Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Burgos

For one person, living is cheaper in Burgos: $1,554 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.

Madrid
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,265
/mo nomad
Burgos
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,554
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Burgos

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

A single person spends $2,265 per month in Madrid vs $1,554 in Burgos, rent included.

  • Madrid $2,265
  • Burgos $1,554

A couple spends around $3,296 per month in Madrid vs $2,235 in Burgos, rent included.

  • Madrid $3,296
  • Burgos $2,235

A family of three spends $4,328 per month in Madrid vs $2,917 in Burgos, rent included.

  • Madrid $4,328
  • Burgos $2,917

Madrid costs about 46% more than Burgos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Madrid
Burgos
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.20 €16.19
$18.04 €16.05
0.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.1 €60.5
$55.4 €49.31
22.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.24 €9.99
$10.08 €8.96
11.51%
Cappuccino
$3.15 €2.80
$1.83 €1.63
72.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.36 €2.99
$2.10 €1.87
60.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 €2.10
$1.53 €1.36
54.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.83 €3.40
$3.37 €3.00
13.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.92 €4.38
$3.39 €3.01
45.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Madrid
Burgos
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.32 €1.17
$1.16 €1.03
13.79%
White Bread (500g)
$1.61 €1.43
$1.13 €1.00
42.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.65 €1.47
$1.75 €1.56
-5.71%
Eggs
$4.07 €3.62
$2.52 €2.24
61.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.82 €14.07
$20.35 €18.10
-22.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.49 €8.44
$7.91 €7.03
19.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.52 €15.59
$15.57 €13.85
12.52%
Apples (1kg)
$2.56 €2.27
$2.28 €2.03
12.28%
Banana (1kg)
$2.09 €1.86
$1.70 €1.51
22.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.47 €2.19
$1.66 €1.47
48.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.49 €2.22
$2.64 €2.35
-5.68%
Potato (1kg)
$2.26 €2.01
$1.37 €1.22
64.96%
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 €1.91
$1.96 €1.74
9.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.57 €1.40
$1.13 €1.01
38.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 €0.95
$1.01 €0.90
5.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.55 €5.82
$7.79 €6.93
-15.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.65 €6.81
$7.21 €6.42
6.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.17 €1.04
$1.10 €0.98
6.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 €1.97
$1.76 €1.56
26.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Madrid
Burgos
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.63 €1.45
$1.33 €1.18
22.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$36.42 €32.39
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.73 €3.32
$6.68 €5.94
-44.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.54 €1.37
$0.94 €0.84
63.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.17 €25.95
$22.22 €19.77
31.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.78 €1.58
$1.71 €1.53
4.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.5K €31.6K
$36.2K €32.2K
-1.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.2K €29.6K
$29.4K €26.2K
12.91%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Madrid
Burgos
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$189 €168
$136 €121
38.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.48 €15.55
$22.25 €19.79
-21.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.32 €30.53
$34.45 €30.64
-0.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Madrid
Burgos
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.62 €43.25
$30.44 €27.08
59.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.44 €16.40
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.04 €9.82
$5.55 €4.94
98.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Madrid
Burgos
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$693 €617
$446 €397
55.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.8K €15.8K
$13.9K €12.3K
28.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Madrid
Burgos
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.6 €75.3
$99.8 €88.8
-15.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.50 €37.80
$32.16 €28.61
32.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 €98.1
$66.4 €59.0
66.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 €99.9
$133 €119
-15.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Madrid
Burgos
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,506 €1,339
$784 €698
91.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,170 €1,041
$642 €571
82.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,756 €2,451
$1,067 €949
158.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,845 €1,641
$840 €748
119.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,168 €8,155
$2,360 €2,099
288.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,234 €3,766
$2,118 €1,884
99.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Madrid
Burgos
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,483 €2,209
$2,469 €2,196
0.56%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.14
2.92
7.53%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Last update for Burgos: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Madrid
$1.2K
Burgos
$642 45.1% $528
Groceries & Markets
Madrid
$303
Burgos
$277 8.7% $26
Eating Out
Madrid
$269
Burgos
$235 12.8% $34
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Madrid
$241
Burgos
$193 19.9% $48
Clothing & Footwear
Madrid
$157
Burgos
$149 5.1% $8.1
Sport & Entertainment
Madrid
$71
Burgos
$42 41.3% $29
Getting Around
Madrid
$54
Burgos
$17 * 69.3% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,506 in Madrid versus $784 in Burgos. 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 1% 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 $55.0 in Burgos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $303 vs $277 – making Burgos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Madrid
🇪🇸 Burgos
🕒 Local time
18:40 6:40 PM
18:40 6:40 PM
Same time as Madrid
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,332,035 Capital
174,451
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Madrid Burgos 210 km
From you
  • Madrid
  • Burgos

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 Burgos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Madrid or Burgos?
Madrid costs about 46% more than Burgos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Madrid and in Burgos?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,398 per month in Madrid and $2,330 in Burgos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Madrid or Burgos?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Burgos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Madrid compared to Burgos?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,265 in Madrid and $1,554 in Burgos. That's a gap of about 46%.
How do childcare costs compare in Madrid and in Burgos?
Kindergarten costs $693 per month in Madrid and $446 in Burgos. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Madrid or in Burgos?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Burgos, where all-in costs run around $1,554, than in Madrid at $2,265. In Burgos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Madrid it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Madrid or Burgos?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Burgos costs $1,554 versus $2,265 in Madrid. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Madrid compared to Burgos?
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.
Should I move to Madrid or to Burgos?
If budget matters most, go with Burgos. 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.

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