Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Manukau

For one person, living is cheaper in Manukau: $1,914 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Madrid outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Manukau
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Manukau Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Manukau

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,914

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Manukau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,304 in Madrid versus $1,914 in Manukau.

Madrid $2,304
Manukau $1,914

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in Madrid versus $2,853 in Manukau.

Madrid $3,389
Manukau $2,853

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,475 in Madrid versus $3,792 in Manukau.

Madrid $4,475
Manukau $3,792

Living in Madrid is roughly 20% more expensive than in Manukau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 69% above, Manukau 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 €15.88

$12.06 NZ$21.42

47.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €59.9

$68.0 NZ$121

-1.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.12

$8.28 NZ$14.71

36.47%

Cappuccino

$3.04 €2.72

$3.48 NZ$6.19

-12.64%

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

$3.36 €3.01

$2.04 NZ$3.63

64.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.74 NZ$3.08

35.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 €3.49

$6.22 NZ$11.05

-37.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.30

$5.62 NZ$9.98

-14.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.44 NZ$2.56

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.30 NZ$2.31

26.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.90 NZ$3.37

-9.47%

Eggs

$4.20 €3.77

$5.26 NZ$9.34

-20.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 €14.24

$5.52 NZ$9.80

188.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 €8.38

$7.46 NZ$13.24

25.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 €15.41

$11.96 NZ$21.23

43.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.29

$2.57 NZ$4.55

-0.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.16 NZ$3.84

-3.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$2.97 NZ$5.27

-14.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$5.72 NZ$10.16

-54.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.09 NZ$3.70

10.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.43 NZ$2.55

51.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$2.01 NZ$3.57

-25.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.91 NZ$1.62

17.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.88

$25.51 NZ$45.30

-74.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.05

$10.51 NZ$18.65

-25.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$2.84 NZ$5.04

-57.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.94

$3.32 NZ$5.90

-34.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.85 NZ$3.29

-9.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.53 €33.61

$111 NZ$197

-66.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.37

$2.28 NZ$4.05

64.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.94 NZ$3.45

-23.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.17 €27.02

$32.50 NZ$57.7

-7.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.72 NZ$3.06

7.56%

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

$33.9K €30.3K

$27.3K NZ$48.4K

24.21%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$21.8K NZ$38.8K

52.55%

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

$192 €172

$58.0 NZ$103

230.33%

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

$17.66 €15.81

$26.67 NZ$47.35

-33.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.07 €31.41

$50.8 NZ$90.3

-31.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 €42.34

$43.35 NZ$77.0

9.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 €16.32

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 €10.11

$12.35 NZ$21.92

-8.58%

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

$687 €615

$687 NZ$1,220

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K €16.1K

$19.5K NZ$34.5K

-7.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.5 €77.5

$62.3 NZ$111

39.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.65 €37.30

$38.79 NZ$68.9

7.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.8

$92.4 NZ$164

16.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100.0

$112 NZ$198

-0.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 €1,351

$1,036 NZ$1,840

45.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 €1,083

$940 NZ$1,669

28.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,829 €2,534

$1,640 NZ$2,912

72.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,004 €1,795

$1,494 NZ$2,653

34.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,002 €8,062

$4,976 NZ$8,834

80.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,710 €4,218

$3,073 NZ$5,457

53.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 €2,197

$1,825 NZ$3,239

34.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

5.9

-46.78%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Last update for Manukau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5%

Manukau

$940 49.1% 22.3% $269

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$304 13.2%

Manukau

$282 14.7% 7.3% $22

Eating Out

Madrid

$264 11.5%

Manukau

$221 11.5% 16.5% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$244 10.6%

Manukau

$136 7.1% 44.5% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 6.8%

Manukau

$137 7.2% 12.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$70 3%

Manukau

$68 3.6% 2.6% $1.8

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Manukau

$131 6.8% 136% $75

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,508 in Madrid and $1,036 in Manukau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 34% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Madrid vs $68 in Manukau. Groceries flip the comparison at $304 vs $282, with Manukau cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇳🇿 Manukau

🕒 Local time

16:45 4:45 PM

04:45 4:45 AM

12 h ahead of Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

362,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Madrid Manukau 19,620 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
Manukau

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 Manukau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manukau wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Manukau the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 34% 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 $1,036 in Manukau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

A monthly transit pass in Madrid runs roughly 66% less than in Manukau. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Manukau gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

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