Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Port Alberni

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Alberni: $1,693 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Port Alberni
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Port Alberni Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Port Alberni

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Port Alberni

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $1,693 in Port Alberni.

Madrid $2,265
Port Alberni $1,693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,311 in Madrid versus $2,834 in Port Alberni.

Madrid $3,311
Port Alberni $2,834

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,356 in Madrid versus $3,976 in Port Alberni.

Madrid $4,356
Port Alberni $3,976

Living in Madrid is roughly 34% more expensive than in Port Alberni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 67% above, Port Alberni 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 €16.06

$18.06 CA$25.54

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.2

$63.2 CA$89.4

5.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 €10.14

$10.51 CA$14.86

8.47%

Cappuccino

$3.03 €2.69

$4.00 CA$5.65

-24.25%

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

$3.25 €2.89

$2.12 CA$2.99

53.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.44 CA$2.04

61.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$3.48 CA$4.92

10.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 €4.29

$5.44 CA$7.69

-11.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$2.25 CA$3.18

-41.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$2.31 CA$3.26

-30.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.90 CA$4.10

-39.66%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.92 CA$5.54

3.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.34 €14.54

$9.02 CA$12.76

81.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 €8.55

$4.29 CA$6.06

124.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.43 €15.50

$19.98 CA$28.24

-12.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.75 CA$3.89

-4.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.93

$1.08 CA$1.53

101.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$3.44 CA$4.86

-27.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$3.62 CA$5.12

-28.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.15 CA$3.04

4.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.87 CA$2.64

11.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.16 CA$3.05

-27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.75 CA$1.05

44.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.70 €5.96

$10.52 CA$14.87

-36.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.82 €6.95

$10.58 CA$14.96

-26.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.08

$2.56 CA$3.62

-52.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.88 CA$4.08

-21.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.45 CA$2.05

12.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.72 €33.56

$34.08 CA$48.17

10.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$2.71 CA$3.84

40.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.60 CA$2.26

-6.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.99 €26.68

$31.40 CA$44.39

-4.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.21 CA$1.71

47.93%

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

$33.7K €29.9K

$27.3K CA$38.5K

23.45%

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

$33.3K €29.6K

$21.0K CA$29.6K

58.65%

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

$190 €169

$81.5 CA$115

133.62%

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

$17.57 €15.63

$36.54 CA$51.7

-51.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.34 €31.43

$51.9 CA$73.4

-31.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 €44.04

$41.88 CA$59.2

18.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.20 €16.19

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 €9.87

$12.61 CA$17.83

-12.05%

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

$684 €609

$1,088 CA$1,538

-37.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K €16.2K

$20.3K CA$28.6K

-10.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 €78.1

$58.9 CA$83.2

49.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 €37.41

$32.95 CA$46.58

27.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.3

$95.4 CA$135

15.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €100

$94.4 CA$133

19.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 €1,342

$788 CA$1,114

91.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 €1,034

$711 CA$1,005

63.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,804 €2,494

$1,697 CA$2,399

65.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 €1,661

$1,690 CA$2,390

10.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,017 €8,021

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,294 €3,819

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,495 €2,219

$3,103 CA$4,387

-19.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

4.28

-26.64%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 18, 2026

Last update for Port Alberni: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.3%

Port Alberni

$711 42% 38.8% $451

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$308 13.6%

Port Alberni

$301 17.8% 2.1% $6.6

Eating Out

Madrid

$266 11.8%

Port Alberni

$267 15.7% 0.1% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$243 10.7%

Port Alberni

$170 10% 30.1% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$159 7%

Port Alberni

$127 7.5% 20.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$72 3.2%

Port Alberni

$67 4% 6.4% $4.6

Getting Around

Madrid

$56 2.5%

Port Alberni

$51 3% 8.9% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,509 in Madrid and $788 in Port Alberni. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Alberni pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Madrid vs $63.0 in Port Alberni for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $308 vs $301 per month, with Port Alberni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇨🇦 Port Alberni

🕒 Local time

03:01 3:01 AM

18:01 6:01 PM

9 h behind Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

17,743

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Madrid Port Alberni 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
Port Alberni

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 Port Alberni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Alberni wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Port Alberni the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Port Alberni. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,509 in Madrid versus $788 in Port Alberni. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Port Alberni – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $66.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,693 in Port Alberni versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Port Alberni but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Port Alberni the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Port Alberni delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,693 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Port Alberni hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid and Port Alberni 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 Port Alberni gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.