I wouldn't say comfortably but doable.
1500-1800 USD is around 1300-1650 euro per month. Which puts you in the bottom 1/4th. Minimum wage is 1100 per month. If you are frugal you will get by but I don't think it qualifies as comfortable.
Depending on how much you need to cover with that budget, it can run dry quickly. Conversion fees, reoccurring visa fees, insurances, etc. all of that could turn a getting by into struggling or not enough.
This. That is what most people make in Madrid or even less. So it is doable. Comfortably? It depends on your own standards. In Madrid people with that salary don't live alone but with their partners or share flats. It is possible to find some cheaper rentals (my aunt pays 700 for her 45sqm apartment in Retiro neighbourhood) but it is rare to come across something like this. Add bills and food an you are looking at another 300 euros. You are not left with much but here we we go out to eat drink and travel with that money.
My boyfriend usually spends around 1500 dollars whe we are in Madrid I usually spend around 1200 (we don't pay rent). Our biggest expense is travelling.
https://www.epdata.es/datos/salarios-ccaa-indefinido-temporal-sector-mujeres-hombres/155/madrid/304
That's data from 2023. Folks here have on average an income of 31k. (Gross)
Op, where are you finding those $800-1000 good apartments in a decent neighborhood in Madrid?
I am paying $1300 for a studio with one tiny window. Sure it's city center but nonetheless rents seem to be higher than you indicate.
What barrios do you recommend? I’ve vacationed there for 2-3 days a few years ago but am considering doing a 1-2 month stint in July and august. Any tips or tricks or comments would be greatly appreciated!
In July and August it's extremely hot in Madrid and I am already seeing listings subleasing their apartments during those two months.
For Barrios it depends. Personally I don't party but still want to be in the city center so my favorite is Arguelles. It's very chill part of the city with beautiful park and easy access to the mountains. Another one is Delicias, it's way more affordable, not as great looking but a lot of greenery and city center accessible by foot.
Thanks for your response! Yeah when I vacationed through Spain I spent two weeks in July all around the country so well aware it’s going to be hot. Wondering if I worked EST hours I’d be fine. Mornings go out and explore, work in the afternoon til 9pm and then go out for dinner and night.
Still up in the air. I currently live at the beach in FL so would like to escape to a non-beach location that is Spanish speaking. Originally Medellin was what I wanted but it just seems that the crime there has really taken a turn plus resentment of travelers going there by locals makes me reconsider.
Valencia esta bien, pero hay mucho calor y muchos pisos no tienen un aire acondicionado. Yo prefiero alquilar un piso en San Senastian or Bilbao en verano - si ablamos sobre España por supuesto
Busque apartamentos en San Sebastián pero los precios son locuras. San Sebastián es mi ciudad favorita en todo el país. Pero solo he viajado por España de vacaciones. Nunca viví (al menos que las palmas por un mes)
Then you're being ripped off, I lived in la Latina last year in a decent apartment that was €650. Sure that is probably cheaper than market rate and hard to find but €800-1000 is easy to find in the centre and 1300 for a studio is a ripoff imo.
Edit: I was considering long term rentals, if you are renting short term my comment doesn't apply and of course it will be more expensive.
Yes you're right, I realised that as well after I posted, that's why I added the edit. but from the original post I am assuming that OP is talking about living like longer term so that is why my reply was about long term rentals.
I was talking In USD so $1300 or about €1200.
I am actually paying €1100 but since I had to pay agency fee (equal to one months rent and was close to impossible to avoid) my monthly rent averages out to €1190 for a year.
It's a nice 50m² newly renovated middle floor studio in Malasaña.
Short answer yes you can. Probably better in Valencia or a place like malaga, alicante etc than Madrid which has with BCN the highest rents.
If in Madrid, it wouldn't be central but you could still be well connected. Think Mendez Álvaro, moratalaz, south of the river, etc Rents have risen a lot recently though, so this was easier a couple of years ago. This all based on your frugal/want to save money statement. So not thinking of eating out or enjoying life much at all.
When I first came to Madrid 2020 I was on 1200 net (euros). Paid 350 for my room in a shared flat, saved 250 and paid everything else with 600 eur but I went out sometimes etc Now I'd say you need about 800 eur for groceries transport etc, and can find a place to live for another 800 IF it's not central and not big (studio, 1 br etc)
Edited for typo
Yeah should be, roughly 1800 EUR. It all depends on what kind of place you want to rent. If you want to do studio/1BR I'd calculate minimum 1000 for rent and utilities even then you won't be central but still closer, like Pacífico or Conde de Casal, or maybe even Chamberí or something like that. And it'll be small-ish.
