Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between East Lansing, MI and Madrid

For one person, living costs are similar in East Lansing, MI and in Madrid: $2,318 and $2,265 a month, rent and utilities included.

113

Cost of Living Index in East Lansing, MI
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East Lansing, MI Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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East Lansing, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,318

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,318 in East Lansing, MI versus $2,265 in Madrid.

East Lansing, MI $2,318
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,429 in East Lansing, MI versus $3,296 in Madrid.

East Lansing, MI $3,429
Madrid $3,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,540 in East Lansing, MI versus $4,328 in Madrid.

East Lansing, MI $4,540
Madrid $4,328

Living in East Lansing, MI is roughly 2% more expensive than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.62 $16.62

$18.20 €16.19

-8.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 $73.9

$68.1 €60.5

8.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 $12.21

$11.24 €9.99

8.63%

Cappuccino

$5.24 $5.24

$3.15 €2.80

66.35%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$3.36 €2.99

-26.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.36 €2.10

-6.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.83 €3.40

28.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 $6.47

$4.92 €4.38

31.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.32 €1.17

-36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.61 €1.43

81.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$1.65 €1.47

213.94%

Eggs

$2.75 $2.75

$4.07 €3.62

-32.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.93 $10.93

$15.82 €14.07

-30.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.78 $16.78

$9.49 €8.44

76.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.59 $16.59

$17.52 €15.59

-5.31%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$2.56 €2.27

104.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.09 €1.86

-26.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$2.47 €2.19

173.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.49 €2.22

44.98%

Potato (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$2.26 €2.01

157.08%

Onion (1kg)

$5.66 $5.66

$2.15 €1.91

163.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.57 €1.40

36.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.96 $3.96

$1.07 €0.95

270.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.58 $9.58

$6.55 €5.82

46.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 $16.14

$7.65 €6.81

110.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.17 €1.04

65.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.22 €1.97

-31.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.63 €1.45

-1.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.5 $50.5

$36.42 €32.39

38.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.80 $9.80

$3.73 €3.32

162.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.54 €1.37

107.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.93 $9.93

$29.17 €25.95

-65.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.78 €1.58

-45.51%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$35.5K €31.6K

-2.82%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$33.2K €29.6K

-22.30%

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

$173 $173

$189 €168

-8.67%

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

$54.1 $54.1

$17.48 €15.55

209.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.1 $63.1

$34.32 €30.53

83.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.22 $36.22

$48.62 €43.25

-25.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.24 $15.24

$18.44 €16.40

-17.35%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 $11.21

$11.04 €9.82

1.54%

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

$645 $645

$693 €617

-7.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K $11.0K

$17.8K €15.8K

-38.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 $54.2

$84.6 €75.3

-35.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.29 $37.29

$42.50 €37.80

-12.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.0 $69.0

$110 €98.1

-37.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 $85.0

$112 €99.9

-24.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,231 $1,231

$1,506 €1,339

-18.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 $1,041

$1,170 €1,041

-10.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,063 $2,063

$2,756 €2,451

-25.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,684 $1,684

$1,845 €1,641

-8.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,070 $2,070

$9,168 €8,155

-77.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,594 $1,594

$4,234 €3,766

-62.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,117 $6,117

$2,483 €2,209

146.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

3.14

108.92%

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

Last update for East Lansing, MI: 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

East Lansing, MI

$1K 44.9%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7% 12.3% $128

Groceries & Markets

East Lansing, MI

$446 19.3%

Madrid

$303 13.4% 32.1% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

East Lansing, MI

$290 12.5%

Madrid

$241 10.6% 16.9% $49

Eating Out

East Lansing, MI

$289 12.5%

Madrid

$269 11.9% 6.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

East Lansing, MI

$110 4.8%

Madrid

$157 7% 42.4% $47

Getting Around

East Lansing, MI

$83 3.6%

Madrid

$54 2.4% 34.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

East Lansing, MI

$59 2.5%

Madrid

$71 3.1% 20.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,231 in East Lansing, MI and $1,506 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

East Lansing, MI pays 146% 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: $74.0 in East Lansing, MI vs $68.0 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $446 vs $303 per month, with Madrid cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 East Lansing, MI

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

10:49 10:49 AM

6 h ahead of East Lansing, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,741

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

East Lansing, MI Madrid 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

East Lansing, MI
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

East Lansing, MI vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

East Lansing, MI and Madrid differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,318 vs $2,265 including rent). Madrid is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 146% higher in East Lansing, MI, 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: $1,231 in East Lansing, MI versus $1,506 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,318 per month in East Lansing, MI versus $2,265 in Madrid – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Madrid runs roughly 39% less than in East Lansing, MI. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,265 in Madrid versus $2,318 in East Lansing, MI, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Madrid but tight or insufficient in East Lansing, MI. The gap between the two cities makes Madrid the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, East Lansing, MI 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 2% less than in East Lansing, MI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.