Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tres Cantos and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Tres Cantos: $1,528 a month against $2,326 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Tres Cantos
Learn more

Tres Cantos Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
Learn more

Madrid Living Index

Jump to prices

Tres Cantos

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,528

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,326

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,528 in Tres Cantos versus $2,326 in Madrid.

Tres Cantos $1,528
Madrid $2,326

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,352 in Tres Cantos versus $3,414 in Madrid.

Tres Cantos $2,352
Madrid $3,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,176 in Tres Cantos versus $4,502 in Madrid.

Tres Cantos $3,176
Madrid $4,502

Living in Tres Cantos costs roughly 34% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tres Cantos 13% above, Madrid 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.95 €14.24

$18.67 €16.68

-14.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.24 €43.98

$67.5 €60.3

-27.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.82

$12.44 €11.12

-11.58%

Cappuccino

$2.30 €2.06

$3.20 €2.85

-28.13%

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

$2.49 €2.22

$3.29 €2.93

-24.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.44

$2.35 €2.10

-31.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 €2.65

$3.85 €3.44

-22.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 €3.12

$4.71 €4.21

-25.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.39 €1.24

-12.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.64 €1.47

-2.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 €1.23

$1.69 €1.51

-18.93%

Eggs

$3.15 €2.81

$4.04 €3.60

-22.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.47 €12.92

$16.48 €14.72

-12.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.23 €7.35

$9.16 €8.19

-10.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.19 €15.36

$17.27 €15.42

-0.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$2.51 €2.25

-7.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.17 €1.94

-18.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.52 €2.25

-11.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 €2.61

$2.48 €2.22

17.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.31 €2.07

-13.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$2.05 €1.83

-8.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.49 €1.33

-13.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 €0.60

$1.05 €0.93

-36.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 €5.25

$6.85 €6.12

-14.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.57 €4.98

$7.80 €6.97

-28.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.21 €1.08

4.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.84

$2.24 €2.00

-8.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.72 €1.53

2.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.87 €30.26

$37.26 €33.28

-9.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 €3.47

$3.21 €2.87

21.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.61 €1.43

-24.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.09 €21.52

$30.80 €27.51

-21.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.82 €1.62

-0.55%

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

$38.4K €34.3K

$33.2K €29.6K

15.63%

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

$32.8K €29.3K

$32.3K €28.9K

1.41%

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

$137 €123

$182 €162

-24.34%

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

$16.48 €14.72

$17.24 €15.40

-4.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.50 €23.67

$34.81 €31.09

-23.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.91 €39.22

$47.26 €42.21

-7.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.47 €13.82

$18.30 €16.35

-15.46%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 €7.66

$11.18 €9.98

-23.26%

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

$508 €454

$696 €622

-27.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,119 €8,145

$17.9K €16.0K

-49.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.1 €69.8

$86.0 €76.8

-9.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.22 €30.57

$43.09 €38.49

-20.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 €73.0

$110 €98.0

-25.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$112 €99.7

7.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 €916

$1,525 €1,362

-32.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$595 €532

$1,229 €1,098

-51.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 €1,211

$2,815 €2,515

-51.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 €954

$2,013 €1,798

-46.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,498 €3,125

$9,105 €8,133

-61.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,913 €1,709

$4,699 €4,197

-59.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,191 €2,850

$2,487 €2,221

28.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.15

4.76%

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

Last update for Tres Cantos: November 2, 2026

Last update for Madrid: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tres Cantos

$595 39%

Madrid

$1.2K 52.9% 107% $634

Groceries & Markets

Tres Cantos

$272 17.8%

Madrid

$304 13.1% 11.6% $32

Eating Out

Tres Cantos

$226 14.8%

Madrid

$276 11.9% 22% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tres Cantos

$180 11.8%

Madrid

$234 10.1% 29.5% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Tres Cantos

$141 9.2%

Madrid

$158 6.8% 11.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Tres Cantos

$61 4%

Madrid

$70 3% 14% $8.5

Getting Around

Tres Cantos

$51 3.3%

Madrid

$55 2.4% 8.8% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Tres Cantos and $1,525 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tres Cantos pays 28% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49 in Tres Cantos vs $68 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $304 per month, with Tres Cantos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Tres Cantos

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

15:41 3:41 PM

Same time as Tres Cantos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,453

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tres Cantos Madrid 21 km

From you

Tres Cantos
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

Tres Cantos vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tres Cantos wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tres Cantos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 28% higher in Tres Cantos, 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: $1,026 in Tres Cantos versus $1,525 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Tres Cantos – a meal for two runs $49 versus $68 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Tres Cantos is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Tres Cantos and Madrid are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Tres Cantos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.