Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Alberni and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Alberni: $1,693 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.

82

Cost of Living Index in Port Alberni
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Port Alberni Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Port Alberni

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,693

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,693 in Port Alberni versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Port Alberni $1,693
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,834 in Port Alberni versus $3,311 in Madrid.

Port Alberni $2,834
Madrid $3,311

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,976 in Port Alberni versus $4,356 in Madrid.

Port Alberni $3,976
Madrid $4,356

Living in Port Alberni costs roughly 25% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Port Alberni 25% above, Madrid 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 CA$25.54

$18.06 €16.06

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 CA$89.4

$66.5 €59.2

-4.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 CA$14.86

$11.40 €10.14

-7.81%

Cappuccino

$4.00 CA$5.65

$3.03 €2.69

32.01%

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

$2.12 CA$2.99

$3.25 €2.89

-34.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$2.32 €2.07

-37.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.48 CA$4.92

$3.85 €3.42

-9.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 CA$7.69

$4.82 €4.29

12.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$1.32 €1.18

70.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 CA$3.26

$1.61 €1.43

43.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 CA$4.10

$1.75 €1.56

65.71%

Eggs

$3.92 CA$5.54

$4.06 €3.61

-3.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.02 CA$12.76

$16.34 €14.54

-44.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.29 CA$6.06

$9.61 €8.55

-55.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.98 CA$28.24

$17.43 €15.50

14.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 CA$3.89

$2.63 €2.34

4.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 CA$1.53

$2.18 €1.93

-50.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 CA$4.86

$2.50 €2.22

37.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.12

$2.60 €2.32

39.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 CA$3.04

$2.25 €2.01

-4.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 CA$2.64

$2.08 €1.85

-10.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 CA$3.05

$1.56 €1.39

38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 CA$1.05

$1.08 €0.96

-30.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.52 CA$14.87

$6.70 €5.96

57.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.58 CA$14.96

$7.82 €6.95

35.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 CA$3.62

$1.22 €1.08

109.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 CA$4.08

$2.25 €2.00

28.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.63 €1.45

-11.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.08 CA$48.17

$37.72 €33.56

-9.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 CA$3.84

$3.81 €3.39

-28.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 CA$2.26

$1.49 €1.33

7.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.40 CA$44.39

$29.99 €26.68

4.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.79 €1.59

-32.40%

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

$27.3K CA$38.5K

$33.7K €29.9K

-18.99%

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

$21.0K CA$29.6K

$33.3K €29.6K

-36.97%

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

$81.5 CA$115

$190 €169

-57.19%

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

$36.54 CA$51.7

$17.57 €15.63

107.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.9 CA$73.4

$35.34 €31.43

46.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.88 CA$59.2

$49.52 €44.04

-15.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.20 €16.19

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.83

$11.09 €9.87

13.71%

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

$1,088 CA$1,538

$684 €609

59.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$18.2K €16.2K

11.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$83.2

$87.8 €78.1

-32.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.95 CA$46.58

$42.06 €37.41

-21.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 CA$135

$111 €98.3

-13.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 CA$133

$113 €100

-16.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 CA$1,114

$1,509 €1,342

-47.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 CA$1,005

$1,162 €1,034

-38.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 CA$2,399

$2,804 €2,494

-39.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,690 CA$2,390

$1,867 €1,661

-9.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,017 €8,021

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,294 €3,819

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,103 CA$4,387

$2,495 €2,219

24.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

3.14

36.31%

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

Last update for Port Alberni: October 19, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Alberni

$711 42%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.3% 63.4% $451

Groceries & Markets

Port Alberni

$301 17.8%

Madrid

$308 13.6% 2.2% $6.6

Eating Out

Port Alberni

$267 15.7%

Madrid

$266 11.8% 0.1% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Alberni

$170 10%

Madrid

$243 10.7% 43.1% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Port Alberni

$127 7.5%

Madrid

$159 7% 25.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Port Alberni

$67 4%

Madrid

$72 3.2% 6.8% $4.6

Getting Around

Port Alberni

$51 3%

Madrid

$56 2.5% 9.7% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Port Alberni and $1,509 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Alberni pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63.0 in Port Alberni vs $66.0 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $301 vs $308 per month, with Port Alberni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Port Alberni

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

21:57 9:57 PM

06:57 6:57 AM

9 h ahead of Port Alberni

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,743

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Alberni Madrid 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Alberni
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

Port Alberni vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 24% higher in Port Alberni, 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: $788 in Port Alberni versus $1,509 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Port Alberni – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $66.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,693 in Port Alberni versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Port Alberni but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Port Alberni the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Port Alberni delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,693 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Port Alberni hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Port Alberni 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 Port Alberni 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.