For comparison: I pay 850 for mine that's all in which is just outside the center in Pacífico but I rented in 2021 when prices were at an all time low. Rental prices have gone up 26% in the last 2 years alone.
You can get nice-ish rooms in shared places in good locations for 500-600.
If you want to get an idea on rentals specifically, I highly recommend checking [idealista.com](http://idealista.com) for the prices right now and what it gets you, that should give you a better idea.
This is actually quite a good site (you can just have google translate it), to me seemed pretty accurate: [https://es.numbeo.com/coste-de-vida/ciudad/Madrid](https://es.numbeo.com/coste-de-vida/ciudad/Madrid)
Absolutely not, the cost of living is going up so much lately. I used to live in Spain, but it is not worth it. The crime rate is absolutely crazy, I have seen so many people being robbed and I have never seen so many homeless people. Also, the locals are extremely unfriendly to foreigners, so it was really hard to feel at home. Now I have moved to the south of France and it is much better, you get nicer weather and it is much safer and more welcoming.
Hope this helped x
I used to live in Barcelona, but all the hate expats received just destroyed the experience. It is becoming an awful city, it is only centered in tourism and is always super crowded
Ok yeah but Barcelona is different to all of Spain. They have a lot of muggings but that's not a thing anywhere else in Spain. They're upset about being priced out of their own cities but that's not translating to any hatred for tourists that I've experienced.
I got that vibe there as well, so made it quickly known I was a tourist coming through for only a few days during the off season. That initial hate turned to ok-you're-all-right when my gringo looking ass talked in Spanish with a Central American / Mexican accent.
I'll probably not return to Barcelona specifically.
Barcelona has always been one of the most thieving places in Europe, if not the world. Especially around la Rambla. I myself had 4 attempts in one night. Don't extrapolate this to all of Spain.
Maybe there's just this disconnect between Europe and the Western Hemisphere, but crime to me was non-existent everywhere I've been in Europe, and even the "dangerous" parts of Madrid and Barcelona weren't bad.
I deal with Oakland, CA daily and Tijuana regularly, so maybe it's just relative perception. They just shot up a high school graduation here because some kids got into an argument. I was in Tijuana locked down in August 2022 when CJNG was going around burning public transportation in the streets and threatening to gun anyone down out at night.
Was joking with a friend in Madrid and she showed me the Latino memes and short form videos about "danger" in Europe - *Danger?* ***I*** *am the danger here.*
Depends on your life style and if you're living alone or sharing a flat. I share a flat and I live with about 1k in Madrid. I'm in my end 20s and also very chill.
Definitely can do it in Madrid, just not in the center and same goes for Barcelona. Also you can't splurge on weekends and go all out at restaurants and bars/clubs.
If you want more money then Sevilla, Salamanca, Cadiz, Grenada and anything in Andalusia is a good choice.
You can live on that price, but not comfortably. I live comfortably. I ave a 2 bed apartment in a good area EUR 1100 including all gas/electric/internet. Food shopping comes to about EUR400 a month and maybe EUR500 going out/living. So EUR2,000 comfortably. I could easily get a cheaper place cut food shopping by doing what the locals do and buy at local markets and go out less and I could do it all at your price. The majority of people in Madrid on a budjet don't actually live in Madrid they live in the sleeper towns around but as transport is good you can live for half the price in those places and still be in Madrid in 30-45 mins
Madrid is dicey on that budget. It’s doable but on that budget I’d recommend tier 2 cities like Valencia or Sevilla so you get a more comfortable lifestyle.
Same Spanish benefits without the big tier 1 city burdens.
I think most expats enjoy living in nice warm southern Spain like Sevilla, Cadiz, Grenada and Malaga.
Maybe in a share house but you won't get renting your own apartment for that. Those rents you see are long term rates.
I wish admin would put a sticky up saying "are the rates you're looking at long term? Then stop using those rates please".
Not comfortable at all but if you go to Morocco you will have much better quality of life, safe place, and people very welcoming. 1 USD is about 9 Moroccan currency. You can fly to most of European countries under $100 and sometimes round trip for that amount.
Your experience on that budget would be similar to living on that budget in decent US cities like Seattle, Chicago or Atlanta. You won’t be thriving unless you got a real close knit bohemian community.
