Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alicante and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Alicante: $1,814 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Alicante
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Alicante Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Alicante

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,814

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,814 in Alicante versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Alicante $1,814
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,801 in Alicante versus $3,296 in Madrid.

Alicante $2,801
Madrid $3,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Alicante versus $4,328 in Madrid.

Alicante $3,788
Madrid $4,328

Living in Alicante costs roughly 20% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alicante 34% above, Madrid 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.14 €17.03

$18.20 €16.19

5.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.7

$68.1 €60.5

-3.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €10.00

$11.24 €9.99

Cappuccino

$2.21 €1.97

$3.15 €2.80

-29.84%

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

$2.06 €1.83

$3.36 €2.99

-38.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$2.36 €2.10

-44.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.83 €3.40

-12.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$4.92 €4.38

-32.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.32 €1.17

-15.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.61 €1.43

1.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.65 €1.47

-2.42%

Eggs

$3.26 €2.90

$4.07 €3.62

-19.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.37 €15.45

$15.82 €14.07

9.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.79 €8.71

$9.49 €8.44

3.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.86 €14.11

$17.52 €15.59

-9.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$2.56 €2.27

0.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.09 €1.86

-0.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.47 €2.19

-27.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.49 €2.22

5.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.26 €2.01

-15.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$2.15 €1.91

-6.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.57 €1.40

-21.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 €0.58

$1.07 €0.95

-38.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.46 €5.75

$6.55 €5.82

-1.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$7.65 €6.81

-29.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.17 €1.04

1.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.22 €1.97

-7.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.63 €1.45

1.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.30 €23.39

$36.42 €32.39

-27.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 €2.76

$3.73 €3.32

-16.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.54 €1.37

-15.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.96 €15.09

$29.17 €25.95

-41.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.56

$1.78 €1.58

-1.12%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$35.5K €31.6K

0.44%

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

$29.1K €25.9K

$33.2K €29.6K

-12.34%

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

$141 €125

$189 €168

-25.59%

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

$18.27 €16.25

$17.48 €15.55

4.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.69 €26.41

$34.32 €30.53

-13.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.64 €36.15

$48.62 €43.25

-16.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.59 €14.76

$18.44 €16.40

-10.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 €8.06

$11.04 €9.82

-17.84%

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

$708 €629

$693 €617

2.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,120 €8,113

$17.8K €15.8K

-48.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.1 €76.5

$84.6 €75.3

1.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.13 €31.25

$42.50 €37.80

-17.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 €83.3

$110 €98.1

-15.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €92.0

$112 €99.9

-7.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 €892

$1,506 €1,339

-33.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$846 €752

$1,170 €1,041

-27.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,685 €1,499

$2,756 €2,451

-38.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,519 €1,351

$1,845 €1,641

-17.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,155 €3,696

$9,168 €8,155

-54.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,008 €1,786

$4,234 €3,766

-52.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,900 €1,690

$2,483 €2,209

-23.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

3.14

-4.78%

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

Last update for Alicante: October 12, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alicante

$846 46.6%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7% 38.3% $324

Groceries & Markets

Alicante

$285 15.7%

Madrid

$303 13.4% 6.4% $18

Eating Out

Alicante

$250 13.8%

Madrid

$269 11.9% 7.5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alicante

$189 10.4%

Madrid

$241 10.6% 27.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Alicante

$143 7.9%

Madrid

$157 7% 9.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Alicante

$59 3.2%

Madrid

$71 3.1% 20.3% $12

Getting Around

Alicante

$43 2.3%

Madrid

$54 2.4% 27.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,003 in Alicante and $1,506 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 31% 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 Alicante vs $68.0 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $303 per month, with Alicante cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Alicante

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

23:57 11:57 PM

Same time as Alicante

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,282

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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

Alicante vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alicante wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alicante the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 31% 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: $1,003 in Alicante versus $1,506 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $708 in Alicante versus $693 in Madrid. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,814 in Alicante versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alicante but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Alicante the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alicante delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,814 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alicante hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Alicante 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 Alicante gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.