Moving to Spain
Spain country facts, largest cities, hub labels and reports.
Across 199 passports, 94 passports enter visa-free and 105 passports need a visa for Spain. Check your passport below.
- Visa-free
- 94
- Visa required
- 105
Visa and entry rules
Sources checked through 28 Aug 2026.
Work and income
What is the unemployment rate in Spain?
The national unemployment rate was 11.4 % in 2024. Source: Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a)14
This is the Eurostat labour-force survey series used as the canonical national answer. Other published definitions exist and are shown in the table below.
What is the median gross salary in Spain?
The median gross salary was about 2,041 EUR/month in 2024.
Half of employees earn less than this. Mean gross and national-accounts averages use different definitions and are shown in the table below. national-accounts average — shown in the table below.
What is the minimum wage in Spain?
The statutory minimum wage is 9.26 EUR/hour, gross (as of 2025). Source: OECD25
National statutory floor, gross, before tax and social contributions.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median gross salary, monthly | 2,041 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2024 | INE Encuesta Anual de Estructura Salarial — 2024 median gross annual earnings22Official · national figure |
| National unemployment rate | 11.4 % | 31 Dec 2024 | Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a)14Official · national figure |
| Minimum gross hourly wage | 9.26 EUR/hour | 31 Dec 2025 | OECD25Official · national figure |
Typical city (median): about 4.4%
Unemployment rate (%)
Typical city (median): about €5.10
Net rent (€/m²/month)
Typical city (median): about 8.7 µg/m³
Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)
Typical city (median): about 4,281 incidents per 100,000 residents
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents
Public employment service in Spain
Official job-search, registration, counselling and training routes. Private recruitment agencies are not included.
Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal — Public employment service
A national service does not prove that an office exists in every city. City pages show an office only after an exact address is linked to that city. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.
Taxes in Spain
National rates and comparable published scenarios. Personal tax depends on income, household and residence circumstances.
What does an average earner take home in Spain?
A single person on an average wage keeps about 24,985 EUR/year of about 32,678 EUR/year gross per year — 76.5% of pay.
Standardized OECD Taxing Wages (standardized scenario): single person, no children, earning the average wage. The same scenario is published for every covered country, so take-home shares compare directly.
| Component | Amount / year |
|---|---|
| Net wage earnings, kept | 24,985 |
| Income taxes | −5,576 |
| Employee social contributions | −2,118 |
| Gross wage earnings | 32,678 |
- Gross-to-net pay for a sample household: single person no children — 32,678 gross → 24,985 net a year (2025, national currency) · Taxing Wages 2026 — labour taxation decomposition
Benefits newcomers may qualify for in Spain
Public schemes where an official source defines an eligible migration or residence status. Amounts and conditions are kept in their native terms.
| Programme | Published amount | Source and application |
|---|---|---|
Ayuda al alquiler para la emancipación de las personas jóvenes — Plan Estatal de Vivienda 2026-2030 — Housing support | 200–300 EUR / Monthly | |
Eligibility and amount detailsCurrent Plan Estatal de Vivienda 2026-2030 Article 137 formula: maximum EUR 300 per month for a habitual and permanent home rental or use transfer and maximum EUR 200 per month for a room rental or use transfer, in both cases capped at 60% of the monthly rent or price. The current Spanish Plan Estatal de Vivienda 2026-2030 has a general beneficiary rule stating: ‘En el caso de los extranjeros no comunitarios deberán tener residencia legal en España.’ Its Article 133 youth-rental section applies to adults under 35 who rent or are ready to rent a home or room as their habitual and permanent residence, subject to the source-defined income, rent and other conditions. and does not generalize the benefit to every foreign resident or to people without the Article 133 youth-rental conditions. | ||
Benefit for Birth and Care of a minor — Family and child support | Percentage-based / Daily | |
Eligibility and amount detailsThe contributory subsidy is 100% of the applicable regulatory base; the daily base is derived from the stated Social Security contribution base under the official formula. The official Seguridad Social page defines the beneficiaries as ‘Employees or self-employed workers’ who meet the necessary requirements: ‘Are registered with the Social Security and affiliated’, ‘Proof of the required contribution periods’ and ‘Being up to date on their contribution payments’. This is the bounded profile of an insured worker in Spanish Social Security with the qualifying registration and contribution record; the benefit's birth, adoption, guardianship or foster-care conditions also apply. | ||
