Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Maspalomas

For one person, living is cheaper in Maspalomas: $1,910 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Madrid, Spain
Maspalomas, Spain
Madrid
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,304
/mo nomad
Maspalomas
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,910
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Maspalomas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,304 in Madrid versus $1,910 in Maspalomas.

  • Madrid $2,304
  • Maspalomas $1,910

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in Madrid versus $2,575 in Maspalomas.

  • Madrid $3,389
  • Maspalomas $2,575

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,475 in Madrid versus $3,240 in Maspalomas.

  • Madrid $4,475
  • Maspalomas $3,240

Living in Madrid is roughly 21% more expensive than in Maspalomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 69% above, Maspalomas 40% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Madrid
Maspalomas
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.73 €15.88
$13.54 €12.12
30.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.9 €59.9
$73.1 €65.5
-8.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.30 €10.12
$10.51 €9.42
7.52%
Cappuccino
$3.04 €2.72
$2.49 €2.23
22.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.36 €3.01
$2.09 €1.87
60.77%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.35 €2.11
$1.63 €1.46
44.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.89 €3.49
$3.14 €2.82
23.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.80 €4.30
$3.70 €3.32
29.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Madrid
Maspalomas
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.32 €1.18
$1.10 €0.99
20.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 €1.47
$1.72 €1.54
-4.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 €1.54
$1.64 €1.47
4.88%
Eggs
$4.20 €3.77
$3.62 €3.24
16.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.91 €14.24
$12.28 €11.00
29.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.36 €8.38
$9.07 €8.12
3.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.21 €15.41
$17.72 €15.87
-2.88%
Apples (1kg)
$2.56 €2.29
$2.61 €2.34
-1.92%
Banana (1kg)
$2.09 €1.88
$1.97 €1.77
6.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 €2.28
$2.29 €2.05
11.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.58 €2.31
$1.70 €1.52
51.76%
Potato (1kg)
$2.31 €2.07
$2.31 €2.07
-
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 €1.94
$2.37 €2.12
-8.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.50 €1.35
$1.15 €1.03
30.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.84 €0.75
27.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.57 €5.88
$4.36 €3.90
50.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.87 €7.05
$6.74 €6.03
16.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 €1.08
$1.75 €1.57
-30.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 €1.94
$2.68 €2.40
-19.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Madrid
Maspalomas
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.67 €1.50
$3.29 €2.94
-49.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$37.53 €33.61
$55.6 €49.83
-32.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.76 €3.37
$3.41 €3.05
10.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.33
$2.23 €1.99
-33.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.17 €27.02
$28.05 €25.12
7.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.85 €1.65
$1.69 €1.51
9.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.9K €30.3K
$30.4K €27.3K
11.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.3K €29.8K
$31.9K €28.6K
4.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Madrid
Maspalomas
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$192 €172
$115 €103
66.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.66 €15.81
$16.46 €14.74
7.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.07 €31.41
$27.67 €24.78
26.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Madrid
Maspalomas
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.27 €42.34
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.23 €16.32
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.29 €10.11
$8.71 €7.80
29.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Madrid
Maspalomas
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$687 €615
$473 €424
45.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.0K €16.1K
$6,604 €5,914
172.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Madrid
Maspalomas
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.5 €77.5
$84.8 €76.0
2.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.65 €37.30
$22.06 €19.76
88.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 €96.8
$91.3 €81.7
18.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 €100.0
$79.0 €70.8
41.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Madrid
Maspalomas
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,508 €1,351
$1,397 €1,251
7.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,210 €1,083
$1,037 €929
16.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,829 €2,534
$1,366 €1,224
107.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,004 €1,795
$1,129 €1,011
77.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,002 €8,062
$6,071 €5,437
48.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,710 €4,218
$5,063 €4,535
-6.98%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Madrid
Maspalomas
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,453 €2,197
$1,429 €1,280
71.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.14
3.15
-0.32%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Last update for Maspalomas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Madrid
$1.2K
Maspalomas
$1K 14.3% $173
Groceries & Markets
Madrid
$304
Maspalomas
$281 7.6% $23
Eating Out
Madrid
$264
Maspalomas
$208 21.4% $56
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Madrid
$244
Maspalomas
$159 35% $85
Clothing & Footwear
Madrid
$157
Maspalomas
$125 20.3% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Madrid
$70
Maspalomas
$17 * 75% $52
Getting Around
Madrid
$55
Maspalomas
$83 50.4% $28

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 $1,397 in Maspalomas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 72% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Madrid vs $73 in Maspalomas. Groceries flip the comparison at $304 vs $281, with Maspalomas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Madrid
🇪🇸 Maspalomas
🕒 Local time
23:14 11:14 PM
22:14 10:14 PM
1 h behind Madrid
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,332,035 Capital
33,000
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Madrid Maspalomas 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Madrid
  • Maspalomas

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 Maspalomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Madrid or Maspalomas?
Maspalomas wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Maspalomas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Madrid or in Maspalomas?
Average pay runs 72% higher in Madrid, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Madrid compared to Maspalomas?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,508 in Madrid versus $1,397 in Maspalomas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Madrid or in Maspalomas?
Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How do dining costs compare in Madrid and in Maspalomas?
Dining out is cheaper in Madrid – a meal for two runs $67 versus $73 in Maspalomas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Madrid or Maspalomas?
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.
How safe is Madrid compared to Maspalomas?
Safety-wise, Madrid and Maspalomas are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Should I move to Madrid or to Maspalomas?
It comes down to priorities – Maspalomas wins on affordability, Madrid on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Madrid vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?