Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Tres Cantos

For one person, living is cheaper in Tres Cantos: $1,528 a month against $2,326 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Tres Cantos
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Tres Cantos Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,326

/mo nomad

Tres Cantos

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,528

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Tres Cantos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,326 in Madrid versus $1,528 in Tres Cantos.

Madrid $2,326
Tres Cantos $1,528

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,414 in Madrid versus $2,352 in Tres Cantos.

Madrid $3,414
Tres Cantos $2,352

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,502 in Madrid versus $3,176 in Tres Cantos.

Madrid $4,502
Tres Cantos $3,176

Living in Madrid is roughly 52% more expensive than in Tres Cantos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 72% above, Tres Cantos 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.67 €16.68

$15.95 €14.24

17.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.3

$49.24 €43.98

37.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 €11.12

$11.00 €9.82

13.09%

Cappuccino

$3.20 €2.85

$2.30 €2.06

39.13%

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

$3.29 €2.93

$2.49 €2.22

32.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.10

$1.61 €1.44

45.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.44

$2.97 €2.65

29.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 €4.21

$3.49 €3.12

34.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.21 €1.08

14.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.60 €1.43

2.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.37 €1.23

23.36%

Eggs

$4.04 €3.60

$3.15 €2.81

28.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.48 €14.72

$14.47 €12.92

13.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.16 €8.19

$8.23 €7.35

11.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.27 €15.42

$17.19 €15.36

0.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.25

$2.31 €2.06

8.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.76 €1.57

23.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 €2.25

$2.23 €1.99

13.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.22

$2.92 €2.61

-15.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.00 €1.78

15.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.87 €1.67

9.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.29 €1.15

15.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.67 €0.60

56.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.85 €6.12

$5.88 €5.25

16.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 €6.97

$5.57 €4.98

40.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.26 €1.12

-3.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.00

$2.06 €1.84

8.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.76 €1.57

-2.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.26 €33.28

$33.87 €30.26

10.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.21 €2.87

$3.89 €3.47

-17.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.22 €1.09

31.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.80 €27.51

$24.09 €21.52

27.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.81 €1.62

0.55%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$38.4K €34.3K

-13.52%

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

$32.3K €28.9K

$32.8K €29.3K

-1.39%

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

$182 €162

$137 €123

32.17%

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

$17.24 €15.40

$16.48 €14.72

4.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.81 €31.09

$26.50 €23.67

31.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.26 €42.21

$43.91 €39.22

7.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.30 €16.35

$15.47 €13.82

18.29%

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 €9.98

$8.58 €7.66

30.30%

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

$696 €622

$508 €454

37.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K €16.0K

$9,119 €8,145

96.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.8

$78.1 €69.8

10.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.09 €38.49

$34.22 €30.57

25.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.0

$81.7 €73.0

34.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.7

$120 €107

-6.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,525 €1,362

$1,026 €916

48.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 €1,098

$595 €532

106.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,815 €2,515

$1,356 €1,211

107.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,798

$1,068 €954

88.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,105 €8,133

$3,498 €3,125

160.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,699 €4,197

$1,913 €1,709

145.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,487 €2,221

$3,191 €2,850

-22.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

3.3

-4.55%

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

Last update for Madrid: November 1, 2026

Last update for Tres Cantos: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.9%

Tres Cantos

$595 39% 51.6% $634

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$304 13.1%

Tres Cantos

$272 17.8% 10.4% $32

Eating Out

Madrid

$276 11.9%

Tres Cantos

$226 14.8% 18.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$234 10.1%

Tres Cantos

$180 11.8% 22.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$158 6.8%

Tres Cantos

$141 9.2% 10.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$70 3%

Tres Cantos

$61 4% 12.3% $8.5

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Tres Cantos

$51 3.3% 8.1% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,525 in Madrid and $1,026 in Tres Cantos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tres Cantos pays 28% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68 in Madrid vs $49 in Tres Cantos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $272 per month, with Tres Cantos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Tres Cantos

🕒 Local time

23:16 11:16 PM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

51,453

💱 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)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Madrid vs Tres Cantos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tres Cantos wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tres Cantos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Madrid. 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: $1,525 in Madrid versus $1,026 in Tres Cantos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Tres Cantos – a meal for two runs $49 versus $68 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Tres Cantos is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Expats usually find Tres Cantos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.