What is a good salary in Spain? A 2026 guide

The average salary in Spain comes to € 2,710 gross per month. But what factors influence the salary in Spain?

Marle

12 minute read

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Updated on 16 Sep 2026

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Working

A good monthly net salary for a comfortable life in Spain is €2,700 for a single person or €4,000 for someone supporting a family. Working expats who want to move to Spain need a Spanish work visa in order to legally reside and work here. But to get a work visa, you need to have an offer from a company in Spain. But how do you know if the offer is good?

To plan your move step by step, you can use this moving-to-Spain checklist right after you benchmark your expected salary.

This article will help you negotiate for a better offer or a raise by understanding:

• The minimum salary in Spain
• The average salary in Spain in 2026
• A good salary to live comfortably
• Average salaries across the industries and cities
• What factors influence your salary, and how to negotiate it

• Overall: a good net salary for a comfortable single life in Spain is €2,700 a month; families should aim for €4,000 or more.
• Students and interns: internships often pay a flat allowance (up to €300 a month) rather than minimum wage, so budget carefully if you're taking an unpaid or low-paid placement.
• Young professionals: entry-level pay starts close to minimum wage (€1,425 a month), but jumps by 32% after 2-5 years of experience, and more if you specialise in tech, finance, or healthcare.
• Families and relocators: Madrid and Barcelona pay the highest average salaries (€2,741 and €2,523), but they also cost the most to live in, so a higher salary doesn't automatically mean more savings.
• Non-EU applicants: shortage-list roles can pay above the national average, since employers must justify sponsoring your work visa with a competitive offer.

Although Spain has the highest youth unemployment rate and a comparatively low average salary within the EU, it continues to be an attractive place for expats.

Of the many reasons to move to Spain, young expats are attracted to the high quality of life, good work-life balance, and cheaper cost of living. So once expats get a well-paying job in Spain, the benefits of life in Spain outweigh the time it takes to find a relevant job for English speakers.

The biggest and the best cities in Spain are great places to work as they have a big expat network and much more job opportunities for English speakers. So if you're looking for a job, we recommend looking at the main Spanish cities and then applying at one of the top companies in Spain that offer a working visa to foreigners.

As of 2026, the minimum salary in Spain is €1,425 per month for a full-time employee working 40 hours a week. The minimum wage per hour in Spain is €9.55. For those receiving wages over 14 payments, the minimum monthly salary amounts to €1,221, with two additional payments in July and December. This totals to an annual income of €17,094. This reflects a 5% increase in the minimum wage since 2023.

Most companies in Spain make 14 payments in a year-12 monthly payments plus an additional payment in July and in December.

With these levels, Spain has the 8th highest minimum wage (salario mínimo interprofessional or SMI) out of 22 European countries. Since 2008, the minimum monthly salary in Spain grew by about 54%. The government sets this minimum wage nationally each year, and it applies uniformly across every region of Spain, even though cost of living and average pay vary widely from city to city.

Do interns get minimum wage in Spain?

Unfortunately, this minimum wage doesn't always apply to interns in Spain. If you're still studying in Spain, you'll most likely be compensated a maximum of €300 for travel or lunch. But if you've graduated and are undertaking an extracurricular internship, you should get at least minimum wage. For those budgeting as a student, you may also want to find student jobs in Spain to supplement your income while you study or intern.

In 2026, the average salary in Spain is €2,192 gross per month or €26,304 per year. That works out to roughly €12.65 gross per hour for a standard 40-hour week, a useful benchmark if you're comparing a freelance or hourly contract. Since this represents the average, 25% of the population makes less than €1,600 and 75% earns less than €7,080.

Spain quotes two common salary figures, and it's easy to mix them up. Gross salary is what's written in your contract before tax and social security are deducted; net salary is what actually lands in your bank account. The average gross salary is €2,192 a month, while the average net salary is around €1,773 a month, after income tax (roughly 19-24% for most earners, rising to 47% for high incomes) and a social security contribution of about 6.35% are taken off. The median salary in Spain typically sits below this average, since a smaller group of high earners pulls the mean upward.

When compared to other European countries, Spain's average net salary sits in the middle.

Although the average salary in Spain is in the middle when compared to the average salary across the 27 European countries, you've to remember that Spain's cost of living is also considerably lower. If you're planning your monthly budget, it's helpful to get a feel for grocery costs in Spain and see how typical expenses compare to your expected income.

Considering the average cost of living in Spain, a good monthly net salary for a comfortable life in Spain is €2,700 for a single person or €4,000 for someone supporting their family.

For your reference, this is how much you can expect to spend on rent, groceries, health insurance, public transport, and leisure costs per month in Spain:

• €1,100 per month for a single person on a tight budget.
• €1,750 per month for a single person with a moderate budget.
• €2,200 to €2,881 per month for a family with children.

Don't forget that in Barcelona is expensive and you need to earn more than than in cities such as Màlaga or any suburb. So keep this in mind when negotiating your salary! If you're a student, your guide to studying in Spain covers housing, budgeting, and what to expect from student life.

Your career choice is the determining factor for your true average salary. In 2026, the high-paying jobs in Spain were for lawyers and doctors. Doctors earned an average monthly salary of € 6,010, while lawyers earned €5,258 euros per month. Here are some other high-paying jobs in Spain and their average salaries.

But remember, this is just the average salary and that the actual salary you might get or deserve, depends on a variety of factors. As you can see from the table, the salary you earn in Spain (or anywhere else) heavily depends on which career field you choose.

Some of the highest paying jobs in Spain include:

• Surgeon: €64,500 yearly
• Project manager engineer: €59,900 yearly
• Sales manager: €58,880 yearly
• IT director: €48,000 yearly

Overall, the sectors that pay the highest salaries include banking, insurance, health, engineering, and IT.

