Salary data for developers in Spain is patchy. Official statistics don’t have a “software engineer” category, and self-reported sites lean towards big international companies. So this guide combines three sources and tells you what each one does and doesn’t show:
- Official data from the INE, Spain’s national statistics institute.
- Self-reported pay from Levels.fyi.
- Salaries posted by employers in jobs on our board.
All figures are gross annual pay in euros, before tax and social security. To see what you would take home, read our tax basics guide.
Salaries posted on our job board
This table comes from jobs on our board where the employer published a salary range. It is refreshed every time the site is deployed. We never estimate salaries for jobs that don’t state one.
Live data from the jobs and companies on this board, as of 26 September 2026.
Yearly salaries stated in active job ads on this board. The median uses the middle of each ad's range. Groups with fewer than 5 salaries are not shown.
By city
| City | Jobs with salary | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona | 36 | €84,000 | €28,000 – €180,000 |
| Madrid | 16 | €65,000 | €31,000 – €140,000 |
By role
| Role | Jobs with salary | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other tech | 34 | €86,600 | €24,000 – €170,000 |
| Product | 18 | €85,250 | €50,000 – €280,000 |
| Data science | 12 | €65,750 | €38,000 – €150,000 |
| DevOps & SRE | 11 | €86,500 | €42,000 – €127,200 |
| Backend | 9 | €86,500 | €50,000 – €160,000 |
| Security | 9 | €86,500 | €33,000 – €169,800 |
| Data engineering | 5 | €80,000 | €31,000 – €100,200 |
| Machine learning & AI | 5 | €103,800 | €80,000 – €150,000 |
| Mobile | 5 | €85,000 | €50,000 – €110,000 |
Browse jobs with salaries in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Málaga.
Official data: INE annual salary survey
The INE’s annual salary structure survey, published on 28 May 2026, covers pay in 2024. It is built from Social Security and tax records, so it covers all employees, not only those who choose to report.
It doesn’t have a line for software engineers. The closest figures are by sector, by occupation group and by region.
By sector and occupation (Spain, 2024)
| Group | Average gross annual pay |
|---|---|
| All workers | €29,540.26 |
| Information and communications sector (includes software and IT services) | €42,741.94 |
| “Other scientific and intellectual professionals” (the occupation group that includes IT professionals) | €45,513.91 |
Pay in the information and communications sector grew 7.7% compared with 2023, one of the largest rises of any sector.
By region (all sectors, 2024)
| Region | Main tech city | Average gross annual pay |
|---|---|---|
| Comunidad de Madrid | Madrid | €34,410.01 |
| Cataluña | Barcelona | €31,730.05 |
| Comunitat Valenciana | Valencia | €26,816.98 |
| Andalucía | Málaga | €26,089.70 |
| Spain | €29,540.26 |
These regional figures cover all jobs, not only tech. They are useful for comparing cities, not for setting your salary expectations. Madrid had the second-highest average pay of any region, after País Vasco.
Self-reported pay: Levels.fyi
Levels.fyi collects salaries that software engineers report themselves. It shows total compensation, which includes bonus and stock as well as base salary. On 24 September 2026 it showed:
| Location | Median total compensation | Submissions |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | €56,664 | 1,616 |
| Madrid metropolitan area | €55,498 | 629 |
| Barcelona area | €65,203 | 604 |
For Spain as a whole, the 25th percentile was €39.6K, the 75th percentile €78.8K and the 90th percentile €101K.
Keep in mind:
- People at large international tech companies tend to report more often, so these numbers are likely to be higher than typical local pay.
- Stock can make up a large part of total compensation at some companies. Base salary is lower.
- Levels.fyi had too few submissions for us to quote separate figures for Valencia or Málaga.
Valencia and Málaga
Both cities have growing tech scenes, but public salary data for them is thin. The INE figures above show that average pay in the Comunitat Valenciana and Andalucía is below the national average. Check the posted ranges in the table at the top of this page and on our Valencia and Málaga job pages.
Salary and visas
If you need a visa, salary matters twice. The EU Blue Card and the national Highly Qualified Professional permit have a minimum salary of €41,356.36 gross a year for applications from late June 2026 (Order PJC/44/2026, UGE update). A reduced Blue Card threshold of €33,085.09 applies in some cases. Our work visa guide explains who qualifies.
Compare that with the INE figures: the threshold is close to the average for the information and communications sector. A job that pays less won’t qualify for these permits, unless the reduced Blue Card threshold applies. Look at visa sponsorship jobs to find employers who hire from abroad.
Minimum pay in collective agreements
Many IT consultancies and service companies in Spain fall under a national collective agreement for consulting, IT and market research. It sets minimum salaries by job level, and the tables are published in the BOE. The 2026 update to the tables was published in April 2026. These are floors, not market rates: most developer jobs pay well above them.
Tips for negotiating
- Ask about the number of payments. Employees in Spain are entitled to two extra payments a year, one at Christmas. Collective agreements can spread them across 12 monthly payments instead (Workers’ Statute, article 31). So the same salary can be paid in 12 or 14 instalments. Compare the yearly total.
- Compare gross to gross. Social security and income tax come out of your gross pay. If you qualify for the special regime for incoming workers (the “Beckham Law”), your take-home pay can be much higher. See our tax guide.
- Check the whole package. Ask about extras such as private health insurance, meal cards, remote work allowances and relocation support.
- Factor in living costs. Rent is the biggest cost in Madrid and Barcelona. Our Madrid cost of living guide breaks it down.
Popular stacks on our board include Python, Java and TypeScript.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a software engineer earn in Madrid?
On Levels.fyi, the self-reported median total compensation for software engineers in the Madrid area was €55,498 on 24 September 2026, from 629 submissions. That includes bonus and stock and leans towards large international companies. For comparison, the INE average for all jobs in the Comunidad de Madrid was €34,410.01 in 2024.
Do developers earn more in Barcelona or Madrid?
It depends on the data. On Levels.fyi, the Barcelona area’s median total compensation (€65,203) was higher than Madrid’s (€55,498) on 24 September 2026. But the INE’s 2024 averages for all jobs put the Comunidad de Madrid (€34,410.01) above Cataluña (€31,730.05). Compare the salaries employers post for Madrid and Barcelona.
What is the typical salary range for software engineers in Spain?
On Levels.fyi, on 24 September 2026, the 25th percentile for Spain was €39.6K, the median €56,664, the 75th percentile €78.8K and the 90th percentile €101K. These are self-reported total compensation figures. They are likely to be higher than typical local pay, because people at large international companies report more often.
What salary do I need for a work visa in Spain?
For the EU Blue Card and the national Highly Qualified Professional permit, the minimum is €41,356.36 gross a year for applications from late June 2026. A reduced Blue Card threshold of €33,085.09 applies in some cases. That is close to the average for the information and communications sector, so check every offer against it.
Are salaries in Spain paid in 12 or 14 payments?
It can be either. Employees in Spain are entitled to two extra payments a year, one at Christmas, but collective agreements can spread them across 12 monthly payments instead. So the same yearly salary can be paid in 12 or 14 instalments. Always compare the yearly gross total when you look at offers.
How much do developers earn in Valencia and Málaga?
Public data is thin. Levels.fyi had too few submissions for separate figures, and the INE’s 2024 averages for all jobs were below the national average in the Comunitat Valenciana (€26,816.98) and Andalucía (€26,089.70). Check the salary ranges employers post on our Valencia and Málaga job pages.