Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Alcala de Guadaira

For one person, living is cheaper in Alcala de Guadaira: $1,625 a month against $2,326 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Alcala de Guadaira
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Alcala de Guadaira Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,326

/mo nomad

Alcala de Guadaira

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Alcala de Guadaira

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 Alcala de Guadaira actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,326 in Madrid versus $1,625 in Alcala de Guadaira.

Madrid $2,326
Alcala de Guadaira $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,414 in Madrid versus $2,287 in Alcala de Guadaira.

Madrid $3,414
Alcala de Guadaira $2,287

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,502 in Madrid versus $2,950 in Alcala de Guadaira.

Madrid $4,502
Alcala de Guadaira $2,950

Living in Madrid is roughly 43% more expensive than in Alcala de Guadaira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 72% above, Alcala de Guadaira 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.67 €16.64

$13.26 €11.81

40.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$55.1 €49.11

22.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 €11.09

$9.08 €8.09

37.00%

Cappuccino

$3.20 €2.85

$1.94 €1.73

64.95%

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

$3.29 €2.93

$2.11 €1.88

55.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.60 €1.42

46.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.43

$2.93 €2.61

31.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 €4.20

$3.34 €2.98

41.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.10 €0.98

26.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.60 €1.42

2.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.42 €1.27

19.01%

Eggs

$4.04 €3.60

$3.23 €2.88

25.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.48 €14.68

$13.22 €11.78

24.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.16 €8.16

$8.10 €7.22

13.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.27 €15.38

$15.94 €14.20

8.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$2.33 €2.08

7.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.98 €1.76

9.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 €2.25

$1.80 €1.60

40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.50 €2.23

-0.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.80 €1.60

28.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.12 €1.89

-3.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.49 €1.32

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.75 €0.66

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.85 €6.10

$6.71 €5.97

2.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 €6.95

$5.96 €5.31

30.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.19 €1.06

1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.00

$2.28 €2.03

-1.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.56 €1.39

10.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.26 €33.19

$34.69 €30.90

7.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.21 €2.86

$1.92 €1.71

67.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.27 €1.13

26.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.80 €27.44

$26.10 €23.25

18.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.83 €1.63

-0.55%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$32.0K €28.5K

3.55%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$31.2K €27.8K

3.64%

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

$182 €162

$116 €103

56.84%

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

$17.24 €15.36

$16.22 €14.45

6.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.81 €31.01

$28.77 €25.63

20.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.26 €42.10

$39.31 €35.02

20.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.30 €16.31

$15.34 €13.67

19.30%

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 €9.95

$7.94 €7.07

40.81%

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

$696 €620

$556 €495

25.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K €16.0K

$9,250 €8,240

93.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.6

$89.8 €80.0

-4.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.09 €38.39

$39.09 €34.82

10.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €97.7

$95.8 €85.3

14.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.5

$113 €101

-1.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,525 €1,358

$894 €796

70.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 €1,095

$751 €669

63.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,815 €2,508

$1,183 €1,054

137.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,793

$916 €816

119.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,105 €8,111

$3,290 €2,931

176.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,699 €4,186

$2,227 €1,983

111.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,487 €2,215

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

3.34

-5.69%

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

Last update for Madrid: November 1, 2026

Last update for Alcala de Guadaira: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.9%

Alcala de Guadaira

$751 46.2% 38.9% $478

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$304 13.1%

Alcala de Guadaira

$264 16.2% 13.3% $40

Eating Out

Madrid

$276 11.9%

Alcala de Guadaira

$193 11.9% 30.2% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$234 10.1%

Alcala de Guadaira

$161 9.9% 31.2% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$158 6.8%

Alcala de Guadaira

$152 9.4% 3.7% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$70 3%

Alcala de Guadaira

$55 3.4% 20.7% $14

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Alcala de Guadaira

$49 3% 11.1% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,525 in Madrid and $894 in Alcala de Guadaira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68 in Madrid vs $55 in Alcala de Guadaira for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $264 per month, with Alcala de Guadaira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Alcala de Guadaira

🕒 Local time

03:58 3:58 AM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

76,547

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Alcala de Guadaira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,326 in Madrid and $1,625 in Alcala de Guadaira, so Alcala de Guadaira is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,489 in Madrid and $2,437 in Alcala de Guadaira to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,525 in Madrid versus $894 in Alcala de Guadaira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Alcala de Guadaira – a meal for two runs $55 versus $68 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Alcala de Guadaira gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Alcala de Guadaira are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Alcala de Guadaira gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.