Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mataro and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Mataro: $1,844 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Mataro
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Mataro Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Mataro

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,844

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mataro and in Madrid

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mataro and in Madrid actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,844 in Mataro versus $2,304 in Madrid.

Mataro $1,844
Madrid $2,304

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,696 in Mataro versus $3,389 in Madrid.

Mataro $2,696
Madrid $3,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,548 in Mataro versus $4,475 in Madrid.

Mataro $3,548
Madrid $4,475

Living in Mataro costs roughly 20% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mataro 35% above, Madrid 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.70 €15.00

$17.73 €15.93

-5.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.9

$66.9 €60.1

-15.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.34 €11.99

$11.30 €10.15

18.05%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.83

$3.04 €2.73

-32.89%

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

$2.33 €2.09

$3.36 €3.02

-30.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.35 €2.11

-19.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$3.89 €3.50

3.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.05

$4.80 €4.31

-29.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.11

$1.32 €1.18

-6.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 €1.87

$1.64 €1.47

26.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.72 €1.55

-13.95%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.58

$4.20 €3.78

-5.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.04 €15.31

$15.91 €14.29

7.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.27 €8.33

$9.36 €8.41

-0.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.59 €17.60

$17.21 €15.46

13.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.37

$2.56 €2.30

3.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 €1.76

$2.09 €1.88

-6.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 €2.41

$2.55 €2.29

5.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 €2.57

$2.58 €2.32

10.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.31 €2.08

-10.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 €2.05

$2.17 €1.95

5.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.50 €1.35

1.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.07 €0.96

-17.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.35 €5.70

$6.57 €5.90

-3.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.07

$7.87 €7.07

-28.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.21 €1.09

-9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €2.06

$2.17 €1.95

5.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.67 €1.50

52.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.37 €30.87

$37.53 €33.71

-8.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.76 €3.38

-38.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.49 €1.34

-28.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.06 €26.10

$30.17 €27.10

-3.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.85 €1.66

-5.95%

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

$32.3K €29.0K

$33.9K €30.4K

-4.63%

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

$32.0K €28.8K

$33.3K €29.9K

-3.87%

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

$184 €165

$192 €172

-3.86%

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

$12.18 €10.94

$17.66 €15.86

-31.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.34 €26.35

$35.07 €31.51

-16.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.8 €54.6

$47.27 €42.46

28.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.76 €12.36

$18.23 €16.37

-24.52%

Cinema Ticket

$10.81 €9.71

$11.29 €10.14

-4.25%

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

$500 €449

$687 €617

-27.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,830 €7,034

$18.0K €16.2K

-56.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 €78.2

$86.5 €77.7

0.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 €35.83

$41.65 €37.41

-4.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 €87.0

$108 €97.1

-10.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$112 €100

1.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$940 €844

$1,508 €1,355

-37.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 €700

$1,210 €1,087

-35.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,333 €1,198

$2,829 €2,541

-52.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 €1,053

$2,004 €1,800

-41.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,286 €2,951

$9,002 €8,086

-63.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,846 €2,557

$4,710 €4,231

-39.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,861 €1,672

$2,453 €2,204

-24.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.14

4.46%

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

Last update for Mataro: October 26, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mataro

$780 42.3%

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5% 55.1% $430

Groceries & Markets

Mataro

$310 16.8%

Madrid

$304 13.2% 1.9% $5.9

Eating Out

Mataro

$242 13.1%

Madrid

$264 11.5% 9.3% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mataro

$226 12.2%

Madrid

$244 10.6% 8.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Mataro

$152 8.2%

Madrid

$157 6.8% 3.1% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Mataro

$82 4.5%

Madrid

$70 3% 15.3% $13

Getting Around

Mataro

$52 2.8%

Madrid

$55 2.4% 6.2% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $940 in Mataro and $1,508 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 32% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $57 in Mataro vs $67 in Madrid. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $304, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Mataro

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

20:58 8:58 PM

Same time as Mataro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

129,870

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mataro Madrid 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mataro
Madrid

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

Mataro vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mataro wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mataro the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Mataro. 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: $940 in Mataro versus $1,508 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $500 in Mataro versus $687 in Madrid. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mataro – a meal for two runs $57 versus $67 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mataro 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, Mataro and Madrid are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Mataro wins on affordability, Madrid on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.