Please help me to determine if moving to Madrid will make me go into debt.
June 19, 2009 10:39 AM
How does the cost of living in Madrid compare to NYC? How much should I expect to pay for a one-bedroom apartment in a desirable neighborhood in Madrid?
I currently work in NYC, and there may be an opportunity for me to work in my company's Madrid office for a year. This is something that I would very much like to do. However, I have just learned that typical salaries for my role in Madrid are generally between €20k-30k. My current income, adjusted for cost of living differences, equates to about €40k. While I hope to negotiate close to my current salary, I would like to determine the minimum salary that I could accept.
Any general advice about the cost of living in Madrid would be greatly appreciated. I am particularly concerned with the cost of renting an apartment. How much should I expect to pay for a one-bedroom apartment in a desirable neighborhood? The office is near Chueca and La Castellana, and I would like to have a convenient walk or commute. Also, I would prefer to avoid shared housing/roommate situations. Super bonus question: do any MeFites know of a reputable broker in Madrid that I might contact for advice?
Thanks in advance.
I currently work in NYC, and there may be an opportunity for me to work in my company's Madrid office for a year. This is something that I would very much like to do. However, I have just learned that typical salaries for my role in Madrid are generally between €20k-30k. My current income, adjusted for cost of living differences, equates to about €40k. While I hope to negotiate close to my current salary, I would like to determine the minimum salary that I could accept.
Any general advice about the cost of living in Madrid would be greatly appreciated. I am particularly concerned with the cost of renting an apartment. How much should I expect to pay for a one-bedroom apartment in a desirable neighborhood? The office is near Chueca and La Castellana, and I would like to have a convenient walk or commute. Also, I would prefer to avoid shared housing/roommate situations. Super bonus question: do any MeFites know of a reputable broker in Madrid that I might contact for advice?
Thanks in advance.
This is great, thank you so much for the info!
posted by heliotrope at 7:45 PM on June 20, 2009
posted by heliotrope at 7:45 PM on June 20, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
€40k is a lot of money over here so I wouldn't be surprised if they were hesitant to offer it. With 40k you can easily afford an upmarket place for yourself that is centrally located. General cost of living here is not expensive, though food shopping is slightly more awkward and inflated in price when it comes to living centrally. Public transportation is extremely cheap (about 8 euros for a 10 pass travel card) and if you live centrally, it will not be an issue. Chueca is a 5 minute walk from Alonso Martinez metro which is a great central hub for the metro, so commuting in would not be a problem if you want to live outside of the centre.
A few general things:
1. The agency I had hired to handle my moving were very keen on showing me brand new places. Mostly studio apartments that looked very new, clean and sterile. I had to convince them that I didn't mind moving into a 'lived-in' house. The place I'm in now is bigger than anything else I saw for the same price, much more homey and everything works.
2. Several places have very limited kitchens and some not at all. I currently have two electric hobs and no oven. This is pretty standard over here, so if you're a foody and want to do a lot of your own cooking, be sure to specify you want a fully fitted kitchen.
3. Aircon, elevators and/or a terrace will raise the price of any place you rent. At the moment, it's early June and it's +38 (Celcius) outside so all three come highly recommended. It's going to be a hot summer...
4. Your company might do this differently, but we get our annual salary paid in 14 increments with 'double-pay' in June and December. Budget accordingly.
Check out idealista (you can change the page to English at the bottom if it's not already) for a rough idea of places and prices, though a lot of apartments advertised there are slightly higher in price than what you can find with some legwork/local papers/agencies.
Hope this helps to begin with. Madrid is an awesome city and you should take the opportunity to come here if at all possible! Ask away if you want me to clarify anything.
posted by slimepuppy at 9:48 AM on June 20, 2009