Any country has pros and cons.
I recently saw an article called “Top 7 Reasons Why You Should Never Move to Spain”.
It was over on a blog called Expat Money, by Mikkel Thorup, which is mostly about moving to tax-friendly countries in Latin America.
And Thorup says right there, in the title: you should never move to Spain.
I thought that was a bit harsh. But honestly, he’s not wrong about the reasons he presents.
Moving abroad comes with a series of trade-offs.
Would you prefer a country with a smoothly-running economy, and 11 months a year of cold, rainy weather? Or would you rather deal with inefficiency and poor salaries somewhere near a sunny Mediterranean beach?
There’s no right answer to these questions. You have to decide for yourself what to prioritize.
I’ve lived in Spain for almost 22 years now, so obviously I’ve found plenty of reasons why it’s better to be here than up in the UK, or in some tax haven in the Middle East.
But that’s my personal case. You might be different.
Anyway, I thought I’d take a moment today to discuss those (alleged) top 7 reasons why you should never move to Spain.
The Myth of the Spanish Siesta
The first point in the other article is that the Spanish siesta is something of a myth. And with that, I agree.
Maybe more accurately, the idea of the siesta comes from a time when people lived in small towns, and many worked in agriculture.
If you’re up harvesting grapes an hour before dawn, you might be able to relax under an olive tree after lunch and sleep through the hottest part of the day. And if you’re in a small town, you can probably close your shop and walk home at midday.
But if you live in a big city like Madrid or Barcelona, your commute is longer. You’re probably not working regular naps into your weekday schedule.
The siesta myth is part of a larger “laid-back Spanish life” myth, which assumes that you’re not working 50-hour weeks for just above minimum wage.
(A lot of Americans move to Spain because they’re retired or retiring, and in that case, your life might be quite laid-back. But that’s not the case for everyone.)
Brain Drain and Lack of Opportunities
Back during the Great Recession, I wrote a few articles about brain drain.
This was partially because I liked the rhyme: the brain drain in Spain – what a pain!
Poetic… but also important to consider if you’re moving here.
In those days, a decade ago, young Spaniards were leaving in massive numbers to make a living elsewhere. Many of them were qualified, intelligent people who ended up working in cafés in London or folding sweaters in some Zara because there were no jobs to be had at home.
(Spanish youth unemployment was over 50% for a while there.)
Highly-qualified professionals like doctors, nurses, and engineers were also leaving.
I suppose this has slowed down somewhat since the crisis ended. But with low salaries even for the “best” of jobs, a lot of Spain’s brightest have long preferred to go abroad to work.
In the meantime, a lot of highly-qualified jobs within Spain are now done by immigrants from Latin America and elsewhere. What seems like a terribly low salary for Spaniards might be a life-changing opportunity for someone from Ecuador or Argentina.
Here in Barcelona, a lot of doctors and dentists are from South America or the Caribbean. So I don’t think there’s any shortage of qualified people. I’ll probably look into this for a future article.
Lack of Infrastructure in Rural Areas
Spain’s population has been concentrating in the big urban centers since at least the mid-20th century.
This leaves large parts of the country depopulated, and it’s a problem. Once enough people leave a town, the infrastructure starts disappearing, too: businesses close, schools shut down.
Some places don’t have a health center or a bank office.
Housing can also be a problem: many smaller towns don’t have a huge stock of available flats to rent. A lot of housing is old and not really liveable.
So the cities grow, and the towns shrink. There aren’t a lot of classy-sounding jobs in the pueblo.
I wish there were some solution to this, because I think living in a small town sounds like a great option for a lot of people. But again, there are always trade-offs.
Morena and I sometimes talk about this: we could buy a big house in Galicia and raise goats. But there are quite a few things about cosmopolitan Barcelona we’d have to give up in the process.
Cost of Living in Spain
Spain is cheaper than a lot of European countries.
But (as expats have been discovering the last few years) it’s not that cheap. And one of the main reasons is housing.
I’ve written elsewhere about the Spanish housing crisis. It’s a big deal for the locals.
But if you’re just moving to Spain in 2026, you’ll probably find yourself in a parallel real estate market where everything is overpriced and temporary.
Lots of people, apparently, are paying 3000€ a month for a flat. That’s totally out of reach for most Spaniards. But it’s also not cheap for expats.
