The Fernshore Index
The factors families look at first.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Schools
Unknown
Our research doesn't cover schools yet.
Safety
66 of 100Mixed
Global Peace Index 2026: 27th of 163.
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 15 October 2026.
Healthcare
79 of 100Strong
WHO UHC service coverage index 84 (2023).
Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 15 October 2026.
Cost of living
47 of 100Mixed
Price level 0.645 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), Spain. Checked 15 October 2026.
Community
78 of 100Strong
Expat Insider 2026 Ease of Settling In: 6th of 31.
Source: Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In. Checked 15 October 2026.
English
60 of 100Mixed
EF EPI 2025 score 540 (36th of 123), between the 499 and 550 lines.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Spain. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
85 of 100Strong
The telework visa lasts up to one year and is followed by a residence permit of up to three years, renewable in two-year periods (Law 14/2013). It needs no job offer from a Spanish employer, has no age minimum and asks for no deposit or investment. The income test is 200% of the 2026 minimum wage, about EUR 2,400 a month (Washington consulate), about US$32,800 a year at the ECB rate of 15 October 2026 (1.1208 US dollars per euro), under the US$60,000 line. To be safe, have more than EUR 2,500 a month. It needs a degree or three years of experience and a foreign employer or clients.
Source: Telework (digital nomad) visa; Ley 14/2013, articles 74 bis to 76 (international telework); Real Decreto 126/2026, minimum wage for 2026; Euro foreign exchange reference rate, US dollar. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, Canada passport
85 of 100Strong
The telework visa lasts up to one year and is followed by a residence permit of up to three years, renewable in two-year periods (Law 14/2013). It needs no job offer from a Spanish employer, has no age minimum and asks for no deposit or investment. The income test is 200% of the 2026 minimum wage, about EUR 2,400 a month (the figure the Washington consulate prints; Ottawa states only the percentage; a private law firm reads it as about EUR 2,800 a month, about US$38,300 a year), about US$32,800 a year at the ECB rate of 15 October 2026 (1.1208 US dollars per euro), under the US$60,000 line. To be safe, have more than EUR 2,500 a month. It needs a degree or three years of experience and a foreign employer or clients.
Source: Remote work (digital nomad) visa, Ottawa; Telework (digital nomad) visa; Ley 14/2013, articles 74 bis to 76 (international telework); Real Decreto 126/2026, minimum wage for 2026; Euro foreign exchange reference rate, US dollar. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, Australia passport
85 of 100Strong
The telework visa lasts up to one year and is followed by a residence permit of up to three years, renewable in two-year periods (Law 14/2013). It needs no job offer from a Spanish employer, has no age minimum and asks for no deposit or investment. The income test is 200% of the 2026 minimum wage, about EUR 2,400 a month (the Washington consulate figure for 2026) or about EUR 2,800 a month if Canberra applies the annual minimum wage over 12 months; the Canberra page still shows 2025 figures, about US$32,800 to US$38,300 a year at the ECB rate of 15 October 2026 (1.1208 US dollars per euro), under the US$60,000 line. To be safe, have more than EUR 2,500 a month. It needs a degree or three years of experience and a foreign employer or clients.
Source: Visa for digital nomads, Canberra; Telework (digital nomad) visa; Ley 14/2013, articles 74 bis to 76 (international telework); Real Decreto 126/2026, minimum wage for 2026; Euro foreign exchange reference rate, US dollar. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, New Zealand passport
85 of 100Strong
The telework visa lasts up to one year and is followed by a residence permit of up to three years, renewable in two-year periods (Law 14/2013). It needs no job offer from a Spanish employer, has no age minimum and asks for no deposit or investment. The income test is 200% of the 2026 minimum wage, about EUR 2,400 a month (the Washington consulate figure for 2026), or about EUR 2,800 if Wellington applies the annual minimum wage over 12 months, about US$32,800 to US$38,300 a year at the ECB rate of 15 October 2026 (1.1208 US dollars per euro), under the US$60,000 line. To be safe, have more than EUR 2,500 a month. It needs a degree or three years of experience and a foreign employer or clients.
Source: Remote work visa, Wellington; Telework (digital nomad) visa; Ley 14/2013, articles 74 bis to 76 (international telework); Real Decreto 126/2026, minimum wage for 2026; Euro foreign exchange reference rate, US dollar. Checked 15 October 2026.
