Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Pamplona

For one person, living is cheaper in Pamplona: $1,934 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Pamplona
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Pamplona Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Pamplona

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Pamplona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $1,934 in Pamplona.

Madrid $2,265
Pamplona $1,934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,296 in Madrid versus $2,733 in Pamplona.

Madrid $3,296
Pamplona $2,733

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,328 in Madrid versus $3,532 in Pamplona.

Madrid $4,328
Pamplona $3,532

Living in Madrid is roughly 17% more expensive than in Pamplona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 68% above, Pamplona 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.20 €16.19

$17.53 €15.59

3.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$66.4 €59.1

2.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$13.26 €11.80

-15.23%

Cappuccino

$3.15 €2.80

$2.74 €2.43

14.96%

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

$3.36 €2.99

$3.04 €2.70

10.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.00 €1.78

18.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 €3.40

$3.43 €3.05

11.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 €4.38

$4.43 €3.94

11.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.15 €1.02

14.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$2.35 €2.09

-31.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.64 €1.46

0.61%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$2.99 €2.66

36.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.82 €14.07

$16.71 €14.87

-5.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.44

$8.04 €7.15

18.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.52 €15.59

$20.62 €18.34

-15.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.75 €2.44

-6.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.18 €1.94

-4.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.19

$2.35 €2.09

5.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.87 €2.55

-13.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.66 €1.47

36.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.69 €1.50

27.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.10 €0.98

42.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.59 €1.42

-32.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.82

$6.84 €6.09

-4.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 €6.81

$5.67 €5.04

34.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.68 €1.50

-30.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$3.57 €3.18

-37.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.82 €1.62

-10.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.42 €32.39

$52.7 €46.89

-30.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.32

$3.39 €3.01

10.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.17 €25.95

$49.85 €44.34

-41.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.74 €1.55

2.30%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$35.7K €31.7K

-0.59%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$29.2K €25.9K

13.94%

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

$189 €168

$176 €156

7.46%

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

$17.48 €15.55

$13.77 €12.25

26.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.32 €30.53

$43.29 €38.50

-20.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.62 €43.25

$41.93 €37.29

15.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.44 €16.40

$15.56 €13.84

18.51%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 €9.82

$9.95 €8.85

10.95%

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

$693 €617

$363 €323

90.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.6 €75.3

$75.2 €66.9

12.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.50 €37.80

$34.08 €30.31

24.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.1

$73.4 €65.3

50.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.9

$112 €99.8

0.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 €1,339

$976 €868

54.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,041

$869 €773

34.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,756 €2,451

$1,410 €1,255

95.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 €1,641

$1,123 €999

64.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,168 €8,155

$3,690 €3,282

148.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,234 €3,766

$2,992 €2,661

41.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,483 €2,209

$2,105 €1,873

17.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

4.3

-26.98%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pamplona: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7%

Pamplona

$869 44.9% 25.7% $301

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$303 13.4%

Pamplona

$315 16.3% 3.9% $12

Eating Out

Madrid

$269 11.9%

Pamplona

$259 13.4% 3.7% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$241 10.6%

Pamplona

$233 12% 3.3% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 7%

Pamplona

$133 6.9% 15.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$71 3.1%

Pamplona

$62 3.2% 12.6% $8.9

Getting Around

Madrid

$54 2.4%

Pamplona

$63 * 3.3% 16.5% $9

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 $1,506 in Madrid and $976 in Pamplona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 18% 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: $68.0 in Madrid vs $66.0 in Pamplona. Groceries flip the comparison at $303 vs $315, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Pamplona

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

205,762

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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From you

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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 Pamplona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 18% 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: $1,506 in Madrid versus $976 in Pamplona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Madrid pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Pamplona – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,934 in Pamplona versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Pamplona but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Pamplona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Pamplona delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,934 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Pamplona hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid and Pamplona 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 Pamplona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.