Title: Hola HN!<p>I&#x27;m a software developer considering moving to Spain for non-career-related reasons. That said, the job opportunities there are a huge factor in whether I&#x27;ll actually go.<p>I&#x27;ve narrowed down to Madrid and Barcelona as the two best options, at least regarding jobs. So I&#x27;m asking for the opinions and advice of HNers who have lived &amp; worked in both those cities:<p>What shape is the tech sector in? 
What types of work are available? 
What do salaries look like, vs London&#x2F;Berlin&#x2F;Paris levels? 
How limiting is it to not be fluent enough in Spanish for use at work, beyond chit-chat?
Is contracting&#x2F;freelancing possible, without Spanish fluency?
Is there is an obvious leader between the two cities, tech-scene wise? 
Are there any unintuitive factors to consider?<p>---<p>A bit of personal context, if it helps the advice to be a bit more concrete:<p>* I&#x27;d be going for senior developer roles. Most likely at small-mid size companies. Larger ones possibly, for the right job.<p>* My past jobs have been in the capital cities of Europe&#x27;s strongest economies. I&#x27;m aware that moving to Madrid or Barcelona will likely involve a pay cut in absolute terms. But this is a trade off I&#x27;m more than happy to make.<p>* I&#x27;m currently functional in Spanish but I have a long way to go until fluency. That&#x27;s one of my goals in moving to Spain. So I&#x27;m not put off by the language barrier for day to day life. It would be more of a near term concern if non fluency is severely career limiting, for example if it becomes a problem once you are anywhere above entry level positions, as is the case in some countries.
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