Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pamplona and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Pamplona: $1,934 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Pamplona
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Pamplona Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Pamplona

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,934

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,934 in Pamplona versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Pamplona $1,934
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,733 in Pamplona versus $3,296 in Madrid.

Pamplona $2,733
Madrid $3,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,532 in Pamplona versus $4,328 in Madrid.

Pamplona $3,532
Madrid $4,328

Living in Pamplona costs roughly 15% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Pamplona 43% above, Madrid 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.53 €15.59

$18.20 €16.19

-3.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 €59.1

$68.1 €60.5

-2.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 €11.80

$11.24 €9.99

17.97%

Cappuccino

$2.74 €2.43

$3.15 €2.80

-13.02%

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

$3.04 €2.70

$3.36 €2.99

-9.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.36 €2.10

-15.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 €3.05

$3.83 €3.40

-10.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 €3.94

$4.92 €4.38

-9.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.32 €1.17

-12.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.61 €1.43

45.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.65 €1.47

-0.61%

Eggs

$2.99 €2.66

$4.07 €3.62

-26.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.71 €14.87

$15.82 €14.07

5.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$9.49 €8.44

-15.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.62 €18.34

$17.52 €15.59

17.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.44

$2.56 €2.27

7.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.09 €1.86

4.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.47 €2.19

-4.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.49 €2.22

15.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 €1.47

$2.26 €2.01

-26.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 €1.50

$2.15 €1.91

-21.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.57 €1.40

-29.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.07 €0.95

48.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 €6.09

$6.55 €5.82

4.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$7.65 €6.81

-25.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.17 €1.04

43.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 €3.18

$2.22 €1.97

60.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.63 €1.45

11.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.7 €46.89

$36.42 €32.39

44.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 €3.01

$3.73 €3.32

-9.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.85 €44.34

$29.17 €25.95

70.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.78 €1.58

-2.25%

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

$35.7K €31.7K

$35.5K €31.6K

0.59%

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

$29.2K €25.9K

$33.2K €29.6K

-12.23%

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

$176 €156

$189 €168

-6.95%

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

$13.77 €12.25

$17.48 €15.55

-21.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.29 €38.50

$34.32 €30.53

26.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.93 €37.29

$48.62 €43.25

-13.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.56 €13.84

$18.44 €16.40

-15.62%

Cinema Ticket

$9.95 €8.85

$11.04 €9.82

-9.87%

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

$363 €323

$693 €617

-47.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 €66.9

$84.6 €75.3

-11.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.08 €30.31

$42.50 €37.80

-19.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.4 €65.3

$110 €98.1

-33.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.8

$112 €99.9

-0.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$976 €868

$1,506 €1,339

-35.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 €773

$1,170 €1,041

-25.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 €1,255

$2,756 €2,451

-48.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 €999

$1,845 €1,641

-39.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,690 €3,282

$9,168 €8,155

-59.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,992 €2,661

$4,234 €3,766

-29.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,105 €1,873

$2,483 €2,209

-15.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

3.14

36.94%

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

Last update for Pamplona: October 13, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pamplona

$869 44.9%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7% 34.6% $301

Groceries & Markets

Pamplona

$315 16.3%

Madrid

$303 13.4% 3.8% $12

Eating Out

Pamplona

$259 13.4%

Madrid

$269 11.9% 3.9% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pamplona

$233 12%

Madrid

$241 10.6% 3.4% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Pamplona

$133 6.9%

Madrid

$157 7% 18.6% $25

Getting Around

Pamplona

$63 * 3.3%

Madrid

$54 2.4% 14.2% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Pamplona

$62 3.2%

Madrid

$71 3.1% 14.4% $8.9

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 $976 in Pamplona and $1,506 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 18% 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 Pamplona vs $68.0 in Madrid. Groceries flip the comparison at $315 vs $303, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Pamplona

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

Same time as Pamplona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

205,762

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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Highest

Between locations

Pamplona Madrid 320 km

From you

Pamplona
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

Pamplona vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pamplona wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pamplona the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 18% 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: $976 in Pamplona 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 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Pamplona – 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 $1,934 in Pamplona versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Pamplona but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Pamplona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Pamplona delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,934 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Pamplona hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Pamplona 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 Pamplona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.