Ingreso Mínimo Vital (IMV) — Minimum-income support | 733.6 EUR / Monthly | |
Eligibility and amount details2026 guaranteed monthly income: EUR 733.60 for one individual beneficiary; EUR 953.68 for one adult and one minor or two adults; EUR 1,173.76 for one adult and two minors, two adults and one minor, or three adults. Actual IMV is the difference between guaranteed income and household income, subject to the official minimum-result rule. The official Seguridad Social IMV page requires beneficiaries or members of a household to have legal and effective residence in Spain continuously and uninterruptedly during at least the year before the application. Its ‘Acreditación de los requisitos’ section specifies that an EU/EEA/Swiss national proves legal residence through registration in the Central Foreigners Registry; a family member of a Union citizen proves it with a family-member residence card; and a non-EU/EEA/Swiss foreign national proves it with a Spanish residence authorization. bounded profiles, each with the source-defined one-year legal/effective residence condition; age, household, income, asset and continuous-residence conditions also apply. | ||
International Protection and Temporary Protection Reception System — reception conditions — Arrival and reception support | In-kind support | |
Eligibility and amount detailsThe current Spanish Ministry pages describe an in-kind and service reception package covering basic needs through a national network of resources and centres, including accommodation and subsistence, hygiene/clothing/footwear and first-aid material, basic healthcare, social/legal/psychological support, language and literacy support and transfers; the related humanitarian programme also describes basic economic aid. The retained official sources do not publish one national fixed EUR rate for this package; no fixed amount is asserted. The official Spanish Ministry page states: ‘Las personas solicitantes de protección internacional y temporal, siempre que carezcan de recursos económicos suficientes, tienen derecho a las condiciones de acogida necesarias con la finalidad de asegurar la satisfacción de sus necesidades básicas en condiciones de dignidad.’ the source-defined reception-system, resource and individual-itinerary conditions remain applicable and no broader foreign-resident entitlement is inferred. | ||
Prestación contributiva por desempleo — Unemployment support | Amount varies / Monthly | |
Eligibility and amount detailsOfficial SEPE 2026 amount table; exact benefit amount varies with the statutory calculation and claimant circumstances. No single representative amount recorded. SEPE states: ‘Si eres una persona trabajadora extranjera y resides o estás de forma legal en España, tendrás derecho a beneficiarte de las prestaciones por desempleo en las mismas condiciones que las personas trabajadoras de nacionalidad española.’ This is the bounded profile of a foreign worker legally residing in Spain. The contributive benefit additionally requires at least 360 days of unemployment contributions in the previous six years and a legal unemployment situation; the public status label does not replace those conditions. | ||
ImmigrationDB shows published rules; it does not decide personal eligibility. Confirm your status, contribution record and household circumstances with the responsible authority before applying. Sources checked through 12 Aug 2026.
Can migrants receive medical care in Spain?
Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Spain under the published coverage rules.
Language courses and integration in Spain
Government programmes, public integration services and exact provider records. The section expands only from fields present in the source; missing prices, refunds or contacts are not replaced with estimates.
Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas — public language education network — State Language Course
Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports / autonomous education authorities
For adult language learners, residents.
Cursos de català — CNL de Barcelona — Municipal language course
Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística — CNL de Barcelona
For new Catalan speakers, residents, language learners.
Municipal Spanish courses for adult immigrants — Madrid — Municipal language course
Ayuntamiento de Madrid
For adult immigrants who are not Spanish-speaking.
Private and nonprofit providers
These records come from the provider's own website. They are useful leads, but are not counted as government-verified or complete.
