Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Ejido and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in El Ejido: $1,634 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in El Ejido
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El Ejido Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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El Ejido

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,634

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,634 in El Ejido versus $2,265 in Madrid.

El Ejido $1,634
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,449 in El Ejido versus $3,311 in Madrid.

El Ejido $2,449
Madrid $3,311

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,264 in El Ejido versus $4,356 in Madrid.

El Ejido $3,264
Madrid $4,356

Living in El Ejido costs roughly 28% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: El Ejido 21% above, Madrid 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.73 €14.88

$18.06 €16.06

-7.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 €60.2

$66.5 €59.2

1.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 €9.87

$11.40 €10.14

-2.63%

Cappuccino

$2.17 €1.93

$3.03 €2.69

-28.38%

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

$2.31 €2.06

$3.25 €2.89

-28.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$2.32 €2.07

-42.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 €2.92

$3.85 €3.42

-14.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.91

$4.82 €4.29

-32.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.32 €1.18

-14.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 €1.39

$1.61 €1.43

-2.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.75 €1.56

-6.86%

Eggs

$3.40 €3.02

$4.06 €3.61

-16.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.79 €14.93

$16.34 €14.54

2.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.56 €8.51

$9.61 €8.55

-0.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 €15.53

$17.43 €15.50

0.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$2.63 €2.34

-1.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$2.18 €1.93

-10.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.50 €2.22

-22.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.60 €2.32

3.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 €1.71

$2.25 €2.01

-14.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.08 €1.85

-7.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.56 €1.39

-20.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$1.08 €0.96

-34.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.92

$6.70 €5.96

-0.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.77 €5.13

$7.82 €6.95

-26.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.22 €1.08

-0.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 €1.88

$2.25 €2.00

-5.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.63 €1.45

4.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.17 €32.17

$37.72 €33.56

-4.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 €2.73

$3.81 €3.39

-19.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.49 €1.33

-12.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.86 €15.00

$29.99 €26.68

-43.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.79 €1.59

3.91%

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

$31.3K €27.9K

$33.7K €29.9K

-6.94%

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

$31.3K €27.8K

$33.3K €29.6K

-5.86%

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

$142 €126

$190 €169

-25.36%

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

$18.78 €16.71

$17.57 €15.63

6.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.88 €26.58

$35.34 €31.43

-15.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.99 €37.35

$49.52 €44.04

-15.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.57 €14.74

$18.20 €16.19

-8.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.00 €8.01

$11.09 €9.87

-18.85%

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

$689 €613

$684 €609

0.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,454 €8,410

$18.2K €16.2K

-48.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.4 €76.0

$87.8 €78.1

-2.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.45 €31.53

$42.06 €37.41

-15.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.2 €82.9

$111 €98.3

-15.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.0

$113 €100

-6.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$902 €802

$1,509 €1,342

-40.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 €594

$1,162 €1,034

-42.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 €1,179

$2,804 €2,494

-52.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$994 €884

$1,867 €1,661

-46.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,015 €2,682

$9,017 €8,021

-66.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,239 €1,992

$4,294 €3,819

-47.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,495 €2,219

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

3.14

-4.78%

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

Last update for El Ejido: October 18, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Ejido

$668 40.9%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.3% 74% $494

Groceries & Markets

El Ejido

$288 17.7%

Madrid

$308 13.6% 6.6% $19

Eating Out

El Ejido

$231 14.1%

Madrid

$266 11.8% 15.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Ejido

$191 11.7%

Madrid

$243 10.7% 27.5% $53

Clothing & Footwear

El Ejido

$144 8.8%

Madrid

$159 7% 10.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

El Ejido

$60 3.7%

Madrid

$72 3.2% 19.5% $12

Getting Around

El Ejido

$53 3.2%

Madrid

$56 2.5% 5.5% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $902 in El Ejido and $1,509 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in El Ejido vs $66.0 in Madrid. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $308, with El Ejido cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 El Ejido

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

13:33 1:33 PM

Same time as El Ejido

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,975

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

El Ejido vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Ejido is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,451 in El Ejido and $3,398 in Madrid to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $902 in El Ejido versus $1,509 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in El Ejido – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $66.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,634 per month in El Ejido versus $2,265 in Madrid – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,634 in El Ejido versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,500 budget is realistic in El Ejido but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes El Ejido the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, El Ejido 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 El Ejido gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.