Expat Academy

How to retire in Spain as an American

The non-lucrative visa, Spain's residence tests, how Spain taxes Social Security and IRAs, wealth tax, healthcare and housing, for Americans retiring to Spain.

Updated · Expat Academy · Education, not advice

1 EUR = 1.1193 USD · 1 USD = €0.8934 ECB euro foreign exchange reference rate, 23 Oct 2026

Euro amounts are converted at this rate and are estimates. Currency moves change what your life in Europe costs in dollars: a weaker dollar makes it more expensive.

Spain draws American retirees with its climate, its food and its healthcare. The practical questions come in a predictable order: can you get a visa, when do you become a Spanish tax resident, what does Spain do with your Social Security and IRAs, and what does it cost to live there?

First decide: move, or spend seasons

  • Move and become a Spanish resident. A non-lucrative visa, a residence card, Spanish returns on your worldwide income, and US returns as before.
  • Stay a US resident and spend seasons in Spain. Up to 90 days in any 180 as a visitor, with no Spanish return unless you own a home there (it has its own small yearly tax).

The non-lucrative visa

Spain's route for retirees who won't work, including remotely:

  • Money: 400% of IPREM for the main applicant, €2,400 (about $2,686 today) a month in 2026, plus 100% (€600 (about $672 today) a month) for each family member. Income or savings both count.
  • Private health insurance from a Spanish-authorised insurer, with no co-payments.
  • Criminal record and medical certificates.
  • Renewals: after one year, then every two years; long-term residence after five.

Check your margin in euros with the free Spain Visa Income Checker, or read the non-lucrative visa income requirement.

Spanish tax residence: whole years

Spain makes you resident for a calendar year if you spend more than 183 days there, if your main economic interests are there, or (as a presumption) if your spouse and minor children live there. There's no split year: arrive in June and you may be resident from 1 January. See Spain's tax residency rules.

How Spain taxes US retirement income

Spain taxes residents on worldwide income, including US Social Security, at a state scale plus a regional scale (from about 19% up to 45% to 54% at the top, depending on the region). Interest, dividends and gains are taxed at 19% to 30%. The US-Spain treaty decides the credits: in practice you pay about the higher of the two countries' tax on each kind of income. See Does Spain tax US Social Security and IRAs?.

Wealth and inheritance

Spain taxes net wealth above €700,000 (about $783,510 today) per person, but Andalusia and Madrid relieve it in full; a national solidarity tax applies above €3,000,000 (about $3,357,900 today). Inheritance tax belongs to the regions, and Andalusia, Madrid and Valencia relieve 99% for spouses and children.

Healthcare and the cost of living

You start with private insurance, which many keep. After a year of registered residence you can join the public system through its special agreement for about €60 (about $67 today) a month under 65 or €157 (about $176 today) from 65. Housing costs vary widely: Madrid, Barcelona, the Balearics and the smartest parts of the Costa del Sol are the most expensive; Valencia, Alicante, Seville and inland towns much less. See the cost of living in Spain for retirees.

A home you own as a non-resident

Owning a Spanish home without living there brings a yearly non-resident tax on the home itself. See owning a home in Spain as a non-resident.

Who you'll need

A cross-border preparer who files both US and Spanish returns, a Spanish lawyer for the visa and any purchase, and for some, a gestor for local paperwork. Going in with the rules understood makes those meetings shorter and the answers more useful.

Questions

Can a US citizen retire in Spain?

Yes. Since the golden visa ended in April 2025, most American retirees use the non-lucrative residence visa, which needs passive income or savings of 400% of IPREM (about €2,400 a month for one person in 2026), private health insurance without co-payments, and a promise not to work.

Does Spain tax US Social Security?

Yes. Under the US-Spain treaty Spain, as your country of residence, taxes US Social Security, and the US may tax it too. Spain credits the tax the US could charge a non-citizen, and the US credits Spain's remaining tax.

When do I become a Spanish tax resident?

For a whole calendar year in which you spend more than 183 days in Spain, have your main economic interests there, or your spouse and minor children live there. Spain has no split year, so your arrival date matters.

Can I spend a few months a year in Spain without moving?

Yes, as a visitor, for up to 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area. Spain has no seasonal visa for retirees, so longer stays mean a residence permit.

Go deeper

  • S1 Spain's residence tests Free preview: Spain makes you tax resident on any one of three grounds: more than 183 days in the calendar year, your main economic interests, or a family that lives there. Why Spain has no split year, and why the date you arrive matters so much.
  • S2 The non-lucrative visa, step by step: Spain's route for retirees who won't work: 400% of IPREM a month for the main applicant and 100% for each family member, private health insurance without co-payments, and a residence card renewed after one year, then every two.
  • S4 Spanish income tax on your US income: Spain taxes residents on worldwide income: pensions, IRA money and US Social Security at the state scale plus your region's scale, and interest, dividends and gains at 19% to 30%. How it works, and why your region matters.

Sources

Education, not advice. This guide explains general rules as of the date above. Rules change every year; confirm your own situation with a qualified adviser in the US and in France.