Average Income: Why it Matters
Updated on December 7, 2020
The average income of a population is often overlooked when people prepare to teach abroad. We usually want to know how much we can make, and that information isn’t difficult to find. According to Go Overseas, the average income for an English teacher in Spain is between 700 and 1800 euros. As an auxiliar de conversacion, you know that your income will be between 700 and 1000 euros a month, depending on where you’re assigned to teach.
What may be more important than your actual salary, however, is how it compares to the average salary where you will live. This will determine how comfortably you will live compared to other people in your city on your auxilar income alone.
Using the Auxiliar salary as a basis, let’s take a look at a couple of examples:
As you may know, I have lived in Huelva, Andalusia and Vitoria-Gasteiz Spain. We have already talked about cost of expenses, but let’s see how an auxiliar income compares to the other people living in these cities.
The average income in Huelva is 950 euros a month. The average in Vitoria is 1393 euros. What this tells us is that, at about 74% of the average income in Huelva, compared to about 50% of the average income in Vitoria, an auxiliar would live much more comfortably in Huelva on their auxiliar salary alone.
Keep in mind that I have lived in both of these cities, and was able to get by on just the auxiliar income, even at 50% of the average. However, the closer you are to the average, the more money you will be able to save or spend on travel without having to do as much extra work on the side.
Average income in the major cities
Note: this is not a cost of living comparison, but rather a “Keeping up with the Joneses” comparison. Cities that do not have enough data have been excluded.
Andalusia
- In Almeria, the average income is 1275 euros. 700 euros is 55% of the average.
- In Cadiz, the average income is 1067 euros. 700 euros is 66% of the average.
- In Cordoba, the average income is 1000 euros. 700 euros is 70% of the average.
- In Granada, the average income is 1121 euros. 700 euros is 62% of the average.
- In Huelva, the average income is 950 euros. 700 euros is 74% of the average.
- In Jaen, the average income is 1233 euros. 700 euros is 57% of the average.
- In Malaga, the average income is 1329 euros. 700 euros is 53% of the average.
- In Seville, the average income is 1262 euros. 700 euros is 55% of the average.
- Andalusia average: 1155 euros. 700 euros is 61% of the average.
Aragon
- In Huesca, the average income is 1100 euros. 700 euros is 64% of the average.
- In Zaragoza, the average income is 1367 euros. 700 euros is 51% of the average.
- Aragon average: 1234 euros. 700 is 57% of the average.
Asturias
- In Aviles, the average income is 1500 euros. 700 euros is 47% of the average.
- In Gijon, the average income is 1336 euros. 700 euros is 52% of the average.
- In Oviedo, the average income is 1471 euros. 700 euros is 48% of the average.
- Asturias average: 1436. 700 euros is 49% of the average.
The Balearic Islands
- In Ibiza, the average income is 1450 euros. 700 euros is 48% of the average.
- In Palma de Mallorca, the average income is 1308 euros. 700 euros is 54% of the average.
- Baleares average: 1379 euros. 700 euros is 51% of the average.
The Basque Country
- In Bilbao, the average income is 1484 euros. 700 euros is 47% of the average.
- In San Sebastian, the average income is 1830 euros. 700 euros is 38% of the average.
- In Vitoria-Gasteiz, the average income is 1393 euros. 700 euros is 50% of the average.
- Basque Country average: 1569 euros. 700 euros is 45% of the average.
The Canary Islands
- In Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the average income is 1121 euros. 700 euros is 62% of the average.
- In Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the average income is 1094 euros. 700 euros is 64% of the average.
- Canarias average: 1108 euros. 700 is 63% of the average.
Cantabria
- In Santander, the average income is 1630 euros. 700 euros is 43% of the average.
Castilla-La Mancha
- In Albacete, the average income is 1225 euros. 700 is 57% of the average.
- In Ciudad Real, the average income is 1290 euros. 700 euros is 54% of the average.
- In Guadalajara, the average income is 1447 euros. 700 euros is 48% of the average.
- In Toledo, the average income is 1000 euros. 700 euros is 70% of the average.
- Castilla la Mancha average: 1241 euros. 700 is 56% of the average.
Castilla y Leon
- In Avila, the average income is 800 euros. 700 euros is 88% of the average.
- In Burgos, the average income is 1467 euros. 700 euros is 48% of the average.
- In Leon, the average income is 1391. 700 euros is 50% of the average.
- In Palencia, the average income is 900 euros. 700 euros is 78% of the average.
- In Salamanca, the average income is 1367 euros. 700 euros is 51% of the average.
- In Valladolid, the average income is 1250 euros. 700 euros is 56% of the average.
- Castilla Leon average: 1196 euros. 700 euros is 59% of the average.
Catalonia
- In Barcelona, the average income is 1429 euros. 700 euros is 49% of the average.
- In Girona, the average income is 1460 euros. 700 euros is 48% of the average.
- In Lleida, the average income is 1363 euros. 700 euros is 51% of the average.
- In Tarragona, the average income is 1200 euros. 700 euros is 58% of the average.
- Catalonia average: 1363 euros. 700 euros is 51% of the average.
Extremadura
- In Badajoz, the average income is 1133 euros. 935 euros is 83% of the average.
