Cost of Living Comparison Between San Sebastian and Madrid Cost of Living Comparison Between San Sebastian and Madrid

🙂 Solo nomad: San Sebastian is 17.8% cheaper than Madrid without rent, and 20.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: San Sebastian is 14.8% cheaper than Madrid without rent, and 16.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Sebastian
Madrid
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.81 €14.51
$17.03 €14.7
-1.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.7 €48.99
$70.3 €60.7
-19.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.57 €8.27
$11.77 €10.16
-18.69%
Cappuccino
$2.15 €1.86
$3.21 €2.77
-33.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 €2.3
$3.18 €2.75
-16.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 €1.74
$2.1 €1.82
-3.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.37 €2.91
$4.13 €3.56
-18.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 €2.03
$4.49 €3.88
-47.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San Sebastian
Madrid
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 €0.98
$1.23 €1.07
-8.13%
White Bread (500g)
$1.1 €0.95
$1.63 €1.41
-32.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.16 €1.86
$1.64 €1.41
31.71%
Eggs
$2.78 €2.4
$3.34 €2.89
-16.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.67 €16.98
$14.88 €12.84
32.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.75 €5.83
$9.04 €7.81
-25.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.23 €13.15
$16.8 €14.5
-9.35%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 €2.4
$2.73 €2.35
1.83%
Banana (1kg)
$2.21 €1.91
$2.15 €1.86
2.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.93 €1.66
$2.5 €2.16
-22.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.24 €2.79
$2.67 €2.31
21.35%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 €1.62
$2.14 €1.85
-12.62%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 €1.57
$2.16 €1.87
-15.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.01 €0.87
$1.35 €1.17
-25.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.62 €0.53
$0.93 €0.81
-33.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.53 €5.64
$7.12 €6.15
-8.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.02 €6.06
$7.96 €6.87
-11.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 €1.09
$1.39 €1.2
-9.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 €1.78
$2.27 €1.96
-8.81%
🚌 Getting Around
San Sebastian
Madrid
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.09 €1.8
$1.71 €1.47
22.22%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$36.47 €31.49
$48.37 €41.77
-24.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.39 €6.38
$4.15 €3.59
78.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.94 €0.81
$1.34 €1.15
-29.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.54 €20.32
$28.54 €24.64
-17.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 €1.56
$1.86 €1.6
-2.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.9K €32.7K
$37.9K €32.7K
0.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.7K €30.8K
$34.2K €29.5K
4.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Sebastian
Madrid
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$136 €118
$191 €165
-28.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.5 €23.74
$21.25 €18.35
29.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.78 €31.75
$35.96 €31.05
2.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San Sebastian
Madrid
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.1 €45.88
$54 €46.59
-1.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.21 €17.45
$17.96 €15.51
12.53%
Cinema Ticket
$9.09 €7.85
$11.51 €9.94
-21.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Sebastian
Madrid
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$472 €408
$674 €582
-29.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.7K €10.1K
$11.8K €10.2K
-1.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San Sebastian
Madrid
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$115 €99
$95.7 €82.6
19.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.75 €31.73
$41.6 €35.92
-11.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.5 €76.4
$105 €91.1
-16.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.8 €77.5
$132 €114
-31.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Sebastian
Madrid
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,251 €1,080
$1,561 €1,348
-19.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$877 €757
$1,109 €958
-20.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,133 €1,842
$2,840 €2,452
-24.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,446 €1,248
$1,884 €1,626
-23.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,675 €8,354
$8,381 €7,236
15.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,976 €5,160
$4,938 €4,263
21.02%
💵 Salaries & Financials
San Sebastian
Madrid
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,631 €2,271
$2,579 €2,227
1.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.5
3.43
2.04%

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

Last update for San Sebastian: October 27, 2025

Last update for Madrid: October 29, 2025

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