As an expat, it's also good for you to know that some of the most in-demand jobs in Spain are high paying and difficult to fill locally. So if you want to apply for a job in Spain, consider these professions:

• Data scientist
• Computer engineer
• Computer programmer or engineer
• Commercial technician
• Business developer
• Account manager (with multilingual capabilities)
• Doctor
• Qualified operators.

Learn how to get a job in Spain if you're targeting these high-demand roles, or want to understand the local job market and application process.

The average salary in Spain varies based on your location. While you will earn an average of €2,523 in the metropolis Barcelona, you can expect an average salary of €2,018 in Málaga.

Don't forget: the cost of living in Barcelona is higher than in Málaga.

Madrid actually pays more on average than Barcelona, even though both cities have a similarly high cost of living. If you're choosing between the two purely on salary, Madrid has the edge, but check rent prices in each neighbourhood before you decide.

Needless to say, the average salary only gives you a benchmark of what you can expect. You already know how career field and location shape your paycheck. Here are the other factors that drive your actual gross salary: experience level, nationality, education, and gender.

Your experience level drives your wage

Your pay rate will increase as you gain work experience. As a guideline, with 2-5 years of work experience, you'll earn an average of 32% more than an entry-level employee. With more than 5 years of experience, you can expect a raise of 36% and with 10+ years of experience, a 21% raise.

Your non-EU status can be beneficial

In general, non-EU expats tend to earn more than the average annual salary as they need a work visa. Since a work visa is granted to those who're filling a job on the shortage list, you're in high demand. In other words, since the government cannot favour local employees to help the country's unemployment situation, it translates to a higher salary for expats.

Alternatively, highly skilled or educated expats can also apply for the highly skilled worker visa which has a minimum salary requirement of €55,142 a year for managers or directors and €40,077 a year for scientists.

Either way, expats can earn higher average salaries than locals as they're in demand for fulfilling hard to fill positions.

Your level of education sets the tone

In some sectors or for some professions, a higher education matters a lot. If you believe a higher education makes you a better candidate, then you can use your level of education as an argument for your salary in a job interview.

Take these figures as a reference for your monthly income:

Your gender still shapes your salary

Even though it's 2026, Spain is still behind in getting gender pay equality. Unfortunately gender continues to negatively influence salary in Spain and women earn on average 4% less than their male counterparts.

Don't use this factor as an indicator to settle on your gender-determined salary. Instead, use it as an incentive to get to the same level as men as a woman.

Negotiating is common in Spain, especially at international companies, though many local employers set fixed pay scales for junior roles. Use these steps to improve your offer:

• Research salary bands first. Compare data from Glassdoor, LinkedIn Salary, or the job title table above for your role and city before the interview.
• Use your work permit status as leverage. If you're a non-EU candidate filling a shortage-list role, remind the employer that they can only sponsor your visa because they can't fill the role locally.
• Negotiate benefits, not just base pay. If the salary is fixed, ask about extra vacation days, remote work, or perks like private health insurance and meal vouchers (cheque restaurante), which many Spanish companies offer alongside salary.
• Time it right. Salary reviews typically happen once a year, so raise the topic at your annual review or when you receive a new offer, not mid-contract.
• Get the final number in writing. Once you agree, check your contract reflects the correct gross salary and payment schedule (12 or 14 payments a year).

Use this as a rough guide to weigh salary against cost of living before you pick a city:

Once you know what a good salary looks like for your city and role, the next step is finding a home that fits your budget before you even land in Spain. Browse verified rooms, studios, and apartments across Spain on HousingAnywhere, message landlords directly to ask questions, and book everything online before your visa or work contract starts. Your first month's rent stays protected under Tenant Protection until 48 hours after move-in, so if something doesn't match the listing, you're covered rather than stuck.

Settling in: practical steps

Before you arrive, you'll also want to sort out postal services in Spain and learn how Spanish addresses work. Organising your mail and parcels early will save you time and hassle later.

If you're ready to take action:

• Planning your move? Use this moving-to-Spain checklist for a step-by-step relocation plan.
• Job-hunting? Learn how to get a job in Spain, with practical job search tips for expats.
• Budgeting monthly costs? Get a feel for grocery costs in Spain and see how far your salary will stretch.

And if you're still weighing up your options, see the real benefits of living in Spain — there's more to life here than just the paycheck.

How much do entry-level jobs pay in Spain? Entry-level roles typically pay between €1,300 and €1,800 gross a month, close to minimum wage in retail and hospitality, but higher in tech, finance, or engineering. For more info on student and part-time work, find student jobs in Spain.

What's the average salary in Spain per hour? The average gross salary works out to roughly €12.65 per hour for a standard 40-hour week, well above the minimum wage of €9.55 per hour.

Is there a minimum wage in Spain, and how often does it change? Yes, the government reviews and sets it nationally, usually once a year; it's risen by about 5% since 2023 and 54% since 2008.

What are typical salaries for tech, teaching, or hospitality jobs in Spain? Junior developers typically earn €1,800-€2,400 a month, English teachers at private academies often earn €1,000-€1,500 for part-time hours, and hospitality staff like waitstaff usually start near minimum wage plus tips.

How much tax is deducted from my salary in Spain? Income tax is progressive, from about 19% up to 47% for the highest earners, plus roughly 6.35% in social security contributions, so take-home pay is typically 15-20% lower than your gross salary.

Are benefits like health insurance and meal vouchers common in Spain? Yes, many companies, especially larger firms and multinationals, offer private health insurance, meal vouchers, and transport subsidies on top of salary.

Do salaries in Madrid and Barcelona differ significantly? Not hugely. Madrid pays slightly more on average (€2,741 versus €2,523 in Barcelona), but both cities share a similarly high cost of living.