Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Cartagena Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Cartagena

😐 Solo nomad: Madrid is 41.6% more expensive than Cartagena without rent, and 63% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Madrid is 42.3% more expensive than Cartagena without rent, and 73.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.19 €14.57

$14.10 €11.96

21.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 €59.7

$57.5 €48.78

22.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.06 €10.23

$8.16 €6.92

47.79%

Cappuccino

$3.15 €2.67

$2.65 €2.25

18.87%

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

$3.21 €2.73

$2.41 €2.04

33.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.79

$2.03 €1.72

3.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.96 €3.36

$3.55 €3.01

11.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €3.84

$3.48 €2.95

30.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.06

$1.15 €0.97

8.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 €1.43

$1.04 €0.88

61.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 €1.45

$1.67 €1.42

2.40%

Eggs

$3.40 €2.88

$2.81 €2.38

21.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.93 €12.66

$11.50 €9.75

29.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.95 €7.59

$8.19 €6.95

9.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.18 €14.57

$14.21 €12.05

20.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 €2.21

$2.33 €1.98

11.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.86

$1.86 €1.58

17.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 €2.17

$1.40 €1.19

82.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.64 €2.24

$1.70 €1.44

55.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 €1.80

$1.30 €1.10

63.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 €1.78

$1.11 €0.94

89.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.19

$1.10 €0.93

28.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.82

$0.53 €0.45

81.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.06 €5.99

$5.82 €4.93

21.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.28 €7.02

$6.20 €5.25

33.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.23

$1.10 €0.94

31.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 €1.92

$1.24 €1.05

83.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 €1.50

$1.41 €1.20

25.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.35 €41.84

$11.64 €9.87

323.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 €3.34

$3.43 €2.91

14.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 €1.13

$1.20 €1.02

10.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.57 €24.23

$24.55 €20.82

16.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.61

$1.74 €1.48

9.20%

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

$38.4K €32.5K

$30.7K €26.0K

25.15%

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

$34.1K €28.9K

$31.3K €26.5K

9.09%

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

$196 €166

$141 €120

38.50%

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

$21.30 €18.06

$13.38 €11.35

59.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.85 €30.40

$30.38 €25.76

18.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 €45.74

$39.11 €33.16

37.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.54 €14.87

$14.81 €12.55

18.43%

Cinema Ticket

$11.36 €9.63

$8.28 €7.02

37.20%

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

$671 €569

$433 €367

54.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K €10.1K

$2,756 €2,337

332.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.1 €79.8

$45.21 €38.34

108.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.46 €36.01

$31.09 €26.36

36.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €88.6

$45.70 €38.75

128.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €113

$75.8 €64.3

75.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,572 €1,333

$784 €665

100.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 €955

$624 €529

80.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,857 €2,423

$911 €773

213.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 €1,628

$780 €662

146.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,268 €7,859

$1,832 €1,554

405.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,531 €3,842

$1,470 €1,246

208.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,609 €2,212

$1,828 €1,550

42.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.43

3.44

-0.29%

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

Last update for Madrid: April 13, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: April 13, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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