Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roquetas de Mar and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Roquetas de Mar: $1,431 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Roquetas de Mar
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Roquetas de Mar Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Roquetas de Mar

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,431

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,431 in Roquetas de Mar versus $2,304 in Madrid.

Roquetas de Mar $1,431
Madrid $2,304

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,071 in Roquetas de Mar versus $3,389 in Madrid.

Roquetas de Mar $2,071
Madrid $3,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,710 in Roquetas de Mar versus $4,475 in Madrid.

Roquetas de Mar $2,710
Madrid $4,475

Living in Roquetas de Mar costs roughly 38% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Roquetas de Mar 5% above, Madrid 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.60 €14.86

$17.73 €15.88

-6.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.4 €49.60

$66.9 €59.9

-17.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 €9.34

$11.30 €10.12

-7.70%

Cappuccino

$1.96 €1.76

$3.04 €2.72

-35.53%

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

$2.77 €2.48

$3.36 €3.01

-17.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.35 €2.11

-27.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.22 €3.78

$3.89 €3.49

8.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.80 €4.30

-5.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.32 €1.18

-4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.45

$1.64 €1.47

-1.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.72 €1.54

6.98%

Eggs

$3.64 €3.26

$4.20 €3.77

-13.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.80 €14.15

$15.91 €14.24

-0.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 €8.25

$9.36 €8.38

-1.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.36 €11.97

$17.21 €15.41

-22.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$2.56 €2.29

2.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$2.09 €1.88

-13.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.55 €2.28

-38.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$2.58 €2.31

-7.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$2.31 €2.07

-16.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.17 €1.94

-9.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.50 €1.35

-12.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.63

$1.07 €0.96

-34.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.27 €5.62

$6.57 €5.88

-4.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.34 €4.78

$7.87 €7.05

-32.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.21 €1.08

-9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.17 €1.94

-21.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 €0.85

$1.67 €1.50

-43.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.93 €30.39

$37.53 €33.61

-9.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.87 €7.05

$3.76 €3.37

109.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.10

$1.49 €1.33

-18.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.04 €16.16

$30.17 €27.02

-40.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 €1.69

$1.85 €1.65

1.62%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$33.9K €30.3K

2.33%

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

$31.5K €28.2K

$33.3K €29.8K

-5.53%

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

$134 €120

$192 €172

-30.20%

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

$15.92 €14.26

$17.66 €15.81

-9.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.37 €23.61

$35.07 €31.41

-24.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.37 €32.58

$47.27 €42.34

-23.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.23 €16.32

Cinema Ticket

$8.62 €7.72

$11.29 €10.11

-23.65%

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

$397 €356

$687 €615

-42.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,445

$18.0K €16.1K

-41.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.0 €65.4

$86.5 €77.5

-15.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.21 €31.54

$41.65 €37.30

-15.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 €85.1

$108 €96.8

-12.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$112 €100.0

6.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$560 €502

$1,508 €1,351

-62.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 €448

$1,210 €1,083

-58.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 €697

$2,829 €2,534

-72.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 €528

$2,004 €1,795

-70.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,977 €1,770

$9,002 €8,062

-78.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,648 €1,476

$4,710 €4,218

-65.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,310 €1,174

$2,453 €2,197

-46.59%

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 Roquetas de Mar: 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

Roquetas de Mar

$500 34.9%

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5% 142% $710

Groceries & Markets

Roquetas de Mar

$269 18.8%

Madrid

$304 13.2% 12.9% $35

Eating Out

Roquetas de Mar

$236 16.5%

Madrid

$264 11.5% 12.1% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roquetas de Mar

$176 12.3%

Madrid

$244 10.6% 38.8% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Roquetas de Mar

$145 10.1%

Madrid

$157 6.8% 7.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Roquetas de Mar

$54 3.8%

Madrid

$70 3% 30.3% $16

Getting Around

Roquetas de Mar

$52 3.6%

Madrid

$55 2.4% 7.1% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $560 in Roquetas de Mar and $1,508 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 87% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Roquetas de Mar vs $67 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $304 per month, with Roquetas de Mar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Roquetas de Mar

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

Same time as Roquetas de Mar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,510

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Roquetas de Mar Madrid 420 km

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Roquetas de Mar
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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

Roquetas de Mar vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Roquetas de Mar wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Roquetas de Mar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 47% lower in Roquetas de Mar. 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: $560 in Roquetas de Mar versus $1,508 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Roquetas de Mar – a meal for two runs $55 versus $67 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Roquetas de Mar and Madrid are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Roquetas de Mar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.