Miami, FL vs Madrid
A $69,085 salary — Miami's median household income — nets $57,431 after federal, FICA and state/local tax in Miami. The same salary earned in Madrid would net €39,875 (~$46,016) — about $46,016 at today's exchange rate.
Moving from Miami to Madrid
Same salary, two tax systems. Single filer, employment income.
Both tables, the exchange-rate line and the FEIE estimate update as you type.
How to read this: we take the salary above ($69,085), convert it at the ECB rate, and tax it as a single filer's employment income in each place. That favors simplicity over realism — household vs. individual income and family tax treatment differ by country — so treat the gap as directional, not precise.
| Miami, FL | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross salary | $69,085 |
| Federal tax | $6,369 |
| FICA | $5,285 |
| State & local tax | $0 |
| Take-home | $57,431 |
| Same salary, taxed in Madrid | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross salary (local) | €59,866 |
| Income tax | €16,100 |
| Social contributions | €3,891 |
| Take-home | €39,875 (~$46,016) |
Spanish IRPF is a state (national) scale plus an autonomous-community (regional) scale that each of Spain's 17 regions sets independently -- this record combines the national state scale (Art. 63.1 LIRPF: 9.5% to EUR12,450; 12% to EUR20,200; 15% to EUR35,200; 18.5% to EUR60,000; 22.5% to EUR300,000; 24.5% above) with the Comunidad de Madrid regional scale (Decreto Legislativo 1/2010, unchanged for 2025 and 2026: 8.5% to EUR13,362.22; 10.7% to EUR19,004.63; 12.8% to EUR35,425.68; 17.4% to EUR57,320.40; 20.5% above), since this dataset uses Madrid as Spain's flagship city -- a taxpayer in another autonomous community would owe meaningfully different tax -- Catalonia, for example, is modeled separately in this dataset's es-ct.json (Barcelona) record; its current top combined marginal rate, verified directly against the Agencia Tributaria de Catalunya's own published scale (reflecting Decret-llei 5/2025, effective 1 January 2025), is 50.00% (24.5% state + 25.5% Catalonia) vs Madrid's 45% here -- NOT the 54% figure an earlier version of this note cited, which reflected Catalonia's pre-2025-reform scale and is now stale. The bottom bracket is a literal 0% slice on the first EUR5,550, approximating the 'minimo personal' (Art. 57 LIRPF, single taxpayer under 65, no dependents). This is NOT a simplification of convenience -- it is the legally correct mechanism: Spain's Agencia Tributaria computes cuota = tax_schedule(full base) minus tax_schedule(minimo alone), which the AEAT's own official worked example (Manual Practico de Renta, cap.15, 'Ejemplo practico: calculo de las cuotas integras estatal y autonomica') confirms is arithmetically identical to taxing the first EUR5,550 at 0% and leaving every bracket boundary above it unchanged -- this model reproduces that official example's cuota figures exactly (Cuota 1 EUR2,667.75 minus Cuota 3 EUR527.25 = EUR2,140.50 per scale, on a EUR23,900 base with a EUR5,550 minimo). One further simplification: Madrid's regional minimo is actually EUR5,956.65 (the Comunidad has raised it about 7.3% above the EUR5,550 national base under its Art.46 Ley 22/2009 authority to adjust by up to 10%), not EUR5,550 -- using EUR5,550 for both the state and regional halves (as this table does) overstates combined tax by only about EUR35 (0.2%) at EUR60,000, an immaterial simplification. Single filer, no children/ascendientes/discapacidad minimums modeled. Savings-base income (dividends, interest, capital gains), taxed on its own separate 19%-30% scale, is not modeled -- this table applies only to employment income (base liquidable general). SPOT-CHECK at EUR60,000: model computes EUR16,152.17 income tax (26.9% effective), which I verified by hand against the AEAT resta-method formula directly (not against a third-party calculator) -- two popular online 'net salary' calculators (guiafiscal.es, netosueldo.es) independently produced EUR15,004.90 and roughly EUR13,916-EUR15,193 for the same scenario, 7-16% lower than this model, because both appear to implement the minimo as a straight deduction from the taxable base BEFORE applying the schedule (tax_schedule(base-minimo)) rather than AEAT's actual subtract-two-schedule-evaluations method -- the AEAT worked example confirms this model's method is the legally correct one, so the discrepancy is those calculators' error, not this model's. The Beckham Law special regime (24% flat tax on Spanish-source employment income up to EUR600,000/year for up to 6 years, with foreign-sourced income and foreign assets exempt from Spanish tax and wealth tax) is available to many newly-arrived employees but is NOT applied in this model, which assumes standard resident taxation.
Single filer, employment income — figures are estimates, not advice. US FICA is applied as a flat 7.65% with no Social Security wage-base cap, which overstates FICA above roughly $176k. See methodology.
Moving from Madrid to Miami
Flip it around: a Madrid earner relocating to Miami on the same $69,085 salary would keep $57,431 after US federal, FICA and state/local tax — but health cover in the US runs $7,500/year against €1,043/year in Madrid, so employer-sponsored coverage becomes essential rather than optional.
