Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albacete and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Albacete: $1,551 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Albacete
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Albacete Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Albacete

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,551

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Albacete and in Madrid

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Albacete and in Madrid actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,551 in Albacete versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Albacete $1,551
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,230 in Albacete versus $3,296 in Madrid.

Albacete $2,230
Madrid $3,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,910 in Albacete versus $4,328 in Madrid.

Albacete $2,910
Madrid $4,328

Living in Albacete costs roughly 32% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Albacete 15% above, Madrid 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.35 €12.77

$18.20 €16.19

-21.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.40 €43.05

$68.1 €60.5

-28.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 €8.22

$11.24 €9.99

-17.79%

Cappuccino

$2.18 €1.94

$3.15 €2.80

-30.79%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 €2.08

$3.36 €2.99

-30.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.36 €2.10

-29.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.82 €2.51

$3.83 €3.40

-26.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 €4.20

$4.92 €4.38

-3.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.32 €1.17

-37.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.61 €1.43

-49.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.65 €1.47

1.82%

Eggs

$2.98 €2.65

$4.07 €3.62

-26.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.58 €14.75

$15.82 €14.07

4.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.69 €5.06

$9.49 €8.44

-40.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.42 €15.49

$17.52 €15.59

-0.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.56 €2.27

3.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.09 €1.86

-0.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$2.47 €2.19

0.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.49 €2.22

0.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.26 €2.01

-2.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.15 €1.91

0.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.38

$1.57 €1.40

-0.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$1.07 €0.95

-49.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.53 €5.81

$6.55 €5.82

-0.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.32 €4.73

$7.65 €6.81

-30.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.17 €1.04

3.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.22 €1.97

-0.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.63 €1.45

-16.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.75 €14.90

$36.42 €32.39

-54.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$3.73 €3.32

2.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.54 €1.37

0.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.98 €26.67

$29.17 €25.95

2.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.78 €1.58

-6.18%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.6K €30.7K

$35.5K €31.6K

-2.60%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$29.5K €26.2K

$33.2K €29.6K

-11.33%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$187 €166

$189 €168

-0.94%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$18.20 €16.19

$17.48 €15.55

4.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.99 €15.11

$34.32 €30.53

-50.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.62 €43.25

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.43 €3.94

$18.44 €16.40

-75.98%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 €8.07

$11.04 €9.82

-17.84%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$676 €602

$693 €617

-2.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K €15.6K

$17.8K €15.8K

-1.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.5 €73.4

$84.6 €75.3

-2.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.22 €38.44

$42.50 €37.80

1.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 €80.1

$110 €98.1

-18.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$112 €99.9

0.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$920 €818

$1,506 €1,339

-38.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$662 €589

$1,170 €1,041

-43.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 €1,103

$2,756 €2,451

-55.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$947 €843

$1,845 €1,641

-48.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,301 €2,047

$9,168 €8,155

-74.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,041 €1,816

$4,234 €3,766

-51.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,959 €1,743

$2,483 €2,209

-21.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Albacete: October 11, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Albacete

$662 42.7%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7% 76.7% $508

Groceries & Markets

Albacete

$258 16.7%

Madrid

$303 13.4% 17.3% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albacete

$222 14.3%

Madrid

$241 10.6% 8.3% $18

Eating Out

Albacete

$208 13.4%

Madrid

$269 11.9% 29.2% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Albacete

$148 9.6%

Madrid

$157 7% 6.2% $9.2

Getting Around

Albacete

$34 2.2%

Madrid

$54 2.4% 61.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Albacete

$18 * 1.2%

Madrid

$71 3.1% 290% $53

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $920 in Albacete and $1,506 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 27% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $48.00 in Albacete vs $68.0 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $303 per month, with Albacete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Albacete

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

Same time as Albacete

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,206

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Albacete Madrid 220 km

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Albacete
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Albacete vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Albacete and Madrid differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($1,551 vs $2,265 including rent). Albacete is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Madrid. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $920 in Albacete versus $1,506 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Albacete – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,551 per month in Albacete versus $2,265 in Madrid – a 46% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,551 in Albacete versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Albacete but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Albacete the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Albacete and Madrid are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Albacete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.