Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Vitoria-Gasteiz

For one person, living is cheaper in Vitoria-Gasteiz: $2,070 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Madrid outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Vitoria-Gasteiz
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Vitoria-Gasteiz Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Vitoria-Gasteiz

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,070

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Vitoria-Gasteiz

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 Vitoria-Gasteiz actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,304 in Madrid versus $2,070 in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Madrid $2,304
Vitoria-Gasteiz $2,070

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in Madrid versus $2,905 in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Madrid $3,389
Vitoria-Gasteiz $2,905

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,475 in Madrid versus $3,740 in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Madrid $4,475
Vitoria-Gasteiz $3,740

Living in Madrid is roughly 11% more expensive than in Vitoria-Gasteiz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 69% above, Vitoria-Gasteiz 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 €15.89

$17.51 €15.69

1.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €59.9

$68.4 €61.3

-2.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.13

$12.93 €11.59

-12.61%

Cappuccino

$3.04 €2.73

$2.07 €1.86

46.86%

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

$3.36 €3.01

$2.74 €2.46

22.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.97 €1.77

19.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 €3.49

$3.37 €3.02

15.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.30

$3.97 €3.56

20.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.22 €1.09

8.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.98 €1.77

-17.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.90 €1.70

-9.47%

Eggs

$4.20 €3.77

$3.46 €3.10

21.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 €14.25

$22.80 €20.43

-30.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 €8.39

$9.32 €8.35

0.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 €15.42

$17.29 €15.49

-0.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$3.10 €2.78

-17.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.59 €2.32

-19.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$2.67 €2.40

-4.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.44 €2.19

5.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.74 €1.56

32.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.95 €1.75

11.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.61 €1.44

-6.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.81 €0.72

32.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.88

$8.50 €7.62

-22.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.05

$5.76 €5.16

36.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.14 €1.03

6.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.95 €1.75

11.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.71 €1.54

-2.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.53 €33.63

$33.86 €30.35

10.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.37

$6.61 €5.92

-43.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.86 €1.66

-19.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.17 €27.03

$23.65 €21.19

27.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.86 €1.66

-0.54%

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

$33.9K €30.4K

$38.2K €34.3K

-11.39%

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

$33.3K €29.9K

$30.6K €27.4K

8.84%

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

$192 €172

$154 €138

24.04%

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

$17.66 €15.82

$17.03 €15.26

3.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.07 €31.43

$36.51 €32.72

-3.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 €42.36

$50.9 €45.59

-7.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 €16.33

$11.27 €10.10

61.76%

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 €10.12

$9.88 €8.86

14.27%

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

$687 €616

$391 €351

75.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K €16.1K

$7,856 €7,040

128.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.5 €77.6

$104 €93.6

-17.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.65 €37.32

$33.13 €29.69

25.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.9

$108 €96.5

0.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100

$147 €132

-24.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 €1,351

$1,134 €1,016

33.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 €1,084

$990 €887

22.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,829 €2,535

$1,433 €1,284

97.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,004 €1,796

$1,247 €1,118

60.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,002 €8,066

$3,544 €3,176

154.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,710 €4,220

$3,375 €3,025

39.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 €2,199

$2,713 €2,431

-9.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

3.47

-9.51%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Last update for Vitoria-Gasteiz: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5%

Vitoria-Gasteiz

$990 47.8% 18.1% $219

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$304 13.2%

Vitoria-Gasteiz

$321 15.5% 5.4% $16

Eating Out

Madrid

$264 11.5%

Vitoria-Gasteiz

$247 12% 6.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$244 10.6%

Vitoria-Gasteiz

$208 10.1% 14.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 6.8%

Vitoria-Gasteiz

$177 8.5% 12.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$70 3%

Vitoria-Gasteiz

$71 3.4% 1.1% $0.8

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Vitoria-Gasteiz

$57 2.7% 2.2% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,508 in Madrid and $1,134 in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vitoria-Gasteiz pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Madrid vs $68 in Vitoria-Gasteiz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $321 per month, with Madrid cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Vitoria-Gasteiz

🕒 Local time

03:51 3:51 AM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

255,886

💱 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 Vitoria-Gasteiz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vitoria-Gasteiz wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Vitoria-Gasteiz the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 10% 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: $1,508 in Madrid versus $1,134 in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $687 in Madrid versus $391 in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Vitoria-Gasteiz runs roughly 10% less than in Madrid. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Vitoria-Gasteiz gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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