Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Albacete

For one person, living is cheaper in Albacete: $1,551 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Albacete
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Albacete Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Albacete

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,551

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Albacete

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Madrid and in Albacete actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $1,551 in Albacete.

Madrid $2,265
Albacete $1,551

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,296 in Madrid versus $2,230 in Albacete.

Madrid $3,296
Albacete $2,230

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,328 in Madrid versus $2,910 in Albacete.

Madrid $4,328
Albacete $2,910

Living in Madrid is roughly 46% more expensive than in Albacete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 68% above, Albacete 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.20 €16.19

$14.35 €12.77

26.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$48.40 €43.05

40.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$9.24 €8.22

21.65%

Cappuccino

$3.15 €2.80

$2.18 €1.94

44.50%

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

$3.36 €2.99

$2.34 €2.08

43.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.66 €1.48

42.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 €3.40

$2.82 €2.51

35.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 €4.38

$4.73 €4.20

4.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$0.82 €0.73

60.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$0.82 €0.73

96.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.68 €1.49

-1.79%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$2.98 €2.65

36.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.82 €14.07

$16.58 €14.75

-4.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.44

$5.69 €5.06

66.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.52 €15.59

$17.42 €15.49

0.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.64 €2.35

-3.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.08 €1.85

0.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.19

$2.49 €2.21

-0.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.51 €2.23

-0.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.21 €1.96

2.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.17 €1.93

-0.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.56 €1.38

0.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.54 €0.48

98.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.82

$6.53 €5.81

0.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 €6.81

$5.32 €4.73

43.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.21 €1.08

-3.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.20 €1.96

0.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.36 €1.21

19.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.42 €32.39

$16.75 €14.90

117.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.32

$3.81 €3.39

-2.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.55 €1.38

-0.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.17 €25.95

$29.98 €26.67

-2.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.67 €1.49

6.59%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$34.6K €30.7K

2.67%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$29.5K €26.2K

12.78%

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

$189 €168

$187 €166

0.95%

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

$17.48 €15.55

$18.20 €16.19

-3.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.32 €30.53

$16.99 €15.11

102.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.62 €43.25

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.44 €16.40

$4.43 €3.94

316.25%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 €9.82

$9.07 €8.07

21.72%

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

$693 €617

$676 €602

2.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

$17.5K €15.6K

1.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.6 €75.3

$82.5 €73.4

2.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.50 €37.80

$43.22 €38.44

-1.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.1

$90.1 €80.1

22.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.9

$113 €101

-0.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 €1,339

$920 €818

63.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,041

$662 €589

76.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,756 €2,451

$1,240 €1,103

122.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 €1,641

$947 €843

94.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,168 €8,155

$2,301 €2,047

298.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,234 €3,766

$2,041 €1,816

107.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,483 €2,209

$1,959 €1,743

26.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

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

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Last update for Albacete: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7%

Albacete

$662 42.7% 43.4% $508

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$303 13.4%

Albacete

$258 16.7% 14.8% $45

Eating Out

Madrid

$269 11.9%

Albacete

$208 13.4% 22.6% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$241 10.6%

Albacete

$222 14.3% 7.6% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 7%

Albacete

$148 9.6% 5.9% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$71 3.1%

Albacete

$18 * 1.2% 74.3% $53

Getting Around

Madrid

$54 2.4%

Albacete

$34 2.2% 38% $21

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 $1,506 in Madrid and $920 in Albacete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 27% 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: $68.0 in Madrid vs $48.00 in Albacete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $258 per month, with Albacete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Albacete

🕒 Local time

04:38 4:38 AM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

173,206

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Madrid Albacete 220 km

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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

Madrid vs Albacete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madrid and Albacete differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($2,265 vs $1,551 including rent). Albacete is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Madrid, 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: $1,506 in Madrid versus $920 in Albacete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Albacete – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,265 per month in Madrid versus $1,551 in Albacete – a 46% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,551 in Albacete versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Albacete but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Albacete 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, Madrid and Albacete 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 Albacete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.