Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Alcoy

Name: Alcoy
Address: Alcoy, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Alcoy: $1,558 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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 Alcoy
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Alcoy Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Alcoy

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,558

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Alcoy

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

A single person spends $2,265 per month in Madrid vs $1,558 in Alcoy, rent included.

Madrid $2,265
Alcoy $1,558

A couple spends around $3,296 per month in Madrid vs $2,293 in Alcoy, rent included.

Madrid $3,296
Alcoy $2,293

A family of three spends $4,328 per month in Madrid vs $3,028 in Alcoy, rent included.

Madrid $4,328
Alcoy $3,028

Madrid costs about 45% more than Alcoy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Madrid and Alcoy sit above the global median – Madrid by 68%, Alcoy by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.20 €16.19

$10.08 €8.97

80.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$56.3 €50.1

20.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$13.03 €11.59

-13.74%

Cappuccino

$3.15 €2.80

$1.83 €1.63

72.13%

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

$3.36 €2.99

$1.69 €1.51

98.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.26 €1.12

87.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 €3.40

$3.34 €2.97

14.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 €4.38

$2.43 €2.16

102.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.03 €0.92

28.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.49 €1.32

8.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.36 €1.21

21.32%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$3.37 €3.00

20.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.82 €14.07

$13.46 €11.97

17.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.44

$8.34 €7.42

13.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.52 €15.59

$15.73 €13.99

11.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.61 €2.32

-1.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.08 €1.85

0.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.19

$1.84 €1.64

34.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.57 €2.29

-3.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.85 €1.64

22.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.03 €1.81

5.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.33 €1.18

18.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.57 €0.51

87.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.82

$6.24 €5.55

4.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 €6.81

$5.75 €5.11

33.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.23 €1.09

-4.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.39 €1.24

59.71%

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

$33.06 €29.41

10.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.32

$4.11 €3.66

-9.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.43 €1.27

7.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.17 €25.95

$22.58 €20.09

29.19%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

0.61%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$29.4K €26.2K

12.89%

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

$189 €168

$146 €130

29.63%

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

$17.48 €15.55

$18.03 €16.04

-3.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.32 €30.53

$29.72 €26.44

15.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.62 €43.25

$44.74 €39.80

8.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.44 €16.40

$15.66 €13.93

17.75%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 €9.82

$8.99 €8.00

22.80%

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

$693 €617

$473 €421

46.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

$8,402 €7,474

111.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.6 €75.3

$84.5 €75.1

0.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.50 €37.80

$36.40 €32.37

16.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.1

$91.1 €81.0

21.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.9

$110 €97.9

2.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 €1,339

$903 €804

66.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,041

$670 €596

74.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,756 €2,451

$1,332 €1,185

106.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 €1,641

$998 €887

84.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,168 €8,155

$3,340 €2,971

174.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,234 €3,766

$2,198 €1,955

92.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,483 €2,209

$1,883 €1,675

31.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

3.3

-4.85%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Last update for Alcoy: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7%

Alcoy

$670 43% 42.7% $500

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$303 13.4%

Alcoy

$261 16.8% 13.8% $42

Eating Out

Madrid

$269 11.9%

Alcoy

$175 11.2% 34.9% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$241 10.6%

Alcoy

$193 12.4% 19.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 7%

Alcoy

$145 9.3% 7.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$71 3.1%

Alcoy

$63 4% 11.3% $8

Getting Around

Madrid

$54 2.4%

Alcoy

$51 3.3% 6.4% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,506 in Madrid versus $903 in Alcoy. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 32% higher in Madrid, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Madrid versus $56.0 in Alcoy. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $303 vs $261 – making Alcoy the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Alcoy

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

59,493

💱 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 Alcoy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,265 in Madrid, $1,558 in Alcoy – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,398 per month in Madrid and $2,338 in Alcoy. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alcoy, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Madrid, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Madrid and $56.0 in Alcoy. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Alcoy, where all-in costs run around $1,558, than in Madrid at $2,265. In Alcoy it covers expenses comfortably, while in Madrid it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Madrid has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,558 in Alcoy to $2,265 in Madrid. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Alcoy. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Madrid makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.