Average salary in Spain 2026: EUR 29,540 a year

Mean, median and the most common salary

INE publishes three numbers for 2024, and they tell different stories. The mean of EUR 29,540.26 rose 5.3% on 2023. The median was EUR 24,497.17, so the mean sits about 21% higher, pulled up by high earners. The mode, the salary the largest number of workers earned, was just EUR 16,520.18. All three are gross, before employee social security of 6.50% and income tax withholding.

Part-time workers are included, so a full-time offer should sit higher. Women averaged EUR 26,904.90 and men EUR 32,057.55. Spanish salaries are often paid in 14 installments, so the mean works out to EUR 2,461.69 a month over 12 payments or EUR 2,110.02 over 14.

Average salary in Spain by region

Average salary in Spain by industry

Where in Spain pay is highest

INE breaks the mean out by autonomous community, not by city. The Basque Country leads at EUR 35,170.28, then the Community of Madrid at EUR 34,410.01, Navarra at EUR 32,605.28 and Catalonia, which includes Barcelona, at EUR 31,730.05. Extremadura is lowest at EUR 24,979.44, with the Canary Islands at EUR 25,120.38. So a Madrid or Barcelona salary benchmark should start from the regional figure, not the national one.

By sector, electricity and gas supply averaged EUR 57,931.81 and finance and insurance EUR 51,862.90, while accommodation and food service averaged EUR 17,653.42, about a third of the top sector. Information and communication averaged EUR 42,741.94.

The full employer bill on an average salary

On an open-ended contract, 2026 employer social security is 30.65% before accident cover: common contingencies 23.60%, unemployment 5.50%, FOGASA 0.20%, training 0.60% and the MEI intergenerational charge 0.75%. The employer and employee split of MEI comes from Asepeyo, a Social Security collaborating mutual (a secondary source). The work-accident premium (AT/EP) depends on the activity. We add 1.50%, the usual rate for office work, which we could not confirm on an official page, for 32.15% in total. On the INE mean:

• Salary: EUR 29,540.26
• Employer social security at 32.15%: EUR 9,497.19
• Total: EUR 39,037.45 a year

The maximum contribution base of EUR 5,101.20 a month (EUR 61,214.40 a year) is far above the mean, so the whole salary is charged. Fixed-term contracts pay 6.70% unemployment instead of 5.50%. The Spain employer of record guide covers severance, notice and the 14-payment rule in more detail.

Without a Spanish company, an employer of record (EOR) holds the contract and bills its fee in dollars on top of that total. Native Teams (its help center says EUR 99) lists from $99 a month, Payoneer Workforce Management (formerly Skuad) from $199, Deel $599 and Oyster $699 (checked October 16 and 18, 2026). See how that compares in the EOR pricing guide.

Typical pay compared with the SMI

Spain's minimum wage (salario mínimo interprofesional) is EUR 1,221 a month in 14 payments from January 1, 2026, or EUR 17,094 a year (Royal Decree 126/2026). The 2024 median is 1.43 times that 2026 floor and the mean 1.73 times; the survey year is 2024 and the floor is for 2026, so the comparison mixes years. The Spain minimum wage page has the daily rate and history, and the leave rules for Spain cover what you pay during absences.

Nearby: French average pay and the German median; providers are ranked in our EOR comparison.