Working in Spain
Big hospitality and agriculture demand; pay below the north but living costs are lower too.
Salary & savings by occupation
10 jobs| Occupation | Gross /mo | Net /mo | Savings (housed) | Savings (self-paid) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truck DriverSkilled · demand Very high | €2,300 | €1,730 | €1,330 | €950 |
| HVAC TechnicianSkilled · demand High | €2,250 | €1,690 | €1,290 | €910 |
| ElectricianSkilled · demand Very high | €2,200 | €1,650 | €1,250 | €870 |
| WelderSkilled · demand Very high | €2,200 | €1,650 | €1,250 | €870 |
| PlumberSkilled · demand High | €2,150 | €1,610 | €1,210 | €830 |
| CarpenterSkilled · demand High | €2,100 | €1,580 | €1,180 | €800 |
| Tiles & Ceramic WorkerSkilled · demand High | €2,050 | €1,540 | €1,140 | €760 |
| Machine OperatorSemi-skilled · demand Very high | €2,050 | €1,540 | €1,140 | €760 |
| Cook / ChefSkilled · demand High | €2,000 | €1,500 | €1,100 | €720 |
| Construction WorkerSemi-skilled · demand Very high | €1,850 | €1,390 | €990 | €610 |
“Housed” savings assume the employer provides accommodation; “self-paid” deducts typical shared rent of €380/mo. Net pay uses Spain's typical take-home rate of about 75% of gross.
Work permit & visa
Work + residence visa (cuenta ajena). The employer applies for the work authorisation; Spain runs a shortage-occupation 'catálogo' and periodic regularisation routes. Typical processing runs about 8–20 weeks once the employer-side steps are done. A formal English test such as IELTS is usually not required for these trades.
Official reference for Spain: exteriores.gob.es ↗
Indicative estimates, not a job offer. Salary, cost and savings figures are modelled from each occupation's rough EU average and a per-country wage index, and exclude employer-specific terms, exchange-rate swings and personal tax. Visa rules are summarised for general guidance. Always confirm pay and immigration rules with the official source or embassy, and never pay a fee for a job offer you have not verified.