Author Dmitry Sheynkman Residence permit expert, tax adviser 14 September 2026 11 min read Message the author

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Moving to Tenerife in 2026: residence permits, where to live, costs and taxes

You can move to Tenerife on any basis for a Spanish residence permit: the largest of the Canary Islands is just as much Spain, and there is no separate “island” document here. Remote workers most often take the digital nomad visa, while people living on savings take the non-working residence permit. Below we cover which route to choose, how to move step by step, where to live on the island, how much rent costs, which taxes and tax breaks apply in the Canaries and what the island’s downsides are.

Moving to Tenerife: answers to the key questions

Can you move there? Yes, on any basis for a Spanish residence permit. The islands are just as much Spain as Madrid or Valencia, and the rules are the same.
Which residence permit is most common? Remote workers take the digital nomad visa: income from €2,849 a month. People living on savings and passive income take the non-working residence permit: from €2,400 a month for the applicant.
Straight to permanent residence? No. First a temporary residence permit; long-term residence comes after five years of legal residence.
Where to live? In the north-east — the capital Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the university city of La Laguna: more jobs outside tourism, government offices, hospitals. In the south — Adeje and Arona: resorts, drier weather and less rain.
How much is rent? In August 2026 in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife it was €15.4 per square metre a month, or about €1,080 for a 70 m² flat. That is slightly above the Spanish average.
What is cheaper than on the mainland? Shopping: instead of 21% IVA (Spanish VAT), the Canaries have their own IGIC tax with a general rate of 7%.

Which residence permit to get for living in Tenerife

The route is chosen by your source of income, not by the island. After arrival, applications go to the immigration office (Extranjería) of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and fingerprints for the residence card are taken by the National Police. A full breakdown of all routes is in the article Spanish residence permit: all the ways to get one.

Route	Who it suits	Income or funds	Can you work
Digital nomad visa	Remote employees and freelancers with clients outside Spain	From €2,849 a month, plus €1,069 for the first family member and €356 for each additional one	Yes, for foreign clients
Non-working residence permit	People living on savings, rental income, dividends or a pension	From €2,400 a month (€28,800 a year) plus €600 a month for each family member	No, including remotely
Employment	Those with a job offer from a Spanish employer	Salary under the contract	Yes, for that employer
Study	University and course students, including at the University of La Laguna	Funds for the period of study	Up to 30 hours a week
Settlement (arraigo)	Those who have already lived in Spain for two years	Depends on the type of arraigo	Yes

The digital nomad visa threshold is linked to the minimum wage and in 2026 it rose retroactively; details are in our news piece on the income threshold for the digital nomad visa. After five years on any of these routes you can obtain permanent residence in Spain, and after ten you can apply for citizenship.

How to move to Tenerife: step by step

Choose a route and check that you meet the income requirement for the whole family.
Decide where to apply: through the Spanish consulate in your country or, if the route allows it, from within Spain. The digital nomad visa can be obtained while already legally in Spain — in that case the residence permit is issued straight away for up to three years.
Gather documents: apostilled criminal record certificates, proof of income, health insurance, sworn translations into Spanish.
Arrive and rent a home. Short-term rental is more convenient for the first months: a long-term lease is easier to sign once you have the residence permit decision. How to look for a flat and what to check in the contract is in the article how to rent a flat in Spain.
Register with the municipality — empadronamiento (municipal registration). Registration is needed for the residence card, school, healthcare and island tax breaks.
Give fingerprints and collect your residence card (TIE) at the police station.
Sort out healthcare. Employees and autónomos (self-employed) register with the Seguridad Social (Spanish social security) and get a Canary Islands Health Service card at their local health centre. The non-working residence permit requires private insurance from a Spanish company — which policy works and what it costs.
Open a bank account, enrol the children in school, sort out taxes. Once you have lived in Spain for more than 183 days in a year you become a tax resident — taxes in Spain for individuals.

Where to live in Tenerife: north or south

The island is split in two by a mountain ridge with the Teide volcano, and the climate differs on either side. The north-east and north are greener, cooler and wetter, and this is where the capital and business life are. The south is dry and sunny, with the resorts and most of the tourists.

