Work in Spain
Jobs in Spain
Barcelona and Madrid tech — lower euro salaries, higher quality of life if you have Spanish.
Editorial
Reviewed April 2026 (visa) and August 2026 (salary). Guidance only — not immigration legal advice. Market estimates, not job offers. How we source this
Work permit
Highly Qualified Professional / EU Blue Card
Mid software engineer · Barcelona
€70,840
Studio rent · Barcelona
$900/mo
Visa
Highly Qualified Professional / EU Blue Card
Spain’s highly qualified and EU Blue Card routes are the realistic paths for a local employment contract. The digital-nomad visa is for remote work for a foreign employer — it is not a substitute if a Spanish company is paying you. Catalonia and Madrid handle some steps locally; processing quality varies by province. Always confirm with the consulate that will actually stamp your visa.
International tech pockets hire in English. Most of the market, including interviews, runs in Spanish.
Job market
How hiring actually works
Madrid and Barcelona split corporate vs startup gravity. Nominal salaries are among the lower Western European set; climate, public healthcare, and rent (outside the hottest neighbourhoods) are why people still move. Spanish fluency changes the job graph more here than in Amsterdam or Berlin.
Cities on this page: Barcelona, Madrid. Search on Global Job Scanner is account-gated; create a free account to run a live Spain query.
Pay
Mid-level salaries, local currency
Same model as the salary checker (2025–2026 market estimates, Q1 2026 FX). Not an offer.
| City | Software Engineer | Product Manager | Data Scientist |
|---|---|---|---|
| BarcelonaEUR | €70,840 | €72,680 | €66,700 |
| MadridEUR | €70,840 | €72,680 | €66,700 |
Compare Barcelona against another city · Rent and budget in the cost of living calculator
Questions
Before you book a one-way ticket
What visa do I need to work in Spain?
Highly Qualified Professional / EU Blue Card. Spain’s highly qualified and EU Blue Card routes are the realistic paths for a local employment contract. The digital-nomad visa is for remote work for a foreign employer — it is not a substitute if a Spanish company is paying you. Catalonia and Madrid handle some steps locally; processing quality varies by province. Always confirm with the consulate that will actually stamp your visa.
What does a software engineer earn in Spain?
A mid-level software engineer in Barcelona is about €70,840 in our 2026 model (local currency, market estimate — not an offer). Compare other roles in the table on this page or the salary checker.
Can I get by in English?
International tech pockets hire in English. Most of the market, including interviews, runs in Spanish.
Search
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