UK vs. Spain for Software Engineers
By a Spanish Dev who moved to the UK
Spain and the United Kingdom are two countries I frequently praise for their opportunities and quality of life.
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Even though I’ve mainly talked about the UK Tech Market opportunities you can get as a software engineer, I truly believe that both of them are excellent countries to be based in as a dev nowadays, offering a very good pay, job opportunities, in addition to safety and quality of life.
Which one might be the best one for you, will depend on what are your priorities and what you value more.
In today’s article, we try to go deeper into the matter.
Intro
As a proud Spanish national myself, I have experienced the thrill of having lived in both places, so this is a comparison I have a lot of familiarity with.
Unfortunately, it’s not easy to come up with a straightforward “yes or no” answer, regarding which of the two is the “best”.
Also, always keep in mind that everyone’s situation is different, and it could very well be the case that for your specific profile, some other location entirely will be a better fit.
(in my coaching program, among other things, we also help people find their ideal location to bet on, based on our experience researching them).
Comparing Spain and the United Kingdom
This will be the bulk of today’s article.
I’m gonna share my perspective on how several aspects - that are important for most people’s lives - differ in the UK and Spain.
Cost of Living
London has one of the biggest salary ranges in Europe - nonetheless, the cost of living is very high as well.
While Spain offers a lower cost of living, the savings potential is often higher in the UK due to significantly higher salaries, particularly in London, as it can be seen here.
So if your n.1 priority is to make money and increase your savings, London should definitely be on your to do list.
Affordable Luxuries and Services
The most noticeable cost-of-living difference lies in the affordability of housing, services, and luxuries, which are considerably cheaper in Spain compared to the UK.
Social Life
For those in their 20s or early 30s, both Madrid and London are dynamic hubs. Your choice depends on your priorities:
If you want to be immersed in an international and global environment, with people from all nationalities, London is your go to city in this side of the world.
If you only speak English, you might face challenges in Spain. However, most locals have a basic level of English, and the friendly Spanish culture makes it manageable.
Networking
Networking opportunities are endless in London. From tech communities, to Meetup events, the running clubs fever or multiple associations - you will never get bored here, and meet interesting people almost every day.
👉 Checkout Nova Talent’s website (https://www.novatalent.com). Nova is the perfect place for you if you want to meet fellow spaniards and top tier professionals both in the UK and Spain - I’m a Nova member myself and can’t recommend joining enough - let me know if you’d like to be referred by me :)
Language Barriers
If your only speaking language is English, I would be lying if I said that you might not struggle in Spain - nonetheless, most people nowadays have a basic english communicative level, so don’t worry, you will definitely survive (Spanish’s friendliness helps, of course). 😃
Offshoring
Spain is gaining ground in tech hiring as companies increasingly move roles from the UK to lower-cost hubs. Remote work and offshoring trends have shifted the balance in favor of countries like Spain, Portugal, and Eastern Europe.
Pre-Pandemic London was the best city in Europe to work as a tech worker.
Highest salaries in Europe, sometimes on par with the US
Companies expanding their presence, including Google, Meta, Apple etc
Little competition from other European cities
In the post-pandemic world things have changed.
More and more companies prefer to hire talent abroad in places like Portugal, Poland, Romania, Serbia, or Asia. This includes companies like Google as well as smaller companies.
Remote work and offshoring have led to the growth of other tech hubs in Europe.
In any case, to me London is still the most appealing place to be based as a tech worker in 2025.
In 2015-2020, for most devs it would have been a no brainer.
Big tech will keep having a good presence there, and will keep paying the highest salaries you’ll see in Europe in absolute numbers.
Schools
If you want your kids to have an international background, quality English-speaking private schools are much more prestigious in the UK than in Spain.
Public schools are more reliably “good” in Spain than in the UK (they’re also good in the UK but you need to do more work in filtering good and bad ones).
London as a geo-arbitrage, early-career play
If you are single, with no family, living in a shared flat in London and eating five days a week in a Big Tech canteen (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), you can live on 3,000 GBP per month - if you live frugally -, and earn 6-7k GBP per month, possibly more with stocks. This approach allows you to build substantial savings over 5–8 years, potentially enabling a comfortable return to Spain to settle down.
Upsides of London
Ultra-beautiful city with endless things to see and visit
Never ending activities
The ability to meet new people all the time
Best connected airports
Trains to the Netherlands, France and Belgium
Downsides of London
Real estate and rent prices
Due to its gigantic size, it can sometimes get impersonal
Conclusion
In the future, I plan to create a more detailed comparison of these two incredible countries based on my personal and professional experience as a software engineers.
If you’re curious about other countries, or topics in general that you’d like me to touch, let me know!
Are you a developer in the UK or Spain with an interesting career story? Whether you're working in big tech, thriving as a remote worker, or blazing a unique path, I'd love to hear from you. Reach out, and we can collaborate on a guest article for The Tech Scene! :)
Your decision only
Both Spain and the UK offer unique opportunities for software engineers. Your decision ultimately depends on your goals and lifestyle preferences. I hope this comparison helps you make the best choice for your career and life.