Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Badalona

Name: Badalona
Address: Badalona, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Badalona: $1,645 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Badalona
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Badalona Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Badalona

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Badalona

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

A single person spends $2,265 per month in Madrid vs $1,645 in Badalona, rent included.

Madrid $2,265
Badalona $1,645

A couple spends around $3,296 per month in Madrid vs $3,148 in Badalona, rent included.

Madrid $3,296
Badalona $3,148

A family of three spends $4,328 per month in Madrid vs $4,652 in Badalona, rent included.

Madrid $4,328
Badalona $4,652

Madrid costs about 38% more than Badalona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Madrid and Badalona sit above the global median – Madrid by 68%, Badalona by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.20 €16.19

$17.14 €15.25

6.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$55.6 €49.43

22.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$11.12 €9.89

1.08%

Cappuccino

$3.15 €2.80

$2.41 €2.14

30.71%

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

$3.36 €2.99

$2.58 €2.30

30.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.93 €1.72

22.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 €3.40

$3.36 €2.99

13.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 €4.38

$4.42 €3.93

11.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.11 €0.98

18.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$2.09 €1.86

-22.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.77 €1.57

-6.78%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$3.88 €3.45

4.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.82 €14.07

$14.46 €12.87

9.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.44

$8.93 €7.95

6.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.52 €15.59

$15.02 €13.36

16.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.49 €2.22

2.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.02 €1.80

3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.19

$1.58 €1.41

56.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.50 €2.22

-0.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.83 €1.63

23.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.94 €1.73

10.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.56 €1.39

0.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.58 €0.51

84.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.82

$6.95 €6.18

-5.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 €6.81

$5.51 €4.90

38.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.06 €0.95

10.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.48 €2.20

-10.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.60 €1.42

1.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.42 €32.39

$44.42 €39.52

-18.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.32

$3.02 €2.69

23.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.52 €1.35

1.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.17 €25.95

$14.79 €13.15

97.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.58

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$35.1K €31.3K

0.96%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$30.0K €26.7K

10.82%

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

$189 €168

$116 €103

63.44%

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

$17.48 €15.55

$13.67 €12.16

27.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.32 €30.53

$24.78 €22.04

38.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.62 €43.25

$69.7 €62.0

-30.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.44 €16.40

$15.64 €13.91

17.90%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 €9.82

$8.20 €7.30

34.63%

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

$693 €617

$561 €499

23.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

$10.0K €8,905

77.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.6 €75.3

$62.9 €55.9

34.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.50 €37.80

$21.54 €19.16

97.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.1

$105 €93.6

4.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.9

$119 €106

-5.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 €1,339

$1,386 €1,233

8.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,041

$686 €611

70.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,756 €2,451

$1,333 €1,186

106.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 €1,641

$2,435 €2,166

-24.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,168 €8,155

$3,357 €2,986

173.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,234 €3,766

$2,202 €1,959

92.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,483 €2,209

$1,875 €1,668

32.40%

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 Badalona: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7%

Badalona

$686 41.7% 41.3% $483

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$303 13.4%

Badalona

$275 16.7% 9.3% $28

Eating Out

Madrid

$269 11.9%

Badalona

$243 14.8% 9.6% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$241 10.6%

Badalona

$154 9.4% 36% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 7%

Badalona

$139 8.5% 11.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$71 3.1%

Badalona

$86 5.2% 21.8% $15

Getting Around

Madrid

$54 2.4%

Badalona

$61 3.7% 12.9% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,506 in Madrid versus $1,386 in Badalona. 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 Badalona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $303 vs $275 – making Badalona the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Badalona

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

225,957

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Madrid Badalona 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
Badalona

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 Badalona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,265 in Madrid, $1,645 in Badalona – roughly 38% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,398 per month in Madrid and $2,468 in Badalona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,265 in Madrid and $1,645 in Badalona. That's a gap of about 38%.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Badalona. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Badalona, where all-in costs run around $1,645, than in Madrid at $2,265. In Badalona 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 $1,645 in Badalona 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 Badalona. 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.