MADRID—Americans are leaving the U.S. for Spain in record numbers in order to escape the “ongoing Trump nightmare.”
Purchases of villas by U.S. citizens rose by 57 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025. That makes fleeing Americans by far the biggest growing market among foreign buyers in Spain, official figures released on Thursday showed.
Americans bought 520 properties from the Mediterranean coast to the north of the Iberian nation, according to the Land Registrars of Spain, which records real estate purchases.
Minorities from the LGBTQ+ and American Hispanics are showing particular interest in moving to Spain, real estate agents said, as they feel discriminated against in the U.S.
“The U.S. demand for property in Spain has been on the rise since 2020 but the phenomenal growth in the first quarter of this year likely has something to do with the election of Donald Trump, prompting more Americans to vote with their feet,” said Mark Stucklin, who runs the independent Spanish Property Insight website.
Stucklin also said the strength of the dollar may have played a role in the exodus of Americans. “The strength of the dollar has played a role—though since ‘Liberation Day’ it has taken a tumble, so it remains to be seen whether U.S. demand can maintain this momentum into the second quarter.”
Graham Hunt, who runs Valencia Property, a real estate agency based in the southeastern Spanish city, said Americans were his number one customer because they wanted to escape the “ongoing Trump nightmare.”
“Last year, Americans were our number one nationality with 34 percent of our sales. If the numbers continue to rise at the same rate as in the first four months of this year, they would be up 100 percent on last year. This is because we had an early year spike before the ending of the Golden Visa on April 3 and after that Americans continue to arrive to escape the ongoing Trump nightmare,” Hunt said.
Spain’s Socialist government scrapped the Golden Visa scheme last month, claiming that it was responsible for inflating property prices as the country grappled with a housing crisis, which has sparked protests across the country.
Under the scheme, foreign nationals who bought homes for more than €500,000 ($560,000) were granted one-year residence visas, which could be extended.
Hunt added: “We have had special interest from minority groups like LGBTQ+ and American Hispanics and anyone with a conscience. All of them put as number one reason anything from Trump to DOGE (and) all the way to full on fascism and isolationism.”
The lower cost of living in Spain compared to the U.S. and gun violence in America have also been cited as reasons for quitting life in America and heading for Spain.
Analysts say Americans also appear to be the ones with the deepest pockets, spending the most on property in Spain.
Unlike Europeans who have long sought refuge from harsh climates by buying villas on the Mediterranean coast, U.S. investors have bought villas in central and northern areas of Spain, according to Land Registry data from last year.
To move to Spain, Americans must apply for a digital nomad, a non-lucrative or an entrepreneur’s visa. The digital nomad visa is often for younger people building their careers while the non-lucrative one is for U.S. citizens who want to retire.
Gary Mason, who worked in tech in Seattle, Washington state, is in the process of applying for a ‘non-lucrative’ or retirement visa with his wife Lauren.
The couple have bought a property in Valencia in southeastern Spain. Mason and his wife Lauren, who are both 53, are selling their house and waiting for their non lucrative visas.
“We have been to Spain many times. The draw for us is the relaxed environment. Valencia is a very walkable city. It just seemed the kind of environment that we wanted to live in whereas the U.S. is the kind of environment where everyone is out for themselves, sort of aggressive, always trying to achieve something,” Mason told The Daily Beast.
“We wanted to spend our retirement not being so stressed out and worried all the time.”
He said Trump’s populist policies played a part in the decision to leave for good.
“I think Trump is the antithesis of what we would want for the rest of our lives. He does not seem to be concerned about other people and the rest of their lives.
“The people he has appointed do not have any experience. He does not seem to care about people at all. We both work in tech and corporate America… but if you are going to dismantle the Department of Education, then expect the country to be great—I don’t know how those things are going to work.
“It is one man who is bringing down multiple economies. For me, as an American, it is embarrassing. I just don’t think he has a plan.”
In his new home, Mason is planning on enjoying walking and a healthier lifestyle.
“Spain is the only country we have ever been to where we have lost weight,” he joked.
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