Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Javea

For one person, living is cheaper in Javea: $1,592 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Javea
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Javea Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Javea

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,592

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Javea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,304 in Madrid versus $1,592 in Javea.

Madrid $2,304
Javea $1,592

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in Madrid versus $2,383 in Javea.

Madrid $3,389
Javea $2,383

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,475 in Madrid versus $3,173 in Javea.

Madrid $4,475
Javea $3,173

Living in Madrid is roughly 45% more expensive than in Javea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 69% above, Javea 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 €15.88

$21.80 €19.52

-18.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €59.9

$73.7 €66.0

-9.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.12

$11.32 €10.14

-0.18%

Cappuccino

$3.04 €2.72

$2.17 €1.94

40.09%

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

$3.36 €3.01

$2.84 €2.54

18.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$2.18 €1.96

7.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 €3.49

$3.86 €3.46

0.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.30

$3.72 €3.33

29.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.06 €0.95

24.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.25 €1.12

31.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.41 €1.26

21.99%

Eggs

$4.20 €3.77

$2.95 €2.64

42.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 €14.24

$9.97 €8.93

59.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 €8.38

$6.58 €5.90

42.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 €15.41

$11.33 €10.15

51.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.29

$1.73 €1.55

47.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.48 €1.32

41.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$1.18 €1.06

116.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.50 €2.23

3.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.87 €1.68

23.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.00 €1.79

8.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$0.60 €0.54

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.88

$5.68 €5.08

15.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.05

$4.57 €4.09

72.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.77 €0.69

57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.37 €1.23

58.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.62 €1.45

3.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.53 €33.61

$33.03 €29.58

13.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.37

$4.26 €3.82

-11.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.22 €1.09

22.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.17 €27.02

$23.84 €21.35

26.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.71 €1.53

8.19%

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

$33.9K €30.3K

$34.9K €31.2K

-2.82%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$31.4K €28.1K

6.10%

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

$192 €172

$130 €116

47.59%

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

$17.66 €15.81

$11.33 €10.15

55.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.07 €31.41

$26.55 €23.78

32.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 €42.34

$44.62 €39.96

5.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 €16.32

$15.45 €13.84

17.99%

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 €10.11

$6.67 €5.97

69.27%

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

$687 €615

$396 €354

73.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K €16.1K

$7,196 €6,445

149.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.5 €77.5

$72.9 €65.2

18.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.65 €37.30

$28.52 €25.54

46.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.8

$103 €92.6

4.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100.0

$91.0 €81.5

22.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 €1,351

$1,017 €911

48.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 €1,083

$689 €618

75.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,829 €2,534

$1,710 €1,531

65.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,004 €1,795

$1,014 €908

97.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,002 €8,062

$4,671 €4,183

92.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,710 €4,218

$2,826 €2,531

66.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 €2,197

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

3.18

-1.26%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Last update for Javea: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5%

Javea

$689 43.3% 43% $520

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$304 13.2%

Javea

$213 13.4% 30.1% $91

Eating Out

Madrid

$264 11.5%

Javea

$281 17.7% 6.4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$244 10.6%

Javea

$168 10.5% 31.4% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 6.8%

Javea

$133 8.4% 15% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$70 3%

Javea

$58 3.6% 17% $12

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Javea

$50 3.1% 10% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,508 in Madrid and $1,017 in Javea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Madrid vs $74 in Javea. Groceries flip the comparison at $304 vs $213, with Javea cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Javea

🕒 Local time

02:35 2:35 AM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

29,760

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Madrid Javea 380 km

From you

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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 Javea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Javea wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Javea the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,456 in Madrid and $2,388 in Javea to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,508 in Madrid versus $1,017 in Javea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $687 in Madrid versus $396 in Javea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Javea 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 Javea are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.