Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Torrevieja

For one person, living is cheaper in Torrevieja: $1,438 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Torrevieja
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Torrevieja Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Torrevieja

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,438

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Torrevieja

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $1,438 in Torrevieja.

Madrid $2,265
Torrevieja $1,438

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,296 in Madrid versus $2,060 in Torrevieja.

Madrid $3,296
Torrevieja $2,060

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,328 in Madrid versus $2,682 in Torrevieja.

Madrid $4,328
Torrevieja $2,682

Living in Madrid is roughly 58% more expensive than in Torrevieja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 68% above, Torrevieja 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.20 €16.19

$15.10 €13.43

20.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$44.13 €39.25

54.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$9.90 €8.80

13.54%

Cappuccino

$3.15 €2.80

$2.25 €2.00

40.00%

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

$3.36 €2.99

$2.14 €1.91

57.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.89 €1.68

24.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 €3.40

$3.30 €2.94

16.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 €4.38

$2.85 €2.54

72.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.12 €1.00

17.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.39 €1.23

15.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.37 €1.22

20.44%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$3.26 €2.90

24.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.82 €14.07

$14.19 €12.62

11.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.44

$7.38 €6.56

28.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.52 €15.59

$21.42 €19.05

-18.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.05 €1.82

24.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.60 €1.42

30.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.19

$1.26 €1.12

96.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.06 €1.83

20.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.10 €0.98

105.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.16 €1.03

85.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.23 €1.10

27.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.42 €0.37

154.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.82

$5.94 €5.28

10.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 €6.81

$4.40 €3.91

73.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.87 €0.77

34.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.32 €1.17

68.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.71 €1.52

-4.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.42 €32.39

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.32

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$3.01 €2.68

-48.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.17 €25.95

$33.63 €29.91

-13.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.75 €1.55

1.71%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

-0.00%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$28.8K €25.6K

15.53%

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

$189 €168

$111 €99.1

69.59%

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

$17.48 €15.55

$9.32 €8.29

87.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.32 €30.53

$23.18 €20.61

48.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.62 €43.25

$37.83 €33.65

28.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.44 €16.40

$5.08 €4.52

262.99%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 €9.82

$9.04 €8.04

22.12%

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

$693 €617

$491 €437

41.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

$18.2K €16.1K

-2.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.6 €75.3

$39.48 €35.12

114.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.50 €37.80

$33.81 €30.08

25.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.1

$68.0 €60.5

62.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.9

$67.8 €60.3

65.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 €1,339

$708 €629

112.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,041

$652 €580

79.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,756 €2,451

$1,233 €1,097

123.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 €1,641

$884 €786

108.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,168 €8,155

$2,877 €2,559

218.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,234 €3,766

$2,661 €2,367

59.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,483 €2,209

$1,920 €1,708

29.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

2.9

8.28%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Last update for Torrevieja: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7%

Torrevieja

$652 45.4% 44.2% $517

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$303 13.4%

Torrevieja

$254 17.7% 16.3% $49

Eating Out

Madrid

$269 11.9%

Torrevieja

$216 15% 19.8% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$241 10.6%

Torrevieja

$144 10% 40.2% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 7%

Torrevieja

$94 6.5% 40.2% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$71 3.1%

Torrevieja

$56 3.9% 20.9% $15

Getting Around

Madrid

$54 2.4%

Torrevieja

$22 * 1.5% 59.7% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,506 in Madrid and $708 in Torrevieja. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 29% 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 $44.00 in Torrevieja for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $254 per month, with Torrevieja cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Torrevieja

🕒 Local time

03:13 3:13 AM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

89,290

💱 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 Torrevieja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Torrevieja wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Torrevieja the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 29% 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 $708 in Torrevieja. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Madrid versus $491 in Torrevieja. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Torrevieja – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,438 in Torrevieja versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Torrevieja but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Torrevieja the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Torrevieja delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,438 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Torrevieja hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid and Torrevieja 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 Torrevieja gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.