Game Developer Salary: Madrid vs San Francisco
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇪🇸 Madrid
Spain
€36K EUR
$39K USD
$57K PPP
VS
USD Difference
-74%
Madrid vs San Francisco
🇺🇸 San Francisco
United States
$148K USD
$148K USD
$148K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Madrid | San Francisco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | €36K EUR | $148K USD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $39K | $148K | -74% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $57K | $148K 🏆 | -61% |
| 25th Percentile | €29K EUR | $118K USD | — |
| Median | €36K EUR | $148K USD | — |
| 75th Percentile | €45K EUR | $185K USD | — |
| Annual Mean | €39K EUR | $160K USD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Madrid offers a Game Developer salary of $39K USD, while San Francisco offers $148K USD — a difference of -74% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Madrid's salary is worth $57K in US purchasing power terms, versus $148K for San Francisco. This means San Francisco 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.