Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Cheltenham Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Cheltenham

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,253 in Madrid versus $2,148 in Cheltenham.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,329 in Madrid versus $3,224 in Cheltenham.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,404 in Madrid versus $4,300 in Cheltenham.

Living in Madrid is roughly 5% more expensive than Cheltenham, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 68% above, Cheltenham 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €14.68

$20.14 £15.00

-15.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.6 €59.0

$80.4 £59.9

-14.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.73 €10.10

$11.04 £8.22

6.25%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.64

$4.55 £3.39

-32.75%

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

$3.21 €2.77

$2.04 £1.52

57.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.88

$1.38 £1.03

57.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.94 €3.39

$5.57 £4.15

-29.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 €4.02

$6.84 £5.10

-31.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.03

$1.46 £1.09

-17.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 €1.45

$0.71 £0.53

136.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 €1.46

$1.98 £1.47

-14.65%

Eggs

$3.34 €2.88

$4.45 £3.32

-24.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.91 €12.84

$4.75 £3.53

213.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.69

$7.41 £5.52

20.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.84 €14.50

$15.55 £11.58

8.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.35

$2.07 £1.54

31.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 €1.82

$1.72 £1.28

22.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.19

$2.07 £1.54

22.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 €2.28

$3.45 £2.57

-23.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.85

$1.34 £1.00

60.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 €1.81

$1.85 £1.37

13.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.17

$1.07 £0.80

26.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.84

$1.57 £1.17

-38.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €5.88

$17.02 £12.68

-59.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.15 €7.02

$11.02 £8.21

-26.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.20

$1.95 £1.45

-28.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.88

$1.94 £1.44

12.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 €1.52

$3.50 £2.60

-49.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.07 €42.26

$57.3 £42.65

-14.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 €3.45

$3.99 £2.97

0.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 €1.15

$1.39 £1.04

-4.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.19 €25.13

$25.82 £19.23

13.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 €1.67

$1.97 £1.47

-2.03%

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

$37.2K €32.0K

$38.2K £28.5K

-2.71%

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

$34.4K €29.6K

$42.0K £31.2K

-18.11%

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

$195 €168

$257 £191

-24.16%

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

$21.66 €18.66

$15.72 £11.71

37.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.51 €30.57

$42.39 £31.57

-16.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 €46.31

$43.97 £32.75

22.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.95 €15.46

$24.08 £17.93

-25.46%

Cinema Ticket

$11.55 €9.95

$13.34 £9.94

-13.42%

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

$676 €582

$1,374 £1,023

-50.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K €10.4K

$13.6K £10.2K

-10.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.2 €81.1

$112 £83.4

-15.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.77 €36.83

$35.79 £26.65

19.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €91.0

$112 £83.3

-5.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €116

$97.2 £72.4

38.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 €1,348

$1,209 £900

29.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 €989

$937 £698

22.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,826 €2,433

$2,271 £1,691

24.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,884 €1,622

$1,637 £1,219

15.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,077 €7,816

$5,704 £4,248

59.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,511 €3,884

$5,779 £4,304

-21.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,626 €2,261

$3,932 £2,929

-33.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.43

5.79

-40.76%

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

Last update for Madrid: May 31, 2026

Last update for Cheltenham: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,566 in Madrid and $1,209 in Cheltenham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheltenham pays 50% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Madrid vs $80.0 in Cheltenham. Groceries flip the comparison at $294 vs $258, with Cheltenham cheaper for home cooking.

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

Cheltenham is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Cheltenham earns 50% less. 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: $1,566 in Madrid versus $1,209 in Cheltenham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cheltenham – a meal for two runs $80.0 versus $69.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,253 per month in Madrid versus $2,148 in Cheltenham – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,148 in Cheltenham versus $2,253 in Madrid, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cheltenham but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Cheltenham the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cheltenham 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.

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 Cheltenham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.