Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Daegu

For one person, living is cheaper in Daegu: $1,569 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Madrid outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
Learn more

Madrid Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Daegu
Learn more

Daegu Living Index

Jump to prices

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Daegu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,569

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Daegu

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

A single person spends $2,265 per month in Madrid vs $1,569 in Daegu, rent included.

Madrid $2,265
Daegu $1,569

A couple spends around $3,296 per month in Madrid vs $2,402 in Daegu, rent included.

Madrid $3,296
Daegu $2,402

A family of three spends $4,328 per month in Madrid vs $3,235 in Daegu, rent included.

Madrid $4,328
Daegu $3,235

Madrid costs about 44% more than Daegu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Madrid and Daegu sit above the global median – Madrid by 68%, Daegu by 16%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.20 €16.19

$9.29 ₩12.3K

95.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$37.12 ₩49.4K

83.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$5.67 ₩7,536

98.24%

Cappuccino

$3.15 €2.80

$3.97 ₩5,284

-20.65%

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

$3.36 €2.99

$1.56 ₩2,075

115.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$0.90 ₩1,202

162.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 €3.40

$3.82 ₩5,082

0.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 €4.38

$5.42 ₩7,204

-9.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$2.38 ₩3,161

-44.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$4.49 ₩5,976

-64.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.66 ₩3,541

-37.97%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$2.72 ₩3,619

49.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.82 €14.07

$10.30 ₩13.7K

53.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.44

$7.44 ₩9,888

27.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.52 €15.59

$20.76 ₩27.6K

-15.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$6.59 ₩8,762

-61.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.69 ₩3,577

-22.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.19

$5.72 ₩7,599

-56.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$5.96 ₩7,921

-58.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.65 ₩3,518

-14.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.06 ₩2,735

4.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$4.35 ₩5,789

-63.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.37 ₩1,825

-21.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.82

$2.88 ₩3,832

127.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 €6.81

$14.91 ₩19.8K

-48.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.14 ₩2,848

-45.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.49 ₩3,317

-10.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.11 ₩1,473

46.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.42 €32.39

$76.4 ₩101.5K

-52.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.32

$3.14 ₩4,172

18.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.61 ₩811

152.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.17 €25.95

$8.02 ₩10.7K

263.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.33 ₩1,775

33.83%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$28.5K ₩37.9M

24.46%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$41.5K ₩55.1M

-19.85%

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

$189 €168

$280 ₩371.6K

-32.42%

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

$17.48 €15.55

$50.5 ₩67.1K

-65.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.32 €30.53

$47.09 ₩62.6K

-27.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.62 €43.25

$51.0 ₩67.8K

-4.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.44 €16.40

$11.89 ₩15.8K

55.09%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 €9.82

$11.26 ₩15.0K

-1.95%

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

$693 €617

$531 ₩706.4K

30.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

$27.9K ₩37.1M

-36.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.6 €75.3

$56.3 ₩74.8K

50.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.50 €37.80

$50.3 ₩66.9K

-15.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.1

$96.0 ₩127.7K

14.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.9

$164 ₩218.5K

-31.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 €1,339

$408 ₩542.1K

269.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,041

$273 ₩363.6K

327.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,756 €2,451

$1,044 ₩1.4M

163.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 €1,641

$607 ₩806.7K

204.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,168 €8,155

$7,125 ₩9.5M

28.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,234 €3,766

$5,559 ₩7.4M

-23.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,483 €2,209

$2,478 ₩3.3M

0.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

5.07

-38.07%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Last update for Daegu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7%

Daegu

$273 17.4% 76.6% $896

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$303 13.4%

Daegu

$414 26.4% 36.5% $111

Eating Out

Madrid

$269 11.9%

Daegu

$179 11.4% 33.5% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$241 10.6%

Daegu

$377 24% 56.6% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 7%

Daegu

$165 10.5% 4.9% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$71 3.1%

Daegu

$73 4.7% 3.9% $2.8

Getting Around

Madrid

$54 2.4%

Daegu

$87 5.5% 59.9% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,506 in Madrid versus $408 in Daegu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 0% higher in Madrid, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Madrid versus $37.00 in Daegu. Groceries tell a different story – $303 in Madrid vs $414 in Daegu – so Madrid wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇰🇷 Daegu

🕒 Local time

13:05 1:05 PM

20:05 8:05 PM

7 h ahead of Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

2,528,933

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madrid Daegu 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
Daegu

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 Daegu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,265 in Madrid, $1,569 in Daegu – roughly 44% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,398 per month in Madrid and $2,353 in Daegu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Daegu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Madrid and $37.00 in Daegu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,265 in Madrid and $1,569 in Daegu. That's a gap of about 44%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Daegu, where all-in costs run around $1,569, than in Madrid at $2,265. In Daegu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Madrid it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Madrid has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,569 in Daegu to $2,265 in Madrid. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Daegu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Madrid makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.