Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Murcia and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Murcia: $1,514 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Murcia
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Murcia Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Murcia

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,514

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Murcia 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 Murcia and in Madrid actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,514 in Murcia versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Murcia $1,514
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,274 in Murcia versus $3,296 in Madrid.

Murcia $2,274
Madrid $3,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,035 in Murcia versus $4,328 in Madrid.

Murcia $3,035
Madrid $4,328

Living in Murcia costs roughly 33% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Murcia 12% above, Madrid 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.06 €15.18

$18.20 €16.19

-6.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 €49.22

$68.1 €60.5

-18.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.45 €11.97

$11.24 €9.99

19.66%

Cappuccino

$2.42 €2.16

$3.15 €2.80

-23.17%

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

$1.96 €1.74

$3.36 €2.99

-41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$2.36 €2.10

-36.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.83 €3.40

-21.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 €4.05

$4.92 €4.38

-7.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.32 €1.17

-6.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.61 €1.43

-16.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.65 €1.47

-15.76%

Eggs

$3.35 €2.98

$4.07 €3.62

-17.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 €14.15

$15.82 €14.07

0.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 €8.43

$9.49 €8.44

-0.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 €11.92

$17.52 €15.58

-23.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$2.56 €2.27

13.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.09 €1.86

-10.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 €1.41

$2.47 €2.19

-36.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.49 €2.22

26.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$2.26 €2.01

-13.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.15 €1.91

-11.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.57 €1.40

-16.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.07 €0.95

0.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.73 €5.10

$6.55 €5.82

-12.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 €5.40

$7.65 €6.81

-20.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.17 €1.04

2.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.22 €1.97

-22.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.63 €1.45

-9.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.42 €29.72

$36.42 €32.39

-8.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 €6.82

$3.73 €3.32

105.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.55 €29.84

$29.17 €25.94

15.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.78 €1.58

-6.74%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$35.5K €31.6K

-0.47%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$33.2K €29.6K

-14.46%

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

$132 €117

$189 €168

-30.28%

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

$15.88 €14.12

$17.48 €15.55

-9.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.30 €23.39

$34.32 €30.53

-23.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.67 €36.17

$48.62 €43.25

-16.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.83 €17.64

$18.44 €16.40

7.54%

Cinema Ticket

$9.66 €8.59

$11.04 €9.82

-12.50%

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

$391 €347

$693 €617

-43.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,053 €6,273

$17.8K €15.8K

-60.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 €63.2

$84.6 €75.3

-15.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.35 €33.22

$42.50 €37.80

-12.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.7

$110 €98.1

-8.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €104

$112 €99.9

3.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$758 €674

$1,506 €1,339

-49.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$565 €503

$1,170 €1,040

-51.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 €1,055

$2,756 €2,451

-56.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$855 €760

$1,845 €1,641

-53.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,266 €2,905

$9,168 €8,154

-64.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,488 €1,323

$4,234 €3,766

-64.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,004 €1,782

$2,483 €2,208

-19.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.14

1.27%

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

Last update for Murcia: October 11, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Murcia

$565 37.3%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7% 107% $605

Groceries & Markets

Murcia

$277 18.3%

Madrid

$303 13.4% 9.3% $26

Eating Out

Murcia

$244 16.1%

Madrid

$269 11.9% 10.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Murcia

$174 11.5%

Madrid

$241 10.6% 38.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Murcia

$147 9.7%

Madrid

$157 7% 7.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Murcia

$60 4%

Madrid

$71 3.1% 17.8% $11

Getting Around

Murcia

$47 * 3.1%

Madrid

$54 2.4% 15.7% $7.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $758 in Murcia and $1,506 in Madrid. 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: $55.0 in Murcia vs $68.0 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $303 per month, with Murcia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Murcia

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

23:25 11:25 PM

Same time as Murcia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

469,177

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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From you

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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

Murcia vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Murcia wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Murcia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 24% 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: $758 in Murcia versus $1,506 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Murcia – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,514 in Murcia versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Murcia but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Murcia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Murcia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,514 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Murcia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Murcia and Madrid 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 Murcia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.