Sovereign

Tech

Software Engineer Salary · Madrid vs Barcelona

Net pay, tax drag, and purchasing power modeled for 2025 offers. Built for relocating teams, expats, and comp committees.

Net pay

Madrid

76.719 €

44.4% effective rate

Net pay

Barcelona

76.719 €

44.4% effective rate

Annual delta

Spread

+0 €

Madrid advantage

City

Madrid

Spain’s capital combines sovereign institutions with a fast-scaling tech and VC ecosystem.

Median professional income

52.000 €

Role modeled

Software Engineer

Gross base

138.000 €

Net after tax

76.719 €

Cost-of-living index

52

Rent index

42

City

Barcelona

Product design, mobile, and gaming companies pay a premium for bilingual talent.

Median professional income

52.000 €

Role modeled

Software Engineer

Gross base

138.000 €

Net after tax

76.719 €

Cost-of-living index

86

Rent index

47

Purchasing power

Net income vs lifestyle drag

Madrid

6393 €

Housing1598 €
Essentials959 €
Discretionary1598 €
Savings2238 €

Barcelona

6393 €

Housing1598 €
Essentials959 €
Discretionary1598 €
Savings2238 €

Cost-of-living deep dive

Flip into the COL template for this exact pair. See rent burdens, discretionary drift, and PPP commentary.

Open COL page

Remote benchmark

Need a borderless baseline? Run the remote analyzer across our tier-one city basket.

Remote comparison

More combinations

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Frequently asked

Who wins for Software Engineer net pay: Madrid or Barcelona?+
Madrid keeps about 0 € more after tax (44.4% effective rate) compared to Barcelona (44.4%).
How different are the cost-of-living profiles?+
Madrid posts a cost-of-living index of 52 and rent index of 42. Barcelona comes in at 86 / 47. The purchasing power gap tightens once you factor in rent and lifestyle drift.
What salary uplift offsets Barcelona's taxes?+
You would need roughly 0 € in additional gross compensation to match the same take-home pay in Madrid.