All countries / Spain / Madrid vs Seville
Madrid vs Seville
The short answer
Seville is the cheaper trip, by roughly 20% a day — $70–130 against $90–160 mid-range per person. Both are at their best in Apr–May, Oct, so one trip can take in both.
Side by side
Mid-range, per person, in US dollars. Both guides were costed the same way — see how we work these out.
| 🇪🇸 Madrid | 🇪🇸 Seville | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily budgetmid-range, per person | $90–160 | $70–130cheaper |
| Cheap meallocal staple | €12–16 ($14–18) | €10–14 ($11–16)cheaper |
| Mid-range hotelper night | €100–180 ($114–205) | €70–130 ($80–148)cheaper |
| Transit ridesingle trip | €1.50 ($1.70) | €1.40 ($1.60) |
| Avg. monthly salarylocal, for context | ≈ $2,300 | ≈ $1,650 |
When to go
Filled months are the ones each guide recommends; hollow ones it warns off.
Madrid
JFMAMJJASOND
Apr–May, Sep–Oct
Seville
JFMAMJJASOND
Mar–May, Oct–Nov
What you'd actually do
A few of each guide's picks, one per category before seconds — the full lists are on the guides themselves.
🇪🇸 Madrid
Spain's grand capital — golden-hour tapas crawls, world-class art museums, and a city that doesn't sit down to dinner before 9pm.
- Museo Chicote$$$Nightlife
- Casa Botín$$$Restaurants
- Teatro Real$$$Theater & shows
- 1862 Dry Bar$$Nightlife
- Mercado de San Miguel$$Restaurants
🇪🇸 Seville
Andalusia's soul — flamenco, orange-tree-lined plazas, and Moorish palaces, best enjoyed at the slow pace the heat demands.
- El Rinconcillo$$Nightlife
- Casa Morales$Restaurants
- Los Gallos$$$Flamenco & shows
- La Terraza del EME$$$Nightlife
- Bodega Santa Cruz (Las Columnas)$Restaurants
Practicalities
| Madrid | Seville | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Spanish (Castellano) — considered the clearest, most 'standard' accent in the country. English is common in the center and hotels, less so in neighborhood bars. | Spanish only — no co-official regional language, but a distinctive, fast Andalusian accent that drops final 's' and 'd' sounds, which can trip up even confident Spanish speakers. |
| Tap water | Safe to drink throughout the city, though many locals prefer bottled for taste | Safe to drink throughout the city |
The same in both:
- Currency
- Euro (€). US$1 ≈ €0.88 (€1 ≈ $1.14)
- Time zone
- CET (UTC+1), CEST (UTC+2) in summer
- Power
- Type C/F plugs, 230V
- Emergency
- 112 general emergency (EU-wide)