Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tarragona and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarragona: $1,762 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Tarragona
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Tarragona Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Tarragona

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,762

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,762 in Tarragona versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Tarragona $1,762
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,618 in Tarragona versus $3,296 in Madrid.

Tarragona $2,618
Madrid $3,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,474 in Tarragona versus $4,328 in Madrid.

Tarragona $3,474
Madrid $4,328

Living in Tarragona costs roughly 22% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tarragona 30% above, Madrid 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.87 €15.89

$18.20 €16.19

-1.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.3

$68.1 €60.5

-10.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 €7.91

$11.24 €9.99

-20.82%

Cappuccino

$2.43 €2.16

$3.15 €2.80

-22.86%

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

$2.51 €2.24

$3.36 €2.99

-25.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.36 €2.10

-16.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.83 €3.40

-12.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 €3.38

$4.92 €4.38

-22.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.32 €1.17

-5.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.61 €1.43

18.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 €1.23

$1.65 €1.47

-15.76%

Eggs

$3.46 €3.08

$4.07 €3.62

-14.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 €11.64

$15.82 €14.07

-17.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.39 €9.24

$9.49 €8.44

9.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.67 €13.05

$17.52 €15.58

-16.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.56 €2.27

9.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.09 €1.86

17.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 €2.57

$2.47 €2.19

17.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 €2.37

$2.49 €2.22

6.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 €1.39

$2.26 €2.01

-30.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.15 €1.91

-10.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.57 €1.40

-5.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.56

$1.07 €0.95

-41.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 €5.86

$6.55 €5.82

0.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.07 €4.51

$7.65 €6.81

-33.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.17 €1.04

70.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.22 €1.97

-20.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.63 €1.45

-0.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.10 €24.11

$36.42 €32.39

-25.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 €3.57

$3.73 €3.32

7.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.54 €1.37

-1.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.12 €19.68

$29.17 €25.94

-24.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.78 €1.58

-3.93%

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

$35.0K €31.1K

$35.5K €31.6K

-1.40%

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

$29.8K €26.5K

$33.2K €29.6K

-10.27%

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

$129 €115

$189 €168

-31.46%

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

$23.52 €20.91

$17.48 €15.55

34.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.30 €30.50

$34.32 €30.53

-0.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 €53.9

$48.62 €43.25

24.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.72 €21.10

$18.44 €16.40

28.63%

Cinema Ticket

$8.87 €7.89

$11.04 €9.82

-19.66%

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

$320 €285

$693 €617

-53.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €94.4

$84.6 €75.3

25.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.44 €29.75

$42.50 €37.80

-21.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 €72.5

$110 €98.1

-26.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.0 €80.9

$112 €99.9

-18.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €792

$1,506 €1,339

-40.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$784 €697

$1,170 €1,040

-33.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 €1,106

$2,756 €2,451

-54.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 €1,068

$1,845 €1,641

-34.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,642 €2,350

$9,168 €8,154

-71.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,275 €1,134

$4,234 €3,766

-69.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,040 €1,815

$2,483 €2,208

-17.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.02

3.14

-3.82%

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

Last update for Tarragona: October 12, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tarragona

$784 44.5%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7% 49.2% $386

Groceries & Markets

Tarragona

$286 16.2%

Madrid

$303 13.4% 6.2% $18

Eating Out

Tarragona

$241 13.7%

Madrid

$269 11.9% 11.6% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tarragona

$187 10.6%

Madrid

$241 10.6% 28.5% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Tarragona

$140 8%

Madrid

$157 7% 12% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Tarragona

$78 4.5%

Madrid

$71 3.1% 9.8% $7.7

Getting Around

Tarragona

$45 2.6%

Madrid

$54 2.4% 20.4% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $891 in Tarragona and $1,506 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 22% 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: $61.0 in Tarragona vs $68.0 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $286 vs $303 per month, with Tarragona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Tarragona

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

Same time as Tarragona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,262

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 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

Tarragona vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tarragona wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tarragona the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Madrid. 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: $891 in Tarragona versus $1,506 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Tarragona – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,762 in Tarragona versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tarragona but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Tarragona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Tarragona delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,762 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tarragona hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Tarragona 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 Tarragona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.