Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Santa Cruz de Tenerife

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz de Tenerife: $1,943 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
94

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
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Santa Cruz de Tenerife Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,943

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $1,943 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Madrid $2,265
Santa Cruz de Tenerife $1,943

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,296 in Madrid versus $2,828 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Madrid $3,296
Santa Cruz de Tenerife $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,328 in Madrid versus $3,714 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Madrid $4,328
Santa Cruz de Tenerife $3,714

Living in Madrid is roughly 17% more expensive than in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 68% above, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.20 €16.19

$20.38 €18.12

-10.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$60.5 €53.8

12.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$10.97 €9.76

2.46%

Cappuccino

$3.15 €2.80

$2.01 €1.79

56.72%

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

$3.36 €2.99

$1.87 €1.67

79.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.30 €1.15

81.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 €3.40

$2.84 €2.52

34.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 €4.38

$3.41 €3.03

44.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.37 €1.22

-3.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$2.36 €2.10

-31.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.53 €1.36

7.84%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$4.22 €3.76

-3.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.82 €14.07

$19.44 €17.29

-18.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.44

$10.12 €9.00

-6.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.52 €15.59

$17.86 €15.88

-1.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.66 €2.37

-3.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.38 €2.12

-12.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.19

$2.18 €1.94

13.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.60 €2.31

-4.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.14 €1.90

5.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.92 €1.71

11.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.67 €1.49

-5.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.98 €0.87

9.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.82

$5.59 €4.98

17.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 €6.81

$7.86 €6.99

-2.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.69 €1.50

-30.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.75 €1.56

26.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.35 €1.20

20.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.42 €32.39

$42.61 €37.91

-14.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.32

$4.11 €3.65

-9.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.71 €1.52

-9.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.17 €25.95

$16.65 €14.81

75.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.69 €1.51

5.33%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$35.6K €31.7K

-0.35%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$28.6K €25.4K

16.20%

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

$189 €168

$126 €112

49.94%

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

$17.48 €15.55

$22.85 €20.32

-23.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.32 €30.53

$35.57 €31.64

-3.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.62 €43.25

$53.0 €47.16

-8.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.44 €16.40

$11.66 €10.37

58.15%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 €9.82

$9.53 €8.47

15.84%

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

$693 €617

$402 €357

72.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

$5,073 €4,512

250.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.6 €75.3

$90.6 €80.6

-6.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.50 €37.80

$42.43 €37.75

0.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.1

$89.8 €79.8

22.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.9

$113 €100

-0.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 €1,339

$1,142 €1,016

31.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,041

$893 €794

31.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,756 €2,451

$1,729 €1,538

59.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 €1,641

$1,287 €1,145

43.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,168 €8,155

$3,840 €3,415

138.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,234 €3,766

$2,149 €1,912

97.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,483 €2,209

$1,804 €1,604

37.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

3.56

-11.80%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz de Tenerife: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$893 45.9% 23.7% $277

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$303 13.4%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$329 16.9% 8.4% $25

Eating Out

Madrid

$269 11.9%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$254 13.1% 5.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$241 10.6%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$184 9.5% 23.4% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 7%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$151 7.8% 4% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$71 3.1%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$72 3.7% 1.9% $1.4

Getting Around

Madrid

$54 2.4%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$61 3.1% 11.5% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,506 in Madrid and $1,142 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 38% 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: $68.0 in Madrid vs $61.0 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Groceries flip the comparison at $303 vs $329, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🕒 Local time

20:29 8:29 PM

19:29 7:29 PM

1 h behind Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

209,395

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Madrid Santa Cruz de Tenerife 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Madrid vs Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz de Tenerife wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santa Cruz de Tenerife the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 38% 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: $1,506 in Madrid versus $1,142 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Madrid pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Cruz de Tenerife – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,943 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz de Tenerife but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz de Tenerife the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Santa Cruz de Tenerife delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,943 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Santa Cruz de Tenerife hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid and Santa Cruz de Tenerife 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 Santa Cruz de Tenerife gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.