Madrid vs Seville for couples

Madrid and Seville are both in Spain, about 390 km apart. Every figure below comes from the data behind our city pages: an estimated monthly cost for a couple, tax tier, annual climate, safety, healthcare, internet speed, language and residency rules. Seville leads on cost.

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Side by side

FactorMadridSeville
CountrySpainSpain
SizeLarge: 1 to 5 million peopleMid-sized: 250,000 to 1 million people
SettingInlandNear the coast
Est. cost for a couple€3,256 a month€3,069 a month
Tax tierHigh taxHigh tax
Average temperature16°C20°C
Rainfall378 mm a year524 mm a year
Safety65 / 10065 / 100
Healthcare79 / 10079 / 100
Internet (median fixed)~200 Mbps~200 Mbps
Main languagesSpanishSpanish
EnglishSome EnglishSome English
Long-term residencyComparatively openComparatively open
Self-funded income routeFrom $2,793 a monthFrom $2,793 a month
Visa-free short visits93 of 198 passports93 of 198 passports

Source: the datasets behind our city pages. Cost is our model estimate (a country-level cost index scaled for city size); tax tiers are assigned by hand from each country's top marginal income tax rate and overall tax reputation; temperature from the Open-Meteo archive (2019 to 2023 averages); rainfall from TerraClimate (1991 to 2020 normals); safety and healthcare are our own country-level estimates; internet from the Ookla Speedtest Global Index; English from the EF English Proficiency Index; residency from our hand-reviewed residency dataset (not legal advice); short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset.

Factor by factor

Cost of living

Seville is cheaper: we estimate about €3,069 a month for a couple living centrally, against €3,256 in Madrid. That is €187 a month, or 6%, less.

Taxes

Same country, same tax: Spain is in our high tax tier.

Climate

Seville is 4°C warmer on average over the year: 20°C against 16°C in Madrid. Madrid is drier, with about 378 mm of rain a year against 524 mm in Seville (28% less).

Safety

Our safety score is country-level, so both cities get the same 65 out of 100.

Healthcare

Our healthcare score is country-level, so both cities get the same 79 out of 100.

Internet

Our broadband figure is country-level: about 200 Mbps median fixed download in both.

Language

Main languages in both: Spanish. English proficiency is rated the same in both: some English.

Residency and visas

Same country, same rules: long-term residency in Spain is rated comparatively open, with a self-funded route from about $2,793 a month in income.

Which one fits a couple

On the factors we measure, Seville leads on cost (€3,069 against €3,256 a month), and Madrid leads on none of them. What our data does not cover can still tip it toward Madrid: jobs, family nearby, or simply which one each of you prefers after a visit.

Climate can pull the two of you apart too: a partner who wants warmth leans toward Seville (20°C on average), while one who minds the heat leans toward Madrid (16°C), and whoever minds rain will prefer Madrid (378 mm a year against 524 mm).

Size differs too: Madrid is a large city (1 to 5 million people) and Seville a mid-sized one (250,000 to 1 million people). Madrid is inland; Seville is near the coast.

OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Madrid, Seville and 913 other cities for both of you at once.

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