Provider-supplied record · supplemental Madrid Municipal Integration Office — North
Calle Juan Pantoja 2, 1ª Planta, Madrid
Open provider websiteProvider-supplied record · supplemental Madrid Municipal Integration Office — South
Calle Vía Carpetana 99, Madrid
Open provider websiteLiving and moving context for Spain
Life expectancy was 83.9 years in 2024, with 4.294 doctors per 1,000 people in 2022. Annual PM2.5 was 13.8 µg/m³ in 2025. The 2024 groceries price level index was 92.5 on an EU27=100 basis. Monthly estimates put groceries at €296 and utilities at €70; household electricity was €0.260/kWh and gas was €0.088/kWh. Average gross salary was €2,240 per month in 2024, while national median net income was €1,459 per month. A separate 2025 median monthly net salary was €2,050. The national crime rate was 5,056 offences per 100,000 people in 2024. For 2024, the employee calculation gave €9,300 a year in income tax and €7,609 in social contributions. Household net-income estimates were €2,068 per month for one person, €2,498 for a couple and €2,885 for a family.
Spain cities by population
The largest published cities appear first. Population is taken from the reusable official city layer; hub labels come from the existing city taxonomy.
All published cities in Spain
Reports with this country
Accepted report pages with a row for this country.
Spain facts
Current source-backed observations, grouped the way the city pages are, with geographic scope and observation periods.
Population and profile
How many people live in Spain?
The published population was 48,848,840 people in 2024. Source: World Bank42
National, resident population scope. Foreign-resident and migration-background figures are separate metrics in the table below.
How many foreign residents live in Spain?
The foreign-resident population was 6,911,971 people in 2025. Source: Eurostat5
Residents without Spain citizenship. The migration-background population is a broader measure and appears in the table below.
Legal, tax and other context
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median net salary, monthly | 2,050 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2025 | Eurostat6Official · national figure |
| Public healthcare access for foreign residents | Yes | 3 Aug 2026 | Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE), Real Decreto 1192/20121Official · national figure |
| PM2.5 — annual mean | 13.8 µg/m³ | 31 Dec 2025 | OpenAQ51Independent · national figure |
| Area | 505,976 km² | 31 Dec 2023 | World Bank43Official · national figure |
| Cost level against the capital | 92.5 index (EU27=100) | 31 Dec 2024 | Eurostat — Comparative price levels and HICP (prc_ppp_ind, prc_hicp_midx)10Official · national |
| Gross-to-net pay for a sample household | single person no children — 32,678 gross → 24,985 net a year (2025, national currency) | 31 Dec 2025 | Taxing Wages 2026 — labour taxation decomposition39Official · country household scenario |
| Population by year | 48,085,361 people (2023) | 1 Jan 2023 | Population on 1 January by age and sex (DEMO_PJAN)38Official · country annual series |
| Salary by profession | Clerical support workers — 1,799 EUR/month (2022) | 31 Dec 2022 | Mean monthly earnings by sex, occupation and size class of the enterprise (2022)23Official · country occupation |
| Doctors per 1,000 residents | 4.29 per 1,000 | 31 Dec 2022 | World Bank indicator SH.MED.PHYS.ZS46Official · national figure |
| Household electricity price | 0.26 EUR/kWh | 31 Dec 2024 | Eurostat — Household energy prices (nrg_pc_204 electricity, nrg_pc_202 gas)12Official · national |
| Employer social contribution rate | 30.57 % | 31 Dec 2025 | OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration28Official · national figure |
| People employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing | 769,900 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure |
| People employed in mining and quarrying | 20,600 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure |
| People employed in manufacturing | 2,201,500 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure |
| People employed in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning | 54,000 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure |
| People employed in water supply, sewerage and waste management | 230,100 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure |
| People employed in construction | 1,590,600 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure |
| People employed in wholesale and retail trade; motor vehicle and motorcycle repair | 3,543,500 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure |
| People employed in transportation and storage | 1,045,700 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure |
| People employed in accommodation and food services | 1,744,900 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure |
| People employed in information and communication | 728,900 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure |
| People employed in finance and insurance | 366,400 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure |
| People employed in real estate | 241,600 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure |
| People employed in professional, scientific and technical services | 1,280,200 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure |
Common questions
Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.
