Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Rico and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Rico: $1,716 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Madrid outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

83

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Rico
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Puerto Rico Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Puerto Rico

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,716

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,716 in Puerto Rico versus $2,304 in Madrid.

Puerto Rico $1,716
Madrid $2,304

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,564 in Puerto Rico versus $3,389 in Madrid.

Puerto Rico $2,564
Madrid $3,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,412 in Puerto Rico versus $4,475 in Madrid.

Puerto Rico $3,412
Madrid $4,475

Living in Puerto Rico costs roughly 26% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Puerto Rico 26% above, Madrid 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.45 €18.38

$17.73 €15.93

15.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.9

$66.9 €60.1

-8.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.15

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.84

$3.04 €2.73

-32.89%

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

$1.89 €1.70

$3.36 €3.02

-43.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.16

$2.35 €2.11

-45.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 €2.44

$3.89 €3.50

-30.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 €3.07

$4.80 €4.31

-28.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.24

$1.32 €1.18

4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 €2.16

$1.64 €1.47

46.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.72 €1.55

-11.05%

Eggs

$4.25 €3.82

$4.20 €3.78

1.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.32 €17.36

$15.91 €14.29

21.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 €8.99

$9.36 €8.41

6.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.41 €15.64

$17.21 €15.46

1.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.40

$2.56 €2.30

4.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.09

$2.09 €1.88

11.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.93

$2.55 €2.29

-15.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.24

$2.58 €2.32

-3.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$2.31 €2.08

-6.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.82

$2.17 €1.95

-6.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 €1.46

$1.50 €1.35

8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$1.07 €0.96

-9.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.63 €4.16

$6.57 €5.90

-29.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.08

$7.87 €7.07

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.53

$1.21 €1.09

40.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$2.17 €1.95

-22.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.49

$1.67 €1.50

-0.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.24 €28.97

$37.53 €33.72

-14.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 €3.89

$3.76 €3.38

15.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.49 €1.34

12.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.83 €15.13

$30.17 €27.11

-44.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.85 €1.66

-5.95%

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

$34.9K €31.3K

$33.9K €30.4K

2.96%

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

$31.9K €28.7K

$33.3K €29.9K

-4.12%

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

$129 €116

$192 €172

-32.64%

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

$22.38 €20.11

$17.66 €15.87

26.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.85 €32.22

$35.07 €31.51

2.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.45 €39.94

$47.27 €42.47

-5.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.59 €14.01

$18.23 €16.38

-14.48%

Cinema Ticket

$9.91 €8.90

$11.29 €10.15

-12.22%

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

$403 €362

$687 €617

-41.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,970 €4,466

$18.0K €16.2K

-72.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.8 €82.5

$86.5 €77.8

6.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.61 €38.28

$41.65 €37.42

2.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 €81.4

$108 €97.1

-16.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$112 €100

1.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$874 €785

$1,508 €1,355

-42.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$679 €610

$1,210 €1,087

-43.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,331 €1,196

$2,829 €2,542

-52.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 €908

$2,004 €1,801

-49.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,233 €2,905

$9,002 €8,088

-64.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,186 €1,964

$4,710 €4,232

-53.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 €2,204

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

3.14

13.38%

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

Last update for Puerto Rico: 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

Puerto Rico

$679 39.6%

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5% 78% $530

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Rico

$326 19%

Madrid

$304 13.2% 6.6% $22

Eating Out

Puerto Rico

$255 14.9%

Madrid

$264 11.5% 3.5% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Rico

$187 10.9%

Madrid

$244 10.6% 30.5% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Rico

$152 8.9%

Madrid

$157 6.8% 2.7% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Rico

$64 3.8%

Madrid

$70 3% 8.7% $5.6

Getting Around

Puerto Rico

$52 3%

Madrid

$55 2.4% 7.5% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $874 in Puerto Rico and $1,508 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Puerto Rico vs $67 in Madrid. Groceries flip the comparison at $326 vs $304, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Puerto Rico

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

12:06 12:06 PM

1 h ahead of Puerto Rico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,500

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Puerto Rico Madrid 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Rico
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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

Puerto Rico vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Rico wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Puerto Rico the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,574 in Puerto Rico and $3,456 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: $874 in Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico – a meal for two runs $61 versus $67 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Puerto Rico 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.