How does the automated room finder work?

You describe what you need in plain English: budget, city, neighborhood vibe, move-in date, must-haves. Flat Spain then automatically searches the major Spanish property portals at once, reads each listing, verifies availability, applies the Flat Spain 16-Point Scam Screen, adds the Flat Spain Neighborhood Score for each barrio, and delivers a ranked shortlist with photos, maps and agent contacts, usually within minutes.

What does the €49 search include?

One full Flat Spain search: up to 12 platform queries, 25 listings analyzed, the Flat Spain 16-Point Scam Screen applied to every listing, the Flat Spain Rent Benchmark and Flat Spain Neighborhood Score for each barrio, and a ranked top-5 report with pre-filled WhatsApp messages for each agent. Usually delivered within minutes (guaranteed within 24 hours).

Which platforms do you search?

The major Spanish property portals, plus the expat-focused rental platforms that welcome relocating tenants, covering whole flats, furnished mid-term lets, studios and rooms in shared flats. We only ever collect data from sources that permit it, and the exact set is chosen per search, so a brief for a room and a brief for a purchase do not go to the same places.

How do you detect rental scams?

Every listing goes through the Flat Spain 16-Point Scam Screen, a 16-point check covering prices far below the barrio average, landlords 'currently abroad', deposit requests before viewing, Wise or crypto payment demands, missing exact addresses, and misused temporada contracts. Listings that fail a critical check are removed from your shortlist before you ever see them.

Can I rent in Spain without a NIE?

Yes, many landlords accept a passport for signing, though you'll need a NIE for utilities and long-term registration. Tell Flat Spain your visa status in your brief and we'll prioritize foreigner-friendly listings and agents used to working with expats.

How fast will I get my shortlist?

Most searches finish in 5–15 minutes, because our agents work in parallel across platforms, and you can watch live progress on your order dashboard. If a search needs extra verification we guarantee delivery within 24 hours.

What if you can't find good apartments for my brief?

If your criteria return too few verified listings, Flat Spain tells you honestly and gives you one free re-run. You say what to change (different barrios, another budget, other must-haves) and the re-run searches again, skipping everything you have already been shown. If you're still not satisfied, contact support and a human will review your order.

What is the concierge service?

A human in Spain takes over after your report: WhatsApp outreach to agents in natural Spanish, viewings scheduled within 72 hours, negotiated terms and a rental contract review. Two tiers: Remote (€499) with live video-call viewings, ideal before you land, or Full (€900) with a local attending each viewing in person on your behalf.

Payment is processed by Stripe and only captured when your report is delivered. Until then the €49 is an authorization hold on your card.

Do you work with landlords or agencies?

No. Flat Spain is paid only by you, so the ranking is unbiased and no landlord, agency or new development can buy a higher position.

Is an automated apartment finder better than searching the portals yourself?

For expats relocating from abroad, usually yes. A traditional portal hands you thousands of unranked listings to filter alone; Flat Spain searches several platforms at once, applies the Flat Spain 16-Point Scam Screen to every listing, adds the Flat Spain Rent Benchmark and Flat Spain Neighborhood Score for context, and returns a shortlist ranked against your exact brief, minutes of reading instead of hours of scrolling.

How much does it cost to rent an apartment in Spain?

The Flat Spain Rent Benchmark for 2026 puts a furnished one-bedroom from about €650/month in Granada to €1,250 in Barcelona, with Madrid near €1,200 and Valencia around €1,050. A room in a shared flat averages €450–€600 in the big cities. Central expat barrios cost more; outer districts are cheaper.

How much does it cost to buy property in Spain?

The 2026 national average is about €2,300/m², so roughly €180,000–€210,000 for a 90 m² apartment. Madrid runs near €4,300/m² and Granada near €2,000/m². Budget an extra 10–13% of the price for purchase taxes and fees.

Can I use this to buy a property, not just rent?

Yes. Flat Spain searches the sale market the same way it searches rentals: it scans the major Spanish property portals for sale listings that match your budget and must-haves, screens each one with the Flat Spain 16-Point Scam Screen, and benchmarks the asking price against the barrio's €/m² sale average. Tell us you're looking to buy in your brief and we return a ranked, scam-screened sale shortlist instead of rentals.

Which Spanish cities do you cover?

Every major Spanish city, including Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Málaga, Bilbao, Alicante, Palma and Granada, plus smaller towns. If a city has rental listings Flat Spain can search it: cities we don't yet keep warm in inventory are searched live on demand for your order.

Digital Nomad Visa income requirement

€2,849 / month

Minimum income to qualify for Spain's Digital Nomad Visa

Derived: 200% of Spain's minimum wage (SMI), so it changes whenever the SMI does.

In force since: 29 January 2026
Last verified: 14 August 2026
Re-checked every: 90 days

Source

Spanish minimum wage (SMI), as applied to the Ley de Startups income test

The visa regulation sets the threshold as a multiple of the SMI rather than a fixed euro amount, so the euro figure is only ever correct with a date attached.

Quick answer

Flat Spain tracks Spain's Digital Nomad Visa income threshold at €2,849 per month for 2026. The figure is 200% of Spain's minimum wage, so it moved when the minimum wage rose on 29 January 2026 — which is why pages published before that date still show €2,442 and are now wrong by more than €400 a month.

The threshold is a multiple, not a number. Spain's Digital Nomad Visa asks for 200% of the minimum wage, which means the euro figure is re-set every time the minimum wage is. The 29 January 2026 increase moved it to €2,849 per month, and any page quoting a euro amount without saying when it was checked is telling you what the threshold used to be.

Applying with a family raises it. Each additional family member adds a further percentage of the minimum wage on top of the base figure, so a couple and a child are not assessed on €2,849. Check the current multiplier with the consulate handling your file — this is the part of the test that varies most in practice.

The most common follow-up — whether the consulate reads the figure as gross or net income — does not have a single documented answer across consulates, and we will not invent one here. Take the safe route: evidence gross income comfortably above the threshold, and expect the reviewing officer to work from pre-tax figures.

Still published elsewhere, and wrong

If you found a different number, it is probably one of these.

€2,442 / month: Correct until 28 January 2026. Still published by several relocation and tax sites in mid-2026 — if you budget against it you are €407/month short of the current test.

Approved, and looking for a flat?

Open

Change log

14 August 2026
Verified against the current minimum wage. Page published.
29 January 2026
Raised to €2,849/month following the minimum-wage increase.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Digital Nomad Visa income requirement €2,442 or €2,849?

€2,849 per month. €2,442 was the correct figure until the minimum wage rose on 29 January 2026, and it is still widely republished. Anything quoting €2,442 in 2026 has not been updated this year.

Why does the Digital Nomad Visa income requirement keep changing?

Because it is defined as 200% of Spain's minimum wage rather than as a fixed amount. Every minimum-wage rise moves it automatically, which is why the figure needs a date attached to be meaningful.

The numbers are the easy part

Getting a flat is the hard one. Describe what you need in plain English and Flat Spain searches five platforms at once, puts every listing through the Flat Spain 16-Point Scam Screen, and comes back with a ranked shortlist.

Start my search

Flat Spain re-checks this figure every 90 days and publishes the date of every change above. It is information, not legal advice — for a decision that turns on your own circumstances, take Spanish legal advice.

Digital Nomad Visa income requirement

Still published elsewhere, and wrong

Change log

Frequently asked questions

The numbers are the easy part

Related figures