain daysCrowds: High
  • JulyAir 23° · Sea 21°3 rain daysCrowds: Peak
  • AugustAir 24° · Sea 23°4 rain daysCrowds: Peak
  • SeptemberAir 23° · Sea 23°11 rain daysCrowds: High
  • OctoberAir 22° · Sea 22°14 rain daysCrowds: High
  • NovemberAir 19° · Sea 21°15 rain daysCrowds: Medium
  • DecemberAir 17° · Sea 19°14 rain daysCrowds: Medium

Crowd levels are for Madeira as a whole: nights booked through online platforms in 2025, against the region's busiest month (Eurostat).

Each month links to its own page with temperatures, rain and daylight.

Is it getting hotter?

Regional · ERA5-Land reanalysis

Days above 35°C per year

1991-20000 days
2016-20250 days

Both measured periods come from the same reanalysis as the climate section. The bars run to 10 days.

Healthcare & getting around

Town-level · straight-line distances

Within 1.2 km of the centre

  • Grocery stores7
  • Pharmacies4
  • Doctors & clinics1

30 min by car

  • Hospitals5
  • Sea beaches21
  • People235,272

60 min by car

  • Towns over 10,0004
  • Hospitals5
  • Sea beaches33
  • People270,015
  • Nearest train stationNone within 60 km
  • Nearest bus stationS.A.M.0.6 km
  • Nearest hospitalCasa de Saúde Câmara Pestana4.4 km · 10 min by car
  • Nearest airport with scheduled flightsCristiano Ronaldo International Airport (FNC)7.9 km · 11 min by car

Distances are straight lines from the town centre. Drive times are by road in free-flowing traffic (OSRM on OpenStreetMap roads); people counts add up the towns reached.

Daily life

Town-level · Overture Maps places, 2026-10-21.0

Within 1.2 km of the centre

  • 7Grocery stores & supermarketsPortugal median: 3
  • 4PharmaciesPortugal median: 1
  • 7CafésPortugal median: 4
  • 32RestaurantsPortugal median: 9
  • 7BakeriesPortugal median: 2
  • 6Gyms & fitness studiosPortugal median: 1
  • 2SchoolsPortugal median: 2
  • 1Doctors & clinicsPortugal median: 1

Nature & surroundings

Town-level · WorldCover, Copernicus DEM, Natura 2000, OpenStreetMap
Parks within 1.2 km 1Portugal median: 0
Nearest sea beach 1.2 kmPraia dos Reis Magos
Distance to the coast 1.1 kmStraight line from the town centre
Tree cover within 1.2 km 37%Portugal town median: 29%
Terrain SteepAverage slope 23%; 1,163 m between the lowest and highest land within 5 km
Protected nature 0.1 kmCaniço de Baixo (Natura 2000)

People & community

Modelled · EU Census 2021 grid
Population 23,368Town figure from GeoNames
Population change since 2013 +2%Municipality of Santa Cruz · Portugal +7% (official estimates)
Age structure
Caniço
Median town in Portugal

Under 1515 to 6465 and over

International residents

Share of residentsCaniçoMedian town in Portugal
Born in another EU country1.5%1.6%
Born outside the EU8.9%5.5%
Moved here from abroad in the past year1.2%1.1%

10.4% of residents were born abroad, against 7.1% in the median town in Portugal (2021 census). From the 1 km census grid cells within 1.5 km of the centre (16,662 residents counted).

Environment & natural hazards

  • Earthquakes1 since 1900Magnitude 5 or larger within 100 km. Largest: M5.3.Town-level · USGS earthquake catalog
  • Wildfire1 of 10 yearsYears with a fire of 30 ha or more within 10 km of the centre, 2016-2025; 2,145 ha burnt by those fires.Town-level · EFFIS

Common questions about Caniço

What is the weather like in Caniço through the year?

January averages a high of 16°C and a low of 14°C; July averages 23°C and 19°C. There are about 118 days with rain a year. These are averages for 1991-2020. These are regional figures for the wider area, not for the town itself.

How many very hot days does Caniço get?

Caniço had no days above 35°C in 2016-2025, nor in 1991-2000. These are regional figures for the wider area, not for the town itself.

Does it freeze in Caniço?

Caniço averaged no frost days a year in 2016-2025. These are regional figures for the wider area, not for the town itself.

What is within walking distance of the centre of Caniço?

Within 1.2 km of the centre there are 7 grocery stores, 4 pharmacies, 1 doctor or clinic and 7 cafés. In a straight line, the nearest bus station is 0.6 km away, the nearest hospital is 4.4 km away, the nearest beach is 1.2 km away and the nearest coastline is 1.1 km away.

What is the nearest airport to Caniço?

Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (FNC), 7.9 km from the centre in a straight line.

How much daylight does Caniço get in winter?

10 h 00 min on 21 December, against 14 h 18 min on 21 June.

Who is Caniço a good fit for?

By the published rules: beach lovers (A beach 1.1 km from the centre).

Sources & methodology

Every value comes from one of the open datasets below and is computed the same way for every town. Each section names how precise its values are: town-level, modelled or regional. Distances are straight lines from the town centre, and amenities are counted within 1.2 km of it. Read the full methodology.

"Who Caniço suits" lines come from fixed rules applied to every town in the same way. A rule only uses values that are modelled or better, and each line shows the numbers that triggered it. How the rules work.

DatasetUsed forVersionLicence
Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (30 m elevation)Elevationglo30_s120Copernicus DEM licence (free for any use, with attribution)
Burnt areas (European Forest Fire Information System, EFFIS)Wildfires2016-2025CC BY 4.0
ERA5 monthly sea surface temperature (Copernicus Climate Data Store)Sea temperaturemonthly_1991-2020CC BY 4.0
ERA5-Land reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Data Store)Climatepoints_1991-2025CC BY 4.0
ESA WorldCover 2021 (10 m land cover)Land coverv200_2021CC BY 4.0
EU Census 2021 population grid (Eurostat)Census gridV3Free reuse with acknowledgement (European Commission reuse policy)
Nights spent in short-stay accommodation booked through online platforms (Eurostat tour_ce_omn12)Crowds2026-11-01CC BY 4.0
Price level indices (Eurostat prc_ppp_ind)Price level2026-11-01CC BY 4.0
GeoNamesPlace names and populations2026-10-31CC BY 4.0
INE Portugal (local statistics on rents, house prices, crime and population)Rents, house prices, crime and population2026-11-01CC BY 4.0
Natura 2000 protected sites (EEA, end 2024)Protected areasend2024CC BY 4.0
OpenStreetMap (Geofabrik extracts)Stations, hospitals, beaches, coastline2026-10-31ODbL 1.0
OurAirportsAirports2026-10-31Public domain
Overture Maps placesAmenities2026-10-21.0CDLA-Permissive-2.0
TEMIS UV index climatology (KNMI / ESA)UV indexv2.0_clim_2004-2020Free use with credit; TEMIS asks to be told how the data is used
USGS earthquake catalog (ComCat)Earthquakes2026-10-31Public domain