Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Cartagena

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,427 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Cartagena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $1,427 in Cartagena.

Madrid $2,265
Cartagena $1,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,296 in Madrid versus $2,095 in Cartagena.

Madrid $3,296
Cartagena $2,095

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,328 in Madrid versus $2,762 in Cartagena.

Madrid $4,328
Cartagena $2,762

Living in Madrid is roughly 59% more expensive than in Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 68% above, Cartagena 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.20 €16.19

$13.84 €12.31

31.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$55.0 €48.90

23.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$7.60 €6.76

47.89%

Cappuccino

$3.15 €2.80

$2.56 €2.27

23.05%

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

$3.36 €2.99

$2.45 €2.18

37.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.84 €1.64

28.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 €3.40

$3.43 €3.05

11.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 €4.38

$3.98 €3.54

23.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.21 €1.07

9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.18 €1.05

36.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.55 €2.26

-35.29%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$3.96 €3.52

2.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.82 €14.07

$12.91 €11.48

22.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.44

$6.94 €6.18

36.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.52 €15.59

$18.67 €16.60

-6.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.39 €2.13

7.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.52 €2.24

-17.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.19

$1.61 €1.43

53.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$3.09 €2.75

-19.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.25 €1.11

80.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.24 €1.10

73.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.69 €0.62

55.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.82

$5.64 €5.02

16.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 €6.81

$6.24 €5.55

22.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.25 €1.11

-6.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.13 €1.00

96.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.43 €1.27

13.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.42 €32.39

$11.14 €9.91

226.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.32

$5.50 €4.90

-32.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.25 €2.00

-31.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.17 €25.95

$27.49 €24.45

6.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.77 €1.58

0.56%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$35.1K €31.2K

1.06%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$30.2K €26.8K

10.18%

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

$189 €168

$210 €187

-10.07%

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

$17.48 €15.55

$19.74 €17.56

-11.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.32 €30.53

$28.70 €25.53

19.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.62 €43.25

$41.14 €36.59

18.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.44 €16.40

$12.80 €11.39

44.06%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 €9.82

$7.70 €6.85

43.38%

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

$693 €617

$416 €370

66.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

$2,726 €2,425

551.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.6 €75.3

$47.17 €41.96

79.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.50 €37.80

$35.38 €31.47

20.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.1

$61.1 €54.3

80.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.9

$101 €89.7

11.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 €1,339

$591 €525

154.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,041

$492 €438

137.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,756 €2,451

$836 €743

229.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 €1,641

$708 €630

160.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,168 €8,155

$1,770 €1,574

417.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,234 €3,766

$1,433 €1,275

195.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,483 €2,209

$1,720 €1,530

44.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

4.06

-22.66%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7%

Cartagena

$492 34.5% 57.9% $678

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$303 13.4%

Cartagena

$270 18.9% 10.9% $33

Eating Out

Madrid

$269 11.9%

Cartagena

$206 14.5% 23.2% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$241 10.6%

Cartagena

$258 18.1% 7.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 7%

Cartagena

$110 7.7% 30.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$71 3.1%

Cartagena

$57 4% 20% $14

Getting Around

Madrid

$54 2.4%

Cartagena

$34 2.4% 38.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,506 in Madrid and $591 in Cartagena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 44% 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 $55.0 in Cartagena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $270 per month, with Cartagena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

02:17 2:17 AM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

218,050

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cartagena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 44% 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 $591 in Cartagena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cartagena – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,265 per month in Madrid versus $1,427 in Cartagena – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,427 in Cartagena versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cartagena but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Cartagena the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cartagena delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,427 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cartagena hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid and Cartagena 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 Cartagena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.