Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Sitges

For one person, living is cheaper in Sitges: $1,673 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Sitges
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Sitges Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Sitges

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,673

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Sitges

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,304 in Madrid versus $1,673 in Sitges.

Madrid $2,304
Sitges $1,673

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in Madrid versus $2,821 in Sitges.

Madrid $3,389
Sitges $2,821

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,475 in Madrid versus $3,968 in Sitges.

Madrid $4,475
Sitges $3,968

Living in Madrid is roughly 38% more expensive than in Sitges, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 69% above, Sitges 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 €15.88

$16.96 €15.19

4.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €59.9

$66.6 €59.7

0.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.12

$12.15 €10.88

-7.00%

Cappuccino

$3.04 €2.72

$2.73 €2.44

11.36%

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

$3.36 €3.01

$2.30 €2.06

46.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.99 €1.78

18.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 €3.49

$3.43 €3.07

13.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.30

$4.43 €3.97

8.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.17 €1.05

12.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.31 €1.17

25.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.76 €1.58

-2.27%

Eggs

$4.20 €3.77

$3.54 €3.17

18.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 €14.24

$11.09 €9.93

43.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 €8.38

$7.89 €7.07

18.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 €15.41

$15.63 €14.00

10.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.29

$2.60 €2.33

-1.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.83 €1.64

14.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$1.83 €1.64

39.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.64 €2.36

-2.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.69 €1.51

36.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.85 €1.66

17.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.11 €0.99

35.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.75 €0.67

42.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.88

$5.81 €5.20

13.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.05

$5.59 €5.01

40.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.35 €1.21

-10.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.69 €1.52

28.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.50

$2.45 €2.19

-31.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.53 €33.61

$32.70 €29.28

14.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.37

$3.27 €2.93

14.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.35 €1.21

10.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.17 €27.02

$23.89 €21.39

26.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.82 €1.63

1.65%

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

$33.9K €30.3K

$28.1K €25.2K

20.36%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$30.7K €27.5K

8.59%

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

$192 €172

$154 €138

24.75%

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

$17.66 €15.81

$15.90 €14.24

11.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.07 €31.41

$34.20 €30.63

2.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 €42.34

$62.7 €56.1

-24.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 €16.32

$15.82 €14.17

15.23%

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 €10.11

$10.74 €9.62

5.12%

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

$687 €615

$550 €492

24.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K €16.1K

$9,813 €8,789

83.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.5 €77.5

$88.7 €79.5

-2.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.65 €37.30

$36.39 €32.59

14.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.8

$96.7 €86.6

11.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100.0

$116 €104

-4.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 €1,351

$876 €784

72.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 €1,083

$679 €608

78.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,829 €2,534

$2,165 €1,939

30.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,004 €1,795

$1,676 €1,501

19.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,002 €8,062

$3,237 €2,899

178.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,710 €4,218

$2,224 €1,991

111.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 €2,197

$2,956 €2,648

-17.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

3.41

-7.92%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Last update for Sitges: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5%

Sitges

$679 40.6% 43.8% $530

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$304 13.2%

Sitges

$254 15.2% 16.6% $51

Eating Out

Madrid

$264 11.5%

Sitges

$248 14.8% 6.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$244 10.6%

Sitges

$204 12.2% 16.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 6.8%

Sitges

$152 9.1% 2.8% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$70 3%

Sitges

$84 5% 20.5% $14

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Sitges

$53 3.1% 5.3% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,508 in Madrid and $876 in Sitges. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sitges pays 20% 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 $67 in Sitges. Groceries flip the comparison at $304 vs $254, with Sitges cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Sitges

🕒 Local time

17:27 5:27 PM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

31,954

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Sitges: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sitges wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sitges the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 17% 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 $876 in Sitges. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $687 in Madrid versus $550 in Sitges. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Sitges runs roughly 13% less than in Madrid. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,673 in Sitges versus $2,304 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sitges but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Sitges the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sitges delivers better value at $1,673 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sitges hard to pass up.

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