Climate: AEMET 1981–2010 normals for the Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Tenerife South airport stations; population: INE at 1 January 2025. Terracotta marks the main difference: the south gets 1.7 times less rainfall.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife — capital of the island and the province, 211,957 residents. Port, government institutions, hospitals, shopping centres, a tram to La Laguna. Suits those who want city life and work outside tourism.
San Cristóbal de La Laguna — 161,108 residents, a university city whose historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It sits on a plateau above the capital and is noticeably cooler and more humid.
Puerto de la Cruz and the Orotava Valley — the north coast, greenery, a calm pace of life, long-established resorts. More cloud than in the south.
Adeje and Arona — the south: Costa Adeje, Los Cristianos, Playa de las Américas. Sun and beaches, international schools, many foreigners. Rentals here are aimed primarily at tourists.
Granadilla de Abona — the south-east, Tenerife South airport and the village of El Médano, known for its wind and kitesurfing.

You can compare the island with mainland cities on rent and income in the ranking of Spanish cities and on the relocation map.

Cost of living in Tenerife

Rent. According to Idealista for August 2026, the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife stands at €15.4/m² a month, the Spanish average at €15.1/m² and the city of Valencia at €16.3/m². Across the Canaries rents rose 6.3% year on year (July 2026). A 70 m² flat at the provincial average costs about €1,080 a month; in the south by the sea it is usually more.
Shopping. IGIC is 7% against 21% IVA on the mainland, so electronics, clothing and services are often cheaper. But everything not produced on the islands comes by sea: some goods cost more, and orders from mainland online shops take longer and are not always delivered. How IVA works and where it is not charged is explained in our guide IVA tax.
Minimum budget. The residence permit requirements themselves give a benchmark: for living without working, from €2,400 a month for one person; for the digital nomad visa, from €2,849. With rent at the provincial average, this is a modest but realistic budget for one person.

Taxes and tax breaks in the Canary Islands

Income tax in the Canaries is the Spain-wide IRPF (personal income tax), but its regional part is calculated on the Canary scale: from 9 to 26% (2025 scale). The differences from the mainland lie in indirect taxes and regional deductions.

IGIC instead of IVA — general rate 7%. From 2026, under the Canary Islands budget law, petroleum products are taxed at 1%, and the reduced 3% rate on home purchases applies to buyers under 40 with income up to €46,455 buying a home worth less than €200,000.
Deduction for renting a home — 24% of the rent, up to €740 a year; up to €760 if the tenant is under 40 or aged 75 or over.
Deduction for nursery school — 18% of costs, up to €530 a year per child under three.
Deduction for moving to another island for work — €300 in the year of the move and €300 in the following year, with income up to €46,455.
ZEC for companies — 4% corporate income tax instead of the general 25% for companies registered in the Canary Islands Special Zone (ZEC). Conditions: the company is managed from the Canaries, invests and creates new jobs on the island.
75% discount on flights and ferries to mainland Spain and between the islands — for Spanish, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens registered in the Canaries. Citizens of other countries get it only with long-term resident status; an ordinary temporary residence permit does not qualify.

You can work for yourself on the island by registering as an autónomo — step-by-step guide.

Healthcare, schools and transport

Healthcare. The public system is the Canary Islands Health Service. The patient card is issued at the local health centre after registering with the Seguridad Social and obtaining a residence card. Holders of a non-working residence permit need private insurance with no co-payments and no waiting periods.
Schools. State schools are free, with teaching in Spanish. The island has British schools — Wingate School in Arona and the British School of Tenerife in the north — as well as Saint Andrew’s and a German school. We did not find a Russian-language mainstream school; what to do about your child’s Russian is covered in the article Russian schools in Spain.
Transport. Around the island there are TITSA buses, and in the capital a tram to La Laguna. Living in the south or in the mountains without a car is inconvenient.
Connections with the mainland. Two airports — Tenerife North and Tenerife South — with direct flights to Madrid, Barcelona and many European cities. The ferry from Huelva takes 36 to 50 hours, and from Cádiz it sails once a week; you can take a car and belongings on the ferry. There are no direct flights from Russia — entry rules are in the article do you need a visa for the Canary Islands.

