Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Alcala de Henares

For one person, living is cheaper in Alcala de Henares: $1,932 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Alcala de Henares
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Alcala de Henares Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Alcala de Henares

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Henares actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $1,932 in Alcala de Henares.

Madrid $2,265
Alcala de Henares $1,932

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,296 in Madrid versus $2,723 in Alcala de Henares.

Madrid $3,296
Alcala de Henares $2,723

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,328 in Madrid versus $3,515 in Alcala de Henares.

Madrid $4,328
Alcala de Henares $3,515

Living in Madrid is roughly 17% more expensive than in Alcala de Henares, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 68% above, Alcala de Henares 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.20 €16.19

$17.00 €15.12

7.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$65.8 €58.5

3.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$11.08 €9.86

1.44%

Cappuccino

$3.15 €2.80

$2.72 €2.42

15.81%

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

$3.36 €2.99

$3.34 €2.97

0.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.87 €1.67

26.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 €3.40

$3.96 €3.52

-3.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 €4.38

$4.64 €4.13

6.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.19 €1.05

10.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.55 €1.38

3.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.72 €1.53

-4.07%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$2.96 €2.64

37.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.82 €14.07

$21.99 €19.56

-28.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.44

$9.20 €8.18

3.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.52 €15.59

$17.25 €15.35

1.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.68 €2.39

-4.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.31 €2.05

-9.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.19

$2.18 €1.94

13.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.58 €2.29

-3.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.13 €1.89

6.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.13 €1.89

0.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.70 €0.63

52.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.82

$6.12 €5.44

7.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 €6.81

$7.84 €6.98

-2.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.22 €1.08

-4.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.14 €1.91

3.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.46 €1.30

11.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.42 €32.39

$46.53 €41.39

-21.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.32

$3.80 €3.38

-1.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.93 €1.72

-20.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.17 €25.95

$23.26 €20.69

25.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.80 €1.60

-1.11%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$35.7K €31.8K

-0.62%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$30.3K €26.9K

9.75%

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

$189 €168

0.04%

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

$17.48 €15.55

$19.65 €17.48

-11.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.32 €30.53

$30.18 €26.85

13.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.62 €43.25

$40.29 €35.84

20.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.44 €16.40

$8.12 €7.22

127.09%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 €9.82

$9.43 €8.39

17.07%

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

$693 €617

$178 €159

288.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

$5,820 €5,177

205.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.6 €75.3

$73.7 €65.6

14.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.50 €37.80

$36.52 €32.48

16.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.1

$78.2 €69.6

40.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.9

$94.3 €83.9

19.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 €1,339

$966 €859

55.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,041

$879 €782

33.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,756 €2,451

$1,858 €1,653

48.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 €1,641

$1,142 €1,016

61.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,168 €8,155

$4,260 €3,789

115.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,234 €3,766

$3,507 €3,119

20.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,483 €2,209

$1,735 €1,544

43.07%

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 Alcala de Henares: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7%

Alcala de Henares

$879 45.5% 24.9% $291

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$303 13.4%

Alcala de Henares

$310 16.1% 2.3% $7

Eating Out

Madrid

$269 11.9%

Alcala de Henares

$252 13% 6.4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$241 10.6%

Alcala de Henares

$239 12.4% 0.8% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 7%

Alcala de Henares

$127 6.6% 19.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$71 3.1%

Alcala de Henares

$59 3.1% 16.3% $12

Getting Around

Madrid

$54 2.4%

Alcala de Henares

$66 3.4% 21% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,506 in Madrid and $966 in Alcala de Henares. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 43% 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 $66.0 in Alcala de Henares. Groceries flip the comparison at $303 vs $310, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Alcala de Henares

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

199,184

💱 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 Henares: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madrid and Alcala de Henares differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($2,265 vs $1,932 including rent). Alcala de Henares is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 43% 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 $966 in Alcala de Henares. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Madrid versus $178 in Alcala de Henares. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Madrid pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,932 in Alcala de Henares versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Alcala de Henares but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Alcala de Henares 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 Alcala de Henares 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 Alcala de Henares gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.