Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nancy and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Nancy: $1,699 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Madrid outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

83

Cost of Living Index in Nancy
Learn more

Nancy Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
Learn more

Madrid Living Index

Jump to prices

Nancy

🇫🇷 France

$1,699

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,699 in Nancy versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Nancy $1,699
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,681 in Nancy versus $3,296 in Madrid.

Nancy $2,681
Madrid $3,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,664 in Nancy versus $4,328 in Madrid.

Nancy $3,664
Madrid $4,328

Living in Nancy costs roughly 25% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nancy 26% above, Madrid 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.86 €14.10

$18.20 €16.19

-12.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.8

$68.1 €60.5

-2.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.10

$11.24 €9.99

21.09%

Cappuccino

$4.31 €3.83

$3.15 €2.80

36.83%

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

$3.30 €2.93

$3.36 €2.99

-1.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.36 €2.10

-11.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.59 €6.75

$3.83 €3.40

98.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 €4.87

$4.92 €4.38

11.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.32 €1.17

-19.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.61 €1.43

-17.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.65 €1.47

9.09%

Eggs

$3.44 €3.06

$4.07 €3.62

-15.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 €12.68

$15.82 €14.07

-9.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.40 €14.59

$9.49 €8.44

72.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.13 €20.58

$17.52 €15.59

32.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.56 €2.27

-3.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$2.09 €1.86

16.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.47 €2.19

-11.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 €3.18

$2.49 €2.22

43.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.26 €2.01

-42.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.15 €1.91

5.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.57 €1.40

-14.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$1.07 €0.95

-32.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.66 €12.15

$6.55 €5.82

108.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.58 €7.64

$7.65 €6.81

12.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.17 €1.04

82.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.99

$2.22 €1.97

101.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.47

$1.63 €1.45

1.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.1 €47.19

$36.42 €32.39

45.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 €2.90

$3.73 €3.32

-12.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 €1.87

$1.54 €1.37

37.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.33 €23.42

$29.17 €25.95

-9.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.78 €1.58

22.47%

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

$34.5K €30.7K

$35.5K €31.6K

-2.78%

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

$34.3K €30.5K

$33.2K €29.6K

3.31%

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

$269 €239

$189 €168

42.38%

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

$12.86 €11.44

$17.48 €15.55

-26.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.81 €24.74

$34.32 €30.53

-18.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.22 €25.10

$48.62 €43.25

-41.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.19 €16.18

$18.44 €16.40

-1.36%

Cinema Ticket

$13.47 €11.98

$11.04 €9.82

22.01%

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

$562 €500

$693 €617

-18.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$17.8K €15.8K

-11.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.5 €81.4

$84.6 €75.3

8.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 €36.07

$42.50 €37.80

-4.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.0

$110 €98.1

-4.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 €124

$112 €99.9

24.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$689 €613

$1,506 €1,339

-54.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 €400

$1,170 €1,041

-61.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 €1,103

$2,756 €2,451

-55.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 €844

$1,845 €1,641

-48.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,582 €2,297

$9,168 €8,155

-71.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 €2,022

$4,234 €3,766

-46.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,283 €2,031

$2,483 €2,209

-8.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.76

3.14

19.75%

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

Last update for Nancy: October 12, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nancy

$449 26.5%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7% 160% $720

Groceries & Markets

Nancy

$352 20.7%

Madrid

$303 13.4% 13.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nancy

$310 18.2%

Madrid

$241 10.6% 22.3% $69

Eating Out

Nancy

$290 17.1%

Madrid

$269 11.9% 7.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Nancy

$170 10%

Madrid

$157 7% 7.4% $13

Getting Around

Nancy

$73 4.3%

Madrid

$54 2.4% 26% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Nancy

$55 3.3%

Madrid

$71 3.1% 28.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $689 in Nancy and $1,506 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 9% 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 Nancy vs $68.0 in Madrid. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $303, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Nancy

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

Same time as Nancy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,260

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nancy Madrid 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Nancy
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

Nancy vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nancy wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nancy the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 9% 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: $689 in Nancy versus $1,506 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Madrid pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Nancy – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,699 in Nancy versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nancy but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Nancy the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nancy delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,699 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nancy hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nancy 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 Nancy gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.