Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Algeciras

For one person, living is cheaper in Algeciras: $1,133 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Algeciras
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Algeciras Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Algeciras

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Algeciras

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,304 in Madrid versus $1,133 in Algeciras.

Madrid $2,304
Algeciras $1,133

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in Madrid versus $1,808 in Algeciras.

Madrid $3,389
Algeciras $1,808

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,475 in Madrid versus $2,482 in Algeciras.

Madrid $4,475
Algeciras $2,482

Living in Madrid is roughly 103% more expensive than in Algeciras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Madrid is 69% above, Algeciras is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 €15.93

$8.58 €7.71

106.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €60.1

$36.27 €32.58

84.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.15

$6.88 €6.18

64.24%

Cappuccino

$3.04 €2.73

$1.66 €1.49

83.13%

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

$3.36 €3.02

$1.34 €1.20

150.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.14 €1.02

106.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 €3.50

$2.56 €2.30

51.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.31

$4.02 €3.61

19.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.25 €1.13

5.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.20 €1.08

36.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.55

$1.71 €1.54

0.58%

Eggs

$4.20 €3.78

$3.37 €3.03

24.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 €14.29

$10.98 €9.86

44.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 €8.41

$7.59 €6.81

23.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 €15.46

$14.05 €12.62

22.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.25 €2.03

13.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.03 €1.82

2.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.29

$1.82 €1.64

40.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.32

$2.14 €1.92

20.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.08

$1.53 €1.38

50.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$1.34 €1.21

61.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.02 €0.91

47.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.61 €0.55

75.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.90

$6.28 €5.64

4.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.07

$4.61 €4.14

70.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.14 €1.02

6.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.95

$1.68 €1.51

29.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.53 €1.37

9.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.53 €33.71

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.38

$3.84 €3.45

-2.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.48 €1.33

0.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.17 €27.10

$28.17 €25.31

7.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.70 €1.52

8.82%

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

$33.9K €30.4K

$30.5K €27.4K

11.07%

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

$33.3K €29.9K

$31.8K €28.6K

4.70%

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

$192 €172

$86.4 €77.6

121.69%

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

$17.66 €15.86

$11.00 €9.89

60.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.07 €31.51

$28.66 €25.75

22.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 €42.46

$35.39 €31.79

33.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 €16.37

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 €10.14

$10.02 €9.00

12.67%

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

$687 €617

$344 €309

99.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K €16.2K

$7,659 €6,880

134.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.5 €77.7

$64.7 €58.2

33.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.65 €37.41

$32.53 €29.22

28.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €97.1

$124 €111

-12.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100

$133 €120

-16.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 €1,355

$468 €421

222.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 €1,087

$398 €358

203.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,829 €2,541

$948 €851

198.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,004 €1,800

$817 €734

145.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,002 €8,086

$2,151 €1,932

318.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,710 €4,231

$1,760 €1,581

167.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 €2,204

$1,829 €1,643

34.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

3.32

-5.42%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Last update for Algeciras: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5%

Algeciras

$398 35.2% 67.1% $811

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$304 13.2%

Algeciras

$236 20.9% 22.3% $68

Eating Out

Madrid

$264 11.5%

Algeciras

$140 12.4% 47% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$244 10.6%

Algeciras

$126 11.1% 48.4% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 6.8%

Algeciras

$159 14.1% 1.8% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$70 3%

Algeciras

$55 4.9% 20.6% $14

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Algeciras

$17 * 1.5% 68.7% $38

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 $1,508 in Madrid and $468 in Algeciras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 34% 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: $67 in Madrid vs $36 in Algeciras for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $236 per month, with Algeciras cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Algeciras

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

123,639

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Madrid Algeciras 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Algeciras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madrid and Algeciras differ by about 103% in total monthly costs ($2,304 vs $1,133 including rent). Algeciras is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 34% 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: $1,508 in Madrid versus $468 in Algeciras. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $687 in Madrid versus $344 in Algeciras. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Algeciras – a meal for two runs $36 versus $67 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,133 in Algeciras versus $2,304 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Algeciras but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Algeciras 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 Algeciras are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Algeciras wins on affordability, Madrid on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.