I have been living in Madrid for a decade now, and I wanted to share some of my experiences, the pros, and cons of living in Madrid, the cost of living in Madrid, things to and eat in Madrid, and all I have learned whilst living here.
I will share some local tips on getting around the city, what to expect once you move here, looking for a job in Madrid, and just what it is like living in this beautiful city.
About Madrid
Madrid is the capital of Spain, and is located right in the center of the country. Not only the capital city, but it is an important social, economical and cultural hub in Spain.
Madrid has a lot to offer if you are looking to just move here, looking for new job opportunities or simply wanting to visit Madrid for a holiday.
My overall experience up until now has been pleasant, and I can safely say Madrid is an Expat friendly city.
What Is It Like Living In Madrid?
1. Why did you choose to live in Madrid?
My decision to live in Madrid was largely motivated by my family. My GF is from Spain, and after we had kids and lived in London for a while, we decided it would be better to live in Spain as the lifestyle in London is much more fast-paced, and we felt the lifestyle in Spain would be a better fit for us.
I had been to Madrid a few times on holiday after meeting my Gf and had fallen in love with the city. There was always something to do, the people were so welcoming, and everyone just seemed to take life a little easier and enjoy it more.
The city is beautiful to walk around, there is so much history, so much culture, so we made the decision and moved to Madrid, and it is still my favorite city in the world after all this time.
2. Did you experience any type of discrimination when you moved to Madrid?
Not one bit! In all the interactions I have had over the years, they have always been positive and accepting.
Even though I can speak Spanish pretty well now, it will always be apparent to a native Spanish person that I am not from here originally, but that has never made anyone treat me different, if anything they are kinder and do their best to help more and make you feel at ease.
3. How did you deal with the Language Barrier When You moved To Madrid?
When I first moved here, I did not speak a word of Spanish, so I really was not sure what to expect. I could piece together a couple of sentences, but nothing that would help me get about my daily life.
Being the capital of Spain, there are a lot of ex-pats in the city, and there are ways you can find groups of ex-pats who speak English, but that’s probably not the best way to learn the language, it’s better just to immerse yourself in the culture and not be shy,
A lot of value is placed on the English language here in Madrid, so many people have a basic level of English, so although you can’t have a fully fluent conversation if you walk into a local bar, with a few simple words you will be able to communicate with most people to get your point across.
In the center of Madrid, due to tourism I guess, there always tends to be at least one person in the shops and restaurants and hotels that speaks English, so it’s definitely easier if you are around the center of Madrid.
4. How did you learn Spanish
In hindsight, I would tell you to join one of the reputable schools here in Madrid to learn Spanish, study, then put it to practice, but that is not what I did.
As i mentioned, I have kids, and their mother and half of their family are here in Madrid, we pretty much live on the same street, so I always have people talking Spanish around me.
First, I would just listen and pick up the most common words and phrases people used all the time. Then I began to watch the news in Spanish, and you can see the context of what they are talking about, and pick up a few more words that way.
I would also read my kid’s school books that were really simple as they were still really young at the time, and I just carried on that way learning little by little, getting more involved in the conversation, ordering my own food at restaurants, and so on.
After about 6 months of living here in Madrid, by no means was I fluent, but I could go about my daily life without feeling stuck by the language barrier.
6. How did you find a job In Madrid?
I must admit, that unless you have some savings, it would be best to have a job lined up before moving to Madrid. But one benefit I had was simply speaking English, There are a lot of multi-national companies based here in Madrid, and a lot of them offer employment opportunities to those who only speak English
To find my first job, I simply google how you would find a job in Spain, and came across a site called Info jobs. I sent out a bunch of CVs, and within a week I got a callback, had a few interviews, and got a job at one of IBM’s offices here In Madrid.
I thought it would have been a lot harder for me to get a job as I did not speak Spanish, and was prepared to burn through most of my savings, but with a bit of effort, you will be surprised at how easily you can get a job in Madrid if you speak English.
7. What is it like working in Madrid?
My first job did not pay that great, but I just wanted to start being a part of the workforce and get my foot in the door, but it wasn’t a negative experience either.
I worked in the UK for most of my life, and it’s all go over there in London. I was always flat out from morning till night, I have worked weekends, without breaks, in sales, in construction, but compared to that, working out here in Madrid was a breeze.
Granted, it was an entry-level job, but everyone took it easy, never rushed, and almost did the bare minimum. Now I won’t say I liked that mentality, but it made it much easier for me to get ahead and be noticed with the work ethic I was used to.
Since then, I have changed jobs and am now in a much better position in my professional life, but I point out the earlier experience so you know it is not hard to get a job that will provide you enough to live if you move to Madrid.
8. The cost of living in Madrid, is living in Madrid expensive?
So this is obviously going to be relative to where you are moving from and how much you earn, but with three kids, a house to upkeep, and earning just shy of 2000 euros between us when we first moved to Spain, we did just fine.
We had enough to pay our rent, buy food, pay for the kid’s school expenses, go to the cinema, and have a few drinks from time to time.
Compared to living in London, it is definitely cheaper here in Madrid. Food in supermarkets costs a lot less, and going out to one of the many bars is also really cheap. You can go out, have a few drinks that always come with a little Tapas, and still not spend 20 euros at the end of the night.
One of the biggest things for me was how cheap the transport was. In London, the transport is really expensive, like a single journey was around 4 pounds at the time, and a monthly travel card was crazy prices.
Here in Madrid, a monthly travel card that will cover the Metro, Buses, and even cable cars will cost you 50 euros a month. To me, this is an absolute steal.
So overall, I would say the cost of living in Madrid for what you get is really good.
