Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Vigo

For one person, living is cheaper in Vigo: $1,696 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Vigo
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Vigo Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Vigo

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Vigo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $1,696 in Vigo.

Madrid $2,265
Vigo $1,696

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,296 in Madrid versus $2,444 in Vigo.

Madrid $3,296
Vigo $2,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,328 in Madrid versus $3,191 in Vigo.

Madrid $4,328
Vigo $3,191

Living in Madrid is roughly 34% more expensive than in Vigo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 68% above, Vigo 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.20 €16.19

$14.68 €13.06

23.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$55.9 €49.70

21.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$11.34 €10.09

-0.88%

Cappuccino

$3.15 €2.80

$2.20 €1.96

43.18%

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

$3.36 €2.99

$2.68 €2.38

25.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.64 €1.46

43.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 €3.40

$3.27 €2.90

17.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 €4.38

$4.68 €4.16

5.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.19 €1.06

10.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.34 €1.19

20.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.91 €1.70

-13.61%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$4.03 €3.59

0.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.82 €14.07

$14.78 €13.15

7.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.44

$7.59 €6.75

25.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.52 €15.59

$17.01 €15.13

3.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.22 €1.98

15.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.70 €2.40

-22.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.19

$2.31 €2.05

6.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.47 €2.20

0.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.39 €1.24

62.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.59 €1.42

35.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.34 €1.19

17.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.65 €0.58

64.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.82

$6.32 €5.62

3.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 €6.81

$6.79 €6.04

12.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.09 €1.86

-44.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.96 €2.63

-25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.86 €1.65

-12.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.42 €32.39

$34.07 €30.31

6.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.32

$4.65 €4.14

-19.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.10 €0.98

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.17 €25.95

$22.72 €20.21

28.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.86 €1.65

-4.30%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$37.8K €33.6K

-6.05%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$30.4K €27.0K

9.34%

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

$189 €168

$169 €150

11.78%

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

$17.48 €15.55

$20.04 €17.83

-12.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.32 €30.53

$39.53 €35.16

-13.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.62 €43.25

$44.09 €39.22

10.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.44 €16.40

$31.53 €28.05

-41.52%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 €9.82

$14.75 €13.12

-25.15%

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

$693 €617

$621 €553

11.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

$8,480 €7,543

109.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.6 €75.3

$75.2 €66.9

12.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.50 €37.80

$52.2 €46.43

-18.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.1

$88.8 €79.0

24.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.9

$122 €108

-7.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 €1,339

$908 €807

65.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,041

$688 €612

70.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,756 €2,451

$1,406 €1,251

96.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 €1,641

$929 €827

98.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,168 €8,155

$2,995 €2,664

206.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,234 €3,766

$1,797 €1,599

135.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,483 €2,209

$1,891 €1,682

31.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

3.96

-20.71%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Last update for Vigo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7%

Vigo

$688 40.6% 41.2% $482

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$303 13.4%

Vigo

$282 16.6% 7% $21

Eating Out

Madrid

$269 11.9%

Vigo

$221 13% 17.9% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$241 10.6%

Vigo

$229 13.5% 5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 7%

Vigo

$152 9% 3.4% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$71 3.1%

Vigo

$74 4.3% 4.1% $2.9

Getting Around

Madrid

$54 2.4%

Vigo

$52 3.1% 5% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,506 in Madrid and $908 in Vigo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 31% 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 $56.0 in Vigo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $282 per month, with Vigo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Vigo

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

293,652

💱 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 Vigo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 31% 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 $908 in Vigo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Vigo – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,696 in Vigo versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Vigo but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Vigo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Vigo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,696 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Vigo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid and Vigo 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 Vigo 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.