Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Doncaster

For one person, living is cheaper in Doncaster: $2,003 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Madrid outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Doncaster
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Doncaster Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Doncaster

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Doncaster

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,304 in Madrid versus $2,003 in Doncaster.

Madrid $2,304
Doncaster $2,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in Madrid versus $3,030 in Doncaster.

Madrid $3,389
Doncaster $3,030

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,475 in Madrid versus $4,057 in Doncaster.

Madrid $4,475
Doncaster $4,057

Living in Madrid is roughly 15% more expensive than in Doncaster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 69% above, Doncaster 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 €15.93

$22.87 £17.21

-22.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €60.1

$79.2 £59.6

-15.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.15

$8.01 £6.03

41.07%

Cappuccino

$3.04 €2.73

$4.96 £3.74

-38.71%

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

$3.36 €3.02

$1.82 £1.37

84.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.35 £1.02

74.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 €3.50

$6.42 £4.83

-39.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.31

$3.95 £2.97

21.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.75 £1.32

-24.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.47

$2.03 £1.53

-19.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.55

$2.62 £1.97

-34.35%

Eggs

$4.20 €3.78

$3.10 £2.33

35.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 €14.29

$8.97 £6.75

77.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 €8.41

$9.30 £7.00

0.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 €15.46

$15.13 £11.39

13.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$3.45 £2.60

-25.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.65 £1.24

26.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.29

$3.12 £2.35

-18.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.32

$2.50 £1.88

3.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.08

$1.42 £1.07

62.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$1.52 £1.14

42.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.25 £0.94

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.30 £0.98

-17.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.90

$20.47 £15.40

-67.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.07

$9.38 £7.06

-16.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.09

$3.55 £2.67

-65.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.95

$2.56 £1.93

-15.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.50

$2.71 £2.04

-38.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.53 €33.71

$70.4 £53.0

-46.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.38

$3.96 £2.98

-5.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$3.26 £2.45

-54.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.17 €27.10

$39.25 £29.54

-23.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.92 £1.44

-3.65%

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

$33.9K €30.4K

$37.2K £28.0K

-8.86%

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

$33.3K €29.9K

$40.1K £30.2K

-16.92%

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

$192 €172

$359 £271

-46.71%

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

$17.66 €15.86

$17.73 £13.34

-0.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.07 €31.51

$46.44 £34.95

-24.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 €42.46

$37.92 £28.54

24.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 €16.37

$9.42 £7.09

93.52%

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 €10.14

$9.70 £7.30

16.39%

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

$687 €617

$1,241 £934

-44.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K €16.2K

$22.3K £16.8K

-19.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.5 €77.7

$108 £81.2

-19.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.65 €37.41

$41.08 £30.92

1.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €97.1

$121 £91.2

-10.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100

$111 £83.3

0.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 €1,355

$669 £503

125.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 €1,087

$629 £474

92.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,829 €2,541

$1,322 £995

113.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,004 €1,800

$1,160 £873

72.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,002 €8,086

$5,044 £3,796

78.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,710 €4,231

$3,893 £2,930

20.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 €2,204

$2,520 £1,897

-2.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

5.55

-43.42%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Last update for Doncaster: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5%

Doncaster

$629 31.4% 48% $580

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$304 13.2%

Doncaster

$301 15% 1% $3

Eating Out

Madrid

$264 11.5%

Doncaster

$319 15.9% 20.8% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$244 10.6%

Doncaster

$424 21.2% 73.4% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 6.8%

Doncaster

$171 8.6% 9.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$70 3%

Doncaster

$57 2.9% 17.9% $13

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Doncaster

$102 5.1% 83.2% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,508 in Madrid and $669 in Doncaster. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Doncaster pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Madrid vs $79 in Doncaster. Groceries flip the comparison at $304 vs $301, with Doncaster cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇬🇧 Doncaster

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

23:45 11:45 PM

1 h behind Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

165,468

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madrid Doncaster 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
Doncaster

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 Doncaster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Doncaster wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Doncaster the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Madrid. 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: $1,508 in Madrid versus $669 in Doncaster. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $687 in Madrid versus $1,241 in Doncaster. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Madrid – a meal for two runs $67 versus $79 in Doncaster. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Doncaster is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Madrid and Doncaster are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.