Civil Engineer Salary: Madrid vs Seattle
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇪🇸 Madrid
Spain
€34K EUR
$36K USD
$54K PPP
VS
USD Difference
-72%
Madrid vs Seattle
🇺🇸 Seattle
United States
$131K USD
$131K USD
$131K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Madrid | Seattle | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | €34K EUR | $131K USD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $36K | $131K | -72% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $54K | $131K 🏆 | -59% |
| 25th Percentile | €27K EUR | $105K USD | — |
| Median | €34K EUR | $131K USD | — |
| 75th Percentile | €42K EUR | $164K USD | — |
| Annual Mean | €36K EUR | $142K USD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Madrid offers a Civil Engineer salary of $36K USD, while Seattle offers $131K USD — a difference of -72% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Madrid's salary is worth $54K in US purchasing power terms, versus $131K for Seattle. This means Seattle 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.