The cost of living in Spain is well below the European average, in particular outside of Madrid and Barcelona. However, salaries are also quite low in comparison to their EU equivalents.
Average salaries for workers range from €12,000-€18,000/year. While a salary of €30,000-€35,000 a year is subsistence level in cities like London, it would be well considered in Spain. If you come from Northern Europe or North America, be prepared for serious salary shock.
People normally discuss salaries as a monthly figure. This makes things complicated as the majority of companies compensate their employees on a yearly 14-payment system. This system means the normal monthly salary is doubled twice a year (by what are called extras) usually before summer and Christmas.
Traditional working hours in Spain are Monday to Friday from 9:00-9:30 until 13:30-14:00. After a few hours for lunch and a siesta, people return to work from 16:30-17:00 until 19:30-20:00. Today, there is a trend towards shortening the lunch break and finishing earlier. Working hours vary massively between organisations. During the summer months, many organizations adopt an abridged work schedule called horario intensivo whereby employees work non-stop from 8:00-9:00 until 15:00.
When it comes to holidays and vacations time, Spain is a wonderful place to work. By law, any employee under contract is entitled to a full month of vacation each year (usually taken in August) along with numerous national and regional holidays. When those holidays fall on a Tuesday or Thursday, employees are commonly allowed to take Monday or Friday off and make it into a long weekend called a puente.
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