Spain vs Lithuania
Compare PPP-adjusted average wages, long-term wage trends and consumer price levels using consistent OECD data.
Wage data: 2025 · Price data: 2024
Comparison Overview
Average wage (2025)
$57,779
- 1-year change
- +1.2%
- 5-year change
- +4.3%
Overall price level (2024)
59.4 (United States = 100)
Lithuania's latest PPP-adjusted average wage is approximately 0.6% higher than Spain's.
Average wage (2025)
$58,112
- 1-year change
- +5.9%
- 5-year change
- +15.9%
Overall price level (2024)
51.3 (United States = 100)
Lithuania has the higher latest average wage of the two, by 0.6% on a PPP-adjusted basis. Over five years Lithuania shows the stronger change (+15.9% against +4.3%). Overall consumer prices are higher in Spain, at 59.4 against 51.3 on the United States = 100 scale — a gap of +8.1 index points. Both wage figures are for 2025 and the price levels for 2024, so the two economies are read at the same point in each series.
Wage History
See how PPP-adjusted average annual wages have changed in both economies.
PPP-adjusted annual wage (USD)
USD PPP, constant 2025 prices
Wage Key Facts
| Metric | Spain | Lithuania |
|---|---|---|
| Latest wage | $57,779 | $58,112 |
| Latest year | 2025 | 2025 |
| 1-year change | +1.2% | +5.9% |
| 5-year change | +4.3% | +15.9% |
| 10-year change | +2.6% | +55.3% |
| Historical peak | $58,456 | $58,112 |
| Peak year | 2009 | 2025 |
| Change from peak | −1.2% | 0.0% |
How the Wage Trends Compare
Current Position
Spain and Lithuania sit close together. Spain reports $57,779 for 2025 and Lithuania $58,112 for 2025 — a difference of 0.6%, small enough that the two read as comparable rather than ranked.
Both figures are for 2025, so this is a like-for-like comparison of the same year rather than of two different latest points.
Both use the same basis: PPP-adjusted US dollars at constant prices. That conversion strips out the price level differences between the two economies, which is what makes the two figures comparable at all — neither is a local-currency salary, and neither is what an employer in that country would write on a contract.
Recent Momentum
Lithuania had the stronger latest year (+5.9% against +1.2%).
Both moved up in the latest year, which leaves the ordering between them unchanged.
Widening the window to five years, the stronger of the two is Lithuania: +15.9% against +4.3%.
For both economies the latest year points the same way as the five-year change, so the recent movement reads as continuation rather than a turn.
Long-Term Direction
Across ten years both series are up — +2.6% for Spain and +55.3% for Lithuania. Over this horizon the two share a direction, and the difference between them is one of pace.
Lithuania is at its historical peak in the latest year, while Spain sits 1.2% from its high of 2009. One has recovered its previous ground and the other has not.
Consumer Price Level Comparison
Compare eight consumer price categories with the United States benchmark of 100.
United States = 100
Missing values are shown as -
All differences are shown in index points. United States = 100.
| Category | Spain | Lithuania | Difference (ESP − LTU) | ESP vs U.S. | LTU vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 59.4 | 51.3 | +8.1 | −40.6 | −48.7 |
| Food | 82 | 87.2 | −5.2 | −18.0 | −12.8 |
| Clothing | 80.6 | 94.9 | −14.3 | −19.4 | −5.1 |
| Housing | 54.5 | 33.3 | +21.2 | −45.5 | −66.7 |
| Health | 42.7 | 30.7 | +12.0 | −57.3 | −69.3 |
| Transport | 92.1 | 84.4 | +7.7 | −7.9 | −15.6 |
| Recreation | 73.6 | 61.8 | +11.8 | −26.4 | −38.2 |
| Restaurants & Accommodation | 69.2 | 70.2 | −1.0 | −30.8 | −29.8 |
Overall
Spain59.4Lithuania51.3Difference+8.1ESP vs U.S.−40.6LTU vs U.S.−48.7Food
Spain82Lithuania87.2Difference−5.2ESP vs U.S.−18.0LTU vs U.S.−12.8Clothing
Spain80.6Lithuania94.9Difference−14.3ESP vs U.S.−19.4LTU vs U.S.−5.1Housing
Spain54.5Lithuania33.3Difference+21.2ESP vs U.S.−45.5LTU vs U.S.−66.7Health
Spain42.7Lithuania30.7Difference+12.0ESP vs U.S.−57.3LTU vs U.S.−69.3Transport
Spain92.1Lithuania84.4Difference+7.7ESP vs U.S.−7.9LTU vs U.S.−15.6Recreation
Spain73.6Lithuania61.8Difference+11.8ESP vs U.S.−26.4LTU vs U.S.−38.2Restaurants & Accommodation
Spain69.2Lithuania70.2Difference−1.0ESP vs U.S.−30.8LTU vs U.S.−29.8
Spain and Lithuania in Detail
Current Wage Position
Spain reports a PPP-adjusted average annual wage of $57,779 for 2025, and Lithuania $58,112 for 2025. That puts Lithuania ahead by 0.6%.
Both figures are PPP-adjusted: converted using purchasing power parities rather than market exchange rates, and expressed in constant prices so different years stay comparable.
This matters for reading the gap. A market-rate conversion would move with currency markets and would not reflect what the money buys in each economy. These figures are built to compare purchasing power, not to tell you what a currency transfer would be worth.
Recent Wage Momentum
In the latest reported year Spain changed by +1.2% and Lithuania by +5.9%. A single year is a narrow window, so it is worth reading alongside the five-year figure rather than on its own.
Over five years, Lithuania records the larger change at +15.9%, against +4.3% for Spain. That is the difference in how far each series has travelled over the medium term, in real PPP-adjusted terms.
Short-term and five-year movement point the same way for both economies, so neither is currently being pulled against its own medium-term direction.
Long-Term Wage Direction
Across ten years the changes are +2.6% for Spain and +55.3% for Lithuania. This is the longest horizon the data covers, and it is the one least affected by any single year's movement.
Spain reached its highest recorded value of $58,456 in 2009, and the latest figure sits 1.2% from that high.
Lithuania peaked at $58,112 in 2025, leaving its latest value 0.0% away from that point.
Both long-term series move the same way, so the difference between these two economies is one of degree over ten years rather than of direction.
Consumer Price Profile
Against the United States benchmark of 100, overall consumption sits at 59.4 in Spain and 51.3 in Lithuania — +8.1 index points apart.
The categories that separate them most are Housing (+21.2) and Clothing (−14.3).
Restaurants & Accommodation is where they are nearest, at 69.2 and 70.2.
Across the categories with data, Spain is the more expensive of the two more often than not.
How to Interpret the Comparison
These are average wages, not median wages, and not take-home pay. An average is pulled by the whole distribution, so it does not describe a typical individual, occupation, city or employer in either economy.
The wage figures are already PPP-adjusted and in constant prices. They are not local-currency salaries and not amounts convertible at a market exchange rate.
The price levels are relative indices against United States = 100. They describe how price levels compare, not what a household actually spends.
Wages and price levels should not be combined into a verdict on which country is better. This page is for understanding how the two wage trends and price structures differ — nothing further follows from it.
Explore More Comparisons
Compare Spain with
Wage data
OECD Average Annual Wages
Price data
OECD Comparative Price Levels
Latest data check
May 15, 2025