Biomedical Engineer Salary: Barcelona vs Madrid
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇪🇸 Barcelona
Spain
€34K EUR
$37K USD
$55K PPP
VS
USD Difference
-7%
Barcelona vs Madrid
🇪🇸 Madrid
Spain
€37K EUR
$40K USD
$59K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Barcelona | Madrid | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | €34K EUR | €37K EUR | — |
| USD Equivalent | $37K | $40K | -7% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $55K | $59K 🏆 | -7% |
| 25th Percentile | €28K EUR | €30K EUR | — |
| Median | €34K EUR | €37K EUR | — |
| 75th Percentile | €43K EUR | €46K EUR | — |
| Annual Mean | €37K EUR | €40K EUR | — |
What Does This Mean?
Barcelona offers a Biomedical Engineer salary of $37K USD, while Madrid offers $40K USD — a difference of -7% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Barcelona's salary is worth $55K in US purchasing power terms, versus $59K for Madrid. This means Madrid offers better real purchasing power for this role.
PPP adjustment accounts for differences in local prices — for example, housing costs 3x more in San Francisco than in Warsaw, so a San Francisco salary needs to be much higher to provide an equivalent standard of living.