Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Puerto de la Cruz

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto de la Cruz: $1,888 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Puerto de la Cruz
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Puerto de la Cruz Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Puerto de la Cruz

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Puerto de la Cruz

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 Puerto de la Cruz actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,304 in Madrid versus $1,888 in Puerto de la Cruz.

Madrid $2,304
Puerto de la Cruz $1,888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in Madrid versus $2,748 in Puerto de la Cruz.

Madrid $3,389
Puerto de la Cruz $2,748

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,475 in Madrid versus $3,609 in Puerto de la Cruz.

Madrid $4,475
Puerto de la Cruz $3,609

Living in Madrid is roughly 22% more expensive than in Puerto de la Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 69% above, Puerto de la Cruz 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 €15.89

$13.57 €12.16

30.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €59.9

$59.5 €53.4

12.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.13

$10.03 €8.99

12.66%

Cappuccino

$3.04 €2.73

$2.59 €2.32

17.37%

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

$3.36 €3.01

$1.82 €1.63

84.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.52 €1.36

54.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 €3.49

$2.84 €2.55

36.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.30

$3.55 €3.18

35.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.15 €1.03

14.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.63 €1.46

0.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.64 €1.47

4.88%

Eggs

$4.20 €3.77

$3.70 €3.32

13.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 €14.25

$12.26 €10.99

29.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 €8.39

$9.85 €8.82

-4.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 €15.42

$13.38 €11.99

28.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.55 €2.29

0.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.07 €1.85

0.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$1.43 €1.28

78.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.52 €2.26

2.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.30 €2.06

0.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.41 €2.16

-9.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.97 €1.77

-23.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.89 €0.80

20.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.88

$4.05 €3.63

62.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.05

$6.88 €6.17

14.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.44 €1.29

-15.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.68 €2.40

-19.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.50

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.53 €33.63

$42.02 €37.65

-10.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.37

$3.39 €3.04

10.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.29 €2.05

-34.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.17 €27.03

$28.15 €25.22

7.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.65 €1.48

12.12%

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

$33.9K €30.4K

$30.1K €27.0K

12.43%

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

$33.3K €29.9K

$32.0K €28.7K

4.06%

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

$192 €172

$113 €101

70.28%

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

$17.66 €15.82

$19.39 €17.38

-8.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.07 €31.43

$28.70 €25.72

22.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 €42.36

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 €16.33

$16.83 €15.08

8.32%

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 €10.12

$9.02 €8.08

25.17%

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

$687 €616

$473 €424

45.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K €16.1K

$6,695 €6,000

168.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.5 €77.6

$88.8 €79.6

-2.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.65 €37.32

$37.75 €33.83

10.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.9

$91.1 €81.6

18.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100

$120 €107

-6.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 €1,351

$1,106 €991

36.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 €1,084

$1,021 €915

18.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,829 €2,535

$1,933 €1,732

46.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,004 €1,796

$1,566 €1,403

27.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,002 €8,066

$3,638 €3,260

147.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,710 €4,220

$3,494 €3,131

34.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 €2,199

$1,347 €1,207

82.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

3.15

-0.32%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Last update for Puerto de la Cruz: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5%

Puerto de la Cruz

$1K 54.1% 15.6% $189

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$304 13.2%

Puerto de la Cruz

$275 14.6% 9.5% $29

Eating Out

Madrid

$264 11.5%

Puerto de la Cruz

$204 10.8% 22.7% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$244 10.6%

Puerto de la Cruz

$161 8.5% 34.3% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 6.8%

Puerto de la Cruz

$152 8% 3.1% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$70 3%

Puerto de la Cruz

$18 * 1% 74.2% $52

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Puerto de la Cruz

$57 * 3% 2.6% $1.4

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 $1,508 in Madrid and $1,106 in Puerto de la Cruz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 82% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Madrid vs $60 in Puerto de la Cruz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $275 per month, with Puerto de la Cruz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Puerto de la Cruz

🕒 Local time

06:27 6:27 AM

05:27 5:27 AM

1 h behind Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

30,849

💱 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 Puerto de la Cruz 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
Puerto de la Cruz

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 Puerto de la Cruz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto de la Cruz wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Puerto de la Cruz the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 82% 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 $1,106 in Puerto de la Cruz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Puerto de la Cruz – a meal for two runs $60 versus $67 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Puerto de la Cruz gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Puerto de la Cruz are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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