Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Paso and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in El Paso: $1,638 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in El Paso
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El Paso Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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El Paso

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,638

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,638 in El Paso versus $2,304 in Madrid.

El Paso $1,638
Madrid $2,304

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,424 in El Paso versus $3,389 in Madrid.

El Paso $2,424
Madrid $3,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,211 in El Paso versus $4,475 in Madrid.

El Paso $3,211
Madrid $4,475

Living in El Paso costs roughly 29% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: El Paso 20% above, Madrid 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 €15.15

$17.73 €15.93

-4.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 €50.5

$66.9 €60.1

-15.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.99 €9.87

$11.30 €10.15

-2.74%

Cappuccino

$2.33 €2.09

$3.04 €2.73

-23.36%

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

$2.58 €2.32

$3.36 €3.02

-23.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.35 €2.11

-20.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 €2.99

$3.89 €3.50

-14.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 €3.50

$4.80 €4.31

-18.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.32 €1.18

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.64 €1.47

-12.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.72 €1.55

-8.72%

Eggs

$3.20 €2.87

$4.20 €3.78

-23.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.31 €11.96

$15.91 €14.29

-16.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.16 €7.33

$9.36 €8.41

-12.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.81 €14.20

$17.21 €15.46

-8.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.27

$2.56 €2.30

-1.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 €1.89

$2.09 €1.88

0.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.97

$2.55 €2.29

-14.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.58 €2.32

-0.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.31 €2.08

-19.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$2.17 €1.95

-11.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 €1.20

$1.50 €1.35

-11.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.67

$1.07 €0.96

-30.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 €5.77

$6.57 €5.90

-2.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.71 €5.13

$7.87 €7.07

-27.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.21 €1.09

1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.90

$2.17 €1.95

-2.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 €1.43

$1.67 €1.50

-4.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.28 €29.00

$37.53 €33.71

-13.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.57

$3.76 €3.38

5.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.49 €1.34

-1.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.08 €20.74

$30.17 €27.10

-23.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.57

$1.85 €1.66

-5.95%

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

$34.2K €30.8K

$33.9K €30.4K

1.10%

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

$30.7K €27.6K

$33.3K €29.9K

-7.83%

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

$143 €128

$192 €172

-25.41%

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

$18.12 €16.27

$17.66 €15.86

2.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.48 €26.48

$35.07 €31.51

-15.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.60 €40.96

$47.27 €42.46

-3.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.64 €14.05

$18.23 €16.37

-14.21%

Cinema Ticket

$9.31 €8.36

$11.29 €10.14

-17.54%

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

$471 €423

$687 €617

-31.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,416 €7,560

$18.0K €16.2K

-53.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 €76.5

$86.5 €77.7

-1.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.04 €32.38

$41.65 €37.41

-13.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 €81.1

$108 €97.1

-16.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$112 €100

1.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 €795

$1,508 €1,355

-41.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 €613

$1,210 €1,087

-43.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,363 €1,224

$2,829 €2,541

-51.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,032 €927

$2,004 €1,800

-48.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,350 €3,009

$9,002 €8,086

-62.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,166 €1,946

$4,710 €4,231

-54.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 €2,204

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.14

5.10%

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

Last update for El Paso: October 25, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Paso

$683 41.7%

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5% 77.1% $527

Groceries & Markets

El Paso

$266 16.2%

Madrid

$304 13.2% 14.4% $38

Eating Out

El Paso

$238 14.5%

Madrid

$264 11.5% 11% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Paso

$190 11.6%

Madrid

$244 10.6% 28.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

El Paso

$146 8.9%

Madrid

$157 6.8% 7% $10

Sport & Entertainment

El Paso

$64 3.9%

Madrid

$70 3% 8.8% $5.6

Getting Around

El Paso

$50 3.1%

Madrid

$55 2.4% 10.9% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $885 in El Paso and $1,508 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56 in El Paso vs $67 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $304 per month, with El Paso cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 El Paso

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

19:40 7:40 PM

1 h ahead of El Paso

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

700

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

El Paso Madrid 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

El Paso
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

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

El Paso and Madrid differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($1,638 vs $2,304 including rent). El Paso is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,457 in El Paso and $3,456 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: $885 in El Paso versus $1,508 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in El Paso – a meal for two runs $56 versus $67 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,638 per month in El Paso versus $2,304 in Madrid – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though El Paso gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, El Paso 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 Paso gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.