Cost of Living: Seattle vs Tenerife (2026)

United States vs Spain — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Seattle

Tenerife

$2,442/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,217/mo

$81k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$5k/yr

10 yr

PR path

5 yr

—

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

Beckham Law (Régimen Especial)

Freelance setup

Self-employed / Sole Proprietor

No VAT exemption
15.3% social
€1000/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Autónomo

No VAT exemption
€1800/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated April 2026

TL;DRTenerife is 50% cheaper on rent ($1,217/mo vs $2,442/mo). Spain gets you to permanent residency 5 years faster (5 vs 10 years). Both are solid options for settling down — the spreadsheet won't save you from this one.

Tenerife scores 72 to Seattle's 60 on livability — the gap is real. Seattle has its charms, but the numbers favor Tenerife.

How the livability score breaks down

Seattle

Tenerife

5.4/25

💰 Affordability

17.1/25

8.2/15

🔒 Violent Crime

14.1/15

4.5/10

🛡️ Perceived Safety

4.6/10

13.9/15

⚡ Internet

5.3/15

11.8/15

🗳️ Democracy

12.2/15

10/10

🗣️ English

6.3/10

9.5/10

☀️ Climate

9.2/10

7.1/10

📊 Stability

7.2/10

3.4/10

🚗 Road Safety

9.7/10

4.2/10

🕊️ Geopolitical Safety

7.7/10

Verdict delivered. Your move.

The winner's file

🇪🇸 Tenerife

Full profile. Verify before you pack.

Due diligence

🇺🇸 Seattle

Every verdict deserves an appeal.

Plot twist

Tenerife vs Malaga

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Seattle

Metric

Tenerife

$986/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$575/mo✓

$9,703

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$5,941✓

52 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

89 / 100✓

6.8 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

0.9 / 100k✓

14.2 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

3.5 / 100k✓

45 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

—

75°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

81°F

37°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

59°F

185 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

—

9.8 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

8.1 μg/m³✓

80 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

79 / 100

7.8 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

8.1 / 10

✓8.0 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

7.4 / 9

67 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

76 / 100✓

✓100/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

38/100

✓$86k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$58k

2.9% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.8% · Boringly steady✓

83/100 — Mostly stable

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

—

80/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

90/100✓

A median Software Engineer in Seattle takes home $11,851/mo under Standard employee. In Tenerife: $3,344/mo under Standard employee.

$8,508/mo more in Seattle

🎯 Tenerife's Beckham Law (Régimen Especial) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $3,470/mo instead.

Each city pays its own median — Software Engineer gross via Levels.fyi / Eurostat. Moving changes your salary too; that's the point.

$191k

💰

Gross income

$60k

−$35k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$16k

−$14k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$4k

✓$142k/yr

$12k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$40k/yr

$3k/mo

−$61k

🏠

Cost of living

−$36k

✓$81k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

$5k/yr

Swap the local medians for your actual number

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · Gallup · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated April 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Tenerife

$1,225/mo cheaper on rent alone

🔒

Safety

Tenerife

0.9 homicides per 100k

☀️

Weather

—

75°F vs 81°F summers

📋

Residency

Tenerife

PR in 5 years

Sun

How much sky you actually get

45% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

73% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

8.4h

Shortest day

Dec

10.3h

16.0h

Longest day

Jun

13.9h

Sun clocks out early in Seattle's winter. Plan accordingly.

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

stable →

Democracy trend

stable →

improving ↑

Inflation trend

improving ↑

cloud-techaerospacee-commercebiotech

Industries

—

hub

Startup ecosystem

—

Easy

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

EU visa

Easy

Suspended

RU visa

Complex

Moderate

UA visa

Moderate

⚠️ Partner work rights are very limited

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Not recognized

Partner pathway

Conditional (1+ yr)

pareja de hecho

—

Retiree visa

€2,400/mo

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

On request

Abortion access

On request

24 wk

Gestational limit

14 wk

Long-standing statutory protection (1991 referendum), shield-law state.

On request up to 14 weeks. 2023 reform removed mandatory waiting period.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Legal

Marriage

Legal

Joint adoption

Adoption

Joint adoption

Yes

Job protection

Yes

Hate crime law

Yes

Seattle vs Tenerife — Common Questions

Is Seattle cheaper than Tenerife?▾

Tenerife is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1217/month there vs $2442/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Seattle or Tenerife?▾

Tenerife is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Seattle has a rate of 6.80 per 100,000 and Tenerife has 0.95 per 100,000.

Should I move to Seattle or Tenerife?▾

Tenerife scores 72 to Seattle's 60 on livability — the gap is real. Seattle has its charms, but the numbers favor Tenerife. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Is it easier to get residency in Seattle or Tenerife?▾

Seattle: US Employment-Based Green Card (complex process, Permanent residence). Tenerife: Spain Digital Nomad Visa (moderate requirements, 1 year (renewable to 5)). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

Which has better weather, Seattle or Tenerife?▾

Tenerife is warmer in summer (81°F vs 75°F). Seattle has milder summers, which suits those who prefer cooler weather. Climate preference is personal — use the weather section above to compare seasons.

Can I live in Seattle or Tenerife without speaking the local language?▾

Seattle is easier for street-level English (100/100) than Tenerife (38/100). That's the score that matters for doctors, landlords, and bureaucracy. Office English can still run higher than street English in both cities.

What's the cost of rent in Seattle vs Tenerife?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1217/month in Tenerife, $2442/month in Seattle (Numbeo). That's 50% cheaper rent in Tenerife.