City comparison
Cost of living in Stockholm vs Madrid
One person needs about €2,233 a month in Stockholm 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 Stockholm on €3,000, you need
€2,565/ month net
15% less than today (-€435)
- Stockholm today
- Basket €2,233 · left over €767 (26%)
- Madrid at the matched salary
- Basket €1,909 · left over €656 (26%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 157% over in Madrid (adequate) vs 210% in Stockholm. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇸🇪 Stockholm
Queue-based rental market pushes newcomers into pricey sublets.
Monthly budget: €2,233
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 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 Stockholm or Madrid?
On salary, Stockholm pays more for tech roles (€4,700 versus €3,000 a month), so the money left over after costs is €2,467 in Stockholm at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €1,500 in Stockholm against €1,300 in Madrid. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Stockholm at 72 and Madrid at 80 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.