Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Pozuelo de Alarcon

For one person, living is cheaper in Pozuelo de Alarcon: $2,102 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
101

Cost of Living Index in Pozuelo de Alarcon
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Pozuelo de Alarcon Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Pozuelo de Alarcon

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Pozuelo de Alarcon

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 Pozuelo de Alarcon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,304 in Madrid versus $2,102 in Pozuelo de Alarcon.

Madrid $2,304
Pozuelo de Alarcon $2,102

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in Madrid versus $3,128 in Pozuelo de Alarcon.

Madrid $3,389
Pozuelo de Alarcon $3,128

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,475 in Madrid versus $4,153 in Pozuelo de Alarcon.

Madrid $4,475
Pozuelo de Alarcon $4,153

Living in Madrid is roughly 10% more expensive than in Pozuelo de Alarcon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 69% above, Pozuelo de Alarcon 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 €15.93

$18.15 €16.31

-2.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €60.1

$78.1 €70.2

-14.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.15

$11.31 €10.17

-0.09%

Cappuccino

$3.04 €2.73

$2.83 €2.55

7.42%

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

$3.36 €3.02

$3.30 €2.97

1.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$2.20 €1.97

6.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 €3.50

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.31

$4.91 €4.41

-2.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.20 €1.08

10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.47

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.55

$2.17 €1.95

-20.74%

Eggs

$4.20 €3.78

$4.07 €3.66

3.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 €14.29

$25.43 €22.85

-37.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 €8.41

$9.35 €8.41

0.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 €15.46

$17.69 €15.89

-2.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.70 €2.42

-5.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.42 €2.17

-13.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.29

$2.51 €2.25

1.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.32

$3.85 €3.46

-32.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.08

$2.07 €1.86

11.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$2.15 €1.93

0.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$2.06 €1.85

-27.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.90

$6.91 €6.21

-4.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.07

$8.96 €8.05

-12.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.18 €1.06

2.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.95

$2.16 €1.94

0.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.50

$2.29 €2.06

-27.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.53 €33.72

$28.22 €25.36

32.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.38

$3.87 €3.48

-2.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.53 €1.38

-2.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.17 €27.11

$22.83 €20.51

32.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.86 €1.67

-0.54%

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

$33.9K €30.4K

$33.8K €30.4K

0.19%

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

$33.3K €29.9K

$28.8K €25.9K

15.70%

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

$192 €172

-0.11%

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

$17.66 €15.87

$18.27 €16.42

-3.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.07 €31.51

$33.37 €29.98

5.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 €42.47

$45.14 €40.55

4.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 €16.38

$15.52 €13.95

17.46%

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 €10.15

$10.12 €9.09

11.56%

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

$687 €617

$453 €407

51.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K €16.2K

$6,005 €5,395

199.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.5 €77.8

$73.4 €66.0

17.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.65 €37.42

$41.10 €36.93

1.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €97.1

$81.8 €73.5

32.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100

$96.0 €86.2

16.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 €1,355

$1,323 €1,189

14.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 €1,087

$1,002 €900

20.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,829 €2,542

$2,380 €2,138

18.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,004 €1,801

$1,608 €1,445

24.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,002 €8,088

$3,317 €2,981

171.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,710 €4,232

$2,224 €1,998

111.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 €2,204

$3,460 €3,108

-29.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

3.08

1.95%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Last update for Pozuelo de Alarcon: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5%

Pozuelo de Alarcon

$1K 47.7% 17.2% $208

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$304 13.2%

Pozuelo de Alarcon

$347 16.5% 13.9% $42

Eating Out

Madrid

$264 11.5%

Pozuelo de Alarcon

$264 12.6% 0.1% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$244 10.6%

Pozuelo de Alarcon

$243 11.6% 0.4% $0.9

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 6.8%

Pozuelo de Alarcon

$132 6.3% 16% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$70 3%

Pozuelo de Alarcon

$65 3.1% 6.4% $4.5

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Pozuelo de Alarcon

$49 2.3% 11.7% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,508 in Madrid and $1,323 in Pozuelo de Alarcon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pozuelo de Alarcon pays 41% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Madrid vs $78 in Pozuelo de Alarcon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $347 per month, with Madrid cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Pozuelo de Alarcon

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

88,784

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Pozuelo de Alarcon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pozuelo de Alarcon wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Pozuelo de Alarcon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Madrid. 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: $1,508 in Madrid versus $1,323 in Pozuelo de Alarcon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Madrid pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Madrid – a meal for two runs $67 versus $78 in Pozuelo de Alarcon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Pozuelo de Alarcon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.