City comparison
Cost of living in Madrid vs Split
One person needs about €1,909 a month in Madrid and €1,337 in Split, rent included — Split is 30% 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 Split the way you live in Madrid on €3,000, you need
€2,101/ month net
30% less than today (-€899)
- Madrid today
- Basket €1,909 · left over €1,091 (36%)
- Split at the matched salary
- Basket €1,337 · left over €764 (36%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 142% over in Split (adequate) 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
🇭🇷 Split
Seasonal pricing: winter is a bargain, July doubles short-term rent overnight.
Monthly budget: €1,337
Sources: Croatian Bureau of Statistics, HICP & tourism price survey (2025) · 121 community reports
Should you move to Madrid or Split?
On salary, Madrid pays more for tech roles (€3,000 versus €1,900 a month), so the money left over after costs is €1,091 in Madrid at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €1,300 in Madrid against €780 in Split. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Madrid at 80 and Split at 74 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.