Alicante has not been able to take advantage of the tailwinds brought by economic recovery so as to close or, at least, significantly reduce the gap that occurs between the average wage level in the province and that of the rest of the country.
Thus, according to the latest data from the Tax Agency, the average income declared by employees in the area currently stands at 15,938 euros, which is 1,719 euros less than the regional average and up to 3,234 euros less than the national average. This is practically the same difference that existed before the crisis and also the same that occurred in 2014, when wages bottomed out following several years of falls.
The same report shows that workers in Madrid earn the most at 25,120 euros per year; followed by Barcelona, with 22,782; and Burgos, with 20.306. Of course, the comparison does not include the data from the Basque Provinces, which are reputed to have the highest earners, since they have their own statistics office.
With regard to the salary movement in Alicante, the average salary declared last year increased by a 2.1% in relation to the previous year, thus recovering the level it had in 2010. That would be good news of course, if it were not for the Cost of living in the area which has increased over the same period by more than 11%, according to the INE.
