🇩🇪
Berlin
Germany
Counter-culture capital with legendary nightlife and history.
🇪🇸
Madrid
Spain
Spain's capital — museums, parks and endless nights.
Estimated monthly student budget
🇩🇪 Berlin
€1,050–1,350 / month
Estimated monthly student budget
🇪🇸 Madrid
€1,050–1,400 / month
Best for
🇩🇪 Berlin
- Students looking for a creative, alternative city
- Those who want legendary nightlife
- People interested in modern history
Best for
🇪🇸 Madrid
- Students looking for a large international city
- Those who want to travel frequently around Europe
- People interested in academic and professional opportunities
Category profile
How each city tends to feel across the things students care about — different, not better or worse.
Moderate
Cost of Living
Expensive
Very High
Nightlife
Very High
Fair
Weather
Very Good
Excellent
Travel Opportunities
Excellent
Iconic
Student Life
Very Active
Tight
Housing
Tight
Top-Tier
University Reputation
Top-Tier
Student insights
🇩🇪 Berlin
- World-famous nightlife and music scene
- Very international and multicultural
- Strong universities and English-taught programmes
Student insights
🇪🇸 Madrid
- Exceptional nightlife
- Outstanding national and international connections
- Highly prestigious universities
Student voice — 🇩🇪 Berlin
“There's no city like Berlin for nightlife.”
Student voice — 🇪🇸 Madrid
“Madrid is a city that never sleeps.”
🇩🇪 Berlin
Pros
- World-famous nightlife and music scene
- Very international and multicultural
- Strong universities and English-taught programmes
- Rich modern history and cultural offer
- Excellent rail and flight connections
Cons
- Housing market is increasingly difficult
- Long, grey winters
- Big-city logistics — long commutes possible
- Cost of living has risen sharply
- Iconic image creates high expectations
🇪🇸 Madrid
Pros
- Exceptional nightlife
- Outstanding national and international connections
- Highly prestigious universities
- Wide cultural and leisure offer
- Great networking and career opportunities
Cons
- Very expensive rent
- High cost of living by Spanish standards
- Large, sometimes overwhelming city
- Longer daily commutes than in mid-sized cities
- Less sense of student community than in more compact destinations
Have you studied in one of these cities?
Share your experience and help future students make better Erasmus decisions.