City comparison
Madrid vs San Sebastian: which is better to live in?
Quick verdict
San Sebastian is the cheaper of the two: our estimate for a single person is about €150 a month less than Madrid, mostly because of rent. San Sebastian has the milder winter (about 14°C vs 11°C average highs in Dec to Feb). Both are in Spain, so the visa rules, taxes and healthcare system are the same: the choice comes down to cost, climate and lifestyle.
Choose Madrid for
- Flights home
- Expat community
- Affordability
- Sunny, warm climate
Choose San Sebastian for
- Beach life
- Nature & green space
- Calm, slower pace
- Safety
- Lower living costs
Madrid vs San Sebastian at a glance
| Madrid | San Sebastian | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Spain | Spain |
| Single budget / month | €2,000 | €1,850 |
| Couple budget / month | €2,950 | €2,700 |
| 1-bed rent, center | €1,300 | €1,050 |
| Winter highs (Dec to Feb) | 11°C / 52°F | 14°C / 56°F |
| Summer highs (Jun to Aug) | 31°C / 88°F | 25°C / 77°F |
| Sunshine (hours/yr) | 2,744 | 1,784 |
| City size | Capital / metropolis | Mid-size city |
| Coastal | No | Yes |
| Direct flights to the US | Yes | Yes |
| Affordability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Sunny, warm climate | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| English-friendliness | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Safety | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Walkability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Public transport | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nature & green space | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Beach life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Mountains nearby | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Culture | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nightlife | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Family life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Remote-work scene | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Expat community | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Flights home | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Calm, slower pace | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
Cost of living: Madrid or San Sebastian?
By our estimates, a comfortable mid-range life costs about €2,000 a month for one person in Madrid and €1,850 in San Sebastian, rent included. For a couple it’s €2,950 vs €2,700, and for a family of four €4,400 vs €4,000.
Rent drives most of the gap: a one-bedroom in the center runs about €1,300 in Madrid against €1,050 in San Sebastian, while a monthly transit pass costs €33 vs -. Want to plug in your own lifestyle? Use the cost of living calculator.
Climate and weather
Winters average highs of about 11°C (52°F) in Madrid and 14°C (56°F) in San Sebastian. In summer it’s roughly 31°C vs 25°C. Madrid gets about 2,744 hours of sunshine a year and San Sebastian about 1,784.
2,744 hours of sunshine a year · 416 mm of rain a year · Source: AEMET 1991-2020 normals (Madrid, Buen Retiro), sunshine 1981-2010, via the Wikipedia climate table
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10°C / 50°F | 3°C / 37°F |
| Feb | 12°C / 54°F | 4°C / 39°F |
| Mar | 16°C / 61°F | 6°C / 43°F |
| Apr | 19°C / 66°F | 8°C / 47°F |
| May | 23°C / 74°F | 12°C / 53°F |
| Jun | 29°C / 84°F | 17°C / 62°F |
| Jul | 33°C / 91°F | 20°C / 67°F |
| Aug | 32°C / 90°F | 19°C / 67°F |
| Sep | 27°C / 80°F | 16°C / 60°F |
| Oct | 20°C / 67°F | 11°C / 52°F |
| Nov | 14°C / 56°F | 6°C / 44°F |
| Dec | 10°C / 51°F | 4°C / 39°F |
1,784 hours of sunshine a year · 1,747 mm of rain a year · Source: San Sebastian airport (Hondarribia) 1991-2020 normals (Meteo Climat) via the Wikipedia climate table
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13°C / 56°F | 5°C / 42°F |
| Feb | 14°C / 57°F | 5°C / 42°F |
| Mar | 16°C / 61°F | 8°C / 46°F |
| Apr | 18°C / 64°F | 9°C / 49°F |
| May | 21°C / 69°F | 12°C / 54°F |
| Jun | 23°C / 74°F | 15°C / 60°F |
| Jul | 25°C / 77°F | 18°C / 64°F |
| Aug | 26°C / 79°F | 18°C / 64°F |
| Sep | 24°C / 75°F | 15°C / 59°F |
| Oct | 21°C / 70°F | 12°C / 54°F |
| Nov | 16°C / 61°F | 8°C / 47°F |
| Dec | 14°C / 57°F | 6°C / 43°F |
Daily life
Madrid is a capital / metropolis; San Sebastian is a mid-size city on the coast. Madrid is Spain's capital and its best-connected city: world-class museums, a superb metro, big-city jobs and nonstops to much of the US. It is landlocked, hot in summer and cold in winter, and rents sit near the top of the Spanish range. San Sebastian is a small, safe and very beautiful seaside city, famous for its food and three city beaches. It is also one of the most expensive places to rent in our Spanish set, and it rains a lot.
Living in Madrid: the upsides and downsides
- Excellent metro, commuter trains and high-speed rail hub
- Largest job market and corporate base in Spain
- Dry, sunny weather with mountains about an hour away
- Downside: Rents are high: about EUR 23 per square meter citywide in September 2026
- Downside: No beach; the sea is 4 to 5 hours away by road
Living in San Sebastian: the upsides and downsides
- One of Europe's great food cities
- Three city beaches and green hills to hike
- Very safe and easy to walk or cycle
- Downside: High rents and very few long-term rentals
- Downside: Rainy, mild climate with fewer sunny days than southern Spain
Visas and residency
Both cities are in Spain, so you’d use the same residence routes either way:
- Spain Digital Nomad Visa (Telework Visa) - Digital nomad visa, open, €2,442/mo income
- Spain Entrepreneur Visa - Entrepreneur route, open, €600/mo income
- Spain Golden Visa (Closed 2025) - Golden visa, closed, €500,000 investment
- Spain Non-Lucrative Visa (Residence Without Work) - Retirement visa, open, €2,400/mo income
Read the full guides: living in Madrid and living in San Sebastian.
Related comparisons
- Madrid vs Barcelona
- Madrid vs Valencia
- Lisbon vs Madrid
- Madrid vs Seville
- Madrid vs Malaga
- Bordeaux vs San Sebastian
- Barcelona vs San Sebastian
- Madrid vs Palma de Mallorca
- Palma de Mallorca vs San Sebastian
- San Sebastian vs Valencia
Costs are our estimates for a comfortable mid-range lifestyle; scores are editorial, relative to the 56 cities we cover. Methodology.