Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Madrid

Name: Madrid
Address: Madrid, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Madrid: $2,265 a month against $2,518 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,518

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,518 per month in Brisbane vs $2,265 in Madrid, rent included.

Brisbane $2,518
Madrid $2,265

A couple spends around $3,720 per month in Brisbane vs $3,311 in Madrid, rent included.

Brisbane $3,720
Madrid $3,311

A family of three spends $4,922 per month in Brisbane vs $4,356 in Madrid, rent included.

Brisbane $4,922
Madrid $4,356

Brisbane costs about 11% more than Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Brisbane and Madrid sit above the global median – Brisbane by 86%, Madrid by 67%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.39 A$25.02

$18.06 €16.06

-3.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.9 A$102

$66.5 €59.2

6.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.95

$11.40 €10.14

-2.72%

Cappuccino

$4.43 A$6.38

$3.03 €2.69

46.20%

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

$2.90 A$4.17

$3.25 €2.89

-10.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.49

$2.32 €2.07

4.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 A$12.12

$3.85 €3.42

118.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.31 A$11.96

$4.82 €4.29

72.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 A$2.40

$1.32 €1.18

26.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 A$3.92

$1.61 €1.43

68.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.29

$1.75 €1.56

30.86%

Eggs

$4.82 A$6.94

$4.06 €3.61

18.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.03

$16.34 €14.54

-44.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.18 A$13.21

$9.61 €8.55

-4.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 A$20.45

$17.43 €15.50

-18.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 A$6.20

$2.63 €2.34

63.88%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.38

$2.18 €1.93

39.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 A$4.32

$2.50 €2.22

20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 A$6.84

$2.60 €2.32

82.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.92

$2.25 €2.01

20.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.37

$2.08 €1.85

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 A$3.48

$1.56 €1.39

55.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.71

$1.08 €0.96

10.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.67 A$55.7

$6.70 €5.96

477.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 A$18.21

$7.82 €6.95

61.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.40 A$7.77

$1.22 €1.08

342.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 A$7.38

$2.25 €2.00

128.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 A$0.53

$1.63 €1.45

-77.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.72 A$29.81

$37.72 €33.56

-45.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 A$4.20

$3.81 €3.39

-23.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 A$2.68

$1.49 €1.33

24.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.05 A$59.1

$29.99 €26.68

36.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.79 €1.59

-21.79%

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

$29.7K A$42.8K

$33.7K €29.9K

-11.60%

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

$26.0K A$37.4K

$33.3K €29.6K

-21.92%

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

$159 A$229

$190 €169

-16.38%

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

$26.52 A$38.16

$17.57 €15.63

50.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 A$87.2

$35.34 €31.43

71.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 A$87.6

$49.52 €44.04

22.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.22 A$31.97

$18.20 €16.19

22.09%

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 A$20.34

$11.09 €9.87

27.50%

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

$1,952 A$2,808

$684 €609

185.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K A$18.3K

$18.2K €16.2K

-30.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.3 A$120

$87.8 €78.1

-5.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.69 A$62.9

$42.06 €37.41

3.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$163

$111 €98.3

2.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$160

$113 €100

-1.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,939 A$2,790

$1,509 €1,342

28.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 A$1,902

$1,162 €1,034

13.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,408 A$4,904

$2,804 €2,494

21.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,242 A$3,226

$1,867 €1,661

20.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,271 A$11.9K

$9,017 €8,021

-8.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,920 A$8,518

$4,294 €3,819

37.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,183 A$6,020

$2,495 €2,219

67.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

3.14

85.03%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 19, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.3K 52.5%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.3% 12.1% $160

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$363 14.4%

Madrid

$308 13.6% 15.3% $55

Eating Out

Brisbane

$306 12.1%

Madrid

$266 11.8% 12.9% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$246 9.8%

Madrid

$243 10.7% 1.2% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6.3%

Madrid

$159 7% 0.6% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.5%

Madrid

$72 3.2% 19.5% $17

Getting Around

Brisbane

$34 1.4%

Madrid

$56 2.5% 61.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,939 in Brisbane versus $1,509 in Madrid. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 68% higher in Brisbane, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Brisbane versus $66.0 in Madrid. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $308 – making Madrid the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

02:52 2:52 AM

8 h behind Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brisbane Madrid 17,440 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
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

Brisbane vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 11% more than Madrid, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,777 per month in Brisbane and $3,398 in Madrid. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Madrid, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Brisbane, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Brisbane and $66.0 in Madrid. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Madrid, where all-in costs run around $2,265, than in Brisbane at $2,518. In Madrid it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brisbane it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Madrid costs $2,265 versus $2,518 in Brisbane. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Madrid. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brisbane makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.