🇦🇺 → 🇪🇸
Moving from Australia to Spain as a digital nomad
Here's what it takes on the International Telework Visa — the income bar, how tax compares with staying in Australia, and what a typical remote salary actually leaves you each month.
Sample: a solo remote worker on $6,000/month
Qualifies — the bar is $3,105/mo.
Tax in Spain
24.0%
vs 23.6% at home
Take-home / mo
$4,560
after tax & contributions
Left after costs
$2,294
$2,266 living costs
Your money goes about 1.5× further in Valencia than in Sydney (PPP-adjusted).
Updated June 2026 · sample figures in USD for a solo employee.
Tax here vs. Australia, by income
All-in effective rate for a solo employee who is tax-resident in each place.
| Monthly income | 🇪🇸 Spain | 🇦🇺 Australia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $3,000/mo | 24.0% | 15.1% | −$267/mo |
| $6,000/mo | 24.0% | 23.6% | −$27/mo |
| $12,000/mo | 24.0% | 31.5% | +$898/mo |
What Australia nomads should know
Sun, healthcare and a genuinely attractive 24% flat tax for remote employees make Spain a heavyweight — provided you can navigate the Beckham eligibility rules.
For tax, what matters is where you're resident, not your passport: stay under 183 days and most Australia nomads avoid Spain tax residency; a longer move brings Spain's rules into play. Check for a tax treaty or totalization agreement between Australia and Spain first.
- Flat 24% tax for up to six years via the Beckham regime.
- Excellent healthcare and lifestyle for the cost.
- Citizenship takes 10 years and dual nationality is restricted.
- Spanish proficiency needed for daily life outside big cities.
Model your move to Spain
Your income, household and costs — compared against Australia.
Optional — unlocks age- and savings-gated visas (retirement, youth-mobility, golden visas).
Staying more than ~183 days?
Affects tax residency for territorial & exempt regimes.
Your monthly life in Spain
Pre-filled with typical costs in Valencia. Drag or type to match your life.
A nice place in a popular area
Power, water, gas
Home fibre + data
Food at home
Transit, rideshare, fuel
Private cover nomads usually need
Eating out, coffee, going out
Shopping, gym, subscriptions, misc.
You meet the income requirement
Needs $3,105/mo.
Your qualifying income
$6,000
$4,560
$2,266
$2,294
Tax in Spain
Effective rate
24.0%
- Income tax / mo
- $1,440
- Social security / mo
- Not charged
- Total deductions / mo
- $1,440
- Take-home / mo
- $4,560
Typically covered by your home country under a totalization agreement, so €0 locally.
Private health insurance is mandatory for this visa — it's already counted in your living costs above.
Telework-visa holders employed by a non-Spanish company can elect a flat 24% on income up to €600,000 (47% above) for up to six years.
vs. Australia
Tax
23.6% at home → 24.0% here
Same lifestyle costs
$3,308 at home → $2,266 here
Money left over
$1,278 at home → $2,294 here
Estimates for planning only — actual tax depends on treaties, your residency and personal circumstances. Confirm with official sources and a qualified advisor before you move.
FAQ
Can Australia citizens get Spain's International Telework Visa?
Yes — it's open to remote workers regardless of nationality (subject to the usual checks). A single applicant needs about $3,105/month.
Will I pay tax in Spain or Australia?
Without the Beckham election, residents pay progressive IRPF up to ~47%. On a sample $6,000/month, that's an effective 24.0% in Spain vs roughly 23.6% at home.
Does this visa lead to citizenship?
Permanent residence after 5 years; citizenship after 10 (just 2 for nationals of Ibero-American countries, the Philippines, Andorra, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, and Sephardic Jews). Spain generally requires renouncing other citizenships except for those nations.
Full requirements, citizenship timeline and cost breakdown for Spain.
Spain guideIllustrative 2026 estimates in USD; your result depends on treaties, residency and circumstances — confirm with official sources before applying.