Town · Algarve, Portugal · 37.32°N 8.56°W
Monchique, Portugal
Monchique is a town of 5,421 people in the Algarve, with January highs of 13°C, 3 days a year above 35°C, a hospital 18.1 km from the centre and Portimão Airport (PRM) 19 km away.
Weather now
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0)
Normal for November, 1991-2020
17°high · low 9°C · 9 rain days
Who Monchique suits
Generated from the data below by published rulesGood fit for
- People who dislike heat28°C July highs and 3 days a year above 35°C
Weaker fit for
Nothing stands out as a weaker fit.
What makes Monchique stand out
- Monchique has the fewest nights above 20°C in Algarve (4 a year).
A fact appears when a town ranks first for a measure in Portugal, in its region, or among towns of similar size there.
Climate comfort
58/ 100
Top 35% in Portugal
Based on: Average January high, Days above 35°C a year, last ten years, Days with rain a year, Tropical nights a year, last ten years, Frost days a year, last ten years
Car-free living
34/ 100
Rank 566 of 790 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
Access to services
47/ 100
Rank 401 of 800 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
Monchique compared with Porto
Pick another town in Portugal to see the differences in plain terms.
- Same January warmthAverage January highMonchique 13°CPorto 13°C
- 2°C hotter in JulyAverage July highMonchique 28°CPorto 26°C
- 46 fewer rainy days a yearDays with rain per yearMonchique 73Porto 119
- 2 more very hot days a yearDays above 35°C per yearMonchique 3.0Porto 1.0
- 23 min more daylight in DecemberDaylight on 21 DecemberMonchique 9 h 35 minPorto 9 h 12 min
Housing & costs
Official · INE Portugal, EurostatAt these medians, a 70 m² home costs about €114,000 to buy.
Rents, prices and crime are published for each municipality as a whole, not for single towns. Municipalities with too few new leases get no rent figure.
Climate today
Town-level · ERA5-Land reanalysis 1991-2020Month by month
Town-level · ERA5-Land reanalysis 1991-2020August is the warmest month (28°C average high) and January the coolest (13°C). December is the wettest (77 mm) and July the driest (2 mm).
Best time to visit
- Beach daysJune to AugustBy the published month rules
- Walking and cyclingMay to June and SeptemberBy the published month rules
- JanuaryAir 13°8 rain daysCrowds: Low
- FebruaryAir 14°7 rain daysCrowds: Low
- MarchAir 17°9 rain daysCrowds: Low
- AprilAir 18°9 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- MayAir 21°7 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- JuneAir 25°2 rain daysCrowds: High
- JulyAir 28°1 rain dayCrowds: Peak
- AugustAir 28°1 rain dayCrowds: Peak
- SeptemberAir 25°4 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- OctoberAir 21°9 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- NovemberAir 17°9 rain daysCrowds: Low
- DecemberAir 14°9 rain daysCrowds: Low
Crowd levels are for the Algarve 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?
Town-level · ERA5-Land reanalysisDays above 35°C per year
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 distancesWithin 1.2 km of the centre
- Grocery stores6
- Pharmacies2
- Doctors & clinics2
- Train stationNo
30 min by car
- Hospitals2
- Sea beaches0
- People46,347
60 min by car
- Towns over 10,0009
- Hospitals6
- Sea beaches194
- People290,171
- Nearest train stationSilves19 km
- Nearest bus stationGare Rodoviária de Portimão19 km
- Nearest hospitalCentro Hospitalar e Universitário do Algarve-Hospital de Portimão18 km · 26 min by car
- Nearest airport with scheduled flightsPortimão Airport (PRM)19 km · 34 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, 2026-10-21.0Within 1.2 km of the centre
- 6Grocery stores & supermarketsPortugal median: 3
- 2PharmaciesPortugal median: 1
- 2CafésPortugal median: 4
- 12RestaurantsPortugal median: 9
- 1BakeriesPortugal median: 2
- 0Gyms & fitness studiosPortugal median: 1
- 1SchoolsPortugal median: 2
- 2Doctors & clinicsPortugal median: 1
Nature & surroundings
Town-level · WorldCover, Copernicus DEM, Natura 2000, OpenStreetMapPeople & community
Modelled · EU Census 2021 gridUnder 1515 to 6465 and over
International residents
| Share of residents | Monchique | Median town in Portugal |
|---|---|---|
| Born in another EU country | 2.1% | 1.6% |
| Born outside the EU | 6.3% | 5.5% |
| Moved here from abroad in the past year | 1.1% | 1.1% |
8.4% 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 (2,620 residents counted).