- In Caceres, the average income is 1450 euros. 935 euros is 64% of the average.
- Extremadura average: 1292 euros. 935 euros is 72% of the average.
Galicia
- In Corunna, the average income is 1228 euros. 935 euros is 76% of the average.
- In Orense, the average income is 1433 euros. 935 euros is 65% of the average.
- In Pontevedra, the average income is 1370 euros. 935 euros is 68% of the average.
- In Santiago de Compostela, the average income is 872 euros. 935 euros is 107% of the average.
- In Vigo, the average income is 1371 euros. 935 euros is 68% of the average income.
- Galicia average: 1255 euros. 935 euros is 75% of the average.
La Rioja
- In Logrono, the average income is 1220 euros. 700 euros is 57% of the average.
Madrid
- In Madrid, the average income is 1590 euros. 1000 euros is 63% of the average.
Murcia
- In Cartagena, the average income is 1197 euros. 875 euros is 73% of the average.
- In Murcia, the average income is 1340 euros. 875 euros is 65% of the average.
- Murcia average: 1269 euros. 875 euros is 69% of the average.
Navarra
- In Pamplona, the average income is 1360 euros. 700 euros is 51% of the average.
The Valencian Community
- In Alicante, the average income is 1480 euros. 1000 euros is 68% of the average.
- In Castellon de la Plana, the average income is 1042 euros. 1000 euros is 96% of the average.
- In Valencia, the average income is 1403 euros. 1000 euros is 71% of the average.
- Valencian Community average: 1308 euros. 1000 euros is 76% of the average.
Average Income: Conclusions
The following is a list of each community from highest average to lowest. All percentages are rounded to the nearest whole percent. In the case of an apparent tie, the decimals were used to determine final ranking.
- The Valencian Community (76%)
- Galicia (75%)
- Extremadura (72%)
- Murcia (69%)
- Canary Islands (63%)
- Madrid (63%)
- Andalucia (61%)
- Castilla Leon (59%)
- La Rioja (57%)
- Aragon (57%)
- Castilla-la Mancha (56%)
- Navarra (51%)
- Catalonia (51%)
- Balearic Islands (51%)
- Asturias (49%)
- Basque Country (45%)
- Cantabria (43%)
All of the information presented here is meant to give you a good idea of how comfortable you would be compared to other workers in your city if you decided NOT to take on extra work. It does not mean that you cannot survive in these regions. Minimum wage in Spain is 764 euros for full time, and the auxiliar income is for just 12-16 hours! If you find yourself in one of these regions with a higher average income, it likely means you can charge more for private classes. You may also have other budget saving benefits such as proximity to airports.
What city are you heading to? Let us know in the comments below.
Love this! Great idea for an article and great information 🙂 I’m surprised about Las Palmas and Santa Cruz though… I’ve lived 2 years in each and I definitely felt more comfortable (IE, my money went a lot further) in Santa Cruz. I’m guessing there are a lot of upper end outliers there bringing the average income up.
Yes, good point. Without collecting the data points myself, it’s impossible to know the outliers. I’d love to do something more in depth at some point. Thanks for your comment!
Great read since I love numbers! However, it will always depend on where you live (neighborhood). I think I did rather well in Coruna but got great housing and remembered reading about a girl working paycheck to paycheck in Pontevedra (same region so I’m comparing the two). That is to say…future auxs don’t get discouraged–you learn how to stretch your money and of course I did a lot of privates.
Very good point, Allie! I lived in the old part of town in Vitoria and was able to find an apartment under the average rate. Living within the budget can be done. You just have to work a bit harder at it in some areas. Check out my post on Living Expenses in Spain to see how I fit my essential expenses into less than half of the Auxiliar budget: https://teachtravelbudget.com/living-expenses-spain/
Where’d you get the data? Super interesting. Though I think averages are hard because there are people making a lot that will bring up the average. And comparing to an auxiliar salary it looks impossible in some places, when in reality the cost of living is quite low! Like Logroño, the auxiliar salary is 56% of an average salary, but I remember being so surprised how cheap things are there, plus rents are affordable as well. But yeah it’d be a much more in depth study to figure out that kinda stuff – this is still an awesome post and resource!
Also had no idea about the Valencia program, though looks like it’s only half a year for now. I spent a long weekend there and 1000 euros a month would definitely go really far!
Hey, Samantha. The average income data all comes from Numbeo. Then I just used a calculator to compare it to the aux salary. It’s true that high incomes can pull up the average, and low ones can pull it down. A median average would be better than a mean average, but would require collecting all of the data in every city myself.
The averages aren’t meant to be a cost of living comparison, as there are definitely people living on minimum wage in every city. But it is helpful to see how much extra work you’d have to do, either through extra classes or budgeting, to live more comfortably. I lived in Vitoria-Gasteiz of the Basque Country, which is 44% of the average income. With budgeting, I was able to do it. Check out my budget here:
https://teachtravelbudget.com/living-expenses-spain
Also, the more money a population makes, the more you can get away with charging for private classes, if you decide to go that route.
Siles! I wasn’t aware that the Valencia communities paid higher? I thought it was only Madrid. Is this true for the 2018 -2019 program year as well?
Yes, they increased it last year, and an auxiliar in this year’s program confirmed that her carta for this year says the same 🙂