Where you live

Madrid

Spain

8.36of 10

⇄

Comparing with

Barcelona

Spain

8.23of 10

+ 3rd place

atlas.rikezas.com.br/en/comparar/madri-x-barcelonaCopy link· Change weights

Result

Madrid wins 2 of 5

The biggest gap is in financial environment.

FinancialMadrid+0.37.2 × 6.8

Safety—+0.08.8 × 8.8

Currency—+0.08.8 × 8.8

QualityMadrid+0.29.5 × 9.3

Integration—+0.08.4 × 8.4

Criterion by criterion

The 15 sub-criteria. The stronger bar belongs to the winner.

MadridBarcelona

Financial environmentweight 30%

8.0

Tax burden

8.0

7.0

Cost of living

6.0

7.0

Ease of doing business

7.0

6.0

Investment returns

6.0

Stability and safetyweight 25%

8.0

Entry and residence

8.0

9.0

Political and social stability

9.0

10.0

Personal and property safety

10.0

Currency strengthweight 20%

9.0

Currency stability

9.0

8.0

Strength against the dollar

8.0

9.0

Purchasing power

9.0

Quality of lifeweight 15%

10.0

Infrastructure and services

10.0

9.0

Culture and lifestyle

9.0

Environmental quality

8.0

Cultural integrationweight 10%

8.0

Language and communication

8.0

9.0

Communities and support networks

9.0

Your money in both places

1 person, including rent

Your monthly income US$ if you kept the same income (remote work or retirement)

Madrid

your income

US$ 2,243

Barcelona

US$ 2,421

RentGroceriesTransportHealthUtilitiesLeisure

In Madrid, shortUS$ 791a month

In Barcelona, shortUS$ 968a month

How much of your work each thing costs

In hours of work, with your income and 40 hours a week.

MadridBarcelona

Taxes

For an income of US$ 1,453 a month

Days of the year working for taxes

Madrid

100 days

Barcelona

105 days

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Both take about the same share of your income in taxes.

What the State costs you

	Madrid	Barcelona
Income tax and social security	19%	20%
Tax on purchases	8%	9%
Paid twice (health insurance)	2%	2%
Total cost of the State	30%	31%

Paid twice: the health insurance you pay on top of taxes. Tax on purchases: the consumption tax rate applied to groceries, transport, utilities and leisure in the cost-of-living basket. Computed without deductions, with each place's official table and the Central Bank of Brazil exchange rate. In Rikezas it uses your real spending.

Sources: taxdown.es (pesquisa conferida) ↗ · asepeyo.es (pesquisa conferida) ↗ · sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es (pesquisa conferida) ↗ · polizadesalud.es (pesquisa conferida) ↗

Everyday life

What matters day to day

Language

MadridSpanish

BarcelonaSpanish

Currency

MadridEUR

BarcelonaEUR

Time zone

MadridUTC+1

BarcelonaUTC+1

Population

Madrid3,506,730 (2025)

Barcelona1,731,649 (2025)

Compare with YOUR real life

Connect Rikezas: your real spending, your real taxes and the year you reach financial independence in each place.

Connect Rikezas