Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Doncaster Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Doncaster

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,293 in Madrid versus $1,772 in Doncaster.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,370 in Madrid versus $2,764 in Doncaster.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,447 in Madrid versus $3,756 in Doncaster.

Living in Madrid is roughly 29% more expensive than in Doncaster, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 72% above, Doncaster 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.33 €15.17

$23.57 £17.55

-26.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.7 €60.2

$80.8 £60.2

-15.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.95 €10.47

$9.60 £7.15

24.48%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.72

$4.43 £3.30

-30.02%

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

$3.21 €2.81

$1.82 £1.35

76.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.88

$1.35 £1.00

58.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 €3.59

$5.91 £4.40

-30.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 €3.99

$4.17 £3.11

9.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.04

$1.55 £1.16

-23.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.50

$1.97 £1.47

-13.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.50

$1.95 £1.45

-11.79%

Eggs

$3.52 €3.08

$3.02 £2.25

16.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.98 €13.12

$8.75 £6.52

71.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 €7.74

$8.99 £6.70

-1.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 €14.67

$10.56 £7.86

58.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 €2.28

$2.99 £2.23

-13.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 €1.94

$1.61 £1.20

37.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.15

$2.46 £1.83

-0.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 €2.32

$2.73 £2.03

-2.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 €1.81

$1.45 £1.08

42.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.88

$1.62 £1.21

32.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 €1.17

$1.13 £0.84

18.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.87

$1.37 £1.02

-27.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.99 €6.12

$18.99 £14.14

-63.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.81

$9.45 £7.04

-17.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.25

$3.30 £2.46

-56.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.91

$2.63 £1.96

-17.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 €1.56

$2.76 £2.06

-35.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.79 €42.73

$70.6 £52.5

-30.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 €3.61

$4.45 £3.31

-7.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 €1.22

$1.27 £0.95

9.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 €24.96

$19.61 £14.60

45.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.68

$1.97 £1.47

-2.54%

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

$37.7K €33.0K

$37.7K £28.1K

-0.20%

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

$34.1K €29.9K

$41.0K £30.5K

-16.80%

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

$193 €169

$201 £149

-3.80%

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

$21.55 €18.88

$15.90 £11.83

35.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.97 €31.50

$45.31 £33.74

-20.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 €46.15

$38.71 £28.82

36.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.64 €15.45

$13.86 £10.32

27.27%

Cinema Ticket

$11.44 €10.02

$9.93 £7.39

15.21%

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

$669 €586

$1,267 £943

-47.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K €10.4K

$15.0K £11.1K

-20.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.7 €82.9

$59.7 £44.46

58.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.81 €37.50

$30.80 £22.93

38.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €91.8

$74.1 £55.2

41.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €116

$84.8 £63.2

55.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,607 €1,408

$691 £514

132.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,151 €1,008

$644 £479

78.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,839 €2,486

$1,354 £1,008

109.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,879 €1,646

$1,200 £893

56.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,038 €7,915

$5,124 £3,815

76.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,262 €3,733

$2,345 £1,746

81.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 €2,158

$2,534 £1,886

-2.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.43

5.7

-39.82%

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

Last update for Madrid: July 12, 2026

Last update for Doncaster: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,607 in Madrid and $691 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: $69.0 in Madrid vs $81.0 in Doncaster. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $275, with Doncaster 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 Doncaster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Doncaster wins on cost – living expenses run 29% 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 Doncaster. 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: $1,607 in Madrid versus $691 in Doncaster. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Doncaster – a meal for two runs $81.0 versus $69.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,772 in Doncaster versus $2,293 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Doncaster but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Doncaster the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Doncaster delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,772 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Doncaster hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid and Doncaster 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 Doncaster gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.