🇪🇸 Spain vs 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Side by side on the data that actually changes your life: prices, taxes, climate, air, safety. Every number has a source and a date.
Climate (capital)
Open-Meteo historical weather
Jan 7° · Jul 28° · Madrid
—
Sunny days (capital)
Open-Meteo, days with over 4.5h of sunshine
317 days / yr
—
Air quality (capital)
WAQI, capital station
AQI 93 · Moderate
AQI 35 · Good
Prices vs EU average
Eurostat price level index, EU27 = 100
−8% (2025)
—
Big Mac price
The Economist Big Mac index (euro-area countries share one euro-area price)
$7.05
$7.08
Living costs · single, excl. rent (capital)
Reloka cost research, excludes rent
$800–$1,150 / mo
$950–$1,400 / mo
Living costs · family of four, excl. rent (capital)
Reloka cost research, excludes rent
$2,750–$3,650 / mo
$3,400–$4,400 / mo
Employment taxes (not your rate)
OECD tax wedge, single average worker
~41% of what a job costs goes to tax (2025)
~32% of what a job costs goes to tax (2025)
Special tax regimes
Official tax authorities, verified June 2026
Beckham regime
4-year FIG regime (ex non-dom)
Avg advertised salary
Adzuna job listings, local currency
€46,256 / yr (June 2026)
£43,053 / yr (June 2026)
Inflation
World Bank
2.7% / yr (2025)
3.9% / yr (2025)
Unemployment
World Bank, ILO-modelled estimate
10.4% (2025)
4.8% (2025)
Internet (median fixed)
Ookla Speedtest Global Index
~200 Mbps
~120 Mbps
English proficiency
EF English Proficiency Index
moderate
native
Messenger apps
OONI network measurements, last 6 months
No known issues
No known issues
Safety advisory
U.S. State Department travel advisory
Level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution
Level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution
Population
World Bank total population
49.4M (2025)
69.5M (2025)
Population density
World Bank, people per km²
97 / km² (2023)
283 / km² (2023)
Foreign-born residents
World Bank migrant stock
18.5% of population (2024)
17.1% of population (2024)
Life expectancy
WHO
83 yrs
80 yrs
Currency
ISO 4217
EUR
GBP
Timezone (capital)
Open-Meteo
UTC+2
UTC+1
Legal
Legal
Short-term gains
28.0%
24%
Long-term gains
28.0%
18%
Long-term holding period
—
—
Staking income
47%
45%
Mining income
47%
45%
General rates, not personal tax advice.
Climate, inflation and life expectancy verified 12 July 2026. Prices, taxes and air quality verified 7 July 2026. Sources shown per row.
Bottom line: which should you choose?
Pick 🇪🇸 Spain if you want
lower day-to-day costs.
Pick 🇬🇧 United Kingdom if you want
lighter employment taxes.
Based only on the sourced metrics above. Visa eligibility and paperwork depend on your passport — build a free plan for the full picture.
Frequently asked questions
Is Spain or United Kingdom cheaper?
Spain is the cheaper of the two on our comparable cost measure (cost index 65 vs 80 (USA = 100)). Your real cost depends on the city and lifestyle — see the full table above, then generate a free plan for a budget matched to your exact move.
Should I choose Spain over United Kingdom?
On the data we track, Spain comes out ahead for lower day-to-day costs, while United Kingdom wins on lighter employment taxes. Every figure has a source in the table above.
Special tax regimes, verified
Regimes change often and many sites still advertise closed ones. We link the official source for each.
🇪🇸 Spain
24% flat tax on Spanish employment income up to ~€600k · 6 years
Verified June 2026 · Agencia Tributaria
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Foreign income & gains tax-free for the first 4 years
Verified June 2026 · HMRC
Numbers are half the story
Your visa route, paperwork and deadlines depend on where you hold a passport. Get a free checklist personalized to your exact move.