Should I Get a Spanish Driver's License?

I have been merrily driving in Spain and the US for years now. US license, no problemo, I even got the AAA International Driving Permit even though it's not necessary.

But...if we move to Spain, here's the one thing I'll eventually I'll have to do--get a Spanish driver's license. I'm not much of a driver, in fact, I want to move to Spain in part because it's relatively easy to be a non-driver. However, realistically, sometimes you gotta drive places. 

Let's compare getting a driver's license in the US vs getting a driver's license in Spain:

Driving test in US

 I took the written exam at the DMV to get a permit. I think the total cost was like 20 dollars? It was actually on a touch screen kiosk, a novelty in the 90s.

Then I had to take some behind the wheel classes. Cannot remember how many hours, but something minimal, like 12 hours, only half of which were me driving.

Total cost: 150 dollars (i think).

For every state I've moved to, there are no driver refresher courses or anything--they assume if another state says you can drive, then you can. They check your documents, the flash of a photo bulb, a little *thunk* of the VOID hole punch in my old license, and then they hand me a paper license and say, "your license will be sent to you within 30 days." done. Renew online for the next 16 years.

Driving test in Spain

 Why can't you just canjear/homologar your US driver's license in Spain? Because each US state handles licenses differently, the Spanish government would have to have an agreement with each state. That's crazy, so the deal is, you have to get a Spanish license if you've lived in Spain for 2 years or more.

There are many good blogs on the topic of getting a Spanish driver's license as a non-EU citizen. Generally the gist of it is, getting a driver's license in Spain is way more expensive and complex than getting a license in the US.

I also discovered this exciting information--you can get an automatic only driver's license in Spain! No need to learn how to drive stick shift.