Comparación del coste de vida entre Madrid y Santiago de Compostela Comparación del coste de vida entre Madrid y Santiago de Compostela

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,273 in Madrid versus $1,430 in Santiago de Compostela.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in Madrid versus $2,188 in Santiago de Compostela.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,505 in Madrid versus $2,947 in Santiago de Compostela.

Living in Madrid is roughly 59% more expensive than Santiago de Compostela, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 70% above, Santiago de Compostela 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.64 €15.10

$13.67 €11.70

29.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.5 €60.3

$54.1 €46.34

30.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.66 €9.98

$9.81 €8.40

18.86%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.65

$1.87 €1.60

65.78%

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

$3.06 €2.62

$2.48 €2.12

23.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.80

$2.09 €1.79

0.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.07 €3.48

$3.10 €2.66

31.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 €3.87

$3.66 €3.13

23.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.07

$1.11 €0.95

12.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.44

$1.22 €1.04

38.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.41

$1.61 €1.38

2.48%

Eggs

$3.35 €2.87

$3.05 €2.61

9.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.57 €12.47

$9.19 €7.87

58.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €7.80

$6.31 €5.40

44.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 €14.27

$17.61 €15.08

-5.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 €2.28

$1.80 €1.54

47.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.89

$2.14 €1.83

3.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.11

$1.52 €1.30

62.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.32

$2.92 €2.50

-7.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 €1.81

$2.12 €1.82

-0.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 €1.83

$1.48 €1.27

44.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.20

$1.13 €0.97

24.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.83

$0.70 €0.60

38.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.08 €6.06

$5.91 €5.06

19.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.12 €6.95

$5.41 €4.63

50.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.19

$1.51 €1.29

-7.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €1.92

$2.40 €2.05

-6.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 €1.52

$1.21 €1.03

47.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.86 €41.82

$34.28 €29.35

42.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.16 €3.56

$4.74 €4.05

-12.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 €1.18

$1.27 €1.09

8.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.62 €24.50

$22.27 €19.06

28.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 €1.61

$1.82 €1.56

3.30%

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

$38.3K €32.8K

$29.1K €24.9K

31.67%

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

$34.4K €29.4K

$30.8K €26.3K

11.71%

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

$192 €164

$166 €143

15.40%

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

$21.59 €18.48

$21.52 €18.42

0.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.26 €30.19

$33.46 €28.64

5.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.4 €45.71

$41.50 €35.53

28.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.72 €15.17

$2.26 €1.94

684.07%

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 €10.08

$10.33 €8.84

14.04%

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

$674 €577

$353 €302

90.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K €10.5K

$8,207 €7,025

48.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.7 €81.9

$76.8 €65.7

24.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.61 €35.61

$31.26 €26.76

33.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €89.4

$88.2 €75.5

18.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €114

$95.4 €81.7

39.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 €1,365

$750 €642

112.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 €949

$515 €441

115.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,858 €2,446

$1,018 €871

180.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,890 €1,618

$874 €748

116.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,394 €8,042

$3,271 €2,800

187.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,583 €3,923

$2,227 €1,907

105.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,602 €2,227

$1,934 €1,655

34.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.43

3.33

3.00%

Los datos de CityCost se basan en IA y aportaciones de usuarios. Puede haber pequeñas variaciones.

Última actualización para Madrid: April 26, 2026

Última actualización para Santiago de Compostela: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,595 in Madrid and $750 in Santiago de Compostela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 35% 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: $70.0 in Madrid vs $54.0 in Santiago de Compostela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $242 per month, with Santiago de Compostela cheaper across the board.

Comparación de velocidades medias de internet por ciudad (actualizado April 2026)

El gráfico resalta el umbral de precisión para velocidades de internet móvil y fija, actualizado trimestralmente.

Índice del coste de vida para nómadas digitales

Madrid vs Santiago de Compostela: Coste de vida - preguntas frecuentes

Santiago de Compostela wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santiago de Compostela the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Madrid pays 35% more on average, 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: $1,595 in Madrid versus $750 in Santiago de Compostela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Santiago de Compostela – a meal for two runs $54.0 versus $70.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,430 in Santiago de Compostela versus $2,273 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santiago de Compostela but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago de Compostela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Santiago de Compostela delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,430 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Santiago de Compostela hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid and Santiago de Compostela 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 Santiago de Compostela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.