American citizens are racing to put down roots in Madrid as Europe’s most voguish capital becomes a haven for “Trump regime refugees” seeking to escape the US president.
An influx was already being fuelled by a US-Spain wealth divide and remote working since the Covid-19 pandemic, but it has been supercharged by Americans wanting a life away from the turbulence of Donald Trump’s second term.
“The level of interest has been amazing,” said Federico González, founder of GS Legal Consulting, who has made a business out of advising Americans on moving to Spain. “I can barely keep up.”
The wave of arrivals is the latest sign that Madrid, long undervalued abroad, is enjoying what its leaders call “a moment” — as outsiders are lured by its art, fine food, conviviality and piercing sunlight.
The cost of living is also a fraction of other big cities, including London and Paris. Americans with US salaries or savings are agog to find 55 cent croissants in supermarket Mercadona and good glasses of wine for just €3.
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For González, US client inquiries started to rise in 2023. When Trump clinched the Republican presidential nomination last March, the uptick turned into a surge. “People were very concerned. And now a lot of them are here in Spain. They’ve started arriving,” he said.
By mid-2024 the number of Americans living in the Madrid region had already hit nearly 10,000 — a 35 per cent increase from mid-2018 despite a pandemic dip, according to migration ministry data. Since then the residency applications have continued piling up, especially for so-called “digital nomad” visas.
Facebook forums that include self-styled “Trump regime refugees” are buzzing with relocation tips. The American School of Madrid reports heavy interest from California, Colorado and Florida. And in a city that is mad on padel, Americans are getting together to play pickleball, a racket sport unknown to most Spaniards.
Sunny Lee, a Korean-American, moved to Madrid from Atlanta with her husband and two children in 2023, a relocation that took on new meaning after Trump’s election win. “It was just a whim, and based on the current political climate it was a very good whim,” she said. “At this point, I have zero desire to return to the United States. What’s going on over there gives me so much anxiety, particularly as a family of colour. Particularly as a woman.”
Selena Templeton, a Canadian-American writer and editor, arrived from Los Angeles last summer and has become a role model for distressed friends back home. “They say: Trump was elected. It’s a shit show in this country. I want to leave. How did you do it?”
Knowledge of Spain, however, remains patchy. Trump himself suggested last month it was a member of the Brics group of emerging economies.
Jeremy Scheck, 24, a cookbook author who moved to Madrid from New York last year, said: “Outside of that well-travelled, coastal bubble, there’s still a lot of tropes from Mexican culture that are projected on to Spanish culture. I always get questions like: is Spanish food spicy?”
For many years, if Spain brought any city to mind it was Barcelona. But anti-tourism protests there last year have knocked it off many bucket lists. For those eager to learn or polish their Spanish, the prevalence of Catalan in Catalonia’s regional capital counts against it too.
The new magnet is Madrid, whose metropolitan area is home to nearly 7mn. Last year, thanks to more flight connections and marketing by the regional government, more than 1mn American visitors came to the city — twice the number of British arrivals.
New residents say they treasure how Madrid combines the buzz of a big city with a feeling of cosiness. They relish its walkability, architecture and the absence of active shooter drills at their kids’ schools. They love Spaniards for being warm and chatty but not, as one said, “in your business”.
There is even a Hollywood contingent: Richard Gere and Amber Heard have both made the city their home.
For would-be immigrants a new path opened up with the digital nomad visa, which provides residency to non-EU citizens who work from home for a non-Spanish entity. They also need an annual income of at least €33,000.
In 2023, the visa’s first year, Spain issued more than 9,500 to people from a range of countries. Many were for west coast software engineers, but they have also gone to US government contractors, accountants and people such as Scheck, who is also a food influencer on social media.
Contemplating events back home, he said: “It definitely feels like a relief to be a little farther removed from the daily highs and lows.”
Kai Bryant, head of Blueprint Spain, a relocation agency, said he was fielding inquiries from Americans near the end of their working lives who were worried about Medicare and their pensions. “They’re saying: I don’t feel comfortable retiring in the US. What are my options?” he said. “Some are a little misguided and asking if they can apply for asylum. But it just shows the desperation.”
Spain’s golden visa programme, which is available to anyone who invests €500,000 in property, has been popular with Americans approaching retirement, said Alena Lesina, US head of Astons, an immigration adviser. But in April it will close to new applicants.
The US arrivals do not have the riches of the Latin American elite relocating to Madrid. But there is an everyday affluence in parts of the US that becomes eye-popping when transposed to Spain.
The average annual salary in the Madrid region is about €32,000. González, the lawyer, said his clients generally earn between $120,000 and $200,000. Those selling assets purchased 10 or 20 years ago, be they California mansions or Amazon or Nvidia stock, come with millions in the bank.
But every new country brings its challenges. Americans marvel at Madrid’s late meal times and the strict opinions on what should be consumed when. “I love the vermouth here, but if I order it when it’s not just prior to dinner I get these looks,” said Templeton.
Some also miss the comforts and modernity of home. “When we first came here, I felt like I came from the future,” said Lee. “In the future we have pads to unlock our door, instead of these keys that look like they are for a castle.”
Data visualisation by Keith Fray