The country
The rest of the research on Spain.
The country page grades every factor, with its sources.
SpainQuestions from families about Spain.
Can a spouse and children come on Spain’s telework visa?
Washington lists the spouse or partner and dependent children as accompanying family. It asks about €2,400 to €2,800 a month for one applicant, depending on how the minimum wage is counted (to be safe, more than €2,900), plus more for each family member (with one, more than €3,400 to be safe). Ask your consulate.
What do we know about schools in Spain?
Not much yet: our research doesn’t cover schools, so they show as unknown, not zero. Aloha College Marbella calls itself a British international school. For the non-lucrative visa, Washington advises an enrolment letter from a private school in Spain for children of compulsory school age.
How would healthcare work for a family living in Spain?
The WHO service coverage index for Spain is 84 of 100 (2023). For the telework visa, each accompanying family member needs health insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain, with no co-payment or limit, unless Spanish public cover is shown. Family cover prices are unknown.
What do safety advice and language look like for families in Spain?
Canada’s travel advice says to exercise a high degree of caution because of terrorism; petty crime is common in larger cities and violent crime is rare. The Global Peace Index 2026 ranks Spain 27th of 163. EF 2025 scores English proficiency at 540, 36th of 123. These are national views.
What do rents look like in Spain’s cities for a family-sized home?
Fotocasa’s index (updated 7 October 2026) gives a monthly average for an 80 m² home of €858.40 in Granada, €1,028.80 in Torrevieja, €1,117.60 in Zaragoza, €1,502.40 in Marbella and €1,568 in Palma, against €1,128 for Spain. Larger homes, schools and utilities are unknown.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. Spain ranks 27th of 163 countries (score 1.654).
- [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Spain: 84 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO Global Health Observatory API on 15 October 2026.
- [C1] Price level index (GDP), Spain, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 64.52 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [Q1] Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. Spain ranks 6th of 31 countries.
- [F1] EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Spain, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 15 October 2026. Score 540, 36th of 123 countries and regions, change +2 on the previous score; the 2026 edition was not yet published on 15 October 2026.
- [V1] Telework (digital nomad) visa, Consular Section, Embassy of Spain in Washington, D.C.. Checked 15 October 2026. Written for residents of D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. 2026: SMI EUR 1,221; 200% = EUR 2,442 a month for an applicant alone; remote work for companies outside Spain, up to 20% of professional activity for Spanish clients; degree or three years of experience; no minimum age stated. Used for the US passport and, for the euro figure, for CA, AU and NZ.
- [V5] Ley 14/2013, articles 74 bis to 76 (international telework), Boletín Oficial del Estado (consolidated text). Checked 15 October 2026. Added by Law 28/2022, in force from 23 December 2022. Long-stay visas valid one year (or the length of the authorisation if shorter); residence authorisation for telework valid up to three years, renewable in two-year periods.
- [V6] Real Decreto 126/2026, minimum wage for 2026, Boletín Oficial del Estado. Checked 15 October 2026. EUR 1,221 a month (14 payments), EUR 17,094 a year, from 1 January 2026.
- [V7] Euro foreign exchange reference rate, US dollar, European Central Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 15 October 2026: 1.1208 US dollars per euro, used to convert the income test; EUR 2,442 x 12 = EUR 29,304 = about US$32,800; EUR 2,849 x 12 = EUR 34,188 = about US$38,300.
- [V2] Remote work (digital nomad) visa, Ottawa, Embassy of Spain in Ottawa (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 15 October 2026. In Spanish. For Ottawa and Gatineau; elsewhere Toronto or Montreal. Income of 200% of the minimum wage a month, no euro figure; degree or three years of experience; company at least a year old.
- [V3] Visa for digital nomads, Canberra, Embassy of Spain in Australia (consular section). Checked 15 October 2026. Financial means of at least 200% of the monthly minimum wage; the page still shows 2025 figures (minimum wage EUR 1,184 in 14 payments, EUR 1,381.33 over 12).
- [V4] Remote work visa, Wellington, Embassy of Spain in Wellington (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 15 October 2026. In Spanish. For applicants resident in the Wellington district. Income of 200% of the minimum wage a month, no euro figure; degree or three years of experience.