Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leon and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Leon: $1,489 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Leon
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Leon Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Leon

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,489

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,489 in Leon versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Leon $1,489
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,086 in Leon versus $3,296 in Madrid.

Leon $2,086
Madrid $3,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,683 in Leon versus $4,328 in Madrid.

Leon $2,683
Madrid $4,328

Living in Leon costs roughly 34% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leon 10% above, Madrid 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.68

$18.20 €16.19

-9.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.47 €37.77

$68.1 €60.5

-37.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 €8.11

$11.24 €9.99

-18.86%

Cappuccino

$2.96 €2.63

$3.15 €2.80

-6.03%

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

$2.49 €2.22

$3.36 €2.99

-25.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.36 €2.10

-41.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 €2.41

$3.83 €3.40

-29.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 €2.96

$4.92 €4.38

-32.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.32 €1.17

-18.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.61 €1.43

-16.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.65 €1.47

-21.21%

Eggs

$3.39 €3.02

$4.07 €3.62

-16.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.96 €8.86

$15.82 €14.07

-37.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.19 €5.50

$9.49 €8.44

-34.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 €13.72

$17.52 €15.59

-11.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.56 €2.27

-6.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.09 €1.86

7.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 €2.08

$2.47 €2.19

-5.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 €2.10

$2.49 €2.22

-4.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.26 €2.01

-22.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$2.15 €1.91

-9.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.57 €1.40

-31.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.72

$1.07 €0.95

-24.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.58 €4.97

$6.55 €5.82

-14.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.92 €4.38

$7.65 €6.81

-35.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.17 €1.04

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.22 €1.97

-14.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.63 €1.45

-18.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.44 €29.74

$36.42 €32.39

-8.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.73 €3.32

-39.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.54 €1.37

-18.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.54 €31.61

$29.17 €25.95

21.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.78 €1.58

-5.06%

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

$37.3K €33.2K

$35.5K €31.6K

5.21%

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

$31.2K €27.7K

$33.2K €29.6K

-6.18%

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

$173 €154

$189 €168

-8.47%

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

$16.70 €14.86

$17.48 €15.55

-4.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.05 €26.73

$34.32 €30.53

-12.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.80 €30.06

$48.62 €43.25

-30.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.28 €5.59

$18.44 €16.40

-65.94%

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 €7.77

$11.04 €9.82

-20.92%

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

$206 €183

$693 €617

-70.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.1 €85.5

$84.6 €75.3

13.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.88 €14.13

$42.50 €37.80

-62.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 €73.4

$110 €98.1

-25.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.3 €50.1

$112 €99.9

-49.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$858 €763

$1,506 €1,339

-43.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$587 €522

$1,170 €1,041

-49.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$938 €835

$2,756 €2,451

-65.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$730 €650

$1,845 €1,641

-60.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,982 €1,763

$9,168 €8,155

-78.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,550 €1,379

$4,234 €3,766

-63.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,708 €1,519

$2,483 €2,209

-31.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.6

3.14

14.65%

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

Last update for Leon: 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

Leon

$587 39.4%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7% 99.4% $583

Groceries & Markets

Leon

$241 16.2%

Madrid

$303 13.4% 25.7% $62

Eating Out

Leon

$231 15.5%

Madrid

$269 11.9% 16.7% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leon

$220 14.8%

Madrid

$241 10.6% 9.6% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Leon

$113 7.6%

Madrid

$157 7% 39.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Leon

$51 3.4%

Madrid

$71 3.1% 37.9% $19

Getting Around

Leon

$47 3.2%

Madrid

$54 2.4% 15% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $858 in Leon and $1,506 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 45% 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: $42.00 in Leon vs $68.0 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $303 per month, with Leon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Leon

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

Same time as Leon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,281

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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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

Leon vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leon and Madrid differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($1,489 vs $2,265 including rent). Leon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Madrid. 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: $858 in Leon versus $1,506 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Leon – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,489 per month in Leon versus $2,265 in Madrid – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,489 in Leon versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Leon but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Leon 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, Leon 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 Leon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.