Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alcala de Henares and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Alcala de Henares: $1,932 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Alcala de Henares
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Alcala de Henares Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Alcala de Henares

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,932

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alcala de Henares 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 Alcala de Henares and in Madrid actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,932 in Alcala de Henares versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Alcala de Henares $1,932
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,723 in Alcala de Henares versus $3,296 in Madrid.

Alcala de Henares $2,723
Madrid $3,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,515 in Alcala de Henares versus $4,328 in Madrid.

Alcala de Henares $3,515
Madrid $4,328

Living in Alcala de Henares costs roughly 15% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alcala de Henares 43% above, Madrid 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.00 €15.12

$18.20 €16.19

-6.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €58.5

$68.1 €60.5

-3.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.86

$11.24 €9.99

-1.42%

Cappuccino

$2.72 €2.42

$3.15 €2.80

-13.65%

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

$3.34 €2.97

$3.36 €2.99

-0.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.67

$2.36 €2.10

-20.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.96 €3.52

$3.83 €3.40

3.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.64 €4.13

$4.92 €4.38

-5.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.05

$1.32 €1.17

-9.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.61 €1.43

-3.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.65 €1.47

4.24%

Eggs

$2.96 €2.64

$4.07 €3.62

-27.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.99 €19.56

$15.82 €14.07

39.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 €8.18

$9.49 €8.44

-3.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.25 €15.35

$17.52 €15.59

-1.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.56 €2.27

4.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$2.09 €1.86

10.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.47 €2.19

-11.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.29

$2.49 €2.22

3.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.26 €2.01

-5.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.15 €1.91

-0.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.63

$1.07 €0.95

-34.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 €5.44

$6.55 €5.82

-6.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 €6.98

$7.65 €6.81

2.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.17 €1.04

4.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.22 €1.97

-3.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.63 €1.45

-10.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.53 €41.39

$36.42 €32.39

27.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.80 €3.38

$3.73 €3.32

1.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.54 €1.37

25.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.26 €20.69

$29.17 €25.95

-20.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.78 €1.58

1.12%

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

$35.7K €31.8K

$35.5K €31.6K

0.62%

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

$30.3K €26.9K

$33.2K €29.6K

-8.89%

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

$189 €168

-0.04%

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

$19.65 €17.48

$17.48 €15.55

12.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.18 €26.85

$34.32 €30.53

-12.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.29 €35.84

$48.62 €43.25

-17.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.12 €7.22

$18.44 €16.40

-55.97%

Cinema Ticket

$9.43 €8.39

$11.04 €9.82

-14.58%

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

$178 €159

$693 €617

-74.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,820 €5,177

$17.8K €15.8K

-67.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.7 €65.6

$84.6 €75.3

-12.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.52 €32.48

$42.50 €37.80

-14.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.2 €69.6

$110 €98.1

-29.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 €83.9

$112 €99.9

-15.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$966 €859

$1,506 €1,339

-35.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$879 €782

$1,170 €1,041

-24.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,858 €1,653

$2,756 €2,451

-32.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 €1,016

$1,845 €1,641

-38.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,260 €3,789

$9,168 €8,155

-53.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,507 €3,119

$4,234 €3,766

-17.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 €1,544

$2,483 €2,209

-30.11%

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 Alcala de Henares: 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

Alcala de Henares

$879 45.5%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7% 33.1% $291

Groceries & Markets

Alcala de Henares

$310 16.1%

Madrid

$303 13.4% 2.2% $7

Eating Out

Alcala de Henares

$252 13%

Madrid

$269 11.9% 6.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alcala de Henares

$239 12.4%

Madrid

$241 10.6% 0.9% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Alcala de Henares

$127 6.6%

Madrid

$157 7% 23.6% $30

Getting Around

Alcala de Henares

$66 3.4%

Madrid

$54 2.4% 17.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Alcala de Henares

$59 3.1%

Madrid

$71 3.1% 19.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $966 in Alcala de Henares and $1,506 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 43% 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: $66.0 in Alcala de Henares vs $68.0 in Madrid. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $303, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Alcala de Henares

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

Same time as Alcala de Henares

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

199,184

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Alcala de Henares vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alcala de Henares and Madrid differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($1,932 vs $2,265 including rent). Alcala de Henares is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 43% 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: $966 in Alcala de Henares versus $1,506 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $178 in Alcala de Henares versus $693 in Madrid. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Madrid pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,932 in Alcala de Henares versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Alcala de Henares but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Alcala de Henares 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, Alcala de Henares 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 Alcala de Henares gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.