Spanish Mayors’ salaries revealed

The recent council elections throughout Spain have received much publicity, and now all the campaigning and elections are over many people are left wondering, how much exactly does the mayor earn.

There is no easy answer to the question as it varies depending on the rule of law and what each town council decides. It can range from zero to €108,518 per year.

The full list can be found at Spain’s Ministry of Finance provides the information to the public, the latest data available is for 2021 and shows the salaries of 7,024 mayors, the remaining 1,104 mayors did not declare their fees or the information was incomplete.

The most important factor in deciding the wage structure is the size of the municipality. Cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants set the salary limit, which is set at €116,160.05 per year. This figure is actually more than the €90,010 that the President of the Government, Pedro Sanchez earns, according to the General State Budget for 2023.

Another determining factor is their dedication to the post. Normally, municipalities with larger populations have full-time mayors, where understandably the salary is higher. If they fulfil their role on a part-time basis, they are paid for attending council meetings with the same rules for municipalities with less than 1,000 inhabitants.

Among the more than 7,000 nationwide mayors, there are those who govern in the provincial capitals, around 48. The highest paid is the mayor of Madrid, who receives €108,517.80 per year, followed by Barcelona €100,000.04. At the other end of the scale is Oviedo, €22,200, and Teruel, with €14,956.44. By way of comparison, the average salary in Spain currently stands at €25,200 per year.

In no particular order here are some figures relevant to readers of EWN: Mijas, €58,435; Fuengirola, €69,756; Denia €53,000; Albox €50,022; Garrucha €38,347.