Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and San Sebastian

For one person, living is cheaper in San Sebastian: $2,066 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
100

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,066

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in San Sebastian

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,304 in Madrid versus $2,066 in San Sebastian.

Madrid $2,304
San Sebastian $2,066

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in Madrid versus $3,076 in San Sebastian.

Madrid $3,389
San Sebastian $3,076

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,475 in Madrid versus $4,086 in San Sebastian.

Madrid $4,475
San Sebastian $4,086

Living in Madrid is roughly 12% more expensive than in San Sebastian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 69% above, San Sebastian 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 €15.89

$18.85 €16.89

-5.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €59.9

$61.9 €55.5

7.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.13

$10.78 €9.66

4.82%

Cappuccino

$3.04 €2.73

$2.31 €2.07

31.60%

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

$3.36 €3.01

$2.84 €2.54

18.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.63 €1.46

44.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 €3.49

$3.28 €2.94

18.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.30

$3.70 €3.31

29.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.18 €1.06

11.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.12 €1.01

46.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.84 €1.65

-6.52%

Eggs

$4.20 €3.77

$3.62 €3.24

16.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 €14.25

$22.61 €20.26

-29.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 €8.39

$7.91 €7.08

18.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 €15.42

$20.65 €18.50

-16.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.50 €2.24

2.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.76 €2.48

-24.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$3.30 €2.96

-22.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.92 €2.62

-11.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.60 €2.33

-11.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.03 €1.81

6.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.19 €1.07

26.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.03 €0.92

3.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.88

$6.79 €6.09

-3.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.05

$7.36 €6.59

6.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.72 €1.54

-29.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.77 €1.58

22.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.50

$2.16 €1.94

-22.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.53 €33.63

$33.69 €30.19

11.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.37

$6.82 €6.11

-44.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.89 €0.79

67.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.17 €27.03

$22.07 €19.78

36.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.70 €1.52

8.82%

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

$33.9K €30.4K

$35.2K €31.5K

-3.78%

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

$33.3K €29.9K

$31.0K €27.8K

7.39%

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

$192 €172

$136 €122

40.92%

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

$17.66 €15.82

$25.48 €22.84

-30.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.07 €31.43

$35.61 €31.91

-1.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 €42.36

$42.24 €37.85

11.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 €16.33

$19.49 €17.46

-6.46%

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 €10.12

$8.51 €7.62

32.67%

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

$687 €616

$454 €406

51.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K €16.1K

$14.0K €12.5K

28.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.5 €77.6

$101 €90.1

-13.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.65 €37.32

$32.72 €29.32

27.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.9

$74.2 €66.5

45.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100

$132 €119

-15.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 €1,351

$1,470 €1,317

2.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 €1,084

$1,024 €917

18.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,829 €2,535

$2,371 €2,124

19.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,004 €1,796

$1,671 €1,498

19.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,002 €8,066

$9,813 €8,794

-8.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,710 €4,220

$5,360 €4,803

-12.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 €2,199

$3,011 €2,698

-18.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

2.92

7.53%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Last update for San Sebastian: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5%

San Sebastian

$1K 49.6% 15.4% $186

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$304 13.2%

San Sebastian

$327 15.8% 7.5% $23

Eating Out

Madrid

$264 11.5%

San Sebastian

$253 12.2% 4.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$244 10.6%

San Sebastian

$197 9.5% 19.3% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 6.8%

San Sebastian

$153 7.4% 2.3% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$70 3%

San Sebastian

$59 2.9% 15.2% $11

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

San Sebastian

$54 2.6% 3.3% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,508 in Madrid and $1,470 in San Sebastian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Sebastian pays 23% 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 $62 in San Sebastian. Groceries flip the comparison at $304 vs $327, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

188,743

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Madrid San Sebastian 350 km

From you

Madrid
San Sebastian

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 San Sebastian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Sebastian wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Sebastian the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 19% 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 $1,470 in San Sebastian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Madrid pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in San Sebastian – a meal for two runs $62 versus $67 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. San Sebastian is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Sebastian delivers better value at $2,066 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Sebastian hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid and San Sebastian are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.