# Cost of living Madrid vs. Sevilla



## sasha7 (Apr 19, 2013)

Hi, all. Just joined and seeking guidance from those on here. I am from the USA and will soon be taking an early retirement within the next year. Last year took a tour through Spain and Portugal and quickly visited some of the cities there. I am considering taking a three month trial run living in either Madrid or Sevilla to get a taste of living in Spain before I live there for longer periods. Have lots of questions but main ones are concerning the cost of living and health insurance. I have a pretty good idea of what my budget will be. Would like to live near the city center or within if at all possible. Any idea of what a one bedroom apartment in a safe but not too expensive area would cost living in those areas in Madrid and Sevilla? Also, any recommendations on health insurance for a three month period? Any other suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


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## blackduff (Mar 19, 2013)

Sasha7
Madrid is much more expensive for living compared to Sevilla. I don't know the health costs in Spain but I would think it's comparable. 

Madrid is a much bigger city and you can find anything you want. Sevilla on the other hand, can find "Most" things you want but you know the spots to purchase. 

If you want to live in the city-center, I would live in Sevilla. I have walked both cities extensively and I liked both places but Sevilla can be walked from one side to the other. Madrid is too large to cross the city in "one walk". Madrid does have good transport though and this means you can live further out from the center. 

Madrid is hot in the summer time but Sevilla is hotter than Madrid. From Sevilla you can head towards the beach within an hour or so but Madrid is located in the center of Spain-no beaches in Madrid.

Roughly Sevilla has about 750,000 people whereas Madrid has more than 3 million people. 

Culture: Madrid is the winner! Sevilla is okay but nothing like the culture in Madrid.

My best bet, take some time in Sevilla (during the hot summer time) and see if you can live there. I have seen marathon running in Sevilla over 40 degrees C. 

And for the last comment, I loved the Andalucia food better than Madrid's mixture.

Blackduff


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## sasha7 (Apr 19, 2013)

blackduff said:


> Sasha7
> Madrid is much more expensive for living compared to Sevilla. I don't know the health costs in Spain but I would think it's comparable.
> 
> Madrid is a much bigger city and you can find anything you want. Sevilla on the other hand, can find "Most" things you want but you know the spots to purchase.
> ...


Thanks for the response, Blackduff. That is helpful to know. I really liked Sevilla while I was there last October. As to the hot summers, that is not as much a concern for me since I hail from Memphis which has quite a hot and humid August. I love the museums and cultural aspects of Madrid but cost of living is a major factor as well.


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## blackduff (Mar 19, 2013)

Sevilla is very hot but it's a dry hot. For me it was liveable and it was difficult to find the heat in France was very humid.

Sevilla has the Feria de April, which is seven days of fun. Rocio is not far from Sevilla and for younger, it's great too. Jerez is close and they have their own feria ~ especially for the horses.

When I moved to Spain, I had the choice to decide where to live. My job was covered from Cadiz to Sevilla and up to Madrid. I made the choice to Cadiz region, since it was right on the Atlantic Ocean. Not much culture there except the food. If you like seafood, Cadiz is heaven.

I have a ex-worker who still lives in Cadiz. He lived in Madrid for quite a few years and then he moved down to Cadiz. He's retired now and lives right on the beach~he's happy as a clam. He's managed now to get the Spanish health system now. This is a big problem, trying to live in another country. Short term insurance for health is possible but if you want to live in a country, find the method of getting part of the "System".

And remember, the AVA train leaves from the station Santa Justa in Sevilla and will take you to the center of Madrid ~ less than two hours ride. It's more comfortable than an airplane and it will serve a nice breakfast while you have the ride. 

Blackduff


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## Trubrit (Nov 24, 2010)

A nice one bedroomed apartment in a nice area will cost about 800 a month. Although I now live in Toledo I spent a year living in Madrid and I have to say that it is my favourite city in Spain. Lots to see and do and English is widely spoken because of the tourist industry. As far as public transport is concerned,Madrid must be nearing the top of the list and coupled with Barajas airport you have the perfect set up to travel the world. Yes, I am biased but Madrid holds a very special place in my heart.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

For climate information:
Climate in Spain - a guide to temperatures or
Weather in Spain by Month and Region


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## sasha7 (Apr 19, 2013)

Trubrit said:


> A nice one bedroomed apartment in a nice area will cost about 800 a month. Although I now live in Toledo I spent a year living in Madrid and I have to say that it is my favourite city in Spain. Lots to see and do and English is widely spoken because of the tourist industry. As far as public transport is concerned,Madrid must be nearing the top of the list and coupled with Barajas airport you have the perfect set up to travel the world. Yes, I am biased but Madrid holds a very special place in my heart.


Is that 800 for Sevilla or Madrid? Dollars or euro? Also, in general, due to the economic crisis in Spain are rents going up or down? It would appear that it
would be a great time to buy but not sure how that is affecting rents. Thanks, in advance.


