A Spanish autónomo earning €120k pays roughly €47,000 in combined IRPF + RETA. The same income, after a clean exit and 180+ days of Thai tax residency under the DTV visa, pays about €3,600 in Thai PIT on the THB 95,000 a month brought in to live in Bangkok — about €43,400 of annual upside, fully legal under Thailand's remittance basis.
← All destinations Compare · Thailand vs Spain
Thailand vs Spain.
Spanish autónomos give about 39% of a €120k year to IRPF and RETA combined. The Thai DTV swaps that for a five-year multiple-entry visa, remittance-basis tax, and roughly €43,400 a year back in your pocket. Here's the full comparison.
Effective tax on €120k ~€47,000
Annual upside ~€43,400
Exit form Modelo 030
In one sentence
The headline difference: Spain taxes worldwide income on a progressive IRPF scale, from about 19% up to 45–54% depending on the region, plus mandatory RETA social-security contributions. Thailand taxes a resident's foreign income only in the year it is brought into Thailand — and then on a Thai PIT scale that tops out at 35% but starts at 0% with a 60,000 THB personal allowance.
01 · Side-by-side
Thailand vs Spain
Every row matters on the diagnosis call.
| Dimension | Spain | Thailand |
|---|---|---|
| Effective tax on €120k freelance | ~39% (IRPF + RETA) | ~3% (Thai PIT, 25% remitted) |
| Annual upside | — | ~€43,400/year |
| Visa or residency type | EU citizenship | DTV — 5-year multi-entry |
| Exit paperwork | Modelo 036 baja + Modelo 030 | DTV application + 180-day stay |
| Exit tax | Conditional (Art. 95 bis) | None |
| Social security | RETA (from €607/mo at €120k) | Optional private cover (local plans from €60–120/mo) |
| VAT / consumption tax | 21% IVA | 7% VAT |
| Income tax filing cadence | Quarterly + annual IRPF | Annual PIT (PND 90/91) |
| Time zone | GMT+1 / GMT+2 | GMT+7 (5–6 hours ahead of Madrid) |
| Operating language | Spanish | Thai (legal); English (business) |
| 1-bed apartment, capital centre | €1,200–1,800 | €650 |
| Eating out daily, monthly | €600+ | €300 |
Key figures
Quick facts
Citable numbers. Calibrated against the CERØ tax calculator and 2026 brackets.
- 01
Effective tax burden on €120k freelance income, Spain (IRPF + RETA): approximately 39% (CERØ Tax Calculator, 2026 brackets).
- 02
Effective tax burden on the same income, Thailand DTV resident bringing in THB 95,000 a month to live in Bangkok: approximately 3% Thai PIT.
- 03
Spanish RETA above €6,000 a month of net income (2026): €607.35 a month on the minimum base of €1,928.10, up to €1,606.88 on the maximum of €5,101.20.
- 04
Thailand DTV visa: five years, multiple entry, stays of up to 180 days per entry, each extendable once by up to 180 days.
- 05
Thai tax-residency certificate: issued by the Revenue Department for a calendar year with 180 days or more in Thailand, once that year's PND 90 or 91 return is filed.
02 · What the exit looks like
What the exit looks like.
The boxes that actually close your home tax file.
The Spanish exit is a paperwork sequence rather than a single form. File Modelo 036 within a month of stopping to deregister your autónomo activity, notify the Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social to deregister from RETA, close the last quarter cleanly (IVA and IRPF retentions), and report your new address: on that Modelo 036, or on Modelo 030 within three months of moving. Neither form decides residency; Spain's own tests do, and they cover the whole calendar year. Spain has an exit tax (Article 95 bis IRPF), but it only triggers if your shares are worth over €4M in total, or you hold more than 25% of a company and that stake is worth over €1M, after at least 10 of the last 15 years as a resident. Most CERØ members never trigger it.
03 · How daily life changes
How daily life changes.
Time zone, climate and cost of living vs Bangkok.
Time-zone-wise, Bangkok sits 5 hours ahead of Madrid in summer and 6 in winter. Your Spanish clients keep working with you because your afternoons cover their mornings. Bangkok's cool season runs about 21–33°C. Cost of living drops materially: a one-bed in central Bangkok runs €650 vs €1,200–1,800 in central Madrid; eating out daily costs roughly €300 a month vs €600+ in Spain.
04 · Which one fits
Which one fits.
Honest framing: most Europeans go to Thailand. Here are the cases where they don't.
Stay in Spain if…
- You want to keep European time-zone overlap with EU clients.
- You're anchored to family in Spain who can't move with you.
- You hold significant Spanish equity that would trigger Article 95 bis exit tax.
- You prefer Spanish bureaucracy you already know to learning a new system.
Move to Thailand if…
- You earn the bulk of your income from foreign clients (US, EU, online).
- Your work is location-independent and you can spend 180+ days in country.
- You want a five-year multiple-entry visa with long stays, not short visa-free entries or border runs.
- You'd use a clean tax-residency certificate to close your Spanish file.
05 · FAQ · Thailand vs Spain
Questions people ask.
Real questions, real answers.
Is leaving Spain for Thailand legal under EU rules?
Yes. Spain is a sovereign tax jurisdiction; you're free to change residency at any time provided you stop meeting Spain's residency tests and report your new address to the AEAT. The legal structure is the same one CERØ has run for over 200 founders.
How much can a Spanish autónomo earning €120k save by moving to Thailand?
About €43,400 a year, living on THB 95,000 a month in Bangkok. The figure moves with what you bring into Thailand and with your family situation; the Thailand tax calculator estimates it on your own numbers, using 2026 brackets.
Do I have to renounce Spanish citizenship?
No. Tax residency and citizenship are separate. You keep your Spanish passport, your right to return and your family ties. Public healthcare follows residence, so budget for private cover while you live in Thailand. You only change where you pay tax.
When should I file Modelo 030?
Within three months of moving, or on Modelo 036 within a month if you are still a registered autónomo. The form does not decide residency: spend more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, or keep the main base of your business or economic interests there, and you are resident for the whole year.
Will the AEAT challenge my Thai tax residency?
Only if the file looks weak — more than 183 days in Spain, your business still run from Spain, or your spouse and minor children still living there. With a Thai tax-residency certificate, a Thai lease, your new address reported and a proper exit of your operating company, the file holds up. CERØ builds for that exact audit.
Is remote work done in Thailand taxed if the client or employer pays abroad?
It can be. Section 41 of the Revenue Code taxes income from work performed in Thailand whether it is paid inside or outside the country, and the Revenue Department's 2024 guide for foreigners gives work performed in Thailand as its example. The DTV carries no tax exemption, and no published Revenue Department ruling deals with remote work for foreign employers or clients. The figures on this page count only the foreign income you bring in, so treat them as the lower bound and confirm your position with a Thai tax adviser.
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