Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheltenham and Madrid

For one person, living costs are similar in Cheltenham and in Madrid: $2,327 and $2,265 a month, rent and utilities included.

113

Cost of Living Index in Cheltenham
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Cheltenham Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Cheltenham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,327

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,327 in Cheltenham versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Cheltenham $2,327
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,528 in Cheltenham versus $3,296 in Madrid.

Cheltenham $3,528
Madrid $3,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,729 in Cheltenham versus $4,328 in Madrid.

Cheltenham $4,729
Madrid $4,328

Living in Cheltenham is roughly 3% more expensive than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cheltenham 72% above, Madrid 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.75

$18.20 €16.19

30.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £79.1

$68.1 €60.5

54.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 £8.28

$11.24 €9.99

-1.87%

Cappuccino

$4.89 £3.67

$3.15 €2.80

55.24%

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

$2.56 £1.92

$3.36 €2.99

-23.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 £1.31

$2.36 €2.10

-26.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.76 £5.82

$3.83 €3.40

102.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 £4.91

$4.92 €4.38

32.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.32 €1.17

31.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 £1.29

$1.61 €1.43

6.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.65 €1.47

20.61%

Eggs

$4.43 £3.33

$4.07 €3.62

8.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 £6.15

$15.82 €14.07

-48.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.59 £7.19

$9.49 €8.44

1.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 £9.82

$17.52 €15.59

-25.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 £2.32

$2.56 €2.27

21.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 £1.07

$2.09 €1.86

-31.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$2.47 €2.19

-21.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 £2.62

$2.49 €2.22

40.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$2.26 €2.01

-32.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$2.15 €1.91

-29.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.91

$1.57 €1.40

-22.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 £1.07

$1.07 €0.95

32.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.12 £17.35

$6.55 €5.82

252.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 £7.98

$7.65 €6.81

38.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 £2.15

$1.17 €1.04

144.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 £2.20

$2.22 €1.97

31.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.44 £2.58

$1.63 €1.45

111.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.5 £69.4

$36.42 €32.39

153.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 £2.65

$3.73 €3.32

-5.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.54 €1.37

6.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.85 £20.14

$29.17 €25.95

-7.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.78 €1.58

5.06%

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

$37.1K £27.8K

$35.5K €31.6K

4.52%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$33.2K €29.6K

23.94%

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

$341 £256

$189 €168

80.37%

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

$17.10 £12.83

$17.48 €15.55

-2.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.0 £38.24

$34.32 €30.53

48.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.28 £33.22

$48.62 €43.25

-8.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.01 £29.27

$18.44 €16.40

111.55%

Cinema Ticket

$14.00 £10.50

$11.04 €9.82

26.81%

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

$2,020 £1,516

$693 €617

191.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K £18.9K

$17.8K €15.8K

41.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.2 £73.7

$84.6 €75.3

16.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.22 £36.18

$42.50 €37.80

13.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.4

$110 €98.1

-4.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 £72.7

$112 €99.9

-13.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,161 £871

$1,506 €1,339

-22.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$929 £697

$1,170 €1,041

-20.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,149 £1,613

$2,756 €2,451

-22.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 £1,213

$1,845 €1,641

-12.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,704 £4,279

$9,168 €8,155

-37.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,676 £4,258

$4,234 €3,766

34.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,753 £3,566

$2,483 €2,209

91.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

3.14

76.43%

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

Last update for Cheltenham: October 11, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cheltenham

$929 39.9%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7% 26% $241

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheltenham

$409 17.6%

Madrid

$241 10.6% 41.1% $168

Eating Out

Cheltenham

$350 15.1%

Madrid

$269 11.9% 23.2% $81

Groceries & Markets

Cheltenham

$292 12.6%

Madrid

$303 13.4% 3.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Cheltenham

$157 6.8%

Madrid

$157 7% 0.1% $0.2

Getting Around

Cheltenham

$118 5.1%

Madrid

$54 2.4% 53.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Cheltenham

$72 3.1%

Madrid

$71 3.1% 2.2% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,161 in Cheltenham and $1,506 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheltenham pays 91% 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: $105 in Cheltenham vs $68.0 in Madrid. Groceries flip the comparison at $292 vs $303, with Cheltenham cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cheltenham

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

16:47 4:47 PM

1 h ahead of Cheltenham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,300

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cheltenham Madrid 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cheltenham
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

Cheltenham vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madrid is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 91% higher in Cheltenham, 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: $1,161 in Cheltenham 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 Madrid – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $105 in Cheltenham. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,327 per month in Cheltenham versus $2,265 in Madrid – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,265 in Madrid versus $2,327 in Cheltenham, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Madrid but tight or insufficient in Cheltenham. The gap between the two cities makes Madrid the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Madrid is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cheltenham, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cheltenham 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 3% less than in Cheltenham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.