# Madrid — relocation profile

Madrid, Spain · Full democracy · livability 72/100

## At a glance

- **Country:** Spain
- **Region:** Europe
- **Estimated monthly cost of living (solo, renting in the centre):** $3,339/month
- **Livability score:** 72 / 100 (rank 48 of 132 Townleap cities)
- **Settler safety score:** 87 / 100 (rank 23 of 132)
- **Cost vs New York City:** 60% cheaper
- **Also appears in:** Remote Workers, Lowest Crime, Budget Maximizers, European Dream, Startup Cities, Dry Heat, Rising Stars, Mountain Towns, Remote Work Visa Cities, Fresh Start Cities, Hidden Gems, Family-Friendly Cities, English-Friendly Cities, Retire Abroad, Warm & Affordable Europe, Young Professionals, Free Societies, Strong Democracy, Tech Settler, Queer Settlers, Leaving the UK, Freelance-Friendly

## Cost of living

| Item | USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Rent — 1-bed, city centre | $1,498 |
| Rent — 1-bed, outside centre | $1,182 |
| Rent — 3-bed, city centre | $2,856 |
| Average net salary (after tax) | $2,620 |
| **Total monthly cost (solo, rent included)** | **$3,339** |

One-off cost to land (deposit, agency fee, furnishing, first admin): $7,588.

Reference point: 12% cheaper than Barcelona.

## Settling

- **Democracy index (EIU, 0–10):** 8.1
- **Regime type:** Full democracy
- **Homicide rate:** 0.6 per 100,000/year
- **Time to permanent residency:** 5 years
- **Time to citizenship:** 10 years
- **English proficiency:** Moderate (EF EPI 540)
- **Main languages:** Spanish

## Day to day

- **Summer (low–high):** 16–31°C
- **Winter (low–high):** 1–11°C
- **Internet speed:** 94.25 Mbps
- **Healthcare index (0–100):** 85.9
- **Natural features:** mountains_nearby

## Economy

- **GDP per capita:** $57,965 (2024, country-level)
- **Inflation:** 2.8% (2024)
- **Unemployment:** 10.4% (2025)
- **Population:** 3,506,730

## Similar cities

| City | Country | Rent (1-bed, centre) | Monthly cost | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bologna | Italy | $1,130 | $3,115 | /cities/bologna |
| Salzburg | Austria | $1,537 | $3,773 | /cities/salzburg |
| Vienna | Austria | $1,303 | $3,410 | /cities/vienna |
| Lugano | Switzerland | $1,813 | $4,788 | /cities/lugano |
| Munich | Germany | $1,678 | $3,977 | /cities/munich |

## Related pages

- Cost of living breakdown: /cost-of-living/madrid
- Compare with another city: /cities/compare
- Visa and residency paths: /cities/madrid/visa

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Source: [Townleap](https://www.townleap.com/cities/madrid) — permanent-relocation data for people picking a country to actually live in, not visit.

Cost figures are Numbeo-derived and in USD unless labelled otherwise. Economics are World Bank. Every number on this page is also on the HTML page at the same URL — this variant exists so you do not have to parse a React app to read a rent figure.