Accra vs Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Accra sprawls low and wide, built around cars rather than feet, so walkability is poor and getting around usually means a vehicle. Some neighbourhoods are pleasant and roomy, with more housing space than denser capitals, but the overall fabric is loose and traffic-shaped.

A compact, low-rise city with an unhurried pace, calmer than busy Madrid and on a par with Málaga. The core is walkable and daily life rarely demands a car, though it spreads out rather than rising into a dense centre.

Serious violent crime is rare, and Accra has a reputation as one of the steadier capitals in the region, with relatively stable politics. The everyday concerns are pettier: opportunistic theft and chaotic roads, where traffic safety is genuinely weak.

Reassuringly safe. Violent crime is very low, the roads are among the safer in the region, and walking around at night feels comfortable, in line with other Spanish cities.

Accra is well placed for English-language work, but its overall market remains shallow. Medical care is the city's soft spot, with limited specialist depth, strained hospital capacity, and few doctors relative to the population.

Local employment is the clear limitation in Las Palmas. Solid, dependable public healthcare without quite the depth of the big mainland hospitals in Madrid.

Local culture is strong and proudly worn, with a lively music and arts scene and good nightlife. Accra is dense and grubby, open drains and litter the norm, with little built public space beyond a few seafront stretches and plazas in a mostly car-bound city.

A capable food and culture scene with a notably large international community, though a step down from the mainland heavyweights. Las Palmas keeps its beachfront and centre decently kept, with a few worn districts at the edges.