If you stick around for a few years you’ll figure out some ways to save on your day-to-day expenses.
But be warned: unless you’re coming from some hyper-expensive place like New York or San Francisco, I wouldn’t expect to just show up and save a lot of money.
Spanish Bureaucracy and Taxes
The Expat Money blog focuses on tax-efficiency and overseas investment. And if that’s what you’re looking for, Spain’s probably not the place for you.
Taxes are high, and the one part of the government that seems efficient is the part that’s designed to take your money. I talked about this in my tax inspection article from a couple of years ago.
Since then, I’ve been inspected twice more: it’s just the government’s attempt to squeeze some extra cash out of self-employed people and business owners.
(The current socialist government under Pedro Sánchez isn’t exactly business-friendly. But I digress.)
Also, Spanish bureaucracy is going to be a big part of your life if you’re living here.
Multi-donor and fan of my Spain to Go podcast Karen, for example, recently moved to Spain with her family, and said the following: “The bureaucracy is no joke. I tried to psychologically prepare myself for it but I hadn’t anticipated how it permeates every aspect of life here.”
I’ve spent my whole adult life here in Spain, so I don’t have anything to compare Spanish bureaucracy with… but everyone who knows agrees it’s pretty bad.
Moving on…
Spanish Wealth Taxes and Declarations
This is sort of a follow-up to the previous point – tax rates in Spain can be high if you earn more than an average salary. There’s also a wealth tax that applies in certain regions.
(I believe that Isabel Díaz Ayuso down in Madrid is publicly refusing to collect the wealth tax, as is the government of Andalucía. But definitely talk to a professional about it.)
In any case, if you’re earning over 60,000€ annually as a salary, you’re probably paying 45% to 47% in income taxes. Tax on dividend income is quite a bit lower.
Additionally, if you have more than 50,000€ in a foreign investment account, or if you own that much in real estate, you have to file “Modelo 720” to declare it to the Spanish government.
It’s a long and annoying declaration, and you’ll have to re-do it in future years if the value of your investments go up.
Consult a competent accountant for more information – fines for non-compliance can be pretty high. And like I said previously, the taxman is working hard to get as much of your money as he can.
So be careful.
Spain and Agenda 2030
The only thing on Thorup’s list that wasn’t on my radar is Agenda 2030.
Apparently, he’s talking about a plan from the UN that intends to “save the planet” by burying us all in red tape.
I’ve heard a bit about this sort of thing. But it’s not really my area.
Farmers here in Spain are often protesting that the layers of bureaucracy make their jobs impossible, that they have to spend all their time on paperwork, and that the expense of complying with everything puts them in danger of bankruptcy.
And I think people are right to be suspicious of far-away bureaucrats up at the EU interfering with their attempt at earning a living.
The Expat Money blog’s audience is more of a crypto-bro / “let’s buy farmland” doomer crowd than I’m writing for here. I don’t know. I’m suspicious of the state like any red-blooded American male. But they take it a bit further over there.
Maybe buy some crypto… or don’t.
(My personal opinion is that crypto is bullshit, but that’s me. Also, last I checked you can’t use it anywhere in Barcelona – that’s explained in some detail in my Bitcoin in Barcelona article. Rumors of a “crypto barrio” somewhere in town are greatly exaggerated, as well.)
So… should you move to Spain in 2026?
Those are the seven reasons why you should never move to Spain.
Whether or not they’re compelling to you is – of course – personal.
I moved to Spain way back in 2004, and by the time I really thought to leave it had already gotten its hooks in me. I love Spain, and a lot of other people do to.
So if you want to live in Panama, or in Dubai, for tax reasons, I guess that’s up to you.
On the other hand, Spain has a lot of intangibles that make it great: wonderful food, beautiful architecture, history, art, and a lifestyle that you might not find elsewhere.
I’m willing to make the trade-off. And plenty of other people are, too.
Spain’s not perfect. But for me, it’s home.
Yours,
Daniel AKA Mr Chorizo.
P.S. If you’ve got fiat currency burning a hole in your pocket and you’d like to donate it to this blog / podcast project, here’s the donation page.
P.P.S. I’ve got a couple of other articles on here you might enjoy. Here’s one about why Americans love Spain, and here’s my attempt to answer the Madrid vs Barcelona debate.
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