Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago de Compostela and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago de Compostela: $1,443 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de Compostela
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Santiago de Compostela Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,443

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,443 in Santiago de Compostela versus $2,304 in Madrid.

Santiago de Compostela $1,443
Madrid $2,304

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,226 in Santiago de Compostela versus $3,389 in Madrid.

Santiago de Compostela $2,226
Madrid $3,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,008 in Santiago de Compostela versus $4,475 in Madrid.

Santiago de Compostela $3,008
Madrid $4,475

Living in Santiago de Compostela costs roughly 37% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santiago de Compostela 6% above, Madrid 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.64 €12.25

$17.73 €15.93

-23.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 €60.7

$66.9 €60.1

1.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 €8.47

$11.30 €10.15

-16.55%

Cappuccino

$1.94 €1.74

$3.04 €2.73

-36.18%

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

$2.78 €2.50

$3.36 €3.02

-17.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.92

$2.35 €2.11

-9.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 €2.66

$3.89 €3.50

-23.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 €3.55

$4.80 €4.31

-17.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.32 €1.18

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.64 €1.47

-29.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.72 €1.55

-22.09%

Eggs

$2.80 €2.52

$4.20 €3.78

-33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.15 €8.22

$15.91 €14.29

-42.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 €6.06

$9.36 €8.41

-27.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.50 €14.83

$17.21 €15.46

-4.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.56 €2.30

-18.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.09 €1.88

1.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.55 €2.29

-41.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.84 €2.55

$2.58 €2.32

10.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 €1.78

$2.31 €2.08

-14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.17 €1.95

-32.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 €1.03

$1.50 €1.35

-24.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.07 €0.96

-22.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.75 €5.17

$6.57 €5.90

-12.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.91 €4.41

$7.87 €7.07

-37.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.29

$1.21 €1.09

18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.13

$2.17 €1.95

9.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.67 €1.50

-24.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.86 €29.53

$37.53 €33.72

-12.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 €4.40

$3.76 €3.38

30.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.49 €1.34

-8.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.97 €17.05

$30.17 €27.11

-37.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.85 €1.66

-4.32%

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

$34.9K €31.3K

$33.9K €30.4K

2.89%

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

$29.7K €26.7K

$33.3K €29.9K

-10.89%

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

$152 €137

$192 €172

-20.41%

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

$21.57 €19.38

$17.66 €15.87

22.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.85 €29.51

$35.07 €31.51

-6.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.7 €45.56

$47.27 €42.47

7.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.27 €2.04

$18.23 €16.38

-87.55%

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 €9.17

$11.29 €10.15

-9.65%

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

$335 €301

$687 €617

-51.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,280 €7,440

$18.0K €16.2K

-53.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 €81.0

$86.5 €77.8

4.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.1 €57.6

$41.65 €37.42

53.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.1

$108 €97.1

-5.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 €84.3

$112 €100

-15.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$739 €664

$1,508 €1,355

-51.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 €463

$1,210 €1,087

-57.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 €962

$2,829 €2,542

-62.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$868 €780

$2,004 €1,801

-56.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,100 €2,786

$9,002 €8,088

-65.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,153 €1,934

$4,710 €4,232

-54.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,694

$2,453 €2,204

-23.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.96

3.14

-5.73%

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

Last update for Santiago de Compostela: October 25, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago de Compostela

$515 35.7%

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5% 135% $694

Groceries & Markets

Santiago de Compostela

$239 16.6%

Madrid

$304 13.2% 27% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago de Compostela

$207 14.3%

Madrid

$244 10.6% 18.1% $37

Eating Out

Santiago de Compostela

$203 14.1%

Madrid

$264 11.5% 30.2% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago de Compostela

$158 10.9%

Madrid

$157 6.8% 0.7% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago de Compostela

$71 4.9%

Madrid

$70 3% 1.8% $1.3

Getting Around

Santiago de Compostela

$50 3.4%

Madrid

$55 2.4% 11.7% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $739 in Santiago de Compostela and $1,508 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 30% 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: $68 in Santiago de Compostela vs $67 in Madrid. Groceries flip the comparison at $239 vs $304, with Santiago de Compostela cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

17:57 5:57 PM

Same time as Santiago de Compostela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,687

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Santiago de Compostela vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago de Compostela wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Santiago de Compostela the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Santiago de Compostela. 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: $739 in Santiago de Compostela versus $1,508 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $335 in Santiago de Compostela versus $687 in Madrid. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Santiago de Compostela runs roughly 12% less than in Madrid. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,443 in Santiago de Compostela versus $2,304 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santiago de Compostela but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago de Compostela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Santiago de Compostela 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.

It comes down to priorities – Santiago de Compostela wins on affordability, Madrid on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.