Buying property in Tenerife

A foreigner can buy a flat or house on the island, but there are Canary-specific points. All the islands are classed as a zone where a non-EU buyer needs authorisation from the Ministry of Defence (Ley 8/1975); EU citizens are exempt. Since 13 December 2025 the tourist accommodation law Ley 6/2025 has been in force: a flat may be let to tourists only if the municipality’s urban plan allows it, and most housing must remain for permanent residence. If you are buying to let by the night, this is checked before the purchase. The buying procedure is in the article how to buy a house in Spain, and financing in mortgages in Spain.

Downsides of living in Tenerife

Far from the mainland. Madrid is reachable only by plane or by a ferry trip of more than a day.
Rents are rising and homes go to tourists. Good housing in the south by the sea takes a long time to find, and prices in the province are already above the national average.
Jobs are mainly in tourism. It is easier for remote workers and people living on their own income than for those looking for a job on the island.
Calima. Several times a year a dusty wind blows in from the Sahara, the air turns hazy and people with asthma struggle.
Logistics. Deliveries from the mainland take longer, some online shops do not ship to the Canaries, and parcels may go through customs.
No flight discount for non-EU citizens until they have long-term resident status.

Tenerife or another island

The residence permit is the same on every island, so the choice comes down to lifestyle.

Tenerife — the largest and most populated island, the provincial capital, two airports, a sizeable Russian-speaking community. The choice for families and for those who need infrastructure.
Gran Canaria — Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the largest city in the archipelago and capital of the second province; popular with remote workers.
Lanzarote and Fuerteventura — quieter and drier, beaches and wind, jobs mainly in tourism.
La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro — greenery, mountains and peace and quiet, but fewer jobs, schools and flights.

All eight inhabited islands and what sets each apart are covered in the guide Canary Islands.

If you are choosing between the Canaries and the Mediterranean, compare with Majorca: it has hot summers and cool winters, IVA instead of IGIC, and Catalan at school. Where Russian speakers live on the islands is covered in the article Russians in Spain.

Frequently asked questions about moving to Tenerife

Can I move to live in Tenerife?

Yes. Tenerife is part of Spain, and people move here on the usual residence permit routes: the digital nomad visa, the non-working residence permit, work, study or family. There is no separate island residence permit.

Which residence permit is best for living in Tenerife?

For remote workers, the digital nomad visa with income from €2,849 a month. For those living on savings or passive income, the non-working residence permit: from €2,400 a month for the applicant and €600 for each family member.

How much money do you need to live in Tenerife?

The lower limit is set by the residence permit requirements: from €2,400 a month for living without working and from €2,849 for the digital nomad visa. Rent in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in August 2026 averaged €15.4 per square metre, or about €1,080 a month for a 70 m² flat.

Where is it better to live in Tenerife: north or south?

The north-east, in Santa Cruz and La Laguna, offers city life, government offices, the university and jobs not only in tourism, but more cloud and rain. The south, in Adeje and Arona, offers resorts, sunshine and almost half the rainfall, but rentals are aimed at tourists.

Can I get permanent residence in Tenerife straight away?

No. You first obtain a temporary residence permit, and long-term residence can be obtained after five years of legal residence in Spain.

What taxes apply in the Canary Islands?

Income tax is the Spain-wide IRPF with a Canary regional scale from 9 to 26%. Instead of 21% IVA, IGIC applies with a general rate of 7%. There are regional deductions for renting a home, nursery school and moving to another island, and companies in the Canary Islands Special Zone pay 4% corporate income tax.

Are foreigners entitled to the 75% discount on flights from the Canaries?

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens registered in the Canaries — yes. Citizens of other countries — only with long-term resident status; an ordinary temporary residence permit does not qualify for the discount.

How we can help you move to Tenerife

We choose the residence permit route to fit your income and family, prepare and submit the documents, and support you through to the residence card and autónomo registration. The most common options for the islands are the turnkey digital nomad residence permit and the non-working residence permit.

We can also help you find a home in Tenerife, to rent or to buy: we work with vetted estate agencies and mortgage brokers and check the contract and documents before you sign. See property search in Spain.