Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Sabadell

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabadell: $1,828 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Sabadell
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Sabadell Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Sabadell

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,828

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Sabadell

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $1,828 in Sabadell.

Madrid $2,265
Sabadell $1,828

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,311 in Madrid versus $2,513 in Sabadell.

Madrid $3,311
Sabadell $2,513

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,356 in Madrid versus $3,197 in Sabadell.

Madrid $4,356
Sabadell $3,197

Living in Madrid is roughly 24% more expensive than in Sabadell, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 67% above, Sabadell 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 €16.06

$14.34 €12.76

25.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.2

$55.3 €49.16

20.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 €10.14

$9.97 €8.87

14.34%

Cappuccino

$3.03 €2.69

$2.40 €2.14

26.25%

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

$3.25 €2.89

$2.41 €2.14

34.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.89 €1.68

22.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$3.35 €2.98

14.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 €4.29

$3.37 €3.00

43.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.15 €1.03

14.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$2.09 €1.86

-22.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.40 €1.24

25.00%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.09 €2.75

31.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.34 €14.54

$14.79 €13.16

10.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 €8.55

$8.59 €7.64

11.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.43 €15.50

$19.86 €17.66

-12.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.50 €2.23

5.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.93

$2.06 €1.83

5.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.58 €2.30

-3.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.48 €2.20

4.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.83 €1.63

22.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.06 €1.83

0.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.52 €1.35

2.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.95 €0.84

13.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.70 €5.96

$6.80 €6.05

-1.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.82 €6.95

$5.53 €4.92

41.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.14 €1.01

7.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.40 €2.13

-6.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.40 €2.13

-32.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.72 €33.56

$23.16 €20.61

62.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$3.15 €2.80

20.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.34 €1.20

11.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.99 €26.68

$23.93 €21.29

25.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.77 €1.57

1.13%

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

$33.7K €29.9K

$33.3K €29.6K

1.18%

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

$33.3K €29.6K

$29.0K €25.8K

14.62%

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

$190 €169

$127 €113

49.74%

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

$17.57 €15.63

$13.65 €12.14

28.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.34 €31.43

$33.43 €29.74

5.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 €44.04

$30.56 €27.19

62.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.20 €16.19

$8.49 €7.55

114.37%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 €9.87

$10.07 €8.96

10.13%

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

$684 €609

$505 €449

35.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K €16.2K

$10.0K €8,898

82.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 €78.1

$78.7 €70.0

11.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 €37.41

$34.25 €30.47

22.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.3

$107 €95.2

3.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €100

$90.1 €80.1

25.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 €1,342

$1,012 €900

49.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 €1,034

$914 €813

27.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,804 €2,494

$1,443 €1,283

94.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 €1,661

$1,091 €971

71.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,017 €8,021

$3,477 €3,093

159.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,294 €3,819

$2,574 €2,290

66.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,495 €2,219

$2,163 €1,924

15.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

3.3

-4.85%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sabadell: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.3%

Sabadell

$914 50% 21.4% $249

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$308 13.6%

Sabadell

$293 16.1% 4.6% $14

Eating Out

Madrid

$266 11.8%

Sabadell

$214 11.7% 19.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$243 10.7%

Sabadell

$174 9.5% 28.4% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$159 7%

Sabadell

$140 7.6% 12.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$72 3.2%

Sabadell

$51 2.8% 29.3% $21

Getting Around

Madrid

$56 2.5%

Sabadell

$43 2.3% 23.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,509 in Madrid and $1,012 in Sabadell. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 15% 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: $66.0 in Madrid vs $55.0 in Sabadell for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $308 vs $293 per month, with Sabadell cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Sabadell

🕒 Local time

16:53 4:53 PM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

218,300

💱 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 Sabadell 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
Sabadell

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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 Sabadell: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sabadell wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sabadell the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 15% 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: $1,509 in Madrid versus $1,012 in Sabadell. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sabadell – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $66.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,828 in Sabadell versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Sabadell but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Sabadell the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sabadell delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,828 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sabadell hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid and Sabadell 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 Sabadell gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.