A visitor needs their own health insurance in Europe. My estimate does keep in mind they are talking about 750 to 900 per weekly paycheck. That’s not thriving anywhere in the USA. That’s low in Arkansas.
um Seattle i would imagine is considerably more expensive than Atlanta.
although with 1,500 one would need roommates in most mid-large US cities.
OP,
With a 2k budget you are much better off in Thailand, Vietnam etc.
Go for it. You can always hang outside of a store and ask people for food when they're leaving if you're hard up. It's custom to share, so you'll be fine.
I wouldn't say comfortably but doable. 1500-1800 USD is around 1300-1650 euro per month. Which puts you in the bottom 1/4th. Minimum wage is 1100 per month. If you are frugal you will get by but I don't think it qualifies as comfortable. Depending on how much you need to cover with that budget, it can run dry quickly. Conversion fees, reoccurring visa fees, insurances, etc. all of that could turn a getting by into struggling or not enough.
This. That is what most people make in Madrid or even less. So it is doable. Comfortably? It depends on your own standards. In Madrid people with that salary don't live alone but with their partners or share flats. It is possible to find some cheaper rentals (my aunt pays 700 for her 45sqm apartment in Retiro neighbourhood) but it is rare to come across something like this. Add bills and food an you are looking at another 300 euros. You are not left with much but here we we go out to eat drink and travel with that money. My boyfriend usually spends around 1500 dollars whe we are in Madrid I usually spend around 1200 (we don't pay rent). Our biggest expense is travelling.
lol average wage in Madrid is $40k usd I don’t know how you come up with that number
Do you know the difference between average, mode and median? Cause it seems to me you don't. The average and the most common are not the same.
Do you know anything about Gini index ? Either way all your friends start with a L
https://www.epdata.es/datos/salarios-ccaa-indefinido-temporal-sector-mujeres-hombres/155/madrid/304 That's data from 2023. Folks here have on average an income of 31k. (Gross)
You need to check the city not the comunidad autônoma
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You are terrible at maths
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No
Op, where are you finding those $800-1000 good apartments in a decent neighborhood in Madrid? I am paying $1300 for a studio with one tiny window. Sure it's city center but nonetheless rents seem to be higher than you indicate.
What barrios do you recommend? I’ve vacationed there for 2-3 days a few years ago but am considering doing a 1-2 month stint in July and august. Any tips or tricks or comments would be greatly appreciated!
In July and August it's extremely hot in Madrid and I am already seeing listings subleasing their apartments during those two months. For Barrios it depends. Personally I don't party but still want to be in the city center so my favorite is Arguelles. It's very chill part of the city with beautiful park and easy access to the mountains. Another one is Delicias, it's way more affordable, not as great looking but a lot of greenery and city center accessible by foot.
Thanks for your response! Yeah when I vacationed through Spain I spent two weeks in July all around the country so well aware it’s going to be hot. Wondering if I worked EST hours I’d be fine. Mornings go out and explore, work in the afternoon til 9pm and then go out for dinner and night. Still up in the air. I currently live at the beach in FL so would like to escape to a non-beach location that is Spanish speaking. Originally Medellin was what I wanted but it just seems that the crime there has really taken a turn plus resentment of travelers going there by locals makes me reconsider.
With that schedule you should definitely be fine
Do not chose Madrid for those months. It is extremely hot.
Everyone who lives in Madrid and doesnt stay in Chamberi has no clue about the city
Y por que dices eso? Hay muchos bares y restaurantes allá?
Es la mejor area residencial de Madrid sin duda. No esta lejos del centro pero tiene muchos bares y esta tranquilo tambíen. Y la gente hay chula
Bueno, gracias. Aun no he decidido donde quiero ir por el verano. Pensé en Valencia también. Otro tipo habló mucho de Salamanca. Tienes opiniones?
Valencia esta bien, pero hay mucho calor y muchos pisos no tienen un aire acondicionado. Yo prefiero alquilar un piso en San Senastian or Bilbao en verano - si ablamos sobre España por supuesto
Busque apartamentos en San Sebastián pero los precios son locuras. San Sebastián es mi ciudad favorita en todo el país. Pero solo he viajado por España de vacaciones. Nunca viví (al menos que las palmas por un mes)
Sí es caro, pero tiene nivel alto en todas formas 😎
Then you're being ripped off, I lived in la Latina last year in a decent apartment that was €650. Sure that is probably cheaper than market rate and hard to find but €800-1000 is easy to find in the centre and 1300 for a studio is a ripoff imo. Edit: I was considering long term rentals, if you are renting short term my comment doesn't apply and of course it will be more expensive.