Environment & natural hazards
- Earthquakes1 since 1900Magnitude 5 or larger within 100 km. Largest: M5.3.Town-level · USGS earthquake catalog
- Air quality5.1 µg/m³Average fine particles (PM2.5) at the centre in 2023. The WHO guideline for the yearly average is 5 µg/m³.Modelled · EEA
- Wildfire4 of 10 yearsYears with a fire of 30 ha or more within 10 km of the centre, 2016-2025; 33,207 ha burnt by those fires.Town-level · EFFIS
Places like Monchique
Matched on climate, amenities, nearest and access
- MarmeleteAlgarve76% match
- São TeotónioAlentejo71% match
- Boavista dos PinheirosAlentejo68% match
- AbrigadaOeste e Vale do Tejo67% match
- Arruda dos VinhosOeste e Vale do Tejo67% match
Measures used: Average January high, Average July high, Days above 35°C a year, last ten years, Days with rain a year, Grocery stores within a 15-minute walk, Cafés within a 15-minute walk, Distance to the nearest train station and Nearest airport with scheduled flights. A match of 100% would mean the same values on every one.
Common questions about Monchique
What is the weather like in Monchique through the year?
January averages a high of 13°C and a low of 6°C; July averages 28°C and 16°C. There are about 73 days with rain a year. These are averages for 1991-2020.
How many very hot days does Monchique get?
Monchique averaged 3.0 days a year above 35°C in 2016-2025, against 0.9 a year in 1991-2000.
Does it freeze in Monchique?
Monchique averaged 2 frost days a year (below 0°C) in 2016-2025.
What is within walking distance of the centre of Monchique?
Within 1.2 km of the centre there are 6 grocery stores, 2 pharmacies, 2 doctors and clinics and 2 cafés. In a straight line, the nearest train station is 19 km away, the nearest bus station is 19 km away, the nearest hospital is 18 km away, the nearest beach is 21 km away and the nearest coastline is 21 km away.
What is the nearest airport to Monchique?
Portimão Airport (PRM), 19 km from the centre in a straight line.
How much daylight does Monchique get in winter?
9 h 35 min on 21 December, against 14 h 44 min on 21 June.
Who is Monchique a good fit for?
By the published rules: people who dislike heat (28°C July highs and 3 days a year above 35°C).
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 Monchique 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.
| Dataset | Used for | Version | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (30 m elevation) | Elevation | glo30_s120 | Copernicus DEM licence (free for any use, with attribution) |
| PM2.5, European air quality data (EEA, interpolated 1 km map) | Air quality | pm25_2023 | CC BY 4.0 |
| Burnt areas (European Forest Fire Information System, EFFIS) | Wildfires | 2016-2025 | CC BY 4.0 |
| ERA5-Land reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Data Store) | Climate | points_1991-2025 | CC BY 4.0 |
| ESA WorldCover 2021 (10 m land cover) | Land cover | v200_2021 | CC BY 4.0 |
| EU Census 2021 population grid (Eurostat) | Census grid | V3 | Free reuse with acknowledgement (European Commission reuse policy) |
| Nights spent in short-stay accommodation booked through online platforms (Eurostat tour_ce_omn12) | Crowds | 2026-11-01 | CC BY 4.0 |
| Price level indices (Eurostat prc_ppp_ind) | Price level | 2026-11-01 | CC BY 4.0 |
| GeoNames | Place names and populations | 2026-10-31 | CC BY 4.0 |
| INE Portugal (local statistics on rents, house prices, crime and population) | Rents, house prices, crime and population | 2026-11-01 | CC BY 4.0 |
| Natura 2000 protected sites (EEA, end 2024) | Protected areas | end2024 | CC BY 4.0 |
| OpenStreetMap (Geofabrik extracts) | Stations, hospitals, beaches, coastline | 2026-10-31 | ODbL 1.0 |
| OurAirports | Airports | 2026-10-31 | Public domain |
| Overture Maps places | Amenities | 2026-10-21.0 | CDLA-Permissive-2.0 |
| TEMIS UV index climatology (KNMI / ESA) | UV index | v2.0_clim_2004-2020 | Free use with credit; TEMIS asks to be told how the data is used |
| USGS earthquake catalog (ComCat) | Earthquakes | 2026-10-31 | Public domain |