Minimum wage in Spain in 2026

The figure of €1,221 is called monthly, and there is a trap in it. Spanish pay comes in fourteen instalments: twelve months plus two extra ones, in summer and at Christmas. So the annual floor is not €14,652, as multiplying by twelve would give, but €17,094. That annual figure is the one written into article 3 of the decree.

For monthly budgeting a different figure works better: €17,094 a year is €1,424.50 a month if you spread it evenly. Rent, bills and food are paid twelve times a year, not fourteen, and a monthly budget should be compared against that number.

The decree comes out each February and applies retroactively from 1 January. In 2026 it was published on 19 February and raised the minimum by 3.1 %. Until it appears, last year's figure stands, and the employer pays the difference afterwards.

The SMISMISalario Mínimo Interprofesional — Spain's statutory minimum wage, set by the government each year. Quoted in 14 payments a year.Why it matters. Income thresholds for the digital nomad visa (200 % of SMI) and some other permits are derived from it. When SMI changes, the threshold changes. matters beyond employees. The income threshold for the digital nomad visa is set at 200 % of it, which means the threshold moves in the same February as the wage does. The threshold and its household breakdown live on the route page.

The minimum is a floor, not an average. It is identical from Madrid to Huelva; prices are not. A square metre costs €1,581 in Torre del Mar and €5,107 in San Sebastián. What the same wage means in a given town is what the place database is for.