Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Cheltenham

For one person, living costs are similar in Madrid and in Cheltenham: $2,265 and $2,327 a month, rent and utilities included.

111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Cheltenham
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Cheltenham Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Cheltenham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,327

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Cheltenham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $2,327 in Cheltenham.

Madrid $2,265
Cheltenham $2,327

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,296 in Madrid versus $3,528 in Cheltenham.

Madrid $3,296
Cheltenham $3,528

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,328 in Madrid versus $4,729 in Cheltenham.

Madrid $4,328
Cheltenham $4,729

Living in Madrid costs roughly 3% less than in Cheltenham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 68% above, Cheltenham 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.20 €16.19

$23.67 £17.75

-23.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$105 £79.1

-35.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$11.03 £8.28

1.90%

Cappuccino

$3.15 €2.80

$4.89 £3.67

-35.58%

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

$3.36 €2.99

$2.56 £1.92

31.25%

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

$7.76 £5.82

-50.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 €4.38

$6.54 £4.91

-24.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.73 £1.30

-23.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.71 £1.29

-5.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.99 £1.49

-17.09%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$4.43 £3.33

-8.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.82 €14.07

$8.19 £6.15

93.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.44

$9.59 £7.19

-1.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.52 €15.59

$13.09 £9.82

33.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$3.10 £2.32

-17.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.43 £1.07

46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.19

$1.93 £1.45

27.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$3.49 £2.62

-28.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.52 £1.14

48.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.51 £1.13

42.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.21 £0.91

29.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.42 £1.07

-24.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.82

$23.12 £17.35

-71.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 €6.81

$10.63 £7.98

-28.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.86 £2.15

-59.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.93 £2.20

-24.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$3.44 £2.58

-52.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.42 €32.39

$92.5 £69.4

-60.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.32

$3.53 £2.65

5.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.64 £1.23

-6.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.17 €25.95

$26.85 £20.14

8.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.87 £1.40

-4.81%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$37.1K £27.8K

-4.32%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$41.2K £30.9K

-19.31%

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

$189 €168

$341 £256

-44.56%

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

$17.48 €15.55

$17.10 £12.83

2.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.32 €30.53

$51.0 £38.24

-32.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.62 €43.25

$44.28 £33.22

9.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.44 €16.40

$39.01 £29.27

-52.73%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 €9.82

$14.00 £10.50

-21.14%

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

$693 €617

$2,020 £1,516

-65.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

$25.2K £18.9K

-29.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.6 €75.3

$98.2 £73.7

-13.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.50 €37.80

$48.22 £36.18

-11.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.1

$106 £79.4

4.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.9

$96.9 £72.7

15.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 €1,339

$1,161 £871

29.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,041

$929 £697

25.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,756 €2,451

$2,149 £1,613

28.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 €1,641

$1,617 £1,213

14.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,168 €8,155

$5,704 £4,279

60.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,234 €3,766

$5,676 £4,258

-25.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,483 €2,209

$4,753 £3,566

-47.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

5.54

-43.32%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cheltenham: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7%

Cheltenham

$929 39.9% 20.6% $241

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$303 13.4%

Cheltenham

$292 12.6% 3.6% $11

Eating Out

Madrid

$269 11.9%

Cheltenham

$350 15.1% 30.2% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$241 10.6%

Cheltenham

$409 17.6% 69.8% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 7%

Cheltenham

$157 6.8% 0.1% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$71 3.1%

Cheltenham

$72 3.1% 2.2% $1.6

Getting Around

Madrid

$54 2.4%

Cheltenham

$118 5.1% 117% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,506 in Madrid and $1,161 in Cheltenham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheltenham pays 91% 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 $105 in Cheltenham. Groceries flip the comparison at $303 vs $292, with Cheltenham cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇬🇧 Cheltenham

🕒 Local time

17:24 5:24 PM

16:24 4:24 PM

1 h behind Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

115,300

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Madrid Cheltenham 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
Cheltenham

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 Cheltenham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madrid is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 91% lower in Cheltenham. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,506 in Madrid versus $1,161 in Cheltenham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Madrid – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $105 in Cheltenham. 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 $2,327 in Cheltenham – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,265 in Madrid versus $2,327 in Cheltenham, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Madrid but tight or insufficient in Cheltenham. The gap between the two cities makes Madrid the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Madrid is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cheltenham, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Madrid and Cheltenham 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 Madrid gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Cheltenham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.