Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Madrid Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Madrid

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Cartagena is 35.1% cheaper than Madrid without rent, and 37.9% cheaper with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Cartagena is 24.9% cheaper than Madrid without rent, and 39.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cartagena
Madrid
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.84 €11.95
$17.03 €14.7
-18.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.9 €49.13
$70.3 €60.7
-19.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.26 €7.14
$11.77 €10.16
-29.82%
Cappuccino
$2.54 €2.19
$3.21 €2.77
-20.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 €2.1
$3.18 €2.75
-23.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 €1.71
$2.1 €1.82
-5.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.43 €2.96
$4.13 €3.56
-16.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.39 €2.93
$4.49 €3.88
-24.50%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Cartagena
Madrid
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 €0.99
$1.23 €1.07
-7.32%
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 €0.9
$1.63 €1.41
-36.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.69 €1.46
$1.64 €1.41
3.05%
Eggs
$2.9 €2.51
$3.34 €2.89
-13.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.56 €9.98
$14.88 €12.84
-22.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.6 €7.42
$9.04 €7.81
-4.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.13 €12.2
$16.8 €14.5
-15.89%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €1.96
$2.73 €2.35
-16.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.77 €1.53
$2.15 €1.86
-17.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.38 €1.19
$2.5 €2.16
-44.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.7 €1.47
$2.67 €2.31
-36.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 €1.11
$2.14 €1.85
-39.72%
Onion (1kg)
$1.06 €0.92
$2.16 €1.87
-50.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 €0.92
$1.35 €1.17
-20.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 €0.45
$0.93 €0.81
-44.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.82 €5.03
$7.12 €6.15
-18.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.95 €5.14
$7.96 €6.87
-25.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 €0.96
$1.39 €1.2
-20.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.3 €1.12
$2.27 €1.96
-42.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Cartagena
Madrid
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.42 €1.22
$1.71 €1.47
-16.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.44 €9.88
$48.37 €41.77
-76.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.56 €3.08
$4.15 €3.59
-14.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.21 €1.05
$1.34 €1.15
-9.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.51 €21.16
$28.54 €24.64
-14.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 €1.57
$1.86 €1.6
-2.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K €26.1K
$37.9K €32.7K
-20.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K €27.5K
$34.2K €29.5K
-6.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cartagena
Madrid
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$144 €125
$191 €165
-24.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.22 €11.42
$21.25 €18.35
-37.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.79 €26.58
$35.96 €31.05
-14.38%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Cartagena
Madrid
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.74 €33.45
$54 €46.59
-28.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.24 €13.16
$17.96 €15.51
-15.14%
Cinema Ticket
$7.99 €6.9
$11.51 €9.94
-30.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cartagena
Madrid
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$418 €361
$674 €582
-37.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,751 €2,375
$11.8K €10.2K
-76.76%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Cartagena
Madrid
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.57 €39.35
$95.7 €82.6
-52.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.42 €27.12
$41.6 €35.92
-24.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$44.73 €38.62
$105 €91.1
-57.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$75.7 €65.3
$132 €114
-42.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cartagena
Madrid
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$785 €677
$1,561 €1,348
-49.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$623 €538
$1,109 €958
-43.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$924 €798
$2,840 €2,452
-67.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$775 €670
$1,884 €1,626
-58.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,844 €1,592
$8,381 €7,236
-77.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,500 €1,295
$4,938 €4,263
-69.62%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Cartagena
Madrid
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,845 €1,593
$2,579 €2,227
-28.47%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.44
3.43
0.29%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 29, 2025

Last update for Madrid: October 29, 2025

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