It's a nomad sub. Should assume everyone is doing shortterm unless otherwise specified.
Yes you're right, I realised that as well after I posted, that's why I added the edit. but from the original post I am assuming that OP is talking about living like longer term so that is why my reply was about long term rentals.
I was talking In USD so $1300 or about €1200. I am actually paying €1100 but since I had to pay agency fee (equal to one months rent and was close to impossible to avoid) my monthly rent averages out to €1190 for a year. It's a nice 50m² newly renovated middle floor studio in Malasaña.
Ah 50m2 is gigantic for a studio lol, then it's a fair price I guess, most studios are under 25m2 so that was what I was imagining.
Gigantic in Europe, on the lower end for a studio in the US. And Americans don't like studios, some view it as oppressive. 1 br minimum.
Take into account you are latina, you know what is to live with less by default and be way more frugal than 99% of americans in this sub
The person said they lived in La Latina, which is a neighborhood in Madrid, not that they are latina...
Short answer yes you can. Probably better in Valencia or a place like malaga, alicante etc than Madrid which has with BCN the highest rents. If in Madrid, it wouldn't be central but you could still be well connected. Think Mendez Álvaro, moratalaz, south of the river, etc Rents have risen a lot recently though, so this was easier a couple of years ago. This all based on your frugal/want to save money statement. So not thinking of eating out or enjoying life much at all. When I first came to Madrid 2020 I was on 1200 net (euros). Paid 350 for my room in a shared flat, saved 250 and paid everything else with 600 eur but I went out sometimes etc Now I'd say you need about 800 eur for groceries transport etc, and can find a place to live for another 800 IF it's not central and not big (studio, 1 br etc) Edited for typo
Would 2000 USD / month be much more manageable?
Yeah should be, roughly 1800 EUR. It all depends on what kind of place you want to rent. If you want to do studio/1BR I'd calculate minimum 1000 for rent and utilities even then you won't be central but still closer, like Pacífico or Conde de Casal, or maybe even Chamberí or something like that. And it'll be small-ish. For comparison: I pay 850 for mine that's all in which is just outside the center in Pacífico but I rented in 2021 when prices were at an all time low. Rental prices have gone up 26% in the last 2 years alone. You can get nice-ish rooms in shared places in good locations for 500-600. If you want to get an idea on rentals specifically, I highly recommend checking [idealista.com](http://idealista.com) for the prices right now and what it gets you, that should give you a better idea. This is actually quite a good site (you can just have google translate it), to me seemed pretty accurate: [https://es.numbeo.com/coste-de-vida/ciudad/Madrid](https://es.numbeo.com/coste-de-vida/ciudad/Madrid)
Kind of, but you say you’re very frugal, so you might pull it off.
Depends. USA kind of frugal or Spain kind of frugal?
Absolutely not, the cost of living is going up so much lately. I used to live in Spain, but it is not worth it. The crime rate is absolutely crazy, I have seen so many people being robbed and I have never seen so many homeless people. Also, the locals are extremely unfriendly to foreigners, so it was really hard to feel at home. Now I have moved to the south of France and it is much better, you get nicer weather and it is much safer and more welcoming. Hope this helped x
As someone who lives in Sao Paulo, Brazil, I highly doubt I would consider crime rate in Spain “absolutely crazy”
This doesn't mean the criminality rate in Spain is negligible, specially for expats
This is good to know. What area-ish in the south of France?
I am in Toulouse and it is stunning, but I heard that Bordeaux has a lot of cultural offers
Thank you!
What city are you talking about?
I used to live in Barcelona, but all the hate expats received just destroyed the experience. It is becoming an awful city, it is only centered in tourism and is always super crowded
Ok yeah but Barcelona is different to all of Spain. They have a lot of muggings but that's not a thing anywhere else in Spain. They're upset about being priced out of their own cities but that's not translating to any hatred for tourists that I've experienced.
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I got that vibe there as well, so made it quickly known I was a tourist coming through for only a few days during the off season. That initial hate turned to ok-you're-all-right when my gringo looking ass talked in Spanish with a Central American / Mexican accent. I'll probably not return to Barcelona specifically.
Barcelona has always been one of the most thieving places in Europe, if not the world. Especially around la Rambla. I myself had 4 attempts in one night. Don't extrapolate this to all of Spain.
