(Editor’s note: This post is Pt, 2 of a two-part series about Barcelona and its tech scene. it is part of our Tech Tuesday series. Dispatches covers tech because so many of our highly skilled internationals are startup founders. You can jump to Pt. 1 here.)
Barcelona is fast becoming a top choice for tech professionals, rapidly evolving into a global tech center with a growing demand for new professionals every year. Its excellent quality of life and highly skilled local workforce continue to attract foreign investment and fuel a surge in tech startups.
What is the government doing to boost the tech industry?
The national government has laid out a roadmap to boost the tech industry, investing heavily in digital tools and innovation while offering tax breaks, subsidies, and special visas to attract talent. To further ease relocation, Spain has introduced visa pathways that cut red tape and accelerate the hiring process for highly skilled international professionals.
What are the visa options?
Digital Nomad Visa: The simplest option for remote workers, freelancers, or employees of non-Spanish companies. Offers a favorable tax regime.
Requirements: 3-plus months with your company, earn about 2,400 euros/month, and have tech/digital skills or experience.
Valid up to 5 years.
Highly Qualified Professional Visa: For companies hiring non-EU digital talent.
Requirements: university degree or equivalent experience, a Spanish job offer paying 40,000 euros-plus (non-exec).
Entrepreneur Visa: For launching innovative, digitally focused startups that can create jobs and contribute to Spain’s economy.
Bring your family
All these visas allow you to bring your family including a spouse or unmarried partner, dependent children and dependent older relatives.
Bonus: Tax incentives
You might be eligible for the Beckham Law, which caps income tax for six years at 24 percent
(instead of the standard 45 percent) on earnings up to 600,000 euros, provided you haven’t lived in Spain in the past five years.
Benchmarks
Spain scores highly on our list of most welcoming advanced countries for tech talent. Rankings are subjective, but we’ve based our scores on the biggest concerns for non-Europeans: wages, quality of life, international schools and cost of living to help you choose your destination wisely.
Out of a maximum score of 600, Barcelona scores 490.
Wages:
The average annual salary of ICT professionals in Barcelona is 48.600 euros, according to Mobil World Capital Barcelona; the average overall in Barcelona was 33,837 euros in 2022. The Tech Sector generally pays well above average. While this may appear low compared to the United States, where the average earnings for a software developer before bonuses is around $95,617, the cost of living in Barcelona is more affordable.
According to Numbeo, the cost of living in Barcelona is 15.5-percent lower than in Berlin, 22.5-percent lower than in Philadelphia and 47-percent lower than in New York City. The US is still better for savings, but Barcelona offers free, high-quality public healthcare, more vacation time, a good work-life balance and an excellent quality of life. So Barcelona gets 70 points for this benchmark.
English in the workplace:
Catalonia is a bilingual region where people speak both Catalan and Spanish fluently. In startups, it’s common to hear a mix of Catalan, Spanish,and English. English is widely spoken in tech circles and dominates in external communications – such as meetings with clients or suppliers – but it’s not always the primary language used around the office.
Overall scores
• Fluency in Catalan or Spanish is rarely required for tech roles, but some knowledge can make a big difference in workplaces where most staff speak Catalan among themselves.
Score of 30 points.
• Dedicated visa for tech talent? 100 points for each country that has them, and Spain offers several options.
So, 100 points.
• Are international schools available? Catalonia has more than 40 international schools, concentrated in and near Barcelona. Kids can be educated in English, French, German or enter the bilingual public system and study in Spanish and Catalan. 100 points.
• Ease of migration/availability of special work visas for highly skilled internationals. Like many European countries, Spain suffers a high burden of red tape. But the government has streamlined and fast-tracked the pathways to entry for tech professionals. The Digital Nomad visa is the easiest option with a relatively low amount of bureaucracy to tackle. The startup visa is accessible for entrepreneurs with a plan and backing, and processing for highly skilled workers is fast-tracked.
So, 100 points here.
• Sophistication of the tech scene and unicorn production
Barcelona has given birth to some of Spain’s most recognizable companies, and several unicorns valued at 1 billion or more have had successful exits. Letgo was the first unicorn in 2017, followed by Glovo, Wallbox, and Edreams. Now TravelPerk is the highest valued Catalan unicorn at $3 billion.
Barcelona scores 90 points here.
Local organizations incentivizing tech startups
While the national government has set up a roadmap to drive the tech industry, Catalonia also has a raft of organizations working to attract digital talent to the region and consolidate and grow Catalonia as a major international tech hub.
• The Barcelona Supercomputing Center was established to make artificial intelligence more accessible, providing powerful computational resources and R&D services to startups, SMEs, and researchers.
• Regionally, the public agency for the competitiveness of Catalan businesses, ACCIÓ, has brought record funding to the region.
Local development agency
Barcelona Activa offers training and incubation programs for startups. And major global events such as the annual MWC Barcelona promote the city’s tech ecosystem with investors, entrepreneurs and leaders in the field.
From its thriving startup ecosystem to its enviable lifestyle, Barcelona is a dynamic coastal city that balances professional opportunity with quality living. While there are challenges – like competition for housing or the need to navigate multiple languages – the vibrant tech scene, rich culture, and Mediterranean pace of life make it a compelling choice for anyone looking to build both a career and a life.
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See Dispatches’ series here on most welcoming tech centers for English-speaking talent.
Lara Cummings
