Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Madrid: $2,311 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,311

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $2,311 in Madrid.

Austin, TX $2,704
Madrid $2,311

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,324 in Madrid.

Austin, TX $4,133
Madrid $3,324

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $4,337 in Madrid.

Austin, TX $5,562
Madrid $4,337

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 17% more expensive than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Madrid 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$18.11 €16.14

11.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$67.7 €60.4

25.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$11.16 €9.95

10.66%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.10 €2.76

76.45%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$3.25 €2.90

17.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.25 €2.01

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.87 €3.45

108.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$4.98 €4.44

80.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.43 €1.27

-20.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.60 €1.43

136.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.68 €1.50

93.45%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$4.24 €3.78

-2.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$17.07 €15.22

-23.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$9.08 €8.10

57.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$17.61 €15.70

-9.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.52 €2.24

73.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.18 €1.95

-33.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.59 €2.31

75.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.53 €2.26

65.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.21 €1.97

19.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.18 €1.94

8.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.57 €1.40

12.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.05 €0.93

105.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$6.65 €5.93

47.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$7.78 €6.94

89.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.17 €1.04

137.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.26 €2.01

53.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.71 €1.52

-12.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$37.14 €33.11

9.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.74 €3.33

-28.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.49 €1.33

6.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$30.16 €26.89

17.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.84 €1.64

-46.20%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$34.8K €31.1K

2.78%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$33.4K €29.7K

-18.53%

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

$219 $219

$185 €165

18.27%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$18.51 €16.50

213.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$34.78 €31.01

96.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$49.99 €44.57

15.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$18.11 €16.14

-18.17%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$11.24 €10.03

25.71%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$666 €594

126.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$18.1K €16.1K

18.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$85.5 €76.3

-39.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$43.61 €38.88

1.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$109 €96.8

-21.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$112 €99.6

-5.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,524 €1,359

26.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$1,193 €1,063

6.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$2,708 €2,414

35.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,799 €1,604

40.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$9,164 €8,171

-16.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$4,169 €3,717

-23.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$2,478 €2,209

106.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.08

120.45%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Madrid

$1.2K 52.1% 6.3% $80

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Madrid

$308 13.4% 23.6% $95

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Madrid

$267 11.7% 23.3% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Madrid

$239 10.4% 30.9% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Madrid

$157 6.9% 22.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Madrid

$72 3.2% 15.9% $14

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Madrid

$55 2.4% 3.3% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $1,524 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 106% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $68.0 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $308 per month, with Madrid cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

04:48 4:48 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Madrid 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Madrid

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Austin, TX vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madrid wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Madrid the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 106% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $1,524 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,311 in Madrid – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Madrid runs roughly 9% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,311 in Madrid versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Madrid but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Madrid the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Madrid delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,311 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Madrid hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX 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 Madrid gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.