9. How much does it cost to rent a flat in Madrid
We live just east of the city center, in Canillas, and the average price of a three-bedroom apartment around here is appx 1150 euros.
It is a really nice neighborhood, very safe, and very well connected. Most of Madrid is really well connected, and there are metro stations and bus routes very close by everywhere,
If you are a single person, you can get a nice 1 bedroom flat for 450 and upwards, but again, compared to London, this is really good
There are more expensive areas if you want to live right in the center of Madrid where the nightlife is, and this is the same the world over, but the prices are still not as high as you would expect, and utilities will probably run another 150 a month.
It does all seem pretty cheap, but if you take into account that Spanish salaries are not that great, for the locals it may not feel the same.
As I mentioned, if you speak English, you are at a massive advantage and can get a much higher-paying Job here in Madrid.
10. Is living in Madrid safe
Living in London for most of my life (I also did a stint in Cyprus), that is where I have to compare it to, and for me, Madrid is one of the safest cities I have ever been to.
Sure, there are less desirable areas, and you should always use common sense But living life on a daily basis, walking around at night, there are always people on the streets that give you added security.
Streets are well illuminated, and there are regular police cars patrolling the roads and walking the streets.
We have a few parks around where we live, and we go there with the kids pretty often, and no it is never safe to just let your kids wander off on their own, but I have also never felt like they were unsafe.
11. What is the weather like in Madrid
The weather in Madrid is amazing. We get more than 300 days of sunshine a year so that alone should be a big pull.
It can get pretty hot around July and August, and there is usually a week where we hit 40c, but the humidity is really low, so all you have to do is step into the shade and the heat is bearable at the high point.
Madrid also has one of the healthiest climates because it is surrounded by mountains, so clean air is continuously flowing into the city from all directions
12. What is the health care like in Spain
Spain has a universal health care system and also has some of the best hospitals and doctors in the world. But it cant get pretty overwhelmed at times, so you can also look into getting your private health insurance when moving to Madrid.
Treatment is free to all at the point of care, and the health care system is available to Spanish citizens, and foreigners who live and pay taxes in the country.
13. Living in Madrid with a family
Living in Madrid with a family is actually pretty great. There are so many things you can do for free!
The amount of art you can see for free in the city is endless. There are more museums than I can count, and even if they are not free, there are huge discounts for families. A lot of the museums also let guests in for free for the last couple of hours of the day.
There are a lot of parks around the city, with the most famous being the Retiro park. You can spend a whole day in just this park with its lake, library, museum, and a number of play parks for kids,
People in Madrid and Spain as a whole are very family-oriented, and you can see this in the design of the city with the number of activities there are for kids in Madrid. So yes, Madrid is definitely a family-friendly city.
14. What would your advice be for someone before they move to Madrid
Brush Up On Your Spanish
You should brush up on your Spanish as much as you realistically can. To learn things like basic direction questions, like “do you know how I get to”, “which way is”, “can I have”, “how much is this” the numbers and things like that.
You can’t really expect to learn the language in a short period of time, but you can learn a few key phrases, or do what I did, and literally write down phrases you know you will use often, and when you approach someone, you can just show them the note.
The people here are really nice, so they will be more than happy to help until you learn the language to a sufficient level
Have some savings, or find a job before moving to Madrid
This is just good sense right, moving to a new country has its challenges, but we all need money to live so, so if you are planning to stay, and you have some savings, then I would say have at least enough to keep you for a few months to be on the safe side.
Look for a job before you come to Madrid
If you are going to look for a job before coming to Madrid, be sure to have a look on Linkedin, Info jobs. There really are a lot of jobs for English speakers in Madrid, so It shouldn’t be too difficult for you to find a job here in Madrid.
Some of The Pros of Living in Madrid
There is something to do for everybody’s tastes, and although I have been here for a decade, I still find new things to do and see all the time so it’s pretty hard to get bored in Madrid.
The main attractions if you are here for a short period are places like the Royal Palace, Templo de Debod, Gran Via, Retiro Park, Plaza Mayor, and the Museums, and after that, you still have the never-ending amount of bars to visit, the weekly markets, the world-famous El Rastro market too.
The Lifestyle In Madrid
Although it is a major city, life in Madrid moves slower than in other European cities. You can have all the pull of a big city with thousands of bars and restaurants, and a huge variety of cultures but experience this without the hustle and bustle you would feel in other big cities.
The weather is always good in Madrid
With over 300 days of sunshine a year, Madrid is a great city to live in for those who like it bright out. Even in the winter months, it can be cold, and it can be raining, but you are almost guaranteed to get a good dose of Vitamin D every single day here.
Some of the Cons of living in Madrid
There are no beaches
When the weather gets really hot here, it would be nice to have a beach close by, but we don’t have that, unfortunately. However, with this in mind, there are a number of very large public and private swimming pools here in Madrid.
There are really nice pools to go to as a family, as a group of friends, or even on your own, They are not just your average swimming pools. Some of them have surrounding greenery you can sit and sun bathe in, have a picnic, and there is almost always a bar.
If you are in the center of Madrid, there are also a number of roof top bars for the more adventurous of you. The entrance is not that expensive to these bars, but there is usually a queue and the drinks can be pretty pricy, but its definitely worth the experience.
Spanish companies don’t pay well
When you are in the process of searching for a job here in Madrid, do your best to find a job at a well-known multinational company. They pay much better and usually offer a lot of benefits.
It almost seems expected to earn a lower wage at Spanish companies, and they don’t really like talking about money here either, and asking for a raise is not something done very often, so do your best to avoid working for a Spanish company.