City comparison
Cost of living in Madrid vs Vienna
One person needs about €1,909 a month in Madrid and €1,856 in Vienna, rent included — Vienna is 3% 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 Vienna the way you live in Madrid on €3,000, you need
€2,917/ month net
3% less than today (-€83)
- Madrid today
- Basket €1,909 · left over €1,091 (36%)
- Vienna at the matched salary
- Basket €1,856 · left over €1,061 (36%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 216% over in Vienna (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
🇦🇹 Vienna
Huge subsidised housing stock keeps rents unusually sane for a rich capital.
Monthly budget: €1,856
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
Should you move to Madrid or Vienna?
On salary, Vienna pays more for tech roles (€4,000 versus €3,000 a month), so the money left over after costs is €2,144 in Vienna at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €1,300 in Madrid against €1,150 in Vienna. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Madrid at 80 and Vienna at 75 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.