--- title: "Dublin vs Madrid: Class A office comparison" description: "Side-by-side Class A office comparison for Dublin and Madrid — rent, vacancy, talent, tax, lease norms, transit, and top submarkets." canonical: https://classa.info/compare/dublin-vs-madrid pageType: comparison lastUpdated: 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z license: "CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Class A Atlas (https://classa.info)." --- > Dublin ($78/sqft, 14.3% vacancy) and Madrid ($41/sqft, 8.6% vacancy) compete on different axes: Dublin on talent depth and Madrid on rent and tax. ## TL;DR - Class A rent: Dublin $78/sqft vs Madrid $41/sqft. - Vacancy: Dublin 14.3% vs Madrid 8.6%. - Talent index: Dublin 86 vs Madrid 78. - Corporate tax: Dublin 12.5% vs Madrid 25%. - Premium flex/seat/month: Dublin $720 vs Madrid $780. # Dublin vs Madrid: Class A office comparison **Dublin ($78/sqft, 14.3% vacancy) and Madrid ($41/sqft, 8.6% vacancy) compete on different axes: Dublin on talent depth and Madrid on rent and tax.** ## TL;DR - [Class A](/glossary/class-a) rent: Dublin $78/sqft vs Madrid $41/sqft. - Vacancy: Dublin 14.3% vs Madrid 8.6%. - Talent index: Dublin 86 vs Madrid 78. - Corporate tax: Dublin 12.5% vs Madrid 25%. - [Premium flex](/topics/lease-vs-flex)/seat/month: Dublin $720 vs Madrid $780. ## Market data side-by-side | Metric | Dublin | Madrid| | Region | EMEA | EMEA| | Country | Ireland | Spain| | Class A rent (USD/sqft/yr) | $78 | $41| | Class A rent (local) | 65 EUR | 38 EUR| | Vacancy | 14.3% | 8.6%| | Trend | softening | rising| | Prime yield | 4.8% | 4.6%| | Premium flex / seat / month (USD) | $720 | $780| | Submarkets covered | 5 | 5| | Corporate tax | 12.5% | 25%| ## Lease norms | Metric | Dublin | Madrid| | Typical term | 10 yrs | 7 yrs| | Typical rent-free | 12 mos | 14 mos| | Lease norms | FRI (Full Repairing and Insuring) leases dominate. 10-year terms with tenant break options at year 5 standard. Free rent of 9-15 months and TI of €60-€110/sqm typical. | Standard 5-year lease with 5-year extension option (5+5). Rent indexed to CPI annually. Service charges billed separately. Tenant typically pays IBI (real estate tax) and basura (waste tax). Bank guarantee of 3-6 months standard.| | Tax note | 12.5% headline corporate tax on trading income; 25% on passive income. Knowledge Development Box (KDB) effective 6.25% rate available for qualifying IP income. R&D tax credit at 30% supplements. | Headline corporate tax 25%. Madrid region offers some of Spain's most competitive personal income tax rates.| ## Talent | Metric | Dublin | Madrid| | Talent index (0–100) | 86 | 78| | Talent note | Deep tech, pharma, finance, and legal services talent. EU talent pool accessible without immigration friction. Strong feed from TCD, UCD, and the broader Irish university system. | Iberian peninsula's deepest financial-services and tech talent pool. Average all-in compensation indexes 78.| ## Transit & commute **Dublin:** Dublin Bus, Luas tram (Red, Green Lines), DART rail. MetroLink under construction (target 2031). Dublin Airport is bus-served (no rail). The Docklands trophy core is Luas Red Line and DART-served. **Madrid:** Madrid Metro covers all Class A clusters. AVE high-speed rail to Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, and Lisbon. Madrid-Barajas Airport is 12-25 minutes from CBD by Metro. ## Top submarkets — Dublin - [**Docklands & Grand Canal**](/cities/dublin/docklands-grand-canal) — [trophy tier](/topics/trophy-asset-selection) · €70/sqm/mo · ≈ $84.3 PSF/yr USD - [**CBD / St Stephen's Green**](/cities/dublin/cbd-st-stephens-green) — prime