Cost of Living: New York vs Madrid (2026)

United States vs Spain — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

New York

Madrid

$4,281/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,498/mo

$40k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$9k/yr

10 yr

PR path

5 yr

—

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

Beckham Law (Régimen Especial), Startups Law — Entrepreneur & Remote-Worker Route into Beckham (Limited)

Freelance setup

Self-employed / Sole Proprietor

No VAT exemption
15.3% social
€1000/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Autónomo

No VAT exemption
€1800/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated April 2026

TL;DRMadrid is 65% cheaper on rent ($1,498/mo vs $4,281/mo). Spain gets you to permanent residency 5 years faster (5 vs 10 years). Both are solid options for settling down — the spreadsheet won't save you from this one.

Madrid scores 72 to New York's 56 on livability — the gap is real. New York has its charms, but the numbers favor Madrid.

How the livability score breaks down

New York

Madrid

0/25

💰 Affordability

14.4/25

11.1/15

🔒 Violent Crime

14.4/15

4.9/10

🛡️ Perceived Safety

7.1/10

12.1/15

⚡ Internet

7.1/15

11.8/15

🗳️ Democracy

12.2/15

10/10

🗣️ English

6.3/10

8.7/10

☀️ Climate

6.8/10

7.1/10

📊 Stability

7.2/10

3.4/10

🚗 Road Safety

9.7/10

4.2/10

🕊️ Geopolitical Safety

7.7/10

Verdict delivered. Your move.

The winner's file

🇪🇸 Madrid

Full profile. Verify before you pack.

Due diligence

🇺🇸 New York

Every verdict deserves an appeal.

Plot twist

Barcelona vs Madrid

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

New York

Metric

Madrid

$997/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$627/mo✓

$13,582

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$7,448✓

58 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

87 / 100✓

3.9 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

0.6 / 100k✓

14.2 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

3.5 / 100k✓

49 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

71 / 100✓

82°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

88°F

30°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

34°F

✓162 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

94 Mbps

13.2 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

9.1 μg/m³✓

79 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

86 / 100✓

7.8 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

8.1 / 10

✓8.0 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

7.4 / 9

67 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

76 / 100✓

✓100/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

38/100

✓$86k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$58k

2.9% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.8% · Boringly steady✓

✓83/100 — Mostly stable

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

70/100 — Mostly stable

80/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

90/100✓

A median Software Engineer in New York takes home $10,945/mo under Standard employee. In Madrid: $4,068/mo under Standard employee.

$6,877/mo more in New York

🎯 Madrid's Beckham Law (Régimen Especial) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $4,280/mo instead.

Each city pays its own median — Software Engineer gross via Levels.fyi / Eurostat. Moving changes your salary too; that's the point.

$191k

💰

Gross income

$73k

−$45k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$20k

−$14k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$4k

✓$131k/yr

$11k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$49k/yr

$4k/mo

−$91k

🏠

Cost of living

−$40k

✓$40k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

$9k/yr

Swap the local medians for your actual number

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · Gallup · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated April 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Madrid

$2,783/mo cheaper on rent alone

🔒

Safety

Madrid

0.6 homicides per 100k

☀️

Weather

—

82°F vs 88°F summers

📋

Residency

Madrid

PR in 5 years

Sun

How much sky you actually get

54% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

62% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

9.3h

Shortest day

Dec

9.3h

15.1h

Longest day

Jun

15.1h

Sun clocks out before 5pm in both cities come December. Plan accordingly.

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

stable →

Democracy trend

stable →

improving ↑

Inflation trend

improving ↑

financemediatechfashion

Industries

financeconsultingtechmedia

hub

Startup ecosystem

hub

Easy

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

EU visa

Easy

Suspended

RU visa

Complex

Moderate

UA visa

Moderate

⚠️ Partner work rights are very limited

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Not recognized

Partner pathway

Conditional (1+ yr)

pareja de hecho

—

Retiree visa

€2,400/mo

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

On request

Abortion access

On request

24 wk

Gestational limit

14 wk

Statutory 24-week-or-viability standard.

On request up to 14 weeks. 2023 reform removed mandatory waiting period.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Legal

Marriage

Legal

Joint adoption

Adoption

Joint adoption

Yes

Job protection

Yes

Hate crime law

Yes

New York vs Madrid — Common Questions

Is New York cheaper than Madrid?▾

Madrid is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1498/month there vs $4281/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, New York or Madrid?▾

Madrid is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. New York has a rate of 3.90 per 100,000 and Madrid has 0.61 per 100,000.

Should I move to New York or Madrid?▾

Madrid scores 72 to New York's 56 on livability — the gap is real. New York has its charms, but the numbers favor Madrid. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Is it easier to get residency in New York or Madrid?▾

New York: US Employment-Based Green Card (complex process, Permanent residence). Madrid: Spain Digital Nomad Visa (moderate requirements, 1 year (renewable to 5)). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

Which has better weather, New York or Madrid?▾

Madrid is warmer in summer (88°F vs 82°F). New York has milder summers, which suits those who prefer cooler weather. Climate preference is personal — use the weather section above to compare seasons.

Can I live in New York or Madrid without speaking the local language?▾

New York is easier for street-level English (100/100) than Madrid (38/100). That's the score that matters for doctors, landlords, and bureaucracy. Office English can still run higher than street English in both cities.

What's the cost of rent in New York vs Madrid?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1498/month in Madrid, $4281/month in New York (Numbeo). That's 65% cheaper rent in Madrid.

Is healthcare better in New York or Madrid?▾

Madrid scores higher on our composite healthcare index (86/100 vs 79/100 for New York). That score combines clinical outcomes (IHME), universal coverage (WHO), and resident perception (Numbeo) — not just whether hospitals exist but whether the system actually works for settlers.