Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,427 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,427

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,427 in Cartagena versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Cartagena $1,427
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,095 in Cartagena versus $3,296 in Madrid.

Cartagena $2,095
Madrid $3,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,762 in Cartagena versus $4,328 in Madrid.

Cartagena $2,762
Madrid $4,328

Living in Cartagena costs roughly 37% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cartagena 6% above, Madrid 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.84 €12.31

$18.20 €16.19

-23.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.0 €48.90

$68.1 €60.5

-19.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 €6.76

$11.24 €9.99

-32.38%

Cappuccino

$2.56 €2.27

$3.15 €2.80

-18.73%

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

$2.45 €2.18

$3.36 €2.99

-27.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.36 €2.10

-22.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 €3.05

$3.83 €3.40

-10.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 €3.54

$4.92 €4.38

-19.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.32 €1.17

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.61 €1.43

-26.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 €2.26

$1.65 €1.47

54.55%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.52

$4.07 €3.62

-2.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.48

$15.82 €14.07

-18.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 €6.18

$9.49 €8.44

-26.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.67 €16.60

$17.52 €15.59

6.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$2.56 €2.27

-6.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.09 €1.86

20.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$2.47 €2.19

-34.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.49 €2.22

24.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.26 €2.01

-44.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 €1.10

$2.15 €1.91

-42.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$1.07 €0.95

-35.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.64 €5.02

$6.55 €5.82

-13.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 €5.55

$7.65 €6.81

-18.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.17 €1.04

6.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.00

$2.22 €1.97

-49.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.63 €1.45

-12.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.14 €9.91

$36.42 €32.39

-69.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 €4.90

$3.73 €3.32

47.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.54 €1.37

46.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.49 €24.45

$29.17 €25.95

-5.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.78 €1.58

-0.56%

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

$35.1K €31.2K

$35.5K €31.6K

-1.05%

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

$30.2K €26.8K

$33.2K €29.6K

-9.24%

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

$210 €187

$189 €168

11.19%

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

$19.74 €17.56

$17.48 €15.55

12.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.70 €25.53

$34.32 €30.53

-16.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.14 €36.59

$48.62 €43.25

-15.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.80 €11.39

$18.44 €16.40

-30.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.70 €6.85

$11.04 €9.82

-30.25%

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

$416 €370

$693 €617

-39.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 €2,425

$17.8K €15.8K

-84.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.17 €41.96

$84.6 €75.3

-44.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.38 €31.47

$42.50 €37.80

-16.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 €54.3

$110 €98.1

-44.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €89.7

$112 €99.9

-10.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$591 €525

$1,506 €1,339

-60.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$492 €438

$1,170 €1,041

-57.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 €743

$2,756 €2,451

-69.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 €630

$1,845 €1,641

-61.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,770 €1,574

$9,168 €8,155

-80.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,433 €1,275

$4,234 €3,766

-66.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,720 €1,530

$2,483 €2,209

-30.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

3.14

29.30%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 10, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$492 34.5%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7% 138% $678

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$270 18.9%

Madrid

$303 13.4% 12.2% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$258 18.1%

Madrid

$241 10.6% 6.9% $18

Eating Out

Cartagena

$206 14.5%

Madrid

$269 11.9% 30.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

$110 7.7%

Madrid

$157 7% 43% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$57 4%

Madrid

$71 3.1% 25.1% $14

Getting Around

Cartagena

$34 2.4%

Madrid

$54 2.4% 62% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $591 in Cartagena and $1,506 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 44% 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: $55.0 in Cartagena vs $68.0 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $270 vs $303 per month, with Cartagena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

01:34 1:34 AM

Same time as Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,050

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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Cartagena Madrid 390 km

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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

Cartagena vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cartagena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 44% 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: $591 in Cartagena versus $1,506 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cartagena – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,427 per month in Cartagena versus $2,265 in Madrid – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,427 in Cartagena versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cartagena but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Cartagena the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cartagena delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,427 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cartagena hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cartagena 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 Cartagena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.