Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
Learn more

Madrid Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Madrid $2,265
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,311 in Madrid versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Madrid $3,311
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,356 in Madrid versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Madrid $4,356
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Madrid is roughly 46% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 67% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 €16.06

$11.02 MX$204

63.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.2

$48.68 MX$900

36.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 €10.14

$10.90 MX$201

4.59%

Cappuccino

$3.03 €2.69

$3.68 MX$68.1

-17.66%

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

$3.25 €2.89

$1.63 MX$30.18

99.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.25 MX$23.07

85.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$3.25 MX$60.1

18.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 €4.29

$5.53 MX$102

-12.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.70 MX$31.50

-22.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$3.02 MX$55.8

-46.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.92 MX$35.53

-8.85%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.73 MX$50.5

48.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.34 €14.54

$11.77 MX$218

38.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 €8.55

$9.53 MX$176

0.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.43 €15.50

$14.41 MX$266

20.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.02 MX$55.8

-12.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.93

$1.89 MX$35.01

15.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.99 MX$36.70

25.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.19 MX$40.38

18.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.92 MX$35.43

17.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.87 MX$34.49

11.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.44 MX$26.62

8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.27 MX$23.39

-14.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.70 €5.96

$5.22 MX$96.4

28.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.82 €6.95

$16.17 MX$299

-51.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.90 MX$35.03

-35.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$4.22 MX$78.0

-46.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.34 MX$6.30

379.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.72 €33.56

$19.65 MX$363

91.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$2.00 MX$36.90

90.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.52 MX$9.67

186.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.99 €26.68

$5.34 MX$98.7

461.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.52 MX$28.13

17.76%

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

$33.7K €29.9K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

52.42%

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

$33.3K €29.6K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

35.68%

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

$190 €169

$61.1 MX$1,129

211.58%

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

$17.57 €15.63

$28.58 MX$528

-38.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.34 €31.43

$34.47 MX$637

2.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 €44.04

$56.4 MX$1,042

-12.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.20 €16.19

$24.88 MX$460

-26.85%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 €9.87

$6.66 MX$123

66.52%

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

$684 €609

$427 MX$7,891

60.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K €16.2K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

56.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 €78.1

$67.8 MX$1,253

29.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 €37.41

$52.0 MX$960

-19.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.3

$106 MX$1,959

4.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €100

$113 MX$2,080

0.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 €1,342

$1,025 MX$18.9K

47.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 €1,034

$654 MX$12.1K

77.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,804 €2,494

$2,308 MX$42.7K

21.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 €1,661

$1,242 MX$22.9K

50.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,017 €8,021

$3,613 MX$66.8K

149.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,294 €3,819

$1,936 MX$35.8K

121.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,495 €2,219

$964 MX$17.8K

158.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

11.3

-72.21%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.3%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 43.7% $508

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$308 13.6%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 3.4% $11

Eating Out

Madrid

$266 11.8%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 23.4% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$243 10.7%

Mexico City

$124 8% 49% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$159 7%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 4.2% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$72 3.2%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 2.8% $2

Getting Around

Madrid

$56 2.5%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 53.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,509 in Madrid and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 159% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Madrid vs $49.00 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $308 vs $318, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

02:19 2:19 AM

18:19 6:19 PM

8 h behind Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madrid Mexico City 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mexico City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 159% 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: $1,509 in Madrid versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Madrid pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $66.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mexico City delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,548 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mexico City hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid and Mexico City 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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.