Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Madrid

Name: Madrid
Address: Madrid, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Madrid: $2,311 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $21,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,311

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $2,311 in Madrid, rent included.

London $4,086
Madrid $2,311

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $3,324 in Madrid, rent included.

London $5,816
Madrid $3,324

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $4,337 in Madrid, rent included.

London $7,546
Madrid $4,337

London costs about 77% more than Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Madrid sit above the global median – London by 205%, Madrid by 72%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.12

$18.11 €16.14

46.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$67.7 €60.4

58.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.86

$11.16 €9.95

-6.90%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$3.10 €2.76

86.77%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$3.25 €2.90

-7.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$2.25 €2.01

-4.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.07

$3.87 €3.45

141.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$4.98 €4.44

57.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.43 €1.27

25.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$1.60 €1.43

28.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$1.68 €1.50

37.50%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$4.24 €3.78

19.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$17.07 €15.22

-26.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$9.08 €8.10

17.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.95

$17.61 €15.70

-2.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$2.52 €2.24

20.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.18 €1.95

-35.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$2.59 €2.31

17.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$2.53 €2.26

33.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$2.21 €1.97

-24.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$2.18 €1.94

-20.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.57 €1.40

-10.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.05 €0.93

70.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$6.65 €5.93

249.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$7.78 €6.94

66.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.41

$1.17 €1.04

171.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.34

$2.26 €2.01

95.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$1.71 €1.52

126.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$37.14 €33.11

573.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$3.74 €3.33

52.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$1.49 €1.33

123.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.77

$30.16 €26.89

92.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$1.84 €1.64

10.87%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$34.8K €31.1K

7.79%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$33.4K €29.7K

22.61%

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

$376 £284

$185 €165

102.86%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$18.51 €16.50

-3.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.25

$34.78 €31.01

15.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.23

$49.99 €44.57

22.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$18.11 €16.14

16.34%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$11.24 €10.03

59.70%

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

$2,865 £2,166

$666 €594

330.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$18.1K €16.1K

95.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$85.5 €76.3

35.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.88

$43.61 €38.88

24.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$109 €96.8

16.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$112 €99.6

42.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,157

$1,524 €1,359

87.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,740

$1,193 €1,063

92.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,932

$2,708 €2,414

92.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,814

$1,799 €1,604

106.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$9,164 €8,171

107.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,957

$4,169 €3,717

89.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,642

$2,478 €2,209

94.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

3.08

50.97%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Madrid

$1.2K 52.1% 48.2% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Madrid

$239 10.4% 45% $195

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Madrid

$267 11.7% 32.7% $130

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Madrid

$308 13.4% 11.9% $42

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Madrid

$55 2.4% 80.8% $233

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Madrid

$157 6.9% 23.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Madrid

$72 3.2% 25.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $1,524 in Madrid. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 94% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London versus $68.0 in Madrid. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $308 – making Madrid the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

03:51 3:51 AM

04:51 4:51 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Madrid 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

London
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

London vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $2,311 in Madrid – roughly 77% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $3,466 in Madrid. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Madrid, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London and $68.0 in Madrid. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Madrid, where all-in costs run around $2,311, than in London at $4,086. In Madrid it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,311 in Madrid to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Madrid. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.