What is the unemployment rate in Spain?
The national unemployment rate was 11.4 % in 2024. Source: Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a).
How many people live in Spain?
The published population was 48,848,840 people in 2024. Source: World Bank.
What is the median gross salary in Spain?
The median gross salary was about 2,041 EUR/month in 2024. Source: INE Encuesta Anual de Estructura Salarial — 2024 median gross annual earnings.
What is the minimum wage in Spain?
The statutory minimum wage is 9.26 EUR/hour, gross (as of 2025). Source: OECD.
Is the air quality good in Spain?
The annual PM2.5 mean is 13.8 µg/m³. The WHO 2021 guideline is 5 µg/m³ and the EU limit value is 25 µg/m³, so this reading is above the WHO guideline but within the EU limit. Source: OpenAQ.
Cite this page
Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.
APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 12). Moving to Spain: salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/countries/spain/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_moving-to-spain-salary-cost-of-living_2d0d64dd11db,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Moving to Spain: salary, cost of living},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-09-12},
version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/countries/spain/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Moving to Spain: salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/countries/spain/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.
Sources
Every number above comes from one of these records. Open the original source for its geographic scope and publication date.
- Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE), Real Decreto 1192/2012 boe.es · checked 2026-08-03
- ec.europa.eu ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-12
- EF EPI ef.com · checked 2026-08-03
- European Medicines Agency ema.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-20
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-14
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-07
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
- Eurostat — Comparative price levels and HICP (prc_ppp_ind, prc_hicp_midx) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-14
Show 41 more sources
- Eurostat — Distribution of income by household composition (ilc_di04) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
- Eurostat — Household energy prices (nrg_pc_204 electricity, nrg_pc_202 gas) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-14
- Eurostat — National accounts aggregates (nama_10_a10) and employment (nama_10_a10_e) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
- Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
- Eurostat crim_off_cat (ICCS0101, NR) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-05
- Eurostat demo_pjan ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-05
- Eurostat earn_mw_cur ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-06
- Eurostat hbs_exp_t121 ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-06
- Eurostat ilc_di03 ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-06
- Globalization and World Cities (GaWC), Loughborough University gawc.lboro.ac.uk · checked 2026-08-03
- Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) data.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-13
- INE Encuesta Anual de Estructura Salarial — 2024 median gross annual earnings INE Encuesta Anual de Estructura Salarial · servicios.ine.es · checked 2026-07-29
- Mean monthly earnings by sex, occupation and size class of the enterprise (2022) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-30
- MIPEX mirovni-institut.si · checked 2026-08-03
- OECD sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
- OECD oecd.org · checked 2026-08-03
- OECD sdmx-pp.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-03
- OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-03
- OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-03
- OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-03
- OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
- OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
- OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
- OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
- OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-05
- Official national police total-offence statistics estadisticasdecriminalidad.ses.mir.es · checked 2026-07-26
- Physicians (per 1,000 people) data.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-13
- Population on 1 January by age and sex (DEMO_PJAN) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-29
- Taxing Wages 2026 — labour taxation decomposition Taxing Wages 2026 · sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-07-29
- WHO GHO RS_196/RS_198 ghoapi.azureedge.net · checked 2026-09-05
- WHO GHO RS_196/RS_198 ghoapi.azureedge.net · checked 2026-09-05
- World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
- World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
- World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
- World Bank Data data.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-14
- World Bank indicator SH.MED.PHYS.ZS api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-14
- World Bank Open Data api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-07
- World Bank Open Data api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-07
- World Bank SP.POP.TOTL api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-09-05
- OECD — Taxing Wages (DF_TAXINGWAGES) tax wedge and net income OECD · oecd.org · checked 2026-07-14
- OpenAQ openaq.org · checked 2026-07-14