Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Tarragona

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarragona: $1,762 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
Learn more

Madrid Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Tarragona
Learn more

Tarragona Living Index

Jump to prices

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Tarragona

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,762

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Tarragona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $1,762 in Tarragona.

Madrid $2,265
Tarragona $1,762

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,296 in Madrid versus $2,618 in Tarragona.

Madrid $3,296
Tarragona $2,618

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,328 in Madrid versus $3,474 in Tarragona.

Madrid $4,328
Tarragona $3,474

Living in Madrid is roughly 29% more expensive than in Tarragona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 68% above, Tarragona 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.20 €16.19

$17.87 €15.89

1.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$61.0 €54.3

11.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$8.90 €7.91

26.29%

Cappuccino

$3.15 €2.80

$2.43 €2.16

29.63%

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

$3.36 €2.99

$2.51 €2.24

33.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.97 €1.76

19.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 €3.40

$3.34 €2.97

14.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 €4.38

$3.80 €3.38

29.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.25 €1.11

5.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.91 €1.70

-15.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.39 €1.23

18.71%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$3.46 €3.08

17.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.82 €14.07

$13.08 €11.64

20.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.44

$10.39 €9.24

-8.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.52 €15.59

$14.67 €13.05

19.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.80 €2.49

-8.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.46 €2.19

-15.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.19

$2.89 €2.57

-14.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.66 €2.37

-6.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.57 €1.39

43.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.93 €1.72

11.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.48 €1.31

6.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.63 €0.56

69.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.82

$6.59 €5.86

-0.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 €6.81

$5.07 €4.51

50.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.00 €1.78

-41.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.76 €1.57

26.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.62 €1.44

0.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.42 €32.39

$27.10 €24.11

34.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.32

$4.02 €3.57

-7.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.52 €1.35

1.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.17 €25.95

$22.12 €19.68

31.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.71 €1.52

4.09%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$35.0K €31.1K

1.42%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$29.8K €26.5K

11.44%

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

$189 €168

$129 €115

45.89%

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

$17.48 €15.55

$23.52 €20.92

-25.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.32 €30.53

$34.30 €30.51

0.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.62 €43.25

$60.7 €54.0

-19.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.44 €16.40

$23.72 €21.10

-22.26%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 €9.82

$8.87 €7.89

24.46%

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

$693 €617

$320 €285

116.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.6 €75.3

$106 €94.4

-20.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.50 €37.80

$33.44 €29.75

27.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.1

$81.6 €72.5

35.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.9

$91.0 €80.9

23.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 €1,339

$891 €793

69.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,041

$784 €697

49.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,756 €2,451

$1,244 €1,106

121.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 €1,641

$1,201 €1,068

53.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,168 €8,155

$2,642 €2,350

247.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,234 €3,766

$1,275 €1,134

232.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,483 €2,209

$2,040 €1,815

21.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

3.02

3.97%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tarragona: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7%

Tarragona

$784 44.5% 33% $386

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$303 13.4%

Tarragona

$286 16.2% 5.8% $18

Eating Out

Madrid

$269 11.9%

Tarragona

$241 13.7% 10.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$241 10.6%

Tarragona

$187 10.6% 22.2% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 7%

Tarragona

$140 8% 10.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$71 3.1%

Tarragona

$78 4.5% 10.9% $7.7

Getting Around

Madrid

$54 2.4%

Tarragona

$45 2.6% 16.9% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,506 in Madrid and $891 in Tarragona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 22% 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 Tarragona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $286 per month, with Tarragona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Tarragona

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

138,262

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madrid Tarragona 420 km

From you

Madrid
Tarragona

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 Tarragona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tarragona wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tarragona the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 22% 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 $891 in Tarragona. 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 Tarragona – 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 $1,762 in Tarragona versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tarragona but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Tarragona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Tarragona delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,762 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tarragona hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid and Tarragona 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 Tarragona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.