The number is the first thing anyone checks and the thing most guides get wrong, because thresholds move and stale figures circulate for years.

What each country requires in 2026

Country Monthly Annual Family additions
Mauritius $1,500 $18,000 +$500 per child under 24
Italy €2,333 €28,000 Not published as a multiplier
Costa Rica $3,000 $36,000 $4,000/mo with dependents
Spain €2,849 €34,188 +€1,068 first, +€356 each after
Portugal €3,680 €44,160 Varies by household
Estonia ~€4,500 gross ~€54,000 —
Thailand No income test — 500,000 THB savings instead

Compare on duration and tax too →

The numbers are indexed, so they move

This is the single most useful thing to understand about nomad visa income requirements: most are not fixed figures. They are formulas pegged to a national wage benchmark.

Country Mechanism Effect
Spain 200% of the salario mínimo interprofesional Rises when the SMI does, typically each January
Portugal 4× the national minimum wage Same
Italy Fixed €28,000 Stable until legislated otherwise

Two consequences worth planning around:

Guides go stale silently. A site that published "€2,400 for Spain" in 2024 was correct then. It is wrong now, and nothing about the page announces that. Check the date on anything quoting a threshold — that is why every page here carries one.

Applying at the line is risky. If you qualify at exactly €2,849 in November and your renewal falls after a January increase, you may no longer qualify at renewal on identical income. Build a margin.

Gross or net — it matters more than you'd think

Countries are inconsistent about which they mean, and the difference can be 30–40% of your income.

Estonia is the clearest example of the problem: figures in circulation include €4,500 gross and €3,504 net. Those could be the same underlying requirement expressed two ways, or a changed threshold, or an error propagating between sites. We could not resolve it from secondary sources, and we say so on the Estonia page rather than picking one.

If you are anywhere near a threshold, confirm gross-versus-net with the issuing authority directly. It is a five-minute question that decides the application.

What actually counts as income

Meeting the number is not enough — it has to be the right kind of income.

Passive income usually doesn't count. Italy is explicit: only earnings from work you will actually perform while in Italy qualify. Dividends, capital gains, rental income and Social Security are excluded. Someone living on €40,000 of investment income plus €15,000 of consulting meets the threshold on paper and fails on assessment — only the €15,000 counts.

This catches semi-retired applicants hardest, and it is rarely stated prominently.

Source restrictions apply. Spain caps Spanish-source income at 20% of your total. A freelancer comfortably above €2,849 with one Spanish client at 25% of revenue is disqualified regardless.

History requirements apply. Spain wants a three-month relationship with your employer or client and a company trading for at least a year. Costa Rica wants twelve months of bank statements — not a current snapshot, a full year at or above the line. Estonia wants six months.

How long a history you need

Country Evidence period
Costa Rica 12 months of statements
Estonia 6 months
Italy 6 months of employment or contracts
Spain 3 months with employer/client; company trading 1 year
Thailand 3 months of maintained savings balance

Costa Rica's twelve-month requirement is the strictest and the most commonly underestimated. If your income only recently crossed $3,000, you cannot apply yet — and averaging doesn't help if individual months fall short.

If you're below the threshold

Savings instead of income: Thailand's DTV tests a 500,000 THB balance held three months rather than monthly earnings. The only major visa structured this way.

Lower the bar: Mauritius at $1,500 is the lowest of any active programme, with no application fee.

Cheapest European route: Italy at €2,333 — though the lease-before-approval requirement is a harder obstacle than the income for many applicants.

What does not work is inflating figures. Bank statements are checked against contracts, and a mismatch is a refusal that follows you into future applications.

What the process is actually like

[Author section — first-hand or sourced.]

Frequently asked questions

Which digital nomad visa has the lowest income requirement? Mauritius, at $1,500 per month with no application fee. Italy is the lowest in Europe at €2,333 per month.

Why do income requirements change? Most are indexed to a national minimum wage. Spain's is 200% of the SMI and Portugal's is four times the minimum wage, so both rise when that does — usually in January.

Is the requirement gross or net? It varies and countries are inconsistent about saying which. Estonia's published figures conflict between €4,500 gross and €3,504 net. Confirm directly with the issuing authority.

Does passive income count? Usually not. Italy explicitly excludes dividends, capital gains, rental income and Social Security. Only earnings from work performed remotely count.

How many months of income history do I need? Costa Rica requires 12 months of statements, Estonia and Italy 6, Spain 3 months with your employer plus a company trading at least a year.

What if my income is irregular? Thailand's DTV tests savings rather than monthly income — 500,000 THB held for at least three months.

Do family members raise the threshold? Yes. Spain adds €1,068 for the first family member and €356 for each additional. Costa Rica moves from $3,000 to $4,000 with dependents. Mauritius adds $500 per child under 24.

Official sources

Verified 29 July 2026. Indexed thresholds change annually — confirm the current figure with the issuing authority before applying.