Moving to Spain from Greece
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Greece to Spain — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Greece to Spain, you would find that Spain is 9.7% more expensive than Greece overall. A €65,700 salary in Greece would need to be roughly €74,606 in Spain to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Basque, Catalan, Galician and Spanish.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Greece to Spain.
What does your salary buy?
€65,700 → €74,606
To maintain the same standard of living in Spain
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 42.7% more
Groceries
pay 10.0% more
Transportation
pay 1.8% less
Housing
pay 20.8% more
Childcare
pay 15.4% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.9% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Spain cost about 17% more than cities in Greece.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Greece to Spain, and how the trend has changed.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Greece and Spain stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Spain performs significantly better than Greece across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Greece generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Spain leads in health coverage index.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Spain performs significantly better than Greece across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Greece generally does better on infrastructure, though Spain leads in electricity per capita.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Greece generally does better on employment & economy, though Spain leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Spain performs significantly better than Greece across all family life metrics.
Data: GSIS, Greece, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Athens | Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 57°/42°F (14°/6°C) | 55°/40°F (13°/4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/57°F (26°/14°C) | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/67°F (32°/20°C) | 86°/64°F (30°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 65°/50°F (18°/10°C) | 58°/44°F (14°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Athens | Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54°/41°F (12.5°/5.2°C) | 50°/37°F (9.8°/2.7°C) |
| Feb | 56°/42°F (13.5°/5.4°C) | 54°/39°F (12.0°/3.7°C) |
| Mar | 60°/44°F (15.7°/6.7°C) | 61°/43°F (16.3°/6.2°C) |
| Apr | 68°/49°F (20.2°/9.6°C) | 65°/46°F (18.2°/7.7°C) |
| May | 79°/57°F (26.0°/13.9°C) | 72°/52°F (22.2°/11.3°C) |
| Jun | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.2°C) | 83°/61°F (28.2°/16.1°C) |
| Jul | 92°/69°F (33.5°/20.8°C) | 90°/66°F (32.1°/19.0°C) |
| Aug | 92°/69°F (33.2°/20.7°C) | 88°/66°F (31.3°/18.8°C) |
| Sep | 85°/63°F (29.2°/17.3°C) | 80°/60°F (26.4°/15.4°C) |
| Oct | 74°/56°F (23.3°/13.4°C) | 67°/51°F (19.4°/10.7°C) |
| Nov | 65°/50°F (18.1°/9.8°C) | 56°/43°F (13.5°/6.2°C) |
| Dec | 57°/44°F (14.1°/6.8°C) | 50°/38°F (10.0°/3.6°C) |
Data:
Hellenic National Meteorological Service,
Agencia Estatal de Meteorología
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Greece and Spain. To live, work, or study long-term in Spain, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Spain's immigration authority.
Greece passport holder visiting Spain
Visa Free
Spain passport holder visiting Greece
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Spain than Greece?
Day-to-day costs in Spain run about 14% higher than Greece on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Spain?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a €65,700 comparable salary, that's around €18,652 in Spain for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Spain?
With 36.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Spain can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Greece and Spain.
Is Spain safe for expats?
Spain performs significantly better than Greece across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Spain is 0.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.1 in Greece.
How is healthcare in Spain compared to Greece?
Greece generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Spain leads in health coverage index. There are 44.8 doctors per 10,000 people in Spain, compared to 63.7 in Greece. Spain scores 85 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Greece: 77).
What's the weather like in Spain compared to Greece?
The average high temperature in Madrid is 68°F, compared to 72°F in Athens. Madrid receives around 16.6 in of rainfall per year, while Athens gets 16.3 in.
What language do they speak in Spain?
The official languages in Spain are Basque, Catalan, Galician and Spanish. In Greece, the official language is Greek.
