Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Wakefield

For one person, living is cheaper in Wakefield: $2,009 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Madrid outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

109

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
Learn more

Madrid Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Wakefield
Learn more

Wakefield Living Index

Jump to prices

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Wakefield

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Wakefield

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $2,009 in Wakefield.

Madrid $2,265
Wakefield $2,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,311 in Madrid versus $3,209 in Wakefield.

Madrid $3,311
Wakefield $3,209

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,356 in Madrid versus $4,410 in Wakefield.

Madrid $4,356
Wakefield $4,410

Living in Madrid is roughly 13% more expensive than in Wakefield, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 67% above, Wakefield 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 €16.06

$19.71 £14.79

-8.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.2

$83.2 £62.4

-20.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 €10.14

$9.70 £7.28

17.53%

Cappuccino

$3.03 €2.69

$4.26 £3.19

-28.87%

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

$3.25 €2.89

$2.33 £1.75

39.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.36 £1.02

70.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$5.93 £4.45

-35.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 €4.29

$5.38 £4.03

-10.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.43 £1.07

-7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.88 £1.41

-14.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.63 £1.97

-33.46%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.05 £3.04

0.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.34 €14.54

$7.62 £5.72

114.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 €8.55

$8.34 £6.25

15.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.43 €15.50

$14.06 £10.55

23.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.99 £2.25

-12.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.93

$1.42 £1.06

53.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.56 £1.92

-2.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.87 £2.15

-9.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.81 £1.36

24.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.61 £1.21

29.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.21 £0.91

28.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.45 £1.09

-25.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.70 €5.96

$22.52 £16.90

-70.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.82 €6.95

$10.76 £8.07

-27.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.08

$3.42 £2.56

-64.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.32 £2.49

-32.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$3.30 £2.47

-50.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.72 €33.56

$105 £78.5

-63.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$5.25 £3.94

-27.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.42 £1.07

4.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.99 €26.68

$15.75 £11.81

90.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.05 £1.54

-12.68%

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

$33.7K €29.9K

$38.1K £28.6K

-11.69%

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

$33.3K €29.6K

$40.8K £30.6K

-18.59%

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

$190 €169

$342 £256

-44.32%

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

$17.57 €15.63

$15.54 £11.66

13.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.34 €31.43

$42.64 £31.99

-17.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 €44.04

$34.62 £25.97

43.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.20 €16.19

$27.07 £20.31

-32.77%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 €9.87

$13.89 £10.42

-20.16%

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

$684 €609

$1,217 £913

-43.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K €16.2K

$24.5K £18.4K

-25.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 €78.1

$87.9 £66.0

-0.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 €37.41

$54.1 £40.57

-22.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.3

$90.5 £67.9

22.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €100

$90.6 £68.0

24.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 €1,342

$983 £737

53.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 €1,034

$688 £516

69.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,804 €2,494

$2,151 £1,614

30.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 €1,661

$1,578 £1,184

18.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,017 €8,021

$4,045 £3,034

122.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,294 €3,819

$2,678 £2,009

60.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,495 €2,219

$2,420 £1,816

3.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

4.77

-34.17%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 18, 2026

Last update for Wakefield: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.3%

Wakefield

$688 34.2% 40.8% $475

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$308 13.6%

Wakefield

$291 14.5% 5.5% $17

Eating Out

Madrid

$266 11.8%

Wakefield

$293 14.6% 10.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$243 10.7%

Wakefield

$400 19.9% 64.4% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$159 7%

Wakefield

$145 7.2% 8.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$72 3.2%

Wakefield

$62 3.1% 13% $9.3

Getting Around

Madrid

$56 2.5%

Wakefield

$130 6.5% 135% $75

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,509 in Madrid and $983 in Wakefield. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 3% 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: $66.0 in Madrid vs $83.0 in Wakefield. Groceries flip the comparison at $308 vs $291, with Wakefield cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇬🇧 Wakefield

🕒 Local time

13:37 1:37 PM

12:37 12:37 PM

1 h behind Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

322,300

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madrid Wakefield 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
Wakefield

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Wakefield: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wakefield wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Wakefield the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 3% 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: $1,509 in Madrid versus $983 in Wakefield. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Wakefield – a meal for two runs $83.0 versus $66.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,009 in Wakefield versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Wakefield but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Wakefield the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Wakefield delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,009 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Wakefield hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid and Wakefield 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 Wakefield gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.