Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Estepona and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Estepona: $1,793 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Estepona
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Estepona Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Estepona

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,793

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,793 in Estepona versus $2,304 in Madrid.

Estepona $1,793
Madrid $2,304

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,753 in Estepona versus $3,389 in Madrid.

Estepona $2,753
Madrid $3,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,713 in Estepona versus $4,475 in Madrid.

Estepona $3,713
Madrid $4,475

Living in Estepona costs roughly 22% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Estepona 32% above, Madrid 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.39 €17.37

$17.73 €15.88

9.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 €71.3

$66.9 €59.9

18.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 €8.88

$11.30 €10.12

-12.30%

Cappuccino

$2.70 €2.42

$3.04 €2.72

-11.18%

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

$2.48 €2.22

$3.36 €3.01

-26.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.35 €2.11

-11.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.44 €3.97

$3.89 €3.49

14.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 €3.91

$4.80 €4.30

-8.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.10

$1.32 €1.18

-7.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.64 €1.47

-1.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.72 €1.54

-9.30%

Eggs

$3.35 €3.00

$4.20 €3.77

-20.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.59 €12.17

$15.91 €14.24

-14.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.26 €7.40

$9.36 €8.38

-11.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.21 €14.52

$17.21 €15.41

-5.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 €3.21

$2.56 €2.29

39.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$2.09 €1.88

-4.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 €2.06

$2.55 €2.28

-10.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.12 €2.79

$2.58 €2.31

20.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 €2.05

$2.31 €2.07

-1.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.17 €1.94

1.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.50 €1.35

14.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.07 €0.96

1.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.89

$6.57 €5.88

0.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 €5.28

$7.87 €7.05

-25.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.21 €1.08

19.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 €2.63

$2.17 €1.94

35.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.67 €1.50

69.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.53 €33.61

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 €1.51

$3.76 €3.37

-55.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.49 €1.33

-26.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.35 €11.96

$30.17 €27.02

-55.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.62

$1.85 €1.65

-2.70%

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

$32.0K €28.7K

$33.9K €30.3K

-5.53%

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

$30.4K €27.2K

$33.3K €29.8K

-8.70%

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

$118 €106

$192 €172

-38.23%

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

$15.67 €14.03

$17.66 €15.81

-11.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.21 €27.06

$35.07 €31.41

-13.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.22 €39.60

$47.27 €42.34

-6.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 €19.66

$18.23 €16.32

20.41%

Cinema Ticket

$10.24 €9.17

$11.29 €10.11

-9.30%

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

$546 €489

$687 €615

-20.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,969 €7,137

$18.0K €16.1K

-55.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 €51.9

$86.5 €77.5

-33.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.18 €36.88

$41.65 €37.30

-1.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 €83.6

$108 €96.8

-13.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.1 €87.9

$112 €100.0

-12.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 €1,075

$1,508 €1,351

-20.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$859 €769

$1,210 €1,083

-28.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 €2,000

$2,829 €2,534

-21.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,421 €1,273

$2,004 €1,795

-29.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,740 €4,245

$9,002 €8,062

-47.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,572 €4,095

$4,710 €4,218

-2.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,481 €1,326

$2,453 €2,197

-39.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.14

11.46%

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

Last update for Estepona: October 24, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Estepona

$859 47.9%

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5% 40.8% $351

Groceries & Markets

Estepona

$289 16.2%

Madrid

$304 13.2% 5.1% $15

Eating Out

Estepona

$266 14.9%

Madrid

$264 11.5% 0.9% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Estepona

$164 9.2%

Madrid

$244 10.6% 48.8% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Estepona

$131 7.3%

Madrid

$157 6.8% 19.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Estepona

$65 3.6%

Madrid

$70 3% 7.9% $5.1

Getting Around

Estepona

$18 * 1%

Madrid

$55 2.4% 200% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,201 in Estepona and $1,508 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 66% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $80 in Estepona vs $67 in Madrid. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 vs $304, with Estepona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Estepona

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

07:34 7:34 AM

Same time as Estepona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,975

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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Between locations

Estepona Madrid 460 km

From you

Estepona
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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

Estepona vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Estepona is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 40% lower in Estepona. 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: $1,201 in Estepona versus $1,508 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $546 in Estepona versus $687 in Madrid. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Madrid – a meal for two runs $67 versus $80 in Estepona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Estepona and Madrid are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Estepona wins on affordability, Madrid on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.