Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Torremolinos

For one person, living is cheaper in Torremolinos: $1,558 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
Learn more

Madrid Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Torremolinos
Learn more

Torremolinos Living Index

Jump to prices

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Torremolinos

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,558

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Torremolinos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,304 in Madrid versus $1,558 in Torremolinos.

Madrid $2,304
Torremolinos $1,558

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in Madrid versus $2,326 in Torremolinos.

Madrid $3,389
Torremolinos $2,326

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,475 in Madrid versus $3,093 in Torremolinos.

Madrid $4,475
Torremolinos $3,093

Living in Madrid is roughly 48% more expensive than in Torremolinos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 69% above, Torremolinos 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 €15.89

$14.36 €12.87

23.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €59.9

$68.5 €61.4

-2.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.13

$11.16 €10.00

1.25%

Cappuccino

$3.04 €2.73

$2.02 €1.81

50.50%

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

$3.36 €3.01

$2.06 €1.85

63.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.55 €1.39

51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 €3.49

$3.32 €2.98

17.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.30

$3.96 €3.55

21.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.10 €0.98

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.45 €1.30

13.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.51 €1.35

13.91%

Eggs

$4.20 €3.77

$3.25 €2.92

29.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 €14.25

$13.42 €12.02

18.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 €8.39

$7.70 €6.90

21.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 €15.42

$15.16 €13.59

13.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.41 €2.16

6.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.96 €1.75

6.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$1.70 €1.53

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.45 €2.19

5.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.58 €1.41

46.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.04 €1.83

6.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.24 €1.11

20.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.71 €0.63

50.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.88

$6.69 €6.00

-1.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.05

$5.89 €5.28

33.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.15 €1.03

5.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.92 €1.72

13.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.65 €1.47

1.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.53 €33.63

$33.16 €29.71

13.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.37

$1.67 €1.50

125.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.10 €0.98

35.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.17 €27.03

$14.70 €13.17

105.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.75 €1.57

5.71%

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

$33.9K €30.4K

$32.8K €29.4K

3.18%

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

$33.3K €29.9K

$31.0K €27.8K

7.54%

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

$192 €172

$118 €105

62.79%

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

$17.66 €15.82

$10.73 €9.61

64.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.07 €31.43

$24.79 €22.21

41.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 €42.36

$45.12 €40.44

4.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 €16.33

$15.56 €13.94

17.16%

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 €10.12

$7.88 €7.06

43.27%

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

$687 €616

$546 €489

25.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K €16.1K

$8,057 €7,219

123.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.5 €77.6

$90.2 €80.9

-4.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.65 €37.32

$38.49 €34.49

8.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.9

$83.0 €74.4

30.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100

$107 €96.0

4.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 €1,351

$871 €780

73.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 €1,084

$687 €615

76.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,829 €2,535

$1,352 €1,211

109.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,004 €1,796

$999 €895

100.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,002 €8,066

$3,304 €2,960

172.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,710 €4,220

$2,192 €1,964

114.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 €2,199

$2,159 €1,935

13.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

3.29

-4.56%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Last update for Torremolinos: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5%

Torremolinos

$687 44.1% 43.2% $523

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$304 13.2%

Torremolinos

$255 16.4% 16.1% $49

Eating Out

Madrid

$264 11.5%

Torremolinos

$212 13.6% 19.9% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$244 10.6%

Torremolinos

$153 9.8% 37.3% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 6.8%

Torremolinos

$144 9.2% 8.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$70 3%

Torremolinos

$61 3.9% 12.8% $9

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Torremolinos

$47 3% 15.4% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,508 in Madrid and $871 in Torremolinos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 14% 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: $67 in Madrid vs $69 in Torremolinos. Groceries flip the comparison at $304 vs $255, with Torremolinos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Torremolinos

🕒 Local time

04:47 4:47 AM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

70,434

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madrid Torremolinos 430 km

From you

Madrid
Torremolinos

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 Torremolinos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Torremolinos wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Torremolinos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 14% 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: $1,508 in Madrid versus $871 in Torremolinos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Madrid – a meal for two runs $67 versus $69 in Torremolinos. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,558 in Torremolinos versus $2,304 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Torremolinos but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Torremolinos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Torremolinos are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Torremolinos wins on affordability, Madrid on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.