Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Burnley

For one person, living costs are similar in Madrid and in Burnley: $2,265 and $2,187 a month, rent and utilities included.

Madrid
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,265
/mo nomad
Burnley
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,187
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Burnley

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $2,187 in Burnley.

  • Madrid $2,265
  • Burnley $2,187

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,296 in Madrid versus $3,012 in Burnley.

  • Madrid $3,296
  • Burnley $3,012

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,328 in Madrid versus $3,836 in Burnley.

  • Madrid $4,328
  • Burnley $3,836

Living in Madrid is roughly 4% more expensive than in Burnley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 68% above, Burnley 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Madrid
Burnley
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.20 €16.19
$19.65 £14.74
-7.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.1 €60.5
$77.3 £58.0
-11.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.24 €9.99
$7.78 £5.83
44.47%
Cappuccino
$3.15 €2.80
$4.62 £3.46
-31.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.36 €2.99
$2.63 £1.97
27.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 €2.10
$1.74 £1.31
35.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.83 €3.40
$4.07 £3.05
-5.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.92 €4.38
$5.89 £4.42
-16.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Madrid
Burnley
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.32 €1.17
$1.68 £1.26
-21.43%
White Bread (500g)
$1.61 €1.43
$1.46 £1.09
10.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.65 €1.47
$1.63 £1.22
1.23%
Eggs
$4.07 €3.62
$3.51 £2.63
15.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.82 €14.07
$8.15 £6.12
94.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.49 €8.44
$8.00 £6.00
18.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.52 €15.59
$12.99 £9.74
34.87%
Apples (1kg)
$2.56 €2.27
$2.26 £1.70
13.27%
Banana (1kg)
$2.09 €1.86
$1.34 £1.01
55.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.47 €2.19
$1.67 £1.25
47.90%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.49 €2.22
$2.61 £1.96
-4.60%
Potato (1kg)
$2.26 €2.01
$1.69 £1.27
33.73%
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 €1.91
$1.61 £1.21
33.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.57 €1.40
$1.29 £0.97
21.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 €0.95
$1.16 £0.87
-7.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.55 €5.82
$18.90 £14.18
-65.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.65 €6.81
$10.77 £8.08
-28.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.17 €1.04
$2.79 £2.09
-58.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 €1.97
$3.03 £2.28
-26.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Madrid
Burnley
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.63 €1.45
$3.51 £2.64
-53.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$36.42 €32.39
$96.7 £72.6
-62.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.73 €3.32
$3.08 £2.31
21.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.54 €1.37
$2.05 £1.54
-24.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.17 €25.95
$18.14 £13.61
60.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.78 €1.58
$1.89 £1.42
-5.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.5K €31.6K
$38.9K £29.2K
-8.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.2K €29.6K
$41.2K £30.9K
-19.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Madrid
Burnley
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$189 €168
$255 £191
-25.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.48 €15.55
$16.89 £12.67
3.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.32 €30.53
$41.54 £31.16
-17.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Madrid
Burnley
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.62 €43.25
$45.08 £33.82
7.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.44 €16.40
$16.41 £12.31
12.37%
Cinema Ticket
$11.04 €9.82
$7.74 £5.81
42.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Madrid
Burnley
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$693 €617
$1,837 £1,378
-62.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.8K €15.8K
$22.1K £16.6K
-19.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Madrid
Burnley
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.6 €75.3
$89.6 £67.2
-5.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.50 €37.80
$47.32 £35.50
-10.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 €98.1
$88.9 £66.7
24.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 €99.9
$88.2 £66.2
27.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Madrid
Burnley
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,506 €1,339
$1,203 £902
25.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,170 €1,041
$999 £749
17.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,756 €2,451
$1,449 £1,087
90.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,845 €1,641
$1,225 £919
50.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,168 €8,155
$4,950 £3,714
85.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,234 €3,766
$3,930 £2,949
7.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Madrid
Burnley
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,483 €2,209
$3,131 £2,349
-20.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.14
4.99
-37.07%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Last update for Burnley: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Madrid
$1.2K
Burnley
$999 14.6% $171
Groceries & Markets
Madrid
$303
Burnley
$263 13.1% $40
Eating Out
Madrid
$269
Burnley
$286 6.2% $17
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Madrid
$241
Burnley
$313 30.2% $73
Clothing & Footwear
Madrid
$157
Burnley
$141 10.2% $16
Sport & Entertainment
Madrid
$71
Burnley
$61 14.4% $10
Getting Around
Madrid
$54
Burnley
$124 128% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,506 in Madrid and $1,203 in Burnley. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burnley pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Madrid vs $77.0 in Burnley. Groceries flip the comparison at $303 vs $263, with Burnley cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Madrid
🇬🇧 Burnley
🕒 Local time
19:48 7:48 PM
18:48 6:48 PM
1 h behind Madrid
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,332,035 Capital
73,500
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Madrid Burnley 1,490 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Madrid
  • Burnley

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 Burnley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Burnley cheaper than Madrid?
Burnley is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Madrid or Burnley?
On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Burnley. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Madrid and Burnley?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,506 in Madrid versus $1,203 in Burnley. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Madrid or in Burnley?
Dining out is cheaper in Burnley – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Madrid and in Burnley?
All in, you'll spend $2,265 per month in Madrid versus $2,187 in Burnley – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Madrid or in Burnley?
At $2,187 in Burnley versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Burnley but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Burnley the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Madrid or Burnley more family-friendly?
For families, Burnley is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Madrid, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Madrid or Burnley?
Safety-wise, Madrid and Burnley are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Burnley gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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