Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Vilagarcia de Arousa

For one person, living is cheaper in Vilagarcia de Arousa: $1,121 a month against $2,326 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Vilagarcia de Arousa
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Vilagarcia de Arousa Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,326

/mo nomad

Vilagarcia de Arousa

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Vilagarcia de Arousa

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 Vilagarcia de Arousa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,326 in Madrid versus $1,121 in Vilagarcia de Arousa.

Madrid $2,326
Vilagarcia de Arousa $1,121

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,414 in Madrid versus $1,664 in Vilagarcia de Arousa.

Madrid $3,414
Vilagarcia de Arousa $1,664

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,502 in Madrid versus $2,206 in Vilagarcia de Arousa.

Madrid $4,502
Vilagarcia de Arousa $2,206

Living in Madrid is roughly 107% more expensive than in Vilagarcia de Arousa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Madrid is 72% above, Vilagarcia de Arousa is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.67 €16.59

$8.72 €7.74

114.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.0

$37.72 €33.51

79.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 €11.05

$9.19 €8.16

35.36%

Cappuccino

$3.20 €2.84

$1.79 €1.59

78.77%

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

$3.29 €2.92

$2.46 €2.18

33.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.08

$1.58 €1.40

48.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$2.39 €2.12

61.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 €4.19

$3.38 €3.00

39.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.00 €0.88

39.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.32 €1.18

24.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.73 €1.54

-2.31%

Eggs

$4.04 €3.59

$3.05 €2.71

32.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.48 €14.64

$6.63 €5.89

148.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.16 €8.14

$7.20 €6.40

27.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.27 €15.34

$8.33 €7.40

107.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.52 €2.24

-0.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.77 €2.46

-21.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.36 €2.10

6.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.29 €2.04

8.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$2.07 €1.84

11.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.51 €2.23

-18.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.51 €1.34

-1.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.69 €0.61

52.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.85 €6.09

$4.92 €4.37

39.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 €6.93

$4.37 €3.88

78.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.08 €0.96

12.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.01 €1.78

11.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.52

$1.56 €1.39

10.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.26 €33.10

$19.24 €17.09

93.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.21 €2.85

$4.78 €4.24

-32.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.21 €1.08

33.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.80 €27.36

$19.13 €16.99

61.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.61

$1.74 €1.54

4.60%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$35.2K €31.3K

-5.71%

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

$32.3K €28.7K

$31.0K €27.5K

4.32%

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

$182 €161

$151 €134

20.58%

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

$17.24 €15.31

$16.34 €14.52

5.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.81 €30.92

$30.37 €26.98

14.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.26 €41.98

$28.00 €24.88

68.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.30 €16.26

$15.32 €13.61

19.45%

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 €9.93

$8.31 €7.38

34.54%

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

$696 €619

$271 €241

156.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K €15.9K

$9,678 €8,597

85.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.4

$72.1 €64.0

19.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.09 €38.28

$30.46 €27.06

41.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €97.5

$71.7 €63.7

53.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.2

$132 €117

-15.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,525 €1,354

$540 €479

182.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 €1,092

$335 €297

267.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,815 €2,501

$770 €684

265.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,788

$499 €444

303.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,105 €8,088

$1,433 €1,273

535.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,699 €4,174

$846 €752

455.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,487 €2,209

$2,288 €2,033

8.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

3.58

-12.01%

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

Last update for Madrid: November 1, 2026

Last update for Vilagarcia de Arousa: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.9%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$335 29.9% 72.8% $894

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$304 13.1%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$217 19.4% 28.6% $87

Eating Out

Madrid

$276 11.9%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$154 13.7% 44.4% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$234 10.1%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$197 17.6% 15.6% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$158 6.8%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$138 12.3% 12.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$70 3%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$45 4% 35.9% $25

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$36 3.2% 34.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,525 in Madrid and $540 in Vilagarcia de Arousa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 9% 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 in Madrid vs $38 in Vilagarcia de Arousa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $217 per month, with Vilagarcia de Arousa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Vilagarcia de Arousa

🕒 Local time

08:14 8:14 AM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

37,689

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 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 Vilagarcia de Arousa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vilagarcia de Arousa wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Vilagarcia de Arousa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 9% 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: $1,525 in Madrid versus $540 in Vilagarcia de Arousa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Vilagarcia de Arousa – a meal for two runs $38 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. Vilagarcia de Arousa 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 Vilagarcia de Arousa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Vilagarcia de Arousa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.