American citizens rush to line up in Madrid while the most voguish capital in Europe becomes a paradise for the “refugees of the Trump regime” seeking to escape the American president.
An influx was already fueled by a fracture of wealth in spy and a distance work from the Pandemic COVID-19, but it was supercharged by Americans wanting a life far from the turbulence of Donald Trump’s second term.
“The level of interest was incredible,” said Federico González, founder of GS Legal Consulting, who made a company to advise Americans on the move to Spain. “I can barely follow.”
The wave of arrivals is the last sign that Madrid, long undervalued abroad, appreciates what its leaders call “a moment” – because foreigners are attracted by its art, its beautiful food, its conviviality and its piercing sun .
The cost of living is also a fraction of other major cities, including London and Paris. Americans with American wages or savings are AGOG to find 55 cents croissants at the Mercadona supermarket and good wine glasses for only € 3.
For González, US customer investigations began to increase in 2023. When Trump won the republican presidential appointment last March, the increase turned into a wave. “People were very worried. And now many of them are here in Spain. They started to arrive, “he said.
In mid-2024, the number of Americans living in the Madrid region had already reached almost 10,000-an increase of 35% compared to mid-2018 despite a pandemic drop, according to data from the Ministry of Migration. Since then, requests for residences have continued to accumulate, in particular for so -called “digital nomadic” visas.
Facebook forums that include “refugees from the Trump diet” are buzzing with relocation advice. The American School of Madrid reports a heavy interest from California, Colorado and Florida. And in a crazy city of Padel, the Americans come together to play pickleball, a racket sport unknown to most Spaniards.
Sunny Lee, Korean-American, moved to Madrid of Atlanta with her husband and two children in 2023, a relocation that took a new meaning after Trump’s electoral victory. “It was just a whim, and on the basis of the current political climate, it was a very good whim,” she said. “At this point, I have no desire to return to the United States. What is happening there gives me so much anxiety, especially as a family of colors. Especially as a woman.
Selena Templeton, American Canadian writer and editor, arrived from Los Angeles last summer and became a model for friends in distress at home. “They say: Trump was elected. It is a shitty show in this country. I want to leave. How did you do it?
Knowledge of Spain, however, remains unequal. Trump himself suggested last month that he was a member of the Brics group of emerging savings.
Jeremy Scheck, 24, author of cooking books who moved to Madrid from New York last year, said: “Apart from this well -transported coastal bubble, there are still a lot of Mexican culture tropes that are projected in Spanish culture. I still have questions like: Spanish food is spicy?
For many years, if Spain has been the subject of a city, it was Barcelona. But the anti-tourism demonstrations there last year eliminated him many lists of buckets. For those who are looking forward to learning or polishing their Spaniard, the prevalence of Catalan in the regional capital of Catalonia also counts against it.
The new magnet is Madrid, whose metropolitan region is home to nearly 7 million. Last year, thanks to more flight and marketing connections by the regional government, more than 1 million American visitors came to the city – twice the number of British arrivals.
The new residents say that Madrid combines the buzz of a big city with a feeling of compensation. They savor his walk, his architecture and the absence of active shooting exercises in the schools of their children. They love the Spanish to be warm and talkative, but not, as we said, “in your business”.
There is even a Hollywood contingent: Richard Gere and Amber Heard both made the city their house.
For potential immigrants, a new path has opened with the Nomad Digital Visa, which provides a residence to the EU citizens who work at home for a non -Spanish entity. They also need an annual income of at least € 33,000.
In 2023, the first year of the visa, Spain published more than 9,500 to people from a range of countries. Many were for software engineers on the west coast, but they also went to the US government entrepreneurs, accountants and people like Scheck, who is also food influencer on social networks.
By reflecting on the events at home, he said: “It certainly looks like a relief to be a little further from daily ups and downs.”
Kai Bryant, head of BluePrint Spain, a moving agency, said he made requests for information from the Americans towards the end of their professional life who were worried about Medicare and their pensions. “They say: I don’t feel comfortable retiring in the United States. What are my options? He said. “Some are a bit wrong and ask them if they can ask for asylum. But it just shows despair.
The Golden Visa Program of Spain, which is available for anyone who invests € 500,000 in property, has been popular with Americans approaching retirement, said Alena Lesina, US manager of Astons, Advisor in immigration. But in April, he near the new candidates.
American arrivals do not have the wealth of the Latin American elite moving to Madrid. But there is daily wealth in certain parts of the United States which becomes breathtaking when it is transposed in Spain.
The average annual salary in the Madrid region is around € 32,000. González, the lawyer, said that his customers generally earned between $ 120,000 and $ 200,000. The sellers of the assets bought 10 or 20 years ago, whether Californians or Amazon or Nvidia shares come with millions of people in the bank.
But each new country brings its challenges. Americans are marveling late meals from Madrid and strict opinions on what should be consumed when. “I love the vermouth here, but if I order it when it is not only before dinner, I receive these looks,” said Templeton.
Some also lack the comfort and modernity of the house. “When we came here, I felt like I came from the future,” said Lee. “In the future, we have stamps to unlock our door, instead of these keys that look like a castle.”
Visualization of data by Keith Fray
