Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lansing, MI and Madrid

For one person, living costs are similar in Lansing, MI and in Madrid: $2,165 and $2,265 a month, rent and utilities included.

105

Cost of Living Index in Lansing, MI
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Lansing, MI Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Lansing, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,165

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,165 in Lansing, MI versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Lansing, MI $2,165
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,137 in Lansing, MI versus $3,311 in Madrid.

Lansing, MI $3,137
Madrid $3,311

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,110 in Lansing, MI versus $4,356 in Madrid.

Lansing, MI $4,110
Madrid $4,356

Living in Lansing, MI costs roughly 4% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lansing, MI 60% above, Madrid 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.80 $16.80

$18.06 €16.06

-6.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.2 $64.2

$66.5 €59.2

-3.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.98 $11.98

$11.40 €10.14

5.09%

Cappuccino

$5.52 $5.52

$3.03 €2.69

82.18%

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

$2.85 $2.85

$3.25 €2.89

-12.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.32 €2.07

-12.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.85 €3.42

27.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 $6.17

$4.82 €4.29

28.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.32 €1.18

-36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.61 €1.43

88.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$1.75 €1.56

165.14%

Eggs

$2.71 $2.71

$4.06 €3.61

-33.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.21 $11.21

$16.34 €14.54

-31.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 $11.44

$9.61 €8.55

19.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 $16.67

$17.43 €15.50

-4.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.63 €2.34

27.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.18 €1.93

-30.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.50 €2.22

78.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.60 €2.32

40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.25 €2.01

9.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.08 €1.85

43.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.56 €1.39

35.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.08 €0.96

130.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.84 $9.84

$6.70 €5.96

46.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 $15.55

$7.82 €6.95

98.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.22 €1.08

95.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 $3.50

$2.25 €2.00

55.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.63 €1.45

-6.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 $30.38

$37.72 €33.56

-19.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$3.81 €3.39

-22.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.49 €1.33

2.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.02 $10.02

$29.99 €26.68

-66.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.79 €1.59

-44.13%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$33.7K €29.9K

-9.42%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$33.3K €29.6K

-24.36%

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

$231 $231

$190 €169

21.52%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$17.57 €15.63

240.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.6 $51.6

$35.34 €31.43

45.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.12 $28.12

$49.52 €44.04

-43.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.30 $22.30

$18.20 €16.19

22.53%

Cinema Ticket

$12.10 $12.10

$11.09 €9.87

9.11%

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

$640 $640

$684 €609

-6.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.3K $32.3K

$18.2K €16.2K

77.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 $55.6

$87.8 €78.1

-36.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.96 $40.96

$42.06 €37.41

-2.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 $82.8

$111 €98.3

-25.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$113 €100

7.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 $1,063

$1,509 €1,342

-29.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$922 $922

$1,162 €1,034

-20.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 $1,556

$2,804 €2,494

-44.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,434 $1,434

$1,867 €1,661

-23.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,615 $1,615

$9,017 €8,021

-82.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,508 $1,508

$4,294 €3,819

-64.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,292 $3,292

$2,495 €2,219

31.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

3.14

106.69%

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

Last update for Lansing, MI: 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

Lansing, MI

$922 42.6%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.3% 26% $240

Groceries & Markets

Lansing, MI

$373 17.2%

Madrid

$308 13.6% 17.4% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lansing, MI

$343 15.8%

Madrid

$243 10.7% 29% $99

Eating Out

Lansing, MI

$293 13.5%

Madrid

$266 11.8% 9.1% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Lansing, MI

$135 6.2%

Madrid

$159 7% 17.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Lansing, MI

$52 2.4%

Madrid

$72 3.2% 37% $19

Getting Around

Lansing, MI

$47 2.2%

Madrid

$56 2.5% 18% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,063 in Lansing, MI and $1,509 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lansing, MI pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64.0 in Lansing, MI vs $66.0 in Madrid. Groceries flip the comparison at $373 vs $308, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lansing, MI

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

04:08 4:08 AM

10:08 10:08 AM

6 h ahead of Lansing, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,644

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

On the map

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Between locations

Lansing, MI Madrid 6,460 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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

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

Lansing, MI and Madrid differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,165 vs $2,265 including rent). Lansing, MI is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 32% higher in 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: $1,063 in Lansing, MI 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 Lansing, MI – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $66.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,165 per month in Lansing, MI versus $2,265 in Madrid – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,165 in Lansing, MI versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lansing, MI but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Lansing, MI 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, 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 Lansing, MI gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.