Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Alicante

For one person, living is cheaper in Alicante: $1,814 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Alicante
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Alicante Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Alicante

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Alicante

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $1,814 in Alicante.

Madrid $2,265
Alicante $1,814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,296 in Madrid versus $2,801 in Alicante.

Madrid $3,296
Alicante $2,801

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,328 in Madrid versus $3,788 in Alicante.

Madrid $4,328
Alicante $3,788

Living in Madrid is roughly 25% more expensive than in Alicante, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 68% above, Alicante 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.20 €16.19

$19.14 €17.03

-4.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$66.0 €58.7

3.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$11.24 €10.00

Cappuccino

$3.15 €2.80

$2.21 €1.97

42.53%

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

$3.36 €2.99

$2.06 €1.83

63.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.30 €1.16

81.54%

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

$3.30 €2.94

49.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.11 €0.99

18.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.64 €1.46

-1.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.61 €1.43

2.48%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$3.26 €2.90

24.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.82 €14.07

$17.37 €15.45

-8.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.44

$9.79 €8.71

-3.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.52 €15.59

$15.86 €14.11

10.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.58 €2.30

-0.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.08 €1.85

0.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.19

$1.79 €1.59

37.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.63 €2.34

-5.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.90 €1.69

18.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.01 €1.79

6.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.23 €1.10

27.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.66 €0.58

62.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.82

$6.46 €5.75

1.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 €6.81

$5.42 €4.82

41.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.19 €1.06

-1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.06 €1.83

7.77%

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

$26.30 €23.39

38.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.32

$3.10 €2.76

20.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.30 €1.16

18.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.17 €25.95

$16.96 €15.09

71.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.76 €1.56

1.14%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$35.6K €31.7K

-0.44%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$29.1K €25.9K

14.07%

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

$189 €168

$141 €125

34.39%

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

$17.48 €15.55

$18.27 €16.25

-4.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.32 €30.53

$29.69 €26.41

15.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.62 €43.25

$40.64 €36.15

19.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.44 €16.40

$16.59 €14.76

11.15%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 €9.82

$9.07 €8.06

21.72%

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

$693 €617

$708 €629

-2.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

$9,120 €8,113

94.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.6 €75.3

$86.1 €76.5

-1.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.50 €37.80

$35.13 €31.25

20.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.1

$93.7 €83.3

17.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.9

$103 €92.0

8.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 €1,339

$1,003 €892

50.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,041

$846 €752

38.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,756 €2,451

$1,685 €1,499

63.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 €1,641

$1,519 €1,351

21.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,168 €8,155

$4,155 €3,696

120.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,234 €3,766

$2,008 €1,786

110.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,483 €2,209

$1,900 €1,690

30.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

2.99

5.02%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Last update for Alicante: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7%

Alicante

$846 46.6% 27.7% $324

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$303 13.4%

Alicante

$285 15.7% 6.1% $18

Eating Out

Madrid

$269 11.9%

Alicante

$250 13.8% 7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$241 10.6%

Alicante

$189 10.4% 21.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 7%

Alicante

$143 7.9% 9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$71 3.1%

Alicante

$59 3.2% 16.9% $12

Getting Around

Madrid

$54 2.4%

Alicante

$43 2.3% 21.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,506 in Madrid and $1,003 in Alicante. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 31% 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 Alicante for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $285 per month, with Alicante cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Alicante

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

349,282

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Alicante: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alicante wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alicante the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 31% 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 $1,003 in Alicante. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Madrid versus $708 in Alicante. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,814 in Alicante versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alicante but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Alicante the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alicante delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,814 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alicante hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid and Alicante 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 Alicante gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.