What it costs to relocate to Spain: the figures we could source

What do relocation agencies charge in Spain?

Most agencies in Spain quote on request. Our research on 5 October 2026 found prices on the websites of very few agencies, and none of the price lists we could read belongs to an agency listed on ReloFinder. So this guide has no table of agency fees, and it does not guess one. What you can do is ask for a written quote and compare it with the figures below.

What do other sources say?

A guide site, Spain Vistas, gives “rough ranges for the professional service only, not including government filing fees” (Spain Vistas, read 7 Oct 2026). Here they are as written:

• NIE application help: EUR 100 to 200.
• Non-lucrative visa, full service: EUR 500 to 1,500.
• Digital nomad visa, full service: EUR 800 to 2,000.
• Relocation agencies, basic (visa help only): EUR 500 to 1,500.
• Relocation agencies, standard (housing and admin): EUR 2,000 to 4,000.
• Relocation agencies, premium (full service, three months): EUR 5,000 to 10,000 or more.

The page gives no method, date or source for these figures, and it is a guide site, not a survey. Use the ranges as a prompt to ask for a written quote, not as a benchmark to hold an agency to.

What else does moving to Spain cost?

The agency fee is one line. The others come from the law or from third parties.

• At the lease. The leases law allows up to one month’s rent in advance and a deposit (fianza) of one month, plus an optional extra guarantee of up to two months’ rent in contracts of up to five years (Ley 29/1994, articles 17 and 36). The renting guide explains each limit.
• Government fees for the card. The police take the fee for the foreigner’s identity card through the tasa 790, code 012 form, and the amount depends on the procedure (Policía Nacional). The portal shows each amount only when you hover over the procedure, so we did not read them as text and give none.
• Visa fee. It depends on your nationality. For US applicants, one consulate page lists USD 153: USD 140 for the visa and USD 13 for the first residence authorisation (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Other nationalities check the consular fee chart.
• Health insurance. Visas ask for cover from an insurer authorised in Spain. After one year of residence, people with no access to public care can sign the Ministry of Health’s special agreement for EUR 60 a month under 65 and EUR 157 from 65 (Ministerio de Sanidad, page undated). See health insurance for a Spanish visa.

What does the first month add up to?

Take a 60 m2 flat in Madrid at the September 2026 asking rent of EUR 23.4 per m2, which is about EUR 1,404 a month (60 x 23.4). One month in advance and a deposit of one month, the two legal limits above, come to about EUR 2,808 (2 x 1,404) in cash. An optional extra guarantee of up to two months’ rent would be up to EUR 2,808 more, and it is often a bank guarantee rather than cash. In Barcelona the same flat at EUR 20.1 per m2 is about EUR 1,206 a month, and in Málaga at EUR 16.5 about EUR 990 (idealista, 1 Oct 2026). These are arithmetic from asking rents, not quotes. Add the identity-card fee, insurance, the move and whatever you pay a search agent. Whether the guarantee is cash or a bank guarantee, and who holds the deposit, is for the contract: read it before you pay.

Why is it hard to compare quotes?

Because the same word covers different jobs. A quote can bundle a search, a set number of viewings, a contract review and a handover, or sell each alone. It may be a fixed fee, a fee by the hour or a share of the rent. It may include VAT or not, and government fees or not. Put two quotes into the same list of steps, in the section on what a quote should say, before you compare the totals.

Who pays: you, the landlord or your employer?

For the flat itself, the leases law puts the costs of letting management and of drawing up the contract on the landlord (article 20.1). A search service you hire is a different job, and you pay for it. Ask each agent who hired them for the flat you are viewing.

For the move as a whole, it depends on who sends you. If an employer pays, its relocation policy sets what is covered and it may name the provider, so ask HR before you hire anyone. In a private move you pay. We found no Spain-specific figure for how often each case occurs, and no published corporate rates per hour or per day.

What moves the price?

• Scope. A search and scheduling service is a fraction of a full service that includes negotiation, contract review and handover.
• Number of viewings. Ask how many the fee covers and what more costs.
• Legal work. Contract review and permit filing are often priced separately from the search.
• Household. A family needs more viewings, school search and more filings.
• Where you are. A remote search needs a person who can attend viewings for you, which costs more than a desk search.
• Timing. Rental supply keeps falling, according to idealista’s report of 1 October 2026, which makes a rushed search harder to price.

When does an agency pay for itself?

Compare any quote with what a month costs you. Idealista measured asking rents of EUR 23.4 per m2 in Madrid city in September 2026 (idealista, 1 Oct 2026). A 60 m2 flat at that figure is about EUR 1,404 a month (60 x 23.4). If a service saves you a month in a hotel, or a month of double rent, it covers a fee of that size. If you can visit flats yourself and speak Spanish, a search service may add less than a full service does.

What should a quote say?

1. The scope, in steps: search, viewings, negotiation, contract review, handover.
2. The number of viewings included, and the price of more.
3. Whether VAT and government fees are included.
4. Who files permits: a lawyer, an administrative agent (gestor) or you.
5. What you pay if no home is found.
6. Who the agency’s client is for the flat itself.

What we could not source

We found no price list from an agency listed on ReloFinder, no typical private package range that rests on a published method, no corporate rates and no official amounts for the police fee as text. The guide-site ranges carry no method or date. To compare agencies, read how to choose a relocation agency in Madrid, or get matched to request quotes.