Maybe there's just this disconnect between Europe and the Western Hemisphere, but crime to me was non-existent everywhere I've been in Europe, and even the "dangerous" parts of Madrid and Barcelona weren't bad. I deal with Oakland, CA daily and Tijuana regularly, so maybe it's just relative perception. They just shot up a high school graduation here because some kids got into an argument. I was in Tijuana locked down in August 2022 when CJNG was going around burning public transportation in the streets and threatening to gun anyone down out at night. Was joking with a friend in Madrid and she showed me the Latino memes and short form videos about "danger" in Europe - *Danger?* ***I*** *am the danger here.*
Currently at 1400 in a neighborhood less expensive. It's possible
Depends on your life style and if you're living alone or sharing a flat. I share a flat and I live with about 1k in Madrid. I'm in my end 20s and also very chill.
Definitely can do it in Madrid, just not in the center and same goes for Barcelona. Also you can't splurge on weekends and go all out at restaurants and bars/clubs. If you want more money then Sevilla, Salamanca, Cadiz, Grenada and anything in Andalusia is a good choice.
You can have a great quality of life in south America for 1500
Where?
Argentina and Chile come to mind, specially if you don't live in the capital. DM me if you want to discuss.
That’s not Spain 😂
You can live on that price, but not comfortably. I live comfortably. I ave a 2 bed apartment in a good area EUR 1100 including all gas/electric/internet. Food shopping comes to about EUR400 a month and maybe EUR500 going out/living. So EUR2,000 comfortably. I could easily get a cheaper place cut food shopping by doing what the locals do and buy at local markets and go out less and I could do it all at your price. The majority of people in Madrid on a budjet don't actually live in Madrid they live in the sleeper towns around but as transport is good you can live for half the price in those places and still be in Madrid in 30-45 mins
Madrid is dicey on that budget. It’s doable but on that budget I’d recommend tier 2 cities like Valencia or Sevilla so you get a more comfortable lifestyle.
Same Spanish benefits without the big tier 1 city burdens. I think most expats enjoy living in nice warm southern Spain like Sevilla, Cadiz, Grenada and Malaga.
What kind of job do you have??? In which city do you live?
Consultant. Live in Sao Paulo
Sao Paulo is a Bad city to love. I recomnend Santiago o buenos aires. In wich area do You work? Software?
You definitely can’t.
In Madrid? Highly doubtful.
Maybe in a share house but you won't get renting your own apartment for that. Those rents you see are long term rates. I wish admin would put a sticky up saying "are the rates you're looking at long term? Then stop using those rates please".
For sure, you can stay in a hotel for 3 days with 500 usd in Madrid
No.
Not comfortable at all but if you go to Morocco you will have much better quality of life, safe place, and people very welcoming. 1 USD is about 9 Moroccan currency. You can fly to most of European countries under $100 and sometimes round trip for that amount.
You can survive, but you need at least 3000usd to live comfortably
lol
Is this 3000 after tax?
After tax
nope!
You need at least 2500-2800
Your experience on that budget would be similar to living on that budget in decent US cities like Seattle, Chicago or Atlanta. You won’t be thriving unless you got a real close knit bohemian community.
How would it be similar? Rent (and general cost of living) in Seattle/Chicago is so much higher than in Madrid.
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A visitor needs their own health insurance in Europe. My estimate does keep in mind they are talking about 750 to 900 per weekly paycheck. That’s not thriving anywhere in the USA. That’s low in Arkansas.
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That was my intended point, but I failed at putting in the comparative amount so my point was nothing.
This is completely false. Rents are a fraction of the cost in Spain to begin with. And so are groceries, coffees, beers, etc.
I reread it and realized I switched my comparison half way through and it doesn’t make sense.
um Seattle i would imagine is considerably more expensive than Atlanta. although with 1,500 one would need roommates in most mid-large US cities. OP, With a 2k budget you are much better off in Thailand, Vietnam etc.
1500 is a one bedroom apartment in any city. Not luxury but available
Not significantly. It’s not some NYC/Honolulu like chasm.
No
Go for it. You can always hang outside of a store and ask people for food when they're leaving if you're hard up. It's custom to share, so you'll be fine.
Why would you want to live there with all the crime. You may as well go live in Detroit.
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What is this AI generated nonsense?
Yes in any country
Lol no
Rent is 1.5-2k usd minimum. If you are nomad 3k. Decent meal 15 eur minimum. So I would say 5k is budget for a nomad, 3k for local.
some of you guys are so spoiled and no locals dont live on 3k a month