BerlinvsSan Sebastian
💰
Berlin saves you $500/month
20% cheaper on rent, food & transport
📶
San Sebastian has 2x faster internet
150 Mbps avg download speed
🌡️
Temperate vs Oceanic climate
Different weather patterns year-round
🛂
Spain offers a digital nomad visa
Long-stay visa for remote workers
💰 Cost of Living Breakdown
Monthly expenses comparison in USD
Expense
Berlin
San Sebastian
Total Budget
$2,000/mo ✓
$2,500/mo
Rent (1BR)
$1,200/mo
$1,100/mo ✓
Coworking
$200/mo
$200/mo
Meal Out
$10 ✓
$12
Coffee
$4
$3 ✓
Berlin is $500/mo cheaper (20% savings)
💻 Remote Work Essentials
Internet, timezone, and language comparison
🇩🇪 Berlin
📶 Internet70-150 Mbps
🕐 TimezoneUTC+1
🗣️ Englishmedium
🛂 Nomad VisaNot available
Working hours overlap:
🇺🇸 US West2h
🇺🇸 US East5h
🇬🇧 London8h
🇩🇪 Berlin8h
🇪🇸 San Sebastian
📶 Internet150 Mbps
🕐 TimezoneUTC+0
🗣️ Englishmedium
🛂 Nomad VisaAvailable
Working hours overlap:
🇺🇸 US West3h
🇺🇸 US East6h
🇬🇧 London8h
🇩🇪 Berlin8h
🌡️ Climate Comparison
Weather patterns and best times to visit
Berlin
ClimateTemperate
Avg Temp11°C
Rainy Days125/year
Best months: August, May, July, September
San Sebastian
ClimateOceanic
Avg Temp15°C
Rainy Days181/year
Quarterly Temperatures
Jan
2°9°
Apr
10°14°
Jul
20°20°
Oct
11°18°
BerlinSan Sebastian
📊 Full Comparison
Category
🇩🇪Berlin
🇪🇸San Sebastian
💰
Monthly Budget
$2,000
Winner$2,500
📶
Internet Speed
70 Mbps
150 Mbps
Winner🛡️
Safety
4/5
4.8/5
Winner⭐
Nomad Score
4.2/10
4.3/10
🍽️
Food Scene
9/10
10/10
🎉
Nightlife
9/10
Winner7/10
🚶
Walkability
8/10
9/10
👥
Community
large
Winnermedium
3
Berlin wins
vs
2
San Sebastian wins
Which City is Right for You?
Recommendations based on your nomad style
💵Budget Nomad
Berlin
$500/mo cheaper with similar quality of life
💻Developer
San Sebastian
150 Mbps is essential for video calls & uploads
🦋Social Butterfly
Berlin
Larger nomad community for networking
🛡️Safety-First
San Sebastian
Significantly higher safety rating
🍜Foodie
Either works
Both have great food scenes
🎉Party Person
Berlin
World-famous nightlife scene
🇩🇪Berlin
Pros
- +Thriving startup ecosystem and tech scene - Europe's startup capital
- +World-class public transportation with U-Bahn S-Bahn and trams
- +Legendary nightlife and clubbing scene with 24/7 culture
- +Affordable compared to other Western European capitals
Cons
- −Cold and gray winters with limited daylight from November to February
- −Bureaucracy is notoriously slow and paper-based
- −Cash-dominant culture - many places don't accept cards
- −Rental market extremely competitive - hard to find apartments
🇪🇸San Sebastian
Pros
- +World-class gastronomy with most Michelin stars per capita globally
- +La Concha beach consistently ranked among Europe's best urban beaches
- +Exceptional surf scene at Zurriola with year-round waves
- +Very safe city with extremely low crime rates
Cons
- −One of Spain's most expensive cities for rent and dining
- −Rainy climate with 1500mm annual precipitation even in summer
- −Smaller digital nomad community compared to Barcelona or Valencia
- −Limited coworking space options for such a developed city
