Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Madrid: $2,311 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $21,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,311

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in London

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

A single person spends $2,311 per month in Madrid vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

Madrid $2,311
London $4,086

A couple spends around $3,324 per month in Madrid vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

Madrid $3,324
London $5,816

A family of three spends $4,337 per month in Madrid vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

Madrid $4,337
London $7,546

Madrid is about 43% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Madrid and London sit above the global median – Madrid by 72%, London by 205%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.11 €16.14

$26.62 £20.12

-31.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 €60.4

$108 £81.3

-37.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.16 €9.95

$10.39 £7.86

7.41%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$5.79 £4.38

-46.46%

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

$3.25 €2.90

$3.01 £2.27

7.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.15 £1.63

4.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.45

$9.35 £7.07

-58.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 €4.44

$7.84 £5.93

-36.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.79 £1.35

-20.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.06 £1.56

-22.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.31 £1.74

-27.27%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.78

$5.05 £3.82

-16.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.22

$12.57 £9.50

35.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 €8.10

$10.66 £8.05

-14.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.61 €15.70

$17.13 £12.95

2.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$3.03 £2.29

-16.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.41 £1.07

54.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$3.05 £2.31

-15.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 €2.26

$3.38 £2.56

-25.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.67 £1.26

32.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.73 £1.31

26.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.41 £1.07

11.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.79 £1.35

-41.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 €5.93

$23.22 £17.55

-71.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.94

$12.99 £9.82

-40.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$3.18 £2.41

-63.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.01

$4.41 £3.34

-48.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.52

$3.87 £2.93

-55.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.14 €33.11

$250 £189

-85.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.74 €3.33

$5.71 £4.31

-34.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$3.33 £2.51

-55.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.16 €26.89

$57.9 £43.77

-47.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.04 £1.54

-9.80%

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

$34.8K €31.1K

$37.5K £28.4K

-7.23%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$40.9K £30.9K

-18.44%

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

$185 €165

$376 £284

-50.71%

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

$18.51 €16.50

$17.88 £13.51

3.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.78 €31.01

$40.01 £30.25

-13.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 €44.57

$61.2 £46.23

-18.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 €16.14

$21.07 £15.93

-14.05%

Cinema Ticket

$11.24 €10.03

$17.95 £13.57

-37.38%

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

$666 €594

$2,865 £2,166

-76.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K €16.1K

$35.3K £26.7K

-48.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.3

$116 £87.7

-26.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.61 €38.88

$54.1 £40.88

-19.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €96.8

$127 £95.7

-14.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.6

$159 £120

-29.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 €1,359

$2,853 £2,157

-46.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 €1,063

$2,301 £1,740

-48.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,708 €2,414

$5,201 £3,932

-47.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,799 €1,604

$3,723 £2,814

-51.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,164 €8,171

$19.0K £14.4K

-51.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,169 €3,717

$7,881 £5,957

-47.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,478 €2,209

$4,818 £3,642

-48.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.08

4.65

-33.76%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 6, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.1%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 93% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$308 13.4%

London

$349 8.6% 13.5% $42

Eating Out

Madrid

$267 11.7%

London

$397 9.7% 48.7% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$239 10.4%

London

$434 10.7% 81.8% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 6.9%

London

$205 5% 30.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$72 3.2%

London

$97 2.4% 33.9% $25

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

London

$288 7.1% 422% $233

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,524 in Madrid versus $2,853 in London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 94% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Madrid versus $108 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $308 vs $349 – making Madrid the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

03:56 3:56 AM

02:56 2:56 AM

1 h behind Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Madrid London 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,311 in Madrid, $4,086 in London – roughly 77% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,466 per month in Madrid and $6,129 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Madrid, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Madrid and $108 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Madrid, where all-in costs run around $2,311, than in London at $4,086. In Madrid it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Madrid has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,311 in Madrid to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Madrid. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.