Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Sebastian and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in San Sebastian: $2,066 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Madrid outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,066

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,066 in San Sebastian versus $2,304 in Madrid.

San Sebastian $2,066
Madrid $2,304

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,076 in San Sebastian versus $3,389 in Madrid.

San Sebastian $3,076
Madrid $3,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,086 in San Sebastian versus $4,475 in Madrid.

San Sebastian $4,086
Madrid $4,475

Living in San Sebastian costs roughly 10% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Sebastian 52% above, Madrid 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.85 €16.93

$17.73 €15.93

6.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 €55.6

$66.9 €60.1

-7.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 €9.68

$11.30 €10.15

-4.60%

Cappuccino

$2.31 €2.08

$3.04 €2.73

-24.01%

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

$2.84 €2.55

$3.36 €3.02

-15.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.46

$2.35 €2.11

-30.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 €2.95

$3.89 €3.50

-15.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 €3.32

$4.80 €4.31

-22.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.32 €1.18

-10.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 €1.01

$1.64 €1.47

-31.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 €1.66

$1.72 €1.55

6.98%

Eggs

$3.62 €3.25

$4.20 €3.78

-13.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.61 €20.31

$15.91 €14.29

42.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 €7.10

$9.36 €8.41

-15.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.55

$17.21 €15.46

19.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 €2.25

$2.56 €2.30

-2.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 €2.48

$2.09 €1.88

32.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 €2.96

$2.55 €2.29

29.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 €2.62

$2.58 €2.32

13.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.34

$2.31 €2.08

12.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.82

$2.17 €1.95

-6.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.50 €1.35

-20.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.07 €0.96

-3.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 €6.10

$6.57 €5.90

3.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 €6.61

$7.87 €7.07

-6.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.55

$1.21 €1.09

42.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.59

$2.17 €1.95

-18.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.67 €1.50

29.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.69 €30.26

$37.53 €33.71

-10.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.82 €6.12

$3.76 €3.38

81.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 €0.80

$1.49 €1.34

-40.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.07 €19.83

$30.17 €27.10

-26.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.53

$1.85 €1.66

-8.11%

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

$35.2K €31.6K

$33.9K €30.4K

3.93%

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

$31.0K €27.9K

$33.3K €29.9K

-6.88%

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

$136 €122

$192 €172

-29.04%

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

$25.48 €22.89

$17.66 €15.86

44.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.61 €31.99

$35.07 €31.51

1.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.24 €37.94

$47.27 €42.46

-10.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 €17.50

$18.23 €16.37

6.91%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 €7.64

$11.29 €10.14

-24.62%

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

$454 €407

$687 €617

-33.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K €12.6K

$18.0K €16.2K

-22.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.3

$86.5 €77.7

16.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.72 €29.39

$41.65 €37.41

-21.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 €66.6

$108 €97.1

-31.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €119

$112 €100

18.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 €1,320

$1,508 €1,355

-2.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,024 €920

$1,210 €1,087

-15.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,371 €2,129

$2,829 €2,541

-16.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 €1,501

$2,004 €1,800

-16.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,813 €8,815

$9,002 €8,086

9.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,360 €4,815

$4,710 €4,231

13.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,011 €2,704

$2,453 €2,204

22.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.92

3.14

-7.01%

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

Last update for San Sebastian: 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

San Sebastian

$1K 49.6%

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5% 18.2% $186

Groceries & Markets

San Sebastian

$327 15.8%

Madrid

$304 13.2% 7% $23

Eating Out

San Sebastian

$253 12.2%

Madrid

$264 11.5% 4.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Sebastian

$197 9.5%

Madrid

$244 10.6% 24% $47

Clothing & Footwear

San Sebastian

$153 7.4%

Madrid

$157 6.8% 2.4% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

San Sebastian

$59 2.9%

Madrid

$70 3% 17.9% $11

Getting Around

San Sebastian

$54 2.6%

Madrid

$55 2.4% 3.4% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,470 in San Sebastian and $1,508 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Sebastian pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in San Sebastian vs $67 in Madrid. Groceries flip the comparison at $327 vs $304, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

00:00 12:00 AM

Same time as San Sebastian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,743

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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From you

San Sebastian
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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

San Sebastian vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Sebastian wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Sebastian the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 23% higher in San Sebastian, 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: $1,470 in San Sebastian versus $1,508 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Madrid pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in San Sebastian – a meal for two runs $62 versus $67 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. San Sebastian is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Sebastian delivers better value at $2,066 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Sebastian hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, San Sebastian and Madrid are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.