Moving to Spain from Portugal
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Portugal to Spain — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Portugal to Spain, you would find that Spain is 3.4% more expensive than Portugal overall. A €65,700 salary in Portugal would need to be roughly €68,164 in Spain to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Basque, Catalan, Galician and Spanish.
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What to expect for your wallet after moving from Portugal to Spain.
What does your salary buy?
€65,700 → €68,164
To maintain the same standard of living in Spain
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 20.4% more
Groceries
pay 9.4% more
Transportation
pay 3.6% more
Housing
pay 4.2% less
Childcare
pay 15.6% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.8% more
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 3% more than cities in Portugal.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Portugal to Spain, based on official data.
people moved from Portugal to Spain · OECD (latest data available)
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Portugal to Spain.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Spain performs significantly better than Portugal 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
Portugal generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Spain leads in suicide rate.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Portugal performs better than Spain 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
Portugal generally does better on infrastructure, though Spain leads in internet access.
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
Portugal 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 generally does better on family life, though Portugal leads in education spending.
Data: Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira, 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 | Lisbon | Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 61°/48°F (16°/9°C) | 55°/40°F (13°/4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 71°/56°F (22°/13°C) | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/63°F (27°/17°C) | 86°/64°F (30°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 65°/53°F (18°/12°C) | 58°/44°F (14°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Lisbon | Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58°/47°F (14.5°/8.2°C) | 50°/37°F (9.8°/2.7°C) |
| Feb | 60°/48°F (15.6°/9.0°C) | 54°/39°F (12.0°/3.7°C) |
| Mar | 64°/50°F (17.6°/9.9°C) | 61°/43°F (16.3°/6.2°C) |
| Apr | 66°/52°F (19.1°/11.1°C) | 65°/46°F (18.2°/7.7°C) |
| May | 71°/55°F (21.7°/13.0°C) | 72°/52°F (22.2°/11.3°C) |
| Jun | 77°/60°F (24.8°/15.6°C) | 83°/61°F (28.2°/16.1°C) |
| Jul | 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.4°C) | 90°/66°F (32.1°/19.0°C) |
| Aug | 82°/64°F (27.9°/17.7°C) | 88°/66°F (31.3°/18.8°C) |
| Sep | 80°/63°F (26.4°/17.0°C) | 80°/60°F (26.4°/15.4°C) |
| Oct | 72°/58°F (22.4°/14.6°C) | 67°/51°F (19.4°/10.7°C) |
| Nov | 64°/52°F (17.8°/11.2°C) | 56°/43°F (13.5°/6.2°C) |
| Dec | 59°/48°F (14.8°/8.9°C) | 50°/38°F (10.0°/3.6°C) |
Data:
Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera,
Agencia Estatal de Meteorología
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Portugal 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.
Portugal passport holder visiting Spain
Visa Free
Spain passport holder visiting Portugal
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 Portugal?
No — Spain is on average about 4% more expensive than Portugal. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Spain?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly €17,041 in Spain on a €65,700 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Spain?
Internet is rarely the blocker — Spain has 36.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
Is Spain safe for expats?
Spain performs significantly better than Portugal across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Spain is 0.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.8 in Portugal.
How is healthcare in Spain compared to Portugal?
Portugal generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Spain leads in suicide rate. There are 44.8 doctors per 10,000 people in Spain, compared to 57.7 in Portugal. Spain scores 85 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Portugal: 88).
What's the weather like in Spain compared to Portugal?
The average high temperature in Madrid is 68°F, compared to 69°F in Lisbon. Madrid receives around 16.6 in of rainfall per year, while Lisbon gets 29.6 in.
What language do they speak in Spain?
The official languages in Spain are Basque, Catalan, Galician and Spanish. In Portugal, the official language is Portuguese.