The basics, priced side by side
| Category | Miami (USD/yr) | Madrid (local/yr) | Madrid (USD/yr) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing (1-bed rent) US side: metro median rent; world side: 1-bed city-centre | $32,316 | €16,500 | $19,041 |
| Groceries US side: sitewide household grocery baseline; Madrid side: single-person estimate | $5,091 | €2,700 | $3,116 |
| Electricity Reflects local AC/heating norms | $1,656 | €588 | $679 |
| Getting around US side: car-based (gas, insurance, registration); world side: monthly transit pass | $4,800 | €392 | $453 |
| Health cover See the healthcare section — the systems differ, not just the prices | $7,500 | €1,043 | $1,203 |
| Broadband | $912 | €360 | $415 |
US tax basics for an expat
Under the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, the first $69,085 of foreign earnings is excludable from US federal tax; at this salary, estimated residual US federal tax is $0 — this ignores tax treaties and the stacking rule, and is an estimate, not advice.
These are Madrid's own lifestyle notes — the same panel shown on its city page; metro-side equivalents are planned.
Living in Madrid: what to expect
Climate & air conditioning
Madrid's continental-Mediterranean climate means genuinely hot, dry summers -- July and August average highs sit around 34C, but the city regularly spikes past 40C during heatwaves, and winters turn properly cold with frequent overnight frosts (average lows around 1C). Air conditioning was never universal in older Madrid apartment stock the way it is in, say, Phoenix, but newer buildings increasingly install it as standard, and rising summer intensity is pushing retrofit demand in older flats too.
- Summer high avg c:
- 34
- Summer peak c:
- 40
- Winter low avg c:
- 1
- AC prevalence homes:
- rising fast but historically low, especially in pre-1980s buildings without retrofits
- Climate type:
- Continental Mediterranean (Koppen Csa, hot-summer variant)
Healthcare
Anyone legally employed in Spain is automatically covered by the SNS through mandatory Seguridad Social registration, funded entirely by the payroll contribution already counted in socialContributionRate -- there's no separate health-insurance bill to budget for as there is in London or Toronto. SNS primary care is well regarded, but non-urgent specialist waits can run long in a city Madrid's size, so private top-up cover from insurers like Sanitas or Adeslas is genuinely affordable next to US premiums (a 35-year-old in Madrid can get anything from a bare-bones EUR39/month no-hospitalization plan up to a fully comprehensive no-copayment policy around EUR117/month, with a realistic mid-tier choice near EUR87) and is widely held by both locals and expats who want faster specialist access.
- Life expectancy at birth:
- 83.9 years, Spain national average -- World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024
- Public system:
- SNS (Sistema Nacional de Salud) via mandatory Seguridad Social registration
- Premium mechanism:
- funded through the 6.5% employee-side payroll social contribution -- no separate bill for standard employees
- Typical private cover EUR:
- 39-117/month at age 35 in Madrid depending on tier and copayment level (Sanitas, Apr 2026); a realistic mid-tier plan runs around EUR87
- Major private insurers:
- Sanitas, Adeslas
Getting around
The Metro de Madrid's roughly 300 stations across 12 main lines (plus the short 3bis and 7bis branches) make it one of Europe's densest networks, and the EUR32.70/month Abono Zona A covers the entire municipality's Metro, bus and commuter-rail network for anyone aged 26-64 -- under-26 riders pay a striking flat EUR10/month for every zone in the region. Since 1 January 2026 Madrid's citywide ZBE (Zona de Bajas Emisiones) low-emission zone bars vehicles without an environmental label from circulating at all, with a EUR200 fine for violations, pushing car-free living even further from optional to default for many residents.
- Metro lines:
- 12 main lines plus the 3bis/7bis branches
- Metro stations:
- roughly 300
- Abono zona amonthly EUR:
- 32.7
- Abono joven monthly EUR:
- 10
- Zbe madrid central:
- citywide low-emission zone; unlabeled vehicles barred from circulating since 1 Jan 2026, EUR200 fine
Taxes & paperwork
Madrid has a genuine reputation as Spain's internal tax haven: the Comunidad de Madrid sets some of the country's lowest regional income-tax brackets, so the same salary that faces a 50.00% combined top marginal rate in Catalonia (24.5% state + 25.5% regional, under Catalonia's current Decret-llei 5/2025 brackets) tops out around 45% in Madrid. Many newly-arrived employees also qualify for the Beckham Law special regime, a flat 24% tax on Spanish-source employment income (up to EUR600,000/year) for up to six years, with foreign-sourced income and assets exempt from Spanish tax entirely during that window -- a major draw for relocating professionals who plan to stay only a few years.
