Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stafford and Madrid

For one person, living costs are similar in Stafford and in Madrid: $2,202 and $2,265 a month, rent and utilities included.

108

Cost of Living Index in Stafford
Learn more

Stafford Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
Learn more

Madrid Living Index

Jump to prices

Stafford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,202

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Stafford versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Stafford $2,202
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,277 in Stafford versus $3,296 in Madrid.

Stafford $3,277
Madrid $3,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,352 in Stafford versus $4,328 in Madrid.

Stafford $4,352
Madrid $4,328

Living in Stafford costs roughly 3% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stafford 63% above, Madrid 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.11 £15.08

$18.20 €16.19

10.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.4 £55.1

$68.1 €60.5

7.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 £7.98

$11.24 €9.99

-5.43%

Cappuccino

$4.61 £3.46

$3.15 €2.80

46.35%

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

$2.12 £1.59

$3.36 €2.99

-36.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 £1.30

$2.36 €2.10

-26.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.70 £5.03

$3.83 €3.40

74.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 £3.85

$4.92 €4.38

4.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.32 €1.17

31.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.61 €1.43

-4.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 £1.59

$1.65 €1.47

28.48%

Eggs

$3.39 £2.54

$4.07 €3.62

-16.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 £7.49

$15.82 €14.07

-36.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 £6.64

$9.49 €8.44

-6.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.71 £9.53

$17.52 €15.59

-27.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 £2.13

$2.56 €2.27

10.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 £1.26

$2.09 €1.86

-19.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.69 £2.77

$2.47 €2.19

49.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.48 £2.61

$2.49 €2.22

39.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 £1.57

$2.26 €2.01

-7.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 £1.27

$2.15 €1.91

-21.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 £0.88

$1.57 €1.40

-25.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.07 €0.95

53.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.87 £15.65

$6.55 €5.82

218.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.18 £6.89

$7.65 €6.81

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.31 £2.48

$1.17 €1.04

182.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 £2.84

$2.22 €1.97

70.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.54 £3.41

$1.63 €1.45

178.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.5 £70.2

$36.42 €32.39

156.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 £1.96

$3.73 €3.32

-30.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 £0.98

$1.54 €1.37

-14.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.60 £18.46

$29.17 €25.95

-15.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.78 €1.58

16.29%

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

$37.8K £28.4K

$35.5K €31.6K

6.51%

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

$40.8K £30.6K

$33.2K €29.6K

22.79%

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

$290 £217

$189 €168

53.29%

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

$19.89 £14.92

$17.48 €15.55

13.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.75 £30.57

$34.32 €30.53

18.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.40 £30.31

$48.62 €43.25

-16.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.50 £14.63

$18.44 €16.40

5.75%

Cinema Ticket

$15.62 £11.71

$11.04 €9.82

41.49%

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

$908 £681

$693 €617

30.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.8K £20.1K

$17.8K €15.8K

50.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.5 £55.9

$84.6 €75.3

-11.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.40 £34.06

$42.50 €37.80

6.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.4 £63.4

$110 €98.1

-23.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 £72.7

$112 €99.9

-13.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 £840

$1,506 €1,339

-25.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$917 £688

$1,170 €1,041

-21.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 £1,189

$2,756 €2,451

-42.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 £1,194

$1,845 €1,641

-13.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,886 £2,915

$9,168 €8,155

-57.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,356 £2,518

$4,234 €3,766

-20.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,978 £2,234

$2,483 €2,209

19.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

3.14

71.02%

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

Last update for Stafford: October 11, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stafford

$917 41.6%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7% 27.6% $253

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stafford

$350 15.9%

Madrid

$241 10.6% 31.3% $110

Eating Out

Stafford

$307 14%

Madrid

$269 11.9% 12.4% $38

Groceries & Markets

Stafford

$300 13.6%

Madrid

$303 13.4% 1% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Stafford

$136 6.2%

Madrid

$157 7% 16.1% $22

Getting Around

Stafford

$121 5.5%

Madrid

$54 2.4% 55% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Stafford

$72 3.3%

Madrid

$71 3.1% 1.3% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,120 in Stafford and $1,506 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stafford pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $73.0 in Stafford vs $68.0 in Madrid. Groceries flip the comparison at $300 vs $303, with Stafford cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Stafford

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

19:52 7:52 PM

20:52 8:52 PM

1 h ahead of Stafford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,673

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stafford Madrid 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Stafford
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

Stafford vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stafford wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Stafford the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Stafford, 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: $1,120 in Stafford versus $1,506 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Stafford – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,202 in Stafford versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Stafford but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Stafford the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Stafford delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,202 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Stafford hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Stafford 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 Stafford gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.