Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Lansing, MI

For one person, living costs are similar in Madrid and in Lansing, MI: $2,265 and $2,165 a month, rent and utilities included.

109

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Lansing, MI
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Lansing, MI Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Lansing, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,165

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Lansing, MI

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $2,165 in Lansing, MI.

Madrid $2,265
Lansing, MI $2,165

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,311 in Madrid versus $3,137 in Lansing, MI.

Madrid $3,311
Lansing, MI $3,137

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,356 in Madrid versus $4,110 in Lansing, MI.

Madrid $4,356
Lansing, MI $4,110

Living in Madrid is roughly 5% more expensive than in Lansing, MI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 67% above, Lansing, MI 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 €16.06

$16.80 $16.80

7.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.2

$64.2 $64.2

3.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 €10.14

$11.98 $11.98

-4.84%

Cappuccino

$3.03 €2.69

$5.52 $5.52

-45.11%

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

$3.25 €2.89

$2.85 $2.85

14.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.02 $2.02

14.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$4.89 $4.89

-21.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 €4.29

$6.17 $6.17

-21.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$0.84 $0.84

57.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$3.03 $3.03

-46.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$4.64 $4.64

-62.28%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.71 $2.71

49.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.34 €14.54

$11.21 $11.21

45.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 €8.55

$11.44 $11.44

-16.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.43 €15.50

$16.67 $16.67

4.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.34 $3.34

-21.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.93

$1.52 $1.52

43.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$4.46 $4.46

-43.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$3.64 $3.64

-28.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.47 $2.47

-8.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.99 $2.99

-30.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.11 $2.11

-26.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.49 $2.49

-56.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.70 €5.96

$9.84 $9.84

-31.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.82 €6.95

$15.55 $15.55

-49.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.08

$2.38 $2.38

-48.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.50 $3.50

-35.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.52 $1.52

7.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.72 €33.56

$30.38 $30.38

24.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$2.95 $2.95

29.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.52 $1.52

-1.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.99 €26.68

$10.02 $10.02

199.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.00 $1.00

79.00%

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

$33.7K €29.9K

$30.5K $30.5K

10.39%

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

$33.3K €29.6K

$25.2K $25.2K

32.20%

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

$190 €169

$231 $231

-17.71%

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

$17.57 €15.63

$59.8 $59.8

-70.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.34 €31.43

$51.6 $51.6

-31.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 €44.04

$28.12 $28.12

76.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.20 €16.19

$22.30 $22.30

-18.39%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 €9.87

$12.10 $12.10

-8.35%

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

$684 €609

$640 $640

6.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K €16.2K

$32.3K $32.3K

-43.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 €78.1

$55.6 $55.6

57.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 €37.41

$40.96 $40.96

2.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.3

$82.8 $82.8

33.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €100

$121 $121

-6.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 €1,342

$1,063 $1,063

41.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 €1,034

$922 $922

26.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,804 €2,494

$1,556 $1,556

80.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 €1,661

$1,434 $1,434

30.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,017 €8,021

$1,615 $1,615

458.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,294 €3,819

$1,508 $1,508

184.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,495 €2,219

$3,292 $3,292

-24.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

6.49

-51.62%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lansing, MI: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.3%

Lansing, MI

$922 42.6% 20.6% $240

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$308 13.6%

Lansing, MI

$373 17.2% 21.1% $65

Eating Out

Madrid

$266 11.8%

Lansing, MI

$293 13.5% 10% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$243 10.7%

Lansing, MI

$343 15.8% 40.8% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$159 7%

Lansing, MI

$135 6.2% 15% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$72 3.2%

Lansing, MI

$52 2.4% 27% $19

Getting Around

Madrid

$56 2.5%

Lansing, MI

$47 2.2% 15.3% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,509 in Madrid and $1,063 in Lansing, MI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lansing, MI pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Madrid vs $64.0 in Lansing, MI. Groceries flip the comparison at $308 vs $373, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇺🇸 Lansing, MI

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

05:32 5:32 AM

6 h behind Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

112,644

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madrid Lansing, MI 6,460 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
Lansing, MI

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 Lansing, MI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madrid and Lansing, MI differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,265 vs $2,165 including rent). Lansing, MI is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Lansing, MI. 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: $1,509 in Madrid versus $1,063 in Lansing, MI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lansing, MI – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $66.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,265 per month in Madrid versus $2,165 in Lansing, MI – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,165 in Lansing, MI versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lansing, MI but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Lansing, MI the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Lansing, MI 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 Lansing, MI gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.