Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Stafford Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Stafford

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,253 in Madrid versus $2,174 in Stafford.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,329 in Madrid versus $3,220 in Stafford.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,404 in Madrid versus $4,265 in Stafford.

Living in Madrid is roughly 4% more expensive than Stafford, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 68% above, Stafford 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €14.68

$20.16 £15.02

-15.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.6 €59.0

$75.4 £56.1

-9.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.73 €10.10

$10.69 £7.96

9.73%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.63

$4.83 £3.60

-36.65%

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

$3.21 €2.77

$2.09 £1.56

53.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.87

$1.75 £1.30

24.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.94 €3.39

$3.76 £2.80

4.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 €4.02

$4.18 £3.11

11.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.03

$1.62 £1.21

-25.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 €1.45

$1.74 £1.29

-3.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 €1.46

$1.97 £1.46

-14.21%

Eggs

$3.34 €2.88

$3.57 £2.66

-6.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.91 €12.84

$12.39 £9.23

20.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 €7.68

$5.30 £3.95

68.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.84 €14.50

$9.41 £7.01

78.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.35

$3.33 £2.48

-18.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 €1.82

$1.39 £1.04

51.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.19

$3.90 £2.91

-34.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 €2.28

$4.35 £3.24

-39.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.85

$1.38 £1.03

55.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 €1.81

$1.31 £0.98

60.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.17

$1.32 £0.98

2.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.84

$1.45 £1.08

-33.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €5.87

$13.33 £9.93

-48.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.15 €7.02

$9.57 £7.13

-14.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.20

$2.55 £1.90

-45.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.88

$3.44 £2.56

-36.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 €1.52

$4.26 £3.17

-58.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.07 €42.25

$88.0 £65.5

-44.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 €3.45

$5.30 £3.95

-24.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 €1.15

$1.52 £1.13

-12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.19 €25.13

$34.36 £25.60

-15.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 €1.67

$1.90 £1.41

1.58%

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

$37.2K €32.0K

$37.9K £28.2K

-1.76%

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

$34.4K €29.6K

$41.0K £30.5K

-16.16%

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

$195 €168

$300 £223

-35.03%

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

$21.66 €18.65

$19.41 £14.46

11.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.51 €30.57

$43.24 £32.21

-17.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 €46.30

$43.74 £32.59

22.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.95 €15.46

$19.52 £14.55

-8.04%

Cinema Ticket

$11.55 €9.95

$13.60 £10.13

-15.07%

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

$676 €582

$1,935 £1,442

-65.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K €10.4K

$20.8K £15.5K

-41.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.2 €81.1

$72.1 £53.7

30.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.77 €36.82

$41.98 £31.28

1.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €91.0

$86.4 £64.4

22.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €116

$34.14 £25.44

293.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 €1,348

$1,151 £857

36.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 €989

$961 £716

19.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,826 €2,433

$1,661 £1,237

70.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,884 €1,622

$1,682 £1,253

12.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,077 €7,814

$3,883 £2,893

133.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,511 €3,884

$3,424 £2,551

31.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,626 €2,261

$3,038 £2,263

-13.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.43

5.5

-37.64%

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

Last update for Madrid: May 31, 2026

Last update for Stafford: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,566 in Madrid and $1,151 in Stafford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stafford pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Madrid vs $75.0 in Stafford. Groceries flip the comparison at $294 vs $278, with Stafford cheaper for home cooking.

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 Stafford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stafford wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Stafford the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Stafford earns 16% less. 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: $1,566 in Madrid versus $1,151 in Stafford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Stafford – a meal for two runs $75.0 versus $69.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,174 in Stafford versus $2,253 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Stafford but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Stafford the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Stafford delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,174 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Stafford hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid and Stafford 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 Stafford gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.