Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sabadell and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabadell: $1,828 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Sabadell
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Sabadell Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Sabadell

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,828

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,828 in Sabadell versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Sabadell $1,828
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,513 in Sabadell versus $3,311 in Madrid.

Sabadell $2,513
Madrid $3,311

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,197 in Sabadell versus $4,356 in Madrid.

Sabadell $3,197
Madrid $4,356

Living in Sabadell costs roughly 19% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sabadell 35% above, Madrid 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.34 €12.76

$18.06 €16.06

-20.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 €49.16

$66.5 €59.2

-16.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.97 €8.87

$11.40 €10.14

-12.54%

Cappuccino

$2.40 €2.14

$3.03 €2.69

-20.79%

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

$2.41 €2.14

$3.25 €2.89

-25.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.32 €2.07

-18.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 €2.98

$3.85 €3.42

-12.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 €3.00

$4.82 €4.29

-30.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.32 €1.18

-12.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.61 €1.43

29.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.75 €1.56

-20.00%

Eggs

$3.09 €2.75

$4.06 €3.61

-23.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.79 €13.16

$16.34 €14.54

-9.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.59 €7.64

$9.61 €8.55

-10.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.86 €17.66

$17.43 €15.50

13.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$2.63 €2.34

-4.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.18 €1.93

-5.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$2.50 €2.22

3.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$2.60 €2.32

-4.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$2.25 €2.01

-18.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.08 €1.85

-0.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.56 €1.39

-2.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.84

$1.08 €0.96

-12.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.80 €6.05

$6.70 €5.96

1.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 €4.92

$7.82 €6.95

-29.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.22 €1.08

-6.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.13

$2.25 €2.00

6.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.63 €1.45

47.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.16 €20.61

$37.72 €33.56

-38.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 €2.80

$3.81 €3.39

-17.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.49 €1.33

-10.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.93 €21.29

$29.99 €26.68

-20.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.79 €1.59

-1.12%

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

$33.3K €29.6K

$33.7K €29.9K

-1.17%

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

$29.0K €25.8K

$33.3K €29.6K

-12.75%

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

$127 €113

$190 €169

-33.22%

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

$13.65 €12.14

$17.57 €15.63

-22.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.43 €29.74

$35.34 €31.43

-5.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.56 €27.19

$49.52 €44.04

-38.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.49 €7.55

$18.20 €16.19

-53.35%

Cinema Ticket

$10.07 €8.96

$11.09 €9.87

-9.20%

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

$505 €449

$684 €609

-26.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K €8,898

$18.2K €16.2K

-45.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.7 €70.0

$87.8 €78.1

-10.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.25 €30.47

$42.06 €37.41

-18.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.2

$111 €98.3

-3.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 €80.1

$113 €100

-20.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 €900

$1,509 €1,342

-32.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$914 €813

$1,162 €1,034

-21.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,443 €1,283

$2,804 €2,494

-48.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 €971

$1,867 €1,661

-41.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,477 €3,093

$9,017 €8,021

-61.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,574 €2,290

$4,294 €3,819

-40.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,163 €1,924

$2,495 €2,219

-13.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.14

5.10%

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

Last update for Sabadell: October 17, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sabadell

$914 50%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.3% 27.2% $249

Groceries & Markets

Sabadell

$293 16.1%

Madrid

$308 13.6% 4.8% $14

Eating Out

Sabadell

$214 11.7%

Madrid

$266 11.8% 24.3% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sabadell

$174 9.5%

Madrid

$243 10.7% 39.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Sabadell

$140 7.6%

Madrid

$159 7% 13.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Sabadell

$51 2.8%

Madrid

$72 3.2% 41.4% $21

Getting Around

Sabadell

$43 2.3%

Madrid

$56 2.5% 30.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,012 in Sabadell and $1,509 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 15% 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: $55.0 in Sabadell vs $66.0 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $308 per month, with Sabadell cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Sabadell

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

Same time as Sabadell

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,300

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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Between locations

Sabadell Madrid 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sabadell
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

Sabadell vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sabadell wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sabadell the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 15% 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: $1,012 in Sabadell versus $1,509 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sabadell – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $66.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,828 in Sabadell versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Sabadell but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Sabadell the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sabadell delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,828 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sabadell hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sabadell 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 Sabadell gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.