Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Topeka, KS and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Topeka, KS: $1,912 a month against $2,304 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Madrid outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

91

Cost of Living Index in Topeka, KS
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Topeka, KS Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Topeka, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$1,912

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,912 in Topeka, KS versus $2,304 in Madrid.

Topeka, KS $1,912
Madrid $2,304

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,889 in Topeka, KS versus $3,389 in Madrid.

Topeka, KS $2,889
Madrid $3,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,867 in Topeka, KS versus $4,475 in Madrid.

Topeka, KS $3,867
Madrid $4,475

Living in Topeka, KS costs roughly 17% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Topeka, KS 40% above, Madrid 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.68 $13.68

$17.73 €15.93

-22.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.0 $51.0

$66.9 €60.1

-23.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.09 $10.09

$11.30 €10.15

-10.71%

Cappuccino

$3.59 $3.59

$3.04 €2.73

18.09%

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

$2.37 $2.37

$3.36 €3.02

-29.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.35 €2.11

-27.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 $4.57

$3.89 €3.50

17.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.15 $9.15

$4.80 €4.31

90.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.32 €1.18

-34.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.64 €1.47

67.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.72 €1.55

68.02%

Eggs

$3.95 $3.95

$4.20 €3.78

-5.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.77 $8.77

$15.91 €14.29

-44.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.70 $8.70

$9.36 €8.41

-7.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.10 $15.10

$17.21 €15.46

-12.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.56 €2.30

84.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$2.09 €1.88

-21.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$2.55 €2.29

103.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.58 €2.32

59.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.31 €2.08

53.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.17 €1.95

18.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.50 €1.35

21.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.07 €0.96

-26.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.83 $8.83

$6.57 €5.90

34.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.03 $12.03

$7.87 €7.07

52.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.21 €1.09

49.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.17 €1.95

-21.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.67 €1.50

20.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.63 $49.63

$37.53 €33.71

32.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 $2.70

$3.76 €3.38

-28.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.49 €1.34

6.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.59 $33.59

$30.17 €27.10

11.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.85 €1.66

-52.43%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$33.9K €30.4K

-24.23%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$33.3K €29.9K

-20.83%

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

$142 $142

$192 €172

-25.69%

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

$46.56 $46.56

$17.66 €15.86

163.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.7 $64.7

$35.07 €31.51

84.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.70 $37.70

$47.27 €42.46

-20.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.07 $15.07

$18.23 €16.37

-17.33%

Cinema Ticket

$13.74 $13.74

$11.29 €10.14

21.70%

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

$439 $439

$687 €617

-36.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K €16.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.15 $39.15

$86.5 €77.7

-54.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.48 $28.48

$41.65 €37.41

-31.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 $90.3

$108 €97.1

-16.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 $79.6

$112 €100

-28.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 $699

$1,508 €1,355

-53.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$855 $855

$1,210 €1,087

-29.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 $1,210

$2,829 €2,541

-57.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 $1,556

$2,004 €1,800

-22.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,600 $1,600

$9,002 €8,086

-82.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,293 $1,293

$4,710 €4,231

-72.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,678 $3,678

$2,453 €2,204

49.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.24

3.14

98.73%

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

Last update for Topeka, KS: 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

Topeka, KS

$855 44.7%

Madrid

$1.2K 52.5% 41.5% $355

Groceries & Markets

Topeka, KS

$323 16.9%

Madrid

$304 13.2% 5.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Topeka, KS

$254 13.3%

Madrid

$244 10.6% 3.7% $9.3

Eating Out

Topeka, KS

$240 12.6%

Madrid

$264 11.5% 9.9% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Topeka, KS

$107 5.6%

Madrid

$157 6.8% 46.5% $50

Getting Around

Topeka, KS

$68 3.6%

Madrid

$55 2.4% 18.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Topeka, KS

$65 3.4%

Madrid

$70 3% 7.1% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $699 in Topeka, KS and $1,508 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Topeka, KS pays 50% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $51 in Topeka, KS vs $67 in Madrid. Groceries flip the comparison at $323 vs $304, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Topeka, KS

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

10:47 10:47 AM

16:47 4:47 PM

6 h ahead of Topeka, KS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

124,331

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Topeka, KS Madrid 7,470 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Topeka, KS
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

Topeka, KS vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Topeka, KS wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Topeka, KS the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 50% higher in Topeka, KS, 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: $699 in Topeka, KS 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 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Topeka, KS – a meal for two runs $51 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.