Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Torrevieja and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Torrevieja: $1,438 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Torrevieja
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Torrevieja Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Torrevieja

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,438

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,438 in Torrevieja versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Torrevieja $1,438
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,060 in Torrevieja versus $3,296 in Madrid.

Torrevieja $2,060
Madrid $3,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,682 in Torrevieja versus $4,328 in Madrid.

Torrevieja $2,682
Madrid $4,328

Living in Torrevieja costs roughly 37% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Torrevieja 7% above, Madrid 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.10 €13.43

$18.20 €16.19

-17.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.13 €39.25

$68.1 €60.5

-35.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 €8.80

$11.24 €9.99

-11.92%

Cappuccino

$2.25 €2.00

$3.15 €2.80

-28.57%

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

$2.14 €1.91

$3.36 €2.99

-36.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.36 €2.10

-19.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 €2.94

$3.83 €3.40

-13.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.54

$4.92 €4.38

-42.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.32 €1.17

-15.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 €1.23

$1.61 €1.43

-13.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.65 €1.47

-16.97%

Eggs

$3.26 €2.90

$4.07 €3.62

-19.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.19 €12.62

$15.82 €14.07

-10.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.38 €6.56

$9.49 €8.44

-22.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.42 €19.05

$17.52 €15.59

22.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.56 €2.27

-19.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 €1.42

$2.09 €1.86

-23.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 €1.12

$2.47 €2.19

-48.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.49 €2.22

-17.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$2.26 €2.01

-51.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 €1.03

$2.15 €1.91

-46.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.57 €1.40

-21.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 €0.37

$1.07 €0.95

-60.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.94 €5.28

$6.55 €5.82

-9.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.40 €3.91

$7.65 €6.81

-42.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.77

$1.17 €1.04

-25.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.17

$2.22 €1.97

-40.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.63 €1.45

4.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.42 €32.39

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.32

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.54 €1.37

95.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.63 €29.91

$29.17 €25.95

15.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.78 €1.58

-1.69%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

0.00%

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

$28.8K €25.6K

$33.2K €29.6K

-13.45%

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

$111 €99.1

$189 €168

-41.03%

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

$9.32 €8.29

$17.48 €15.55

-46.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.18 €20.61

$34.32 €30.53

-32.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.83 €33.65

$48.62 €43.25

-22.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.08 €4.52

$18.44 €16.40

-72.45%

Cinema Ticket

$9.04 €8.04

$11.04 €9.82

-18.12%

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

$491 €437

$693 €617

-29.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K €16.1K

$17.8K €15.8K

2.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.48 €35.12

$84.6 €75.3

-53.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.81 €30.08

$42.50 €37.80

-20.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.0 €60.5

$110 €98.1

-38.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.8 €60.3

$112 €99.9

-39.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$708 €629

$1,506 €1,339

-53.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €580

$1,170 €1,041

-44.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,233 €1,097

$2,756 €2,451

-55.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$884 €786

$1,845 €1,641

-52.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,877 €2,559

$9,168 €8,155

-68.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,661 €2,367

$4,234 €3,766

-37.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,920 €1,708

$2,483 €2,209

-22.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

3.14

-7.64%

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

Last update for Torrevieja: 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

Torrevieja

$652 45.4%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7% 79.3% $517

Groceries & Markets

Torrevieja

$254 17.7%

Madrid

$303 13.4% 19.4% $49

Eating Out

Torrevieja

$216 15%

Madrid

$269 11.9% 24.6% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Torrevieja

$144 10%

Madrid

$241 10.6% 67.3% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Torrevieja

$94 6.5%

Madrid

$157 7% 67.2% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Torrevieja

$56 3.9%

Madrid

$71 3.1% 26.4% $15

Getting Around

Torrevieja

$22 * 1.5%

Madrid

$54 2.4% 148% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $708 in Torrevieja and $1,506 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 29% 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: $44.00 in Torrevieja vs $68.0 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $254 vs $303 per month, with Torrevieja cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Torrevieja

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

07:53 7:53 AM

Same time as Torrevieja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,290

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Torrevieja Madrid 380 km

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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

Torrevieja vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Torrevieja wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Torrevieja the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 29% 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: $708 in Torrevieja versus $1,506 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $491 in Torrevieja versus $693 in Madrid. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Torrevieja – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,438 in Torrevieja versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Torrevieja but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Torrevieja the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Torrevieja delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,438 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Torrevieja hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Torrevieja 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 Torrevieja gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.