City comparison
Cost of living in Berlin vs Madrid
One person needs about €2,258 a month in Berlin and €1,909 in Madrid, rent included — Madrid is 15% cheaper overall.
Salary you'd need to keep the same lifestyle
Enter your current net monthly pay. We scale it by the full cost basket — rent, groceries, transport, utilities, eating out and internet.
To live in Madrid the way you live in Berlin on €3,000, you need
€2,536/ month net
15% less than today (-€464)
- Berlin today
- Basket €2,258 · left over €742 (25%)
- Madrid at the matched salary
- Basket €1,909 · left over €627 (25%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 157% over in Madrid (adequate) vs 204% in Berlin. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇩🇪 Berlin
Highest tech salaries on this list, offset by heating bills and a brutal rental market.
Monthly budget: €2,258
Sources: Destatis + Eurostat, HICP & Mietspiegel (2025) · 377 community reports
🇪🇸 Madrid
Spain's highest local salaries and endless nightlife, with rents climbing fast in the centre.
Monthly budget: €1,909
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
Should you move to Berlin or Madrid?
On salary, Berlin pays more for tech roles (€4,600 versus €3,000 a month), so the money left over after costs is €2,342 in Berlin at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €1,500 in Berlin against €1,300 in Madrid. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Berlin at 76 and Madrid at 80 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.