Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Estepona

For one person, living is cheaper in Estepona: $1,793 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Estepona
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Estepona Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Estepona

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Estepona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,304 in Madrid versus $1,793 in Estepona.

Madrid $2,304
Estepona $1,793

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in Madrid versus $2,753 in Estepona.

Madrid $3,389
Estepona $2,753

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,475 in Madrid versus $3,713 in Estepona.

Madrid $4,475
Estepona $3,713

Living in Madrid is roughly 29% more expensive than in Estepona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 69% above, Estepona 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 €15.89

$19.39 €17.38

-8.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €59.9

$79.6 €71.3

-15.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.13

$9.91 €8.88

14.03%

Cappuccino

$3.04 €2.73

$2.70 €2.42

12.59%

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

$3.36 €3.01

$2.48 €2.22

35.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$2.09 €1.88

12.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 €3.49

$4.44 €3.98

-12.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.30

$4.37 €3.92

9.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.22 €1.10

8.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.61 €1.44

1.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.56 €1.40

10.26%

Eggs

$4.20 €3.77

$3.35 €3.00

25.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 €14.25

$13.59 €12.18

17.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 €8.39

$8.26 €7.40

13.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 €15.42

$16.21 €14.53

6.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$3.58 €3.21

-28.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.00 €1.79

4.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$2.29 €2.06

11.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$3.12 €2.79

-17.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.28 €2.05

1.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.21 €1.98

-1.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.72 €1.54

-12.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.09 €0.97

-1.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.88

$6.58 €5.90

-0.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.05

$5.90 €5.29

33.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.45 €1.30

-16.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.93 €2.63

-25.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.50

$2.83 €2.53

-40.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.53 €33.63

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.37

$1.69 €1.51

122.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.09 €0.98

36.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.17 €27.03

$13.35 €11.97

125.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.80 €1.62

2.78%

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

$33.9K €30.4K

$32.0K €28.7K

5.85%

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

$33.3K €29.9K

$30.4K €27.3K

9.53%

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

$192 €172

$118 €106

61.89%

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

$17.66 €15.82

$15.67 €14.04

12.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.07 €31.43

$30.21 €27.07

16.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 €42.36

$44.22 €39.63

6.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 €16.33

$21.95 €19.67

-16.95%

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 €10.12

$10.24 €9.18

10.25%

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

$687 €616

$546 €489

25.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K €16.1K

$7,969 €7,141

125.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.5 €77.6

$58.0 €51.9

49.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.65 €37.32

$41.18 €36.90

1.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.9

$93.3 €83.6

15.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100

$98.1 €87.9

13.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 €1,351

$1,201 €1,076

25.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 €1,084

$859 €770

40.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,829 €2,535

$2,233 €2,001

26.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,004 €1,796

$1,421 €1,273

41.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,002 €8,066

$4,740 €4,247

89.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,710 €4,220

$4,572 €4,097

3.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 €2,199

$1,481 €1,327

65.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

3.5

-10.29%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Last update for Estepona: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5%

Estepona

$859 47.9% 29% $351

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$304 13.2%

Estepona

$289 16.2% 4.8% $15

Eating Out

Madrid

$264 11.5%

Estepona

$266 14.9% 0.9% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$244 10.6%

Estepona

$164 9.2% 32.8% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 6.8%

Estepona

$131 7.3% 16.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$70 3%

Estepona

$65 3.6% 7.4% $5.1

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Estepona

$18 * 1% 66.7% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,508 in Madrid and $1,201 in Estepona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 66% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Madrid vs $80 in Estepona. Groceries flip the comparison at $304 vs $289, with Estepona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Estepona

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

76,975

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Madrid Estepona 460 km

From you

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Estepona

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 Estepona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Estepona is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 66% higher in Madrid, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,508 in Madrid versus $1,201 in Estepona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $687 in Madrid versus $546 in Estepona. 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 $80 in Estepona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Estepona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Estepona wins on affordability, Madrid on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.