Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Alcala la Real

For one person, living is cheaper in Alcala la Real: $1,579 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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 Alcala la Real
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Alcala la Real Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Alcala la Real

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Alcala la Real

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $1,579 in Alcala la Real.

Madrid $2,265
Alcala la Real $1,579

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,296 in Madrid versus $2,353 in Alcala la Real.

Madrid $3,296
Alcala la Real $2,353

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,328 in Madrid versus $3,128 in Alcala la Real.

Madrid $4,328
Alcala la Real $3,128

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 68% above, Alcala la Real 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.20 €16.19

$13.37 €11.89

36.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$68.1 €60.6

-0.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$9.00 €8.00

24.89%

Cappuccino

$3.15 €2.80

$1.84 €1.64

71.20%

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

$3.36 €2.99

$2.12 €1.89

58.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.61 €1.43

46.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 €3.40

$2.97 €2.64

28.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 €4.38

$3.47 €3.08

41.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.14 €1.01

15.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.68 €1.50

-4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.57 €1.40

5.10%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$3.21 €2.86

26.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.82 €14.07

$13.48 €11.99

17.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.44

$8.29 €7.38

14.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.52 €15.59

$15.95 €14.19

9.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.38 €2.11

7.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.98 €1.76

5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.19

$1.88 €1.67

31.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.61 €2.32

-4.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.84 €1.64

22.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.08 €1.85

3.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.45 €1.29

8.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.75 €0.67

42.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.82

$6.68 €5.94

-1.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 €6.81

$5.94 €5.29

28.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.97 €1.75

12.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.65 €1.47

-1.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.42 €32.39

$32.65 €29.04

11.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.32

$1.66 €1.48

124.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.06 €0.94

45.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.17 €25.95

$14.75 €13.12

97.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.82 €1.62

-2.20%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$35.7K €31.7K

-0.55%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$28.7K €25.6K

15.68%

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

$189 €168

$118 €105

60.08%

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

$17.48 €15.55

$16.13 €14.35

8.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.32 €30.53

$32.94 €29.30

4.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.62 €43.25

$44.43 €39.52

9.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.44 €16.40

$15.82 €14.08

16.56%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 €9.82

$8.02 €7.14

37.66%

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

$693 €617

$552 €491

25.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

$8,151 €7,251

117.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.6 €75.3

$89.9 €80.0

-5.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.50 €37.80

$38.88 €34.58

9.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.1

$96.9 €86.2

13.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.9

$112 €99.7

0.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 €1,339

$891 €793

68.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,041

$693 €616

68.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,756 €2,451

$1,345 €1,196

104.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 €1,641

$1,008 €897

83.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,168 €8,155

$3,283 €2,921

179.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,234 €3,766

$2,174 €1,934

94.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,483 €2,209

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

3.34

-5.99%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Last update for Alcala la Real: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7%

Alcala la Real

$693 43.9% 40.8% $477

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$303 13.4%

Alcala la Real

$268 17% 11.7% $36

Eating Out

Madrid

$269 11.9%

Alcala la Real

$193 12.2% 28.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$241 10.6%

Alcala la Real

$167 10.6% 30.6% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 7%

Alcala la Real

$152 9.6% 3.4% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$71 3.1%

Alcala la Real

$60 3.8% 14.5% $10

Getting Around

Madrid

$54 2.4%

Alcala la Real

$46 2.9% 15.1% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,506 in Madrid and $891 in Alcala la Real. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Madrid vs $68.0 in Alcala la Real. Groceries flip the comparison at $303 vs $268, with Alcala la Real cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Alcala la Real

🕒 Local time

22:00 10:00 PM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

21,587

💱 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 la Real: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madrid and Alcala la Real differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($2,265 vs $1,579 including rent). Alcala la Real is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,398 in Madrid and $2,368 in Alcala la Real 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: $1,506 in Madrid versus $891 in Alcala la Real. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Alcala la Real runs roughly 12% less than in Madrid. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $693 in Madrid versus $552 in Alcala la Real. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,579 in Alcala la Real versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alcala la Real but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Alcala la Real 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 la Real 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 la Real gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.