City comparison
Cost of living in Madrid vs Berlin
One person needs about €1,909 a month in Madrid and €2,258 in Berlin, rent included — Madrid is 18% 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 Berlin the way you live in Madrid on €3,000, you need
€3,548/ month net
18% more than today (+€548)
- Madrid today
- Basket €1,909 · left over €1,091 (36%)
- Berlin at the matched salary
- Basket €2,258 · left over €1,290 (36%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 204% over in Berlin (strong) vs 157% in Madrid. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇪🇸 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
🇩🇪 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
Should you move to Madrid or Berlin?
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: €1,300 in Madrid against €1,500 in Berlin. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Madrid at 80 and Berlin at 76 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.