Spain or Sweden
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Spain | Sweden | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | $ 70 556 | $ 64 866 |
| Citizenship | 10 years | 8 years |
| Partner can work | yes | yes |
| Parents | difficult | no |
| Pets | no trouble | no trouble |
| Pet limit | 5 | 5 |
| Quarantine | no | no |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 1 935 | $ 1 821 |
| Basket | $ 39,3 | $ 46,2 |
| Life expectancy | 83.89 | 84.06 |
| Homicides/100k | 0.73 | 0.87 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 3.9 | 2.6 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Spain — 61, Sweden — 39. Types present in both: work, study, family, startup, talent and job seeking. Spain adds: remote work. Sweden adds: working holiday.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Spain: fees range from 7.31 to 203.84 EUR. Routes with no fee: 2. Routes stating an income threshold: 2; the lowest is 41,356.36 EUR a year. Routes with a published decision deadline: 52; the shortest is 10 days. Sweden: fees range from 1,000 to 2,200 SEK. Routes with no fee: 3. Routes stating an income threshold: 9; the lowest is 9,700 SEK a month. Routes with a published decision deadline: 22; the shortest is 30 days.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: Spain after 5 years; the other country publishes no term. Citizenship: Spain after 10 years, Sweden after 8 years. Sweden allows a second citizenship, Spain does not. Bringing your own parents: Spain — yes, Sweden — no.
Spain in brief
A large economy with developed tech hubs (Madrid, Barcelona), good healthcare and low violence. Held back by citizenship after 10 years requiring you to give up the previous one — dual citizenship is allowed only with a limited set of countries — compulsory Spanish, difficult parent reunification and high rent in the major cities.
Sweden in brief
A developed tech market (Spotify, Klarna, Ericsson) and a high quality of life. The work permit is tied to the employer for the first years; from July 2026 permanent residence is generally no longer granted. Parent reunification is essentially not provided for, and there is a strict maintenance requirement for family.
Other comparisons
More on each: Spain · Sweden. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.