Check the average architect salary in Madrid, Spain, with useful data and analysis about architecture jobs in Spain
Are you an architect or considering to become one? Check below the most up to date information on architecture wages in Madrid, Spain.
Average Architect Salary in Madrid, Spain
The average architect salary in Madrid, Spain is 1800 euros per month (net salary).
The average salary for all professions in Madrid, Spain is 1600 euros per month as of April, 2024.
There are other professions you may want to consider if you are an architect and you want to work in Spain. Among them are: 3D artist, construction manager, builder, graphic designer, interior designer.
Here are some of the largest architecture companies in Spain: A-cero arquitectos, Calatrava, Cadaval & Solà-Morales.
As the capital of Spain, Madrid has higher salaries than almost all other cities in the country. The only comparable city to Madrid in terms of income in Spain is Barcelona.
Architect job description
Architects create safe and efficient designs for new buildings, and alterations and redevelopment plans for existing ones.
Main job responsibilities:
- Lead and develop project plans from early stages of concept building up to building construction.
- Closely consult with clients for project specifications.
- Create specific project designs and requirements, and detailed drawings both by hand and digitally via computer-aided design (CAD) applications.
- Consult and liaise with construction professionals for building specifications feasibility.
- Work closely with a team of other construction professionals including engineers, construction managers, and subcontractors.
- Prepare construction budget and finances.
- Consider factors such as environment impact and town planning legislation for project plans.
- Applying for relevant government permits.
Other wages in the same sector in Madrid
Here are some other monthly average wages in the same sector in Spain:
| Job in Madrid | Average salary per month (net in EUR) |
|---|---|
| Engineering and Logistics Industry | |
| Driver (conductor) | 1000 euros / month |
| Truck Driver (camionero) | 1400 euros / month |
| Civil Engineer (ingeniero civil) | 1800 euros / month |
| Architect (arquitecto) | 1800 euros / month |
| Mechanical Engineer (ingeniero mecanico) | 2000 euros / month |
| Warehouse Manager (gerente de almacen) | 1600 euros / month |
How to get a job in Madrid, Spain
If you are looking to find a job in Madrid, or in any other city of Spain, know that the chances of starting a career will depend on a number of factors.
The first important factor is your citizenship. The opportunities and bureaucracy are different depending whether you are a Spanish and EU citizen, or a non-EU citizen.
If you are an EU citizen (or a Spanish citizen), you have free access to the Spanish job market. You can apply easily to any job with the same rights as locals.
If you are a non-EU citizen, usually you should apply for a work and resident permit outside Spain, but some exceptions apply. If you are already living in Spain with a residence permit based on another reason (as a student, or family reunification) you can then change the reason of your residence permit a work permit. If you have a family reunification permit, you don't need a work permit though, you can apply for at the same conditions as locals.
Here are some of websites if you are looking for a job in Spain:
Empleate - the official Spanish government website with jobs throughout the country.
Indeed - one of the largest websites with job offers in Spain.
Infoempleo - another large job portal from Spain.
Recognition of Diplomas in Spain
Some class of jobs might require your foreign diploma recognition. This will vary wildly from profession to profession, with some not even requiring any diploma (this depends on the level of skill and responsibility of the profession).
If your diploma was issued in the European Union, or in a Spanish speaking country, odds will be in your favor. If you degrees are from neither of these countries, it will depend on a specific evaluation from a government body. Then again, this is only necessary for regulated professions.
More information is available here (in Spanish).
Job Market in Madrid
The job market in Madrid is one of the most attractive ones in Spain, together with Barcelona. However, Spain does not fare well in terms of employment when compared to most of its other Western European peers.
Spain has basically three key problems affecting the attractiveness of its job market: high taxes, high minimum wage (for the local prices) and a high level of bureaucracy.
High taxes are prevalent in the Spanish economy and this affects the country's job market greatly. Taxes are pretty high regardless of the salaries. While other countries like Germany and UK are generally high tax countries, that is not the case for low income employees, making the job market much more dynamic. In Spain however, tax levels make it difficult especially for new and small companies to hire low skilled workers.
The second problem of the job market in Spain are high minimum wages. While this is less of a problem in Madrid and Barcelona, in smaller cities and rural areas hiring someone is oftentimes inviable due to the high costs which are not compatible with the local economy.
The third problem affecting the job market in Madrid and Spain as a whole is the intricate Spanish bureaucracy. It is fairly more complicated to hire and fire workers in Spain than in a number of European countries.
These three problems result in a higher than the average unemployment rate in Spain for EU standards. You can fetch data about unemployment in Spain here (in Spanish).
On the positive side, Madrid concentrates a good part of high paying jobs in Spain. Many of those are at an executive or technical level.
Cost of Living in Madrid, Spain
The cost of living in Spain is moderately high, with the Spanish capital being one of the most expensive cities in the country. Compared to other Western European countries, Spain (even Madrid) is still relatively affordable. This is true especially when compared to places like London, Germany, Switzerland or Scandinavia.
Rent is probably the highest cost when living in Madrid. Madrid (together with Barcelona) have the highest prices per square meter in all of Spain. This applies for both buying a property, as well as renting.
Groceries have pretty reasonable prices in Spain and do not differ greatly from what you can find in most cities in Western Europe. Eating out in Spain is usually cheaper than other countries in Western Europe. During weekdays, you can get a daily menu (menu del dia) for around 10 euros in many restaurants in the city.
Other Resources to Work and Live in Spain
If you want to work and live in Spain here are some interesting resources about the country:
How to immigrate to Spain as a Non-EU citizen
Average and Minimum Salary in Barcelona
Average and Minimum Salary in Madrid
Considering a job in Spain or already living in the country and have questions? Contact us for more information.