Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barakaldo and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Barakaldo: $1,633 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Barakaldo
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Barakaldo Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Barakaldo

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,633

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,633 in Barakaldo versus $2,304 in Madrid.

Barakaldo $1,633
Madrid $2,304

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,448 in Barakaldo versus $3,389 in Madrid.

Barakaldo $2,448
Madrid $3,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,264 in Barakaldo versus $4,475 in Madrid.

Barakaldo $3,264
Madrid $4,475

Living in Barakaldo costs roughly 29% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barakaldo 20% above, Madrid 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.13 €15.34

$17.73 €15.88

-3.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 €60.6

$66.9 €59.9

1.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.39 €11.09

$11.30 €10.12

9.65%

Cappuccino

$2.63 €2.35

$3.04 €2.72

-13.49%

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

$3.04 €2.72

$3.36 €3.01

-9.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.83

$2.35 €2.11

-12.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 €3.00

$3.89 €3.49

-13.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 €2.92

$4.80 €4.30

-32.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.32 €1.18

-6.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.64 €1.47

0.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.72 €1.54

-18.60%

Eggs

$3.36 €3.01

$4.20 €3.77

-20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.37 €11.08

$15.91 €14.24

-22.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 €7.04

$9.36 €8.38

-16.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.26 €12.77

$17.21 €15.41

-17.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 €2.61

$2.56 €2.29

13.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.09 €1.88

-30.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 €2.30

$2.55 €2.28

0.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 €2.26

$2.58 €2.31

-1.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 €1.45

$2.31 €2.07

-29.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.17 €1.94

1.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.50 €1.35

-14.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 €0.77

$1.07 €0.96

-19.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.72 €6.02

$6.57 €5.88

2.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 €7.15

$7.87 €7.05

1.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.25

$1.21 €1.08

14.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.60

$2.17 €1.94

-17.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.50

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.61 €29.20

$37.53 €33.61

-13.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.61 €5.02

$3.76 €3.37

49.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.49 €1.33

-30.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.32 €26.26

$30.17 €27.02

-2.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.85 €1.65

-2.70%

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

$32.9K €29.5K

$33.9K €30.3K

-2.86%

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

$29.4K €26.3K

$33.3K €29.8K

-11.71%

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

$143 €128

$192 €172

-25.46%

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

$18.23 €16.33

$17.66 €15.81

3.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.63 €20.26

$35.07 €31.41

-35.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.92 €40.23

$47.27 €42.34

-4.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 €14.23

$18.23 €16.32

-12.84%

Cinema Ticket

$9.94 €8.90

$11.29 €10.11

-11.96%

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

$483 €433

$687 €615

-29.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €9,038

$18.0K €16.1K

-43.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.4 €86.3

$86.5 €77.5

11.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.25 €28.88

$41.65 €37.30

-22.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 €66.8

$108 €96.8

-30.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$112 €100.0

7.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$896 €802

$1,508 €1,351

-40.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$675 €605

$1,210 €1,083

-44.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 €1,217

$2,829 €2,534

-51.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,024 €917

$2,004 €1,795

-48.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,327 €2,979

$9,002 €8,062

-63.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,222 €1,990

$4,710 €4,218

-52.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,779 €1,593

$2,453 €2,197

-27.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

3.14

-5.10%

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

Last update for Barakaldo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barakaldo

$675 41.3%

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5% 79.2% $534

Groceries & Markets

Barakaldo

$265 16.2%

Madrid

$304 13.2% 15% $40

Eating Out

Barakaldo

$249 15.3%

Madrid

$264 11.5% 6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barakaldo

$184 11.3%

Madrid

$244 10.6% 33% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Barakaldo

$145 8.9%

Madrid

$157 6.8% 7.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Barakaldo

$65 4%

Madrid

$70 3% 7.8% $5

Getting Around

Barakaldo

$50 3.1%

Madrid

$55 2.4% 10.7% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $896 in Barakaldo and $1,508 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 38% 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: $68 in Barakaldo vs $67 in Madrid. Groceries flip the comparison at $265 vs $304, with Barakaldo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barakaldo

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

03:41 3:41 AM

Same time as Barakaldo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

101,229

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Barakaldo Madrid 330 km

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Barakaldo
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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

Barakaldo vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,633 in Barakaldo and $2,304 in Madrid, so Barakaldo is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Barakaldo. 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: $896 in Barakaldo versus $1,508 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $483 in Barakaldo versus $687 in Madrid. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Barakaldo runs roughly 13% less than in Madrid. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barakaldo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Barakaldo and Madrid are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Barakaldo wins on affordability, Madrid on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.