Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Puerto Rico

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Rico: $1,716 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Rico
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Puerto Rico Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Puerto Rico

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Puerto Rico

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,304 in Madrid versus $1,716 in Puerto Rico.

Madrid $2,304
Puerto Rico $1,716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in Madrid versus $2,564 in Puerto Rico.

Madrid $3,389
Puerto Rico $2,564

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,475 in Madrid versus $3,412 in Puerto Rico.

Madrid $4,475
Puerto Rico $3,412

Living in Madrid is roughly 34% more expensive than in Puerto Rico, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 69% above, Puerto Rico 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 €15.93

$20.45 €18.38

-13.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €60.1

$61.0 €54.9

9.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.15

Cappuccino

$3.04 €2.73

$2.04 €1.84

49.02%

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

$3.36 €3.02

$1.89 €1.70

77.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.29 €1.16

82.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 €3.50

$2.72 €2.44

43.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.31

$3.42 €3.07

40.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.38 €1.24

-4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.47

$2.40 €2.16

-31.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.55

$1.53 €1.37

12.42%

Eggs

$4.20 €3.78

$4.25 €3.82

-1.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 €14.29

$19.32 €17.36

-17.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 €8.41

$10.01 €8.99

-6.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 €15.46

$17.41 €15.64

-1.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.67 €2.40

-4.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.32 €2.09

-9.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.29

$2.15 €1.93

18.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.32

$2.49 €2.24

3.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.08

$2.17 €1.95

6.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$2.02 €1.82

7.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.62 €1.46

-7.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.97 €0.87

10.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.90

$4.63 €4.16

41.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.07

$7.87 €7.08

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.70 €1.53

-28.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.95

$1.69 €1.51

28.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.66 €1.49

0.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.53 €33.72

$32.24 €28.97

16.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.38

$4.33 €3.89

-13.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.67 €1.50

-10.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.17 €27.11

$16.83 €15.13

79.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.74 €1.56

6.32%

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

$33.9K €30.4K

$34.9K €31.3K

-2.87%

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

$33.3K €29.9K

$31.9K €28.7K

4.30%

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

$192 €172

$129 €116

48.46%

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

$17.66 €15.87

$22.38 €20.11

-21.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.07 €31.51

$35.85 €32.22

-2.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 €42.47

$44.45 €39.94

6.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 €16.38

$15.59 €14.01

16.93%

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 €10.15

$9.91 €8.90

13.93%

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

$687 €617

$403 €362

70.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K €16.2K

$4,970 €4,466

261.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.5 €77.8

$91.8 €82.5

-5.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.65 €37.42

$42.61 €38.28

-2.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €97.1

$90.6 €81.4

19.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100

$114 €102

-1.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 €1,355

$874 €785

72.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 €1,087

$679 €610

78.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,829 €2,542

$1,331 €1,196

112.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,004 €1,801

$1,010 €908

98.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,002 €8,088

$3,233 €2,905

178.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,710 €4,232

$2,186 €1,964

115.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 €2,204

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 24, 2026

Last update for Puerto Rico: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5%

Puerto Rico

$679 39.6% 43.8% $530

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$304 13.2%

Puerto Rico

$326 19% 7.1% $22

Eating Out

Madrid

$264 11.5%

Puerto Rico

$255 14.9% 3.4% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$244 10.6%

Puerto Rico

$187 10.9% 23.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 6.8%

Puerto Rico

$152 8.9% 2.7% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$70 3%

Puerto Rico

$64 3.8% 8% $5.6

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Puerto Rico

$52 3% 7% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,508 in Madrid and $874 in Puerto Rico. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Madrid vs $61 in Puerto Rico. Groceries flip the comparison at $304 vs $326, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Puerto Rico

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

19:03 7:03 PM

1 h behind Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

2,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Madrid Puerto Rico 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
Puerto Rico

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 Puerto Rico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Rico wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Puerto Rico the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,456 in Madrid and $2,574 in Puerto Rico to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,508 in Madrid versus $874 in Puerto Rico. 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 Puerto Rico – a meal for two runs $61 versus $67 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Puerto Rico are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.