Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Nancy

For one person, living is cheaper in Nancy: $1,711 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Nancy
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Nancy Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Nancy

🇫🇷 France

$1,711

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Nancy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,304 in Madrid versus $1,711 in Nancy.

Madrid $2,304
Nancy $1,711

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in Madrid versus $2,703 in Nancy.

Madrid $3,389
Nancy $2,703

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,475 in Madrid versus $3,695 in Nancy.

Madrid $4,475
Nancy $3,695

Living in Madrid is roughly 35% more expensive than in Nancy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 69% above, Nancy 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 €15.89

$15.85 €14.20

11.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €59.9

$67.7 €60.7

-1.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.13

$13.37 €11.98

-15.48%

Cappuccino

$3.04 €2.73

$4.31 €3.86

-29.47%

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

$3.36 €3.01

$3.30 €2.95

1.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$2.07 €1.85

13.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 €3.49

$7.84 €7.03

-50.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.30

$5.47 €4.90

-12.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.06 €0.95

24.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.28 €1.15

28.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.73 €1.55

-0.58%

Eggs

$4.20 €3.77

$3.41 €3.06

23.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 €14.25

$14.74 €13.21

7.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 €8.39

$16.62 €14.89

-43.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 €15.42

$21.15 €18.95

-18.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.48 €2.22

3.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.46 €2.20

-15.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$2.20 €1.97

15.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$3.69 €3.31

-30.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.35 €1.21

71.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.31 €2.07

-6.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.31 €1.17

14.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.69 €0.62

55.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.88

$13.50 €12.10

-51.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.05

$8.53 €7.64

-7.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.09

$2.21 €1.98

-45.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.94

$4.60 €4.12

-52.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.73 €1.55

-3.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.53 €33.63

$51.9 €46.49

-27.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.37

$3.30 €2.96

13.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.11 €1.89

-29.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.17 €27.03

$26.87 €24.08

12.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.11 €1.89

-12.32%

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

$33.9K €30.4K

$34.2K €30.6K

-0.83%

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

$33.3K €29.9K

$36.3K €32.6K

-8.31%

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

$192 €172

$273 €245

-29.91%

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

$17.66 €15.82

$12.91 €11.57

36.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.07 €31.43

$27.58 €24.71

27.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 €42.36

$28.13 €25.21

68.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 €16.33

$17.59 €15.76

3.64%

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 €10.12

$13.21 €11.84

-14.53%

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

$687 €616

$560 €501

22.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K €16.1K

$15.6K €13.9K

15.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.5 €77.6

$93.7 €84.0

-7.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.65 €37.32

$40.64 €36.42

2.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.9

$103 €92.0

5.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100

$145 €130

-22.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 €1,351

$679 €609

121.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 €1,084

$459 €412

163.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,829 €2,535

$1,254 €1,123

125.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,004 €1,796

$976 €875

105.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,002 €8,066

$2,602 €2,331

245.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,710 €4,220

$2,273 €2,037

107.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 €2,199

$2,286 €2,048

7.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

3.76

-16.49%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Last update for Nancy: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5%

Nancy

$459 26.9% 62% $750

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$304 13.2%

Nancy

$349 20.4% 14.6% $44

Eating Out

Madrid

$264 11.5%

Nancy

$290 17% 9.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$244 10.6%

Nancy

$314 18.3% 28.4% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 6.8%

Nancy

$172 10% 9.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$70 3%

Nancy

$55 3.2% 21.9% $15

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Nancy

$73 4.3% 31.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,508 in Madrid and $679 in Nancy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 7% 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: $67 in Madrid vs $68 in Nancy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $349 per month, with Madrid cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇫🇷 Nancy

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

104,260

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Madrid Nancy 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
Nancy

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 Nancy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nancy wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Nancy the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 7% 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 $679 in Nancy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $687 in Madrid versus $560 in Nancy. 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 28% less than in Nancy. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,711 in Nancy versus $2,304 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nancy but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Nancy 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 Nancy are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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