Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lugo and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Lugo: $1,532 a month against $2,304 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 Lugo
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Lugo Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Lugo

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,532

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,532 in Lugo versus $2,304 in Madrid.

Lugo $1,532
Madrid $2,304

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,263 in Lugo versus $3,389 in Madrid.

Lugo $2,263
Madrid $3,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,994 in Lugo versus $4,475 in Madrid.

Lugo $2,994
Madrid $4,475

Living in Lugo costs roughly 34% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lugo 13% above, Madrid 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.18 €11.81

$17.73 €15.88

-25.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.4 €49.63

$66.9 €59.9

-17.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 €8.86

$11.30 €10.12

-12.39%

Cappuccino

$2.09 €1.87

$3.04 €2.72

-31.25%

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

$2.78 €2.49

$3.36 €3.01

-17.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.35 €2.11

-35.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 €2.92

$3.89 €3.49

-16.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$4.80 €4.30

-54.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.32 €1.18

-12.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.64 €1.47

-28.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.72 €1.54

-23.84%

Eggs

$2.64 €2.37

$4.20 €3.77

-37.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 €12.20

$15.91 €14.24

-14.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.32 €5.66

$9.36 €8.38

-32.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 €14.97

$17.21 €15.41

-2.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 €2.55

$2.56 €2.29

10.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$2.09 €1.88

-0.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$2.55 €2.28

-10.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 €3.16

$2.58 €2.31

36.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 €0.99

$2.31 €2.07

-51.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.17 €1.94

1.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.50 €1.35

-4.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$1.07 €0.96

-21.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 €5.25

$6.57 €5.88

-10.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.60 €4.12

$7.87 €7.05

-41.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.21 €1.08

24.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 €2.52

$2.17 €1.94

29.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 €0.66

$1.67 €1.50

-55.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.10 €30.54

$37.53 €33.61

-9.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.33 €4.77

$3.76 €3.37

41.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.49 €1.33

-8.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.67 €16.72

$30.17 €27.02

-38.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.85 €1.65

-6.49%

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

$29.4K €26.3K

$33.9K €30.3K

-13.31%

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

$30.2K €27.1K

$33.3K €29.8K

-9.23%

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

$146 €130

$192 €172

-24.01%

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

$19.54 €17.50

$17.66 €15.81

10.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.70 €29.28

$35.07 €31.41

-6.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.61 €39.95

$47.27 €42.34

-5.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.78 €14.14

$18.23 €16.32

-13.44%

Cinema Ticket

$8.98 €8.04

$11.29 €10.11

-20.46%

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

$343 €307

$687 €615

-50.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,492 €7,606

$18.0K €16.1K

-52.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €95.1

$86.5 €77.5

22.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$73.6 €65.9

$41.65 €37.30

76.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €111

$108 €96.8

14.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 €127

$112 €100.0

27.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$858 €768

$1,508 €1,351

-43.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 €504

$1,210 €1,083

-53.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,351 €1,210

$2,829 €2,534

-52.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 €711

$2,004 €1,795

-60.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,293 €2,950

$9,002 €8,062

-63.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,264 €2,028

$4,710 €4,218

-51.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,738 €1,557

$2,453 €2,197

-29.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.96

3.14

-5.73%

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

Last update for Lugo: October 27, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lugo

$563 36.7%

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5% 115% $647

Groceries & Markets

Lugo

$261 17%

Madrid

$304 13.2% 16.5% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Lugo

$200 13.1%

Madrid

$157 6.8% 21.9% $44

Eating Out

Lugo

$198 12.9%

Madrid

$264 11.5% 33.4% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lugo

$198 12.9%

Madrid

$244 10.6% 23.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Lugo

$63 4.1%

Madrid

$70 3% 11.6% $7.3

Getting Around

Lugo

$49 3.2%

Madrid

$55 2.4% 12.7% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $858 in Lugo and $1,508 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 41% 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: $55 in Lugo vs $67 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $261 vs $304 per month, with Lugo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Lugo

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

17:36 5:36 PM

Same time as Lugo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,214

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

Lugo Madrid 430 km

From you

Lugo
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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

Lugo vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lugo is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Lugo. 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 Lugo versus $1,508 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $343 in Lugo versus $687 in Madrid. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Lugo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Expats usually find Lugo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.