Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rota and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Rota: $1,647 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Rota
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Rota Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Rota

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,647

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,647 in Rota versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Rota $1,647
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,427 in Rota versus $3,296 in Madrid.

Rota $2,427
Madrid $3,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,208 in Rota versus $4,328 in Madrid.

Rota $3,208
Madrid $4,328

Living in Rota costs roughly 27% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rota 22% above, Madrid 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.78 €14.92

$18.20 €16.19

-7.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €54.9

$68.1 €60.5

-9.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.52 €11.14

$11.24 €9.99

11.39%

Cappuccino

$2.20 €1.96

$3.15 €2.80

-30.16%

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

$2.71 €2.41

$3.36 €2.99

-19.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.36 €2.10

-19.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 €3.07

$3.83 €3.40

-9.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 €3.96

$4.92 €4.38

-9.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.32 €1.17

-6.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.61 €1.43

-11.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.65 €1.47

5.45%

Eggs

$3.33 €2.96

$4.07 €3.62

-18.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.21 €13.53

$15.82 €14.07

-3.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.00 €7.12

$9.49 €8.44

-15.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.12 €13.45

$17.52 €15.59

-13.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.56 €2.27

-0.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.09 €1.86

-6.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.47 €2.19

-29.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.49 €2.22

-1.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.26 €2.01

-27.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.15 €1.91

-4.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.57 €1.40

-22.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 €0.59

$1.07 €0.95

-38.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.45 €5.74

$6.55 €5.82

-1.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.85 €6.09

$7.65 €6.81

-10.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.17 €1.04

2.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.22 €1.97

3.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.63 €1.45

-0.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.00 €29.36

$36.42 €32.39

-9.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 €1.69

$3.73 €3.32

-49.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.54 €1.37

-22.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.73 €20.22

$29.17 €25.95

-22.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.58

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

$35.5K €31.6K

0.14%

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

$29.4K €26.2K

$33.2K €29.6K

-11.47%

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

$161 €143

$189 €168

-14.68%

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

$10.68 €9.50

$17.48 €15.55

-38.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.55 €21.84

$34.32 €30.53

-28.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.81 €39.86

$48.62 €43.25

-7.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.66 €13.93

$18.44 €16.40

-15.08%

Cinema Ticket

$9.55 €8.49

$11.04 €9.82

-13.50%

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

$835 €742

$693 €617

20.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,861 €8,771

$17.8K €15.8K

-44.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.9 €78.2

$84.6 €75.3

3.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.30 €34.96

$42.50 €37.80

-7.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 €74.6

$110 €98.1

-23.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.2

$112 €99.9

-3.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$896 €797

$1,506 €1,339

-40.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$685 €609

$1,170 €1,041

-41.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 €1,200

$2,756 €2,451

-51.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 €895

$1,845 €1,641

-45.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,230 €2,873

$9,168 €8,155

-64.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,174 €1,934

$4,234 €3,766

-48.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,483 €2,209

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.32

3.14

5.73%

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

Last update for Rota: October 10, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rota

$685 41.6%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7% 70.8% $485

Groceries & Markets

Rota

$268 16.3%

Madrid

$303 13.4% 13.2% $35

Eating Out

Rota

$243 14.8%

Madrid

$269 11.9% 10.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rota

$196 11.9%

Madrid

$241 10.6% 22.6% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Rota

$144 8.7%

Madrid

$157 7% 9.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Rota

$64 3.9%

Madrid

$71 3.1% 10.6% $6.8

Getting Around

Rota

$47 2.9%

Madrid

$54 2.4% 14.9% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $896 in Rota and $1,506 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in Rota vs $68.0 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $303 per month, with Rota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Rota

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

11:56 11:56 AM

Same time as Rota

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,675

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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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

Rota vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You'd need roughly $2,470 in Rota and $3,398 in Madrid to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $896 in Rota versus $1,506 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 Rota – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,647 in Rota versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rota but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Rota the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Rota delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,647 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rota hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Rota 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 Rota 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.