✦ Compare
Barcelona vs
Madrid
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Barcelona, ES vs Madrid, ES at a glance — Madrid, ES is 2% cheaper than Barcelona, ES overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,300/mo versus $1,350/mo. The top national income-tax rate is 47%.
To keep the same standard of living in Madrid, ES, you'd need
$73,501 / year
Madrid, ES is 2% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Madrid, ES vs Barcelona, ES)
- Housing-4%
- Food & groceries0%
- Transport0%
- Utilities0%
- Healthcare0%
- Goods & services-2%
◎ How Barcelona, ES and Madrid, ES compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Barcelona, ES | Madrid, ES | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 105 | 103 |
| Housing | 125 | 120 |
| Food | 100 | 100 |
| Transport | 80 | 80 |
| Utilities | 110 | 110 |
| Healthcare | 80 | 80 |
| Goods & services | 102 | 100 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,350/mo | $1,300/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,000/mo | $950/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,700/mo | $2,600/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $5,500 | $6,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $951 | $971 |
| Inexpensive meal | $15 | $14 |
| Monthly transit pass | $60 | $60 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 47% | 47% |
| VAT / sales tax | 21% | 21% |
| Social security (employee) | 6.4% | 6.4% |
| Corporate tax | 25% | 25% |
| Capital gains | 28% | 28% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $1,900/mo | $1,900/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,652/mo✓ | $1,652/mo✓ |
| GDP per capita | $38,627✓ | $38,627✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.7%✓ | 2.7%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Moderate | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 80 | 70 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 73 | 74 |
| Safety index | 55 | 62 |
| Healthcare index | 80 | 80 |
| Pollution index | 50 | 45 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 200 Mbps |
| Walkability | 90 | 88 |
| Public transport | 88 | 90 |
| Family-friendly | 66 | 68 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr✓ | 84 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +10 °C | +6 °C |
| July avg | +25 °C | +25 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 250 | 250 |
| Rainfall / year | 640 mm | 420 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Spain vs Spain. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (Eurostat 2026, World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Barcelona vs Madrid — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Barcelona
Beach, Gaudí and a huge digital-nomad scene — the trade-off is tourism pressure on housing.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 55/100
- Climate
- ❄ 10°C · ☀ 25°C · 250 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Gràcia · El Born · Poblenou
Good to know before you move to Madrid
Spain's sunny, sociable capital — great transit and food, affordable by Western-European standards.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 62/100
- Climate
- ❄ 6°C · ☀ 25°C · 250 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Malasaña · Chamberí · La Latina
Plan your move to Barcelona
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferWelcome Pickups
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
Plan your move to Madrid
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferWelcome Pickups
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Barcelona to Madrid: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Barcelona to Madrid, your cost of living will be roughly 2% cheaper. Madrid’s cost-of-living index is 103 versus 105 for Barcelona (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Barcelona cheaper than Madrid?
Madrid is about 2% cheaper than Barcelona overall — its cost-of-living index is 103 versus 105 for Barcelona.
Which is more expensive, Barcelona or Madrid?
Barcelona is more expensive than Madrid. Its cost-of-living index is 105 vs 103 (US = 100) — about 2% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Barcelona or Madrid?
Rent is cheaper in Madrid — about $1,300/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,350 in Barcelona.
How much do you need to earn in Madrid to live like in Barcelona?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Barcelona is worth about $73,501 in Madrid. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Barcelona or Madrid?
Both cities are in the same country, so national income tax (47%) and VAT are identical; only local cost of living differs.
◷ More comparisons from Barcelona
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.