Best fit by profile
For families
Spain
For tech workers
Spain
Lower budget
Greece
Faster residency
Spain
Greece vs Spain
Compare Greece and Spain across visas, costs, education, healthcare, community fit, and the path to residency.
Overall picture
Spain leads in 5 of 12 equal-weight categories.
This comparison is based on general data and does not constitute legal or immigration advice. Verify details with official sources.
Data last reviewed: 2026-06-03 · 2 sources
| Category | Greece | Spain |
|---|---|---|
Visa & Entry Leads: Greece | 4/5 Digital Nomad Visa and Golden Visa are straightforward; limited bureaucracy. | 3/5 Digital Nomad Visa and Non-Lucrative Visa available; moderate paperwork. |
Cost of Living Tied | 4/5 Athens and most cities are affordable; significantly cheaper than Western Europe. | 4/5 Affordable outside Madrid and Barcelona; food and leisure costs are low. |
Housing Leads: Greece | 4/5 Rents outside Athens are very affordable; Athens itself is still competitive. | 3/5 Madrid and Barcelona are expensive; other cities offer excellent value. |
Healthcare Leads: Spain | 3/5 Public healthcare is available; private supplemental insurance recommended. | 5/5 Sistema Nacional de Salud is excellent; one of Europe's best public health systems. |
Education Leads: Spain | 3/5 Public schools are adequate; good international school options in Athens. | 4/5 Good public schools; strong international school network in major cities. |
Taxes Tied | 3/5 Flat 7% tax for foreign pension income under certain regimes; standard rates apply otherwise. | 3/5 Beckham Law provides flat 24% tax rate for qualifying new residents for 6 years. |
Safety Tied | 4/5 Very low violent crime; safe for families in most areas. | 4/5 Generally safe; low violent crime; major cities have normal urban crime. |
Language Tied | 2/5 Greek is required for integration; English is widely spoken in tourist areas. | 2/5 Spanish required for integration; English is limited outside tourist areas. |
Israeli/Jewish Community Leads: Spain | 2/5 Small Jewish community (~5k); mostly in Athens and Thessaloniki. | 3/5 ~15k Jews; communities in Madrid and Barcelona; Sephardic heritage. |
Job Market Tied | 2/5 Limited local job market; best suited for remote workers or retirees. | 2/5 Structurally high unemployment; limited local tech market outside Madrid/Barcelona. |
Path to PR Leads: Spain | 3/5 5 years of legal residence leads to long-term EU residence permit. | 4/5 Long-term EU residence after 5 years; straightforward process. |
Path to Citizenship Leads: Spain | 2/5 Citizenship requires 7 years and Greek language proficiency. | 3/5 10 years standard; 2 years for Sephardic Jews under 2015 nationality law. |
Typical salaries (Software Engineer)
| Low | Median | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | 18,000 EUR | 28,000 EUR | 40,000 EUR |
| Spain | 28,000 EUR | 40,000 EUR | 55,000 EUR |