Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Perth Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Perth

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,273 in Madrid versus $1,801 in Perth.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in Madrid versus $2,758 in Perth.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,505 in Madrid versus $3,714 in Perth.

Living in Madrid is roughly 26% more expensive than Perth, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 70% above, Perth 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.64 €15.10

$20.07 £14.87

-12.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.5 €60.3

$81.4 £60.3

-13.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.66 €9.98

$9.96 £7.38

17.07%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.65

$4.38 £3.25

-29.22%

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

$3.06 €2.62

$2.57 £1.90

19.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.80

$1.73 £1.28

21.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.07 €3.48

$5.66 £4.19

-28.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 €3.87

$4.86 £3.60

-7.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.07

$1.47 £1.09

-14.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.44

$1.39 £1.03

21.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.41

$1.85 £1.37

-10.81%

Eggs

$3.35 €2.87

$2.43 £1.80

37.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.57 €12.47

$8.31 £6.16

75.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €7.80

$9.11 £6.75

0.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 €14.27

$13.10 £9.71

27.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 €2.28

$3.76 £2.79

-29.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.89

$1.70 £1.26

30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.11

$2.52 £1.87

-1.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.32

$3.78 £2.80

-28.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 €1.81

$1.70 £1.26

24.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 €1.83

$1.61 £1.19

32.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.20

$1.06 £0.79

33.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.83

$1.54 £1.14

-37.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.08 €6.06

$18.53 £13.73

-61.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.12 €6.95

$10.93 £8.10

-25.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.19

$2.74 £2.03

-49.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €1.92

$2.88 £2.14

-21.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 €1.52

$3.10 £2.29

-42.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.86 €41.82

$87.0 £64.5

-43.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.16 €3.56

$6.84 £5.07

-39.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 €1.18

$1.64 £1.22

-15.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.62 €24.50

$22.44 £16.63

27.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 €1.61

$1.99 £1.48

-5.53%

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

$38.3K €32.8K

$35.6K £26.4K

7.59%

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

$34.4K €29.4K

$43.5K £32.3K

-21.07%

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

$192 €164

$275 £204

-30.06%

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

$21.59 €18.48

$13.61 £10.09

58.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.26 €30.19

$36.02 £26.69

-2.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.4 €45.71

$34.62 £25.65

54.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.72 €15.17

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 €10.08

$11.06 £8.19

6.51%

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

$674 €577

$1,263 £936

-46.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K €10.5K

$18.6K £13.8K

-34.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.7 €81.9

$84.8 £62.8

12.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.61 €35.61

$45.38 £33.63

-8.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €89.4

$69.0 £51.1

51.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €114

$81.3 £60.3

63.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 €1,365

$727 £539

119.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 €949

$588 £436

88.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,858 €2,446

$1,218 £903

134.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,890 €1,618

$1,033 £766

82.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,394 €8,042

$2,050 £1,519

358.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,583 €3,923

$2,752 £2,039

66.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,602 €2,227

$2,461 £1,824

5.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.43

5.7

-39.82%

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

Last update for Madrid: April 26, 2026

Last update for Perth: April 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,595 in Madrid and $727 in Perth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 6% 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: $70.0 in Madrid vs $81.0 in Perth. Groceries flip the comparison at $294 vs $286, with Perth cheaper for home cooking.

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 Perth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Madrid pays 6% more on average, 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: $1,595 in Madrid versus $727 in Perth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Perth – a meal for two runs $81.0 versus $70.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,801 in Perth versus $2,273 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Perth but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Perth the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Perth delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,801 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Perth hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid and Perth 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 Perth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.