Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Santa Cruz de La Palma

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz de La Palma: $1,643 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz de La Palma
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Santa Cruz de La Palma Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz de La Palma

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Santa Cruz de La Palma

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 Santa Cruz de La Palma actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,304 in Madrid versus $1,643 in Santa Cruz de La Palma.

Madrid $2,304
Santa Cruz de La Palma $1,643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in Madrid versus $2,423 in Santa Cruz de La Palma.

Madrid $3,389
Santa Cruz de La Palma $2,423

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,475 in Madrid versus $3,203 in Santa Cruz de La Palma.

Madrid $4,475
Santa Cruz de La Palma $3,203

Living in Madrid is roughly 40% more expensive than in Santa Cruz de La Palma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 69% above, Santa Cruz de La Palma 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 €15.89

$17.09 €15.32

3.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €59.9

$56.2 €50.3

19.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.13

$11.24 €10.07

0.53%

Cappuccino

$3.04 €2.73

$2.43 €2.18

25.10%

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

$3.36 €3.01

$2.50 €2.24

34.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.81 €1.62

29.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 €3.49

$3.45 €3.10

12.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.30

$3.99 €3.57

20.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.20 €1.08

10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.43 €1.28

14.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.62 €1.46

6.17%

Eggs

$4.20 €3.77

$3.31 €2.97

26.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 €14.25

$13.46 €12.06

18.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 €8.39

$8.18 €7.33

14.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 €15.42

$15.80 €14.16

8.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.59 €2.32

-1.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.09 €1.87

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$2.09 €1.87

22.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.61 €2.34

-1.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.80 €1.61

28.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.93 €1.73

12.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.33 €1.19

12.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.69 €0.62

55.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.88

$6.21 €5.56

5.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.05

$5.75 €5.15

36.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.09

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.09 €1.88

3.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.60 €1.44

4.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.53 €33.63

$32.40 €29.04

15.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.37

$4.02 €3.60

-6.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.44 €1.29

3.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.17 €27.03

$22.84 €20.47

32.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.73 €1.55

6.94%

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

$33.9K €30.4K

$33.8K €30.3K

0.12%

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

$33.3K €29.9K

$31.0K €27.8K

7.38%

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

$192 €172

$143 €128

34.11%

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

$17.66 €15.82

$17.79 €15.94

-0.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.07 €31.43

$29.46 €26.40

19.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 €42.36

$44.18 €39.59

6.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 €16.33

$15.89 €14.24

14.73%

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 €10.12

$8.99 €8.06

25.58%

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

$687 €616

$469 €420

46.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K €16.1K

$8,421 €7,546

113.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.5 €77.6

$86.8 €77.8

-0.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.65 €37.32

$36.69 €32.88

13.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.9

$91.5 €82.0

18.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100

$114 €102

-2.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 €1,351

$900 €807

67.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 €1,084

$684 €613

76.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,829 €2,535

$1,365 €1,223

107.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,004 €1,796

$1,016 €910

97.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,002 €8,066

$3,275 €2,935

174.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,710 €4,220

$2,247 €2,014

109.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 €2,199

$1,341 €1,201

82.99%

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 24, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz de La Palma: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$684 41.6% 43.5% $526

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$304 13.2%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$266 16.2% 12.5% $38

Eating Out

Madrid

$264 11.5%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$242 14.7% 8.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$244 10.6%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$190 11.6% 22.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 6.8%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$148 9% 5.4% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$70 3%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$62 3.8% 11% $7.7

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$50 3.1% 9.7% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,508 in Madrid and $900 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 83% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Madrid vs $56 in Santa Cruz de La Palma for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $266 per month, with Santa Cruz de La Palma cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de La Palma

🕒 Local time

03:30 3:30 AM

02:30 2:30 AM

1 h behind Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

15,441

💱 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 Santa Cruz de La Palma 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
Santa Cruz de La Palma

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 Santa Cruz de La Palma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz de La Palma wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Santa Cruz de La Palma the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 83% 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 $900 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Cruz de La Palma – a meal for two runs $56 versus $67 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,643 in Santa Cruz de La Palma versus $2,304 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz de La Palma but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz de La Palma the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Santa Cruz de La Palma gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.