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

Hi, I've been living in Madrid for nearly 10 years now. Rents are coming down, but you need to negotiate a bit. For your price range you could get a 2 bed modern flat with swimming pool, garage, etc in Arganzuela or Pacifico. Those are central areas towards the south of Madrid. If you want to go more central you'll probably have to lose the pool but you can still find decent 2 bed flats in up market areas like Salamanca and around the Retiro (which would be my preference). If you like more bohemian neighbourhoods then Lavapies, Malasaña and Chueca are good - you might even be able to get hold of an atico (penthouse) in those areas. Other upmarket areas include Chamberi and Moncloa (Moncloa has good bus links with the northern suburbs). There is a cercanias station in Tres Cantos, although it's not that close to Kings, but it might be a good idea beinbg close to a cercanias line 4 stop so you have that transport option as a backup. 

Central Madrid is very walkable so I recommend you do that to get a feel for the areas. There are no really bad areas (although places like Vallecas can be a bit run down)


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Chopera said:


> Hi, I've been living in Madrid for nearly 10 years now. Rents are coming down, but you need to negotiate a bit. For your price range you could get a 2 bed modern flat with swimming pool, garage, etc in Arganzuela or Pacifico. Those are central areas towards the south of Madrid. If you want to go more central you'll probably have to lose the pool but you can still find decent 2 bed flats in up market areas like Salamanca and around the Retiro (which would be my preference). If you like more bohemian neighbourhoods then Lavapies, Malasaña and Chueca are good - you might even be able to get hold of an atico (penthouse) in those areas. Other upmarket areas include Chamberi and Moncloa (Moncloa has good bus links with the northern suburbs). There is a cercanias station in Tres Cantos, although it's not that close to Kings, but it might be a good idea beinbg close to a cercanias line 4 stop so you have that transport option as a backup.
> 
> Central Madrid is very walkable so I recommend you do that to get a feel for the areas. There are no really bad areas (although places like Vallecas can be a bit run down)


You should post on this thread!
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...51563-new-job-madrid-no-ideas-where-live.html


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

thanks - not to familiar with this forum!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Chopera said:


> thanks - not to familiar with this forum!


Doesn't matter.
The posts are very useful and interesting anyway!


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## ALaguna (Apr 24, 2013)

I've just registered to reply your post.

I'm from Seville and recently moved to London. I think that, if you are used to the US, distances are not a problem for you. The thing is, you can rent a house/flat with 3 bedrooms for 600/500 euros and just 15 minutes in bus from Seville. You'll probably need to see what you need and how far do you want to live from Seville.

Aside from that, Madrid is much much expensive but you have a lot of things there that you won't be able to find in Seville (like culture events). In the other hand, Seville is 1 hour away from Huelva and the beach so... you have to balance!

If you have any questions in which I could help you let me know


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## sasha7 (Apr 19, 2013)

Chopera said:


> Hi, I've been living in Madrid for nearly 10 years now. Rents are coming down, but you need to negotiate a bit. For your price range you could get a 2 bed modern flat with swimming pool, garage, etc in Arganzuela or Pacifico. Those are central areas towards the south of Madrid. If you want to go more central you'll probably have to lose the pool but you can still find decent 2 bed flats in up market areas like Salamanca and around the Retiro (which would be my preference). If you like more bohemian neighbourhoods then Lavapies, Malasaña and Chueca are good - you might even be able to get hold of an atico (penthouse) in those areas. Other upmarket areas include Chamberi and Moncloa (Moncloa has good bus links with the northern suburbs). There is a cercanias station in Tres Cantos, although it's not that close to Kings, but it might be a good idea beinbg close to a cercanias line 4 stop so you have that transport option as a backup.
> 
> Central Madrid is very walkable so I recommend you do that to get a feel for the areas. There are no really bad areas (although places like Vallecas can be a bit run down)


Good info, Chopera. As you are a current resident, I would like to get your opinion on the current situation now in Madrid. From reading some of the other threads on here it sounds like Spain is going down the tubes because of the economic mess and crime is running rampant. Are things really that bad? Do expats feel safe living there now?
Thanks, Mike


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

sasha7 said:


> Good info, Chopera. As you are a current resident, I would like to get your opinion on the current situation now in Madrid. From reading some of the other threads on here it sounds like Spain is going down the tubes because of the economic mess and crime is running rampant. Are things really that bad? Do expats feel safe living there now?
> Thanks, Mike


As far as big cities go I don't think Madrid is dangerous - not like some parts of some UK cities (although I'm a bit out of touch with the UK these days so I might be doing it a diservice). Unfortunately the last time I said that to someone, about 4 years ago, someone tried to assault her. But that is the only case I have heard of in my time here. The advantage of Madrid, and Spain in general, is that there are usually so many people on the streets that there's much less opportunity for violent crime. Even at 4 in the morning, there'll be people about in the centre, and they probably won't have spent the whole night tipping pints of lager down their throats. There are no real gangs of youths to speak of either.

Petty crime is a big problem though - unfortunately you will get pick pocketed at some point if you hang round the tourist areas. However they have managed to remove most of the street prostitution, which used to be pretty bad in some places. I can't believe that there are that many break-ins in Madrid either because every house I have been to has had bullet proof doors, with several bolts, and all lower floor windows have bars. It can be quite disconcerting when you first notice it - because it implies crime is a problem - but in fact it is standard practice.


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## venecio97 (Apr 22, 2014)

Seville is much better in quality of life, also cheaper. But it's easier to find a job and find English-speaking people in Madrid


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