tier · €60/sqm/mo · ≈ $72.2 PSF/yr USD - [**Ballsbridge & Dublin 4**](/cities/dublin/ballsbridge-dublin-4) — prime tier · €56/sqm/mo · ≈ $67.4 PSF/yr USD ## Top submarkets — Madrid - [**Cuatro Torres**](/cities/madrid/cuatro-torres) — trophy tier · €50/sqft/yr · ≈ $54 PSF/yr USD - [**Castellana & AZCA**](/cities/madrid/castellana-azca) — trophy tier · €45/sqft/yr · ≈ $48.6 PSF/yr USD - [**Méndez Álvaro / Atocha**](/cities/madrid/mendez-alvaro) — prime tier · €32/sqft/yr · ≈ $34.6 PSF/yr USD ## Decision criteria ### Pick by cost Madrid is the cheaper Class A market on a USD basis. ### Pick by talent depth Dublin has the deeper talent index (86/100 vs 78/100). ### Pick by tax Dublin has the lower headline corporate tax (12.5% vs 25%). Local incentives can change the effective rate materially. ### Pick by lease optionality Dublin typical term is 10 years with 12 months free; Madrid runs 7 years with 14 months free. ### Pick by transit Dublin: Dublin Bus, Luas tram (Red, Green Lines), DART rail. MetroLink under construction (target 2031). Dublin Airport is bus-served (no rail). The Docklands trophy core is Luas Red Line and DART-served. Madrid: Madrid Metro covers all Class A clusters. AVE high-speed rail to Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, and Lisbon. Madrid-Barajas Airport is 12-25 minutes from CBD by Metro. ## Run a 4-city comparison Score Dublin, Madrid and up to two more markets side-by-side on Class A rent, vacancy, talent, corporate tax, and premium flex pricing — all in USD. [**Run a 4-city comparison →**](/tools/city-comparator) ## Frequently asked questions ****Is Class A office cheaper in Dublin or Madrid?**** : Madrid is cheaper on a USD basis: $41/sqft vs $78/sqft. ****Which has better talent depth, Dublin or Madrid?**** : Dublin indexes higher on talent depth (86 vs 78). ****Which has more sublease availability, Dublin or Madrid?**** : Dublin carries higher vacancy (14.3% vs 8.6%) and therefore typically more [sublease](/topics/sublease-strategy)">sublease overhang. ****What lease term should I expect in Dublin vs Madrid?**** : Dublin typical term is 10 years with 12 months rent-free; Madrid typical term is 7 years with 14 months rent-free. ****How does transit and commuter access compare?**** : Dublin: Dublin Bus, Luas tram (Red, Green Lines), DART rail. MetroLink under construction (target 2031). Dublin Airport is bus-served (no rail). The Docklands trophy core is Luas Red Line and DART-served. Madrid: Madrid Metro covers all Class A clusters. AVE high-speed rail to Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, and Lisbon. Madrid-Barajas Airport is 12-25 minutes from CBD by Metro. ## Editorial provenance Reviewed by [**Samuel Okafor**](/about/authors/samuel-okafor) — EMEA contributing editor. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our [methodology](/about/methodology) and [editorial standards](/about/editorial-standards). ### Primary sources for this page - [CBRE Marketview reports](https://www.cbre.com/insights) — CBRE - [JLL Office Insight](https://www.jll.com/en/trends-and-insights) — JLL - [Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat](https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/insights) — Cushman & Wakefield - [Savills World Research](https://www.savills.com/research_articles/) — Savills - [Colliers Global Office Outlook](https://www.colliers.com/en/research) — Colliers [Full sources index](/about/sources) · [Submit a correction](/about/corrections) --- Citation: Source: Class A Atlas (https://classa.info/compare/dublin-vs-madrid), updated 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z.