- Irpf top combined rate:
- 45% (Madrid) vs 50.00% in Catalonia for the same income (24.5% state + 25.5% regional, Catalonia's current Decret-llei 5/2025 brackets)
- Beckham law option:
- 24% flat tax on Spanish-source employment income up to EUR600,000/year, for up to 6 years, for many newly-arrived employees
- VAT rate:
- 21%
- Internal tax haven reputation:
- Comunidad de Madrid sets some of Spain's lowest regional IRPF brackets
Housing norms
Spanish law caps the mandatory security deposit (fianza) at one month's rent, but landlords routinely add a garantia adicional of up to two further months for tenants who can't show Spanish payroll history -- for foreigners this often means an aval bancario (bank guarantee) rather than cash, effectively three months' rent tied up before move-in. The Idealista-driven rental market moves fast enough that strong applications get accepted within days, and much of central Madrid's charm comes from pre-1980s buildings in Centro and Chamberi that were never retrofitted with lifts, a real consideration on a fourth-floor walk-up.
- Foreign ownership:
- no nationality-based restriction -- non-EU buyers purchase on the same legal footing as Spaniards, needing only an NIE. The widely reported '100% tax on non-EU buyers' announced in January 2025 was submitted to Parliament in May 2025 but has never been debated or voted on, and was dropped from the government's January 2026 housing package. It is a proposal, not law
- Fianza legal cap:
- 1 month's rent (LAU Art. 36), mandatory
- Garantia adicional cap:
- up to 2 further months' rent, often via aval bancario for foreign tenants without Spanish payroll history
- Building stock:
- many pre-1980s central buildings (Centro, Chamberi) lack lifts
- Market speed:
- idealista-driven market moves fast; strong applications get accepted within days
Safety
Numbeo's crowd-sourced index put Madrid's safety score at roughly 71 out of 100 as of August 2026 -- comfortably ahead of Paris and broadly in line with Lisbon -- with pickpocketing around tourist-heavy Sol and Gran Via and on crowded Metro carriages the most common real risk. Violent crime stays rare enough that walking home late at night across most neighborhoods draws little concern, a genuinely reassuring baseline for a city of 3.5 million.
- Numbeo safety index:
- 70.94
- Numbeo crime index:
- 29.06
- Data as of:
- 2026-08
- Main risk:
- pickpocketing around Sol, Gran Via and on the Metro
Language
Spain ranked 36th of 123 countries in the 2025 EF English Proficiency Index, landing in the 'moderate' proficiency band -- noticeably behind Portugal or the Netherlands. In practice that means English gets by in Madrid's centre, international schools and tech scene, but bureaucratic errands (padron registration, NIE appointments, utility sign-ups) and daily life in most neighborhoods reward at least functional Spanish.
- Official language:
- Spanish
- Ef epi rank2025:
- 36
- Ef epi total countries:
- 123
- Ef epi band:
- moderate
- English availability:
- common in centre/tech scene, limited elsewhere
Internet & connectivity
Spain is a genuine European fibre leader rather than just fast-talking about it: FTTH coverage tops 95% of homes nationally, and the European Commission's 2026 Digital Decade Report ranks Spain first in Europe for the share of connections at 100Mbps or higher and second for overall fibre coverage. In Madrid that translates to cheap, fast, near-universal fibre availability -- a standard Movistar 300Mb line runs about EUR30/month -- with none of the copper-VDSL holdouts still common in parts of Germany or the UK.
- Fibre coverage pct:
- over 95% of Spanish homes (FTTH Council Europe)
- Eu ranking:
- 1st in Europe for 100Mbps+ connection share, 2nd for fibre coverage (European Commission Digital Decade Report 2026)
- Broadband monthly EUR:
- 30
Visas & residency
Madrid's finance and tech concentration makes the EU Blue Card and Profesional Altamente Cualificado employer-sponsored routes especially viable here, while remote workers typically come in on the LOTE Digital Nomad Visa, requiring proof of income around 200% of Spain's minimum wage (roughly EUR2,760-2,850/month) plus a prior employment relationship with a non-Spanish company. Many newly-arrived employees on any of these routes can separately opt into the Beckham Law's flat 24% tax rate for up to six years -- a meaningful financial draw layered on top of the visa itself.
- See country record:
- es.json
- Key routes for madrid:
- Digital Nomad Visa (LOTE), EU Blue Card / Profesional Altamente Cualificado for finance and tech hires, Beckham Law tax option for many newly-arrived employees
- Dnv min income EUR:
- roughly 2760-2850/month (200% of Spain's minimum wage)
Everyday life
Dinner reservations from 9:30pm onward are completely normal, and a weekday menu del dia (fixed-price lunch: starter, main, drink, often dessert) still runs about EUR13-15 at most neighborhood restaurants in 2026 -- one of the best value-for-money customs anywhere in Western Europe. Terrazas (outdoor cafe seating) fill up on the first warm evening of spring and stay busy through the summer, plenty of small family-run shops shut for part or all of August as owners take their own vacation, and a Mercadona run remains the default weekly grocery ritual for most Madrilenos.
- Dinner norm:
- reservations from 21:30 onward are standard
- Menu del dia EUR:
- 13-15 (2026 average, EUR10-16 typical range)
- August shutdown:
- many small businesses and family-run shops close for part or all of August
- Supermarket chains:
- Mercadona, Carrefour, Dia
Converted at ECB reference rates of 2026-08-11. Every Madrid figure is cited on the Madrid page.