Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Zaragoza

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaragoza: $1,694 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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 Zaragoza
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Zaragoza Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Zaragoza

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid and in Zaragoza

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $1,694 in Zaragoza.

Madrid $2,265
Zaragoza $1,694

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,296 in Madrid versus $2,478 in Zaragoza.

Madrid $3,296
Zaragoza $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,328 in Madrid versus $3,263 in Zaragoza.

Madrid $4,328
Zaragoza $3,263

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 68% above, Zaragoza 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.20 €16.19

$16.54 €14.72

10.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.5

$56.9 €50.6

19.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$11.27 €10.03

-0.27%

Cappuccino

$3.15 €2.80

$2.12 €1.89

48.58%

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

$3.36 €2.99

$2.43 €2.16

38.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.54 €1.37

53.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 €3.40

$3.43 €3.05

11.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 €4.38

$3.30 €2.93

49.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.19 €1.06

10.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.95 €1.74

-17.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.49 €1.32

10.74%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$2.81 €2.50

44.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.82 €14.07

$16.17 €14.39

-2.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.44

$8.98 €7.98

5.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.52 €15.59

$21.00 €18.68

-16.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.67 €2.37

-4.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.50 €2.23

-16.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.19

$2.60 €2.31

-5.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$3.08 €2.74

-19.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.00 €1.78

13.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.24 €1.99

-4.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.77 €1.57

-11.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.73 €0.65

46.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.82

$6.12 €5.44

7.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 €6.81

$4.38 €3.90

74.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.92 €0.82

27.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$3.45 €3.07

-35.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.69 €1.50

-3.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.42 €32.39

$31.91 €28.38

14.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.32

$2.32 €2.06

60.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.06 €0.94

45.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.17 €25.95

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.77 €1.58

0.56%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$35.6K €31.6K

-0.23%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$29.3K €26.1K

13.31%

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

$189 €168

$161 €144

17.00%

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

$17.48 €15.55

$11.52 €10.25

51.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.32 €30.53

$21.33 €18.97

60.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.62 €43.25

$35.72 €31.78

36.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.44 €16.40

$14.36 €12.77

28.41%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 €9.82

$9.10 €8.09

21.32%

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

$693 €617

$493 €439

40.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

$7,876 €7,006

125.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.6 €75.3

$89.5 €79.6

-5.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.50 €37.80

$38.48 €34.23

10.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.1

$100 €89.0

10.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.9

$113 €101

-1.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 €1,339

$810 €721

85.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,041

$709 €630

65.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,756 €2,451

$1,288 €1,145

114.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 €1,641

$1,009 €898

82.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,168 €8,155

$3,196 €2,843

186.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,234 €3,766

$1,944 €1,729

117.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,483 €2,209

$2,009 €1,787

23.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

3.46

-9.25%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zaragoza: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7%

Zaragoza

$709 41.8% 39.4% $461

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$303 13.4%

Zaragoza

$306 18.1% 0.8% $2.6

Eating Out

Madrid

$269 11.9%

Zaragoza

$231 13.7% 14% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$241 10.6%

Zaragoza

$194 11.5% 19.3% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 7%

Zaragoza

$154 9.1% 2.3% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$71 3.1%

Zaragoza

$54 3.2% 23.8% $17

Getting Around

Madrid

$54 2.4%

Zaragoza

$46 2.7% 14.9% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,506 in Madrid and $810 in Zaragoza. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 24% 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 $57.0 in Zaragoza. Groceries flip the comparison at $303 vs $306, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇪🇸 Zaragoza

🕒 Local time

17:54 5:54 PM

Same time as Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

682,513

💱 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 Zaragoza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 24% 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 $810 in Zaragoza. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Madrid pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Zaragoza – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,694 in Zaragoza versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Zaragoza but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Zaragoza the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zaragoza delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,694 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zaragoza hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid and Zaragoza 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 Zaragoza 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.