Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vilagarcia de Arousa and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Vilagarcia de Arousa: $1,121 a month against $2,326 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Vilagarcia de Arousa, Spain
Madrid, Spain
Vilagarcia de Arousa
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,121
/mo nomad
Madrid
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,326
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,121 in Vilagarcia de Arousa versus $2,326 in Madrid.

  • Vilagarcia de Arousa $1,121
  • Madrid $2,326

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,664 in Vilagarcia de Arousa versus $3,414 in Madrid.

  • Vilagarcia de Arousa $1,664
  • Madrid $3,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,206 in Vilagarcia de Arousa versus $4,502 in Madrid.

  • Vilagarcia de Arousa $2,206
  • Madrid $4,502

Living in Vilagarcia de Arousa costs roughly 52% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Vilagarcia de Arousa is 17% below, Madrid is 72% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Vilagarcia de Arousa
Madrid
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.72 €7.78
$18.67 €16.66
-53.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.72 €33.65
$67.5 €60.2
-44.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.19 €8.20
$12.44 €11.10
-26.13%
Cappuccino
$1.79 €1.60
$3.20 €2.85
-44.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.46 €2.19
$3.29 €2.93
-25.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.58 €1.41
$2.35 €2.09
-32.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.39 €2.13
$3.85 €3.44
-37.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.38 €3.02
$4.71 €4.21
-28.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Vilagarcia de Arousa
Madrid
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.00 €0.89
$1.39 €1.24
-28.06%
White Bread (500g)
$1.32 €1.18
$1.64 €1.46
-19.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$1.69 €1.50
2.37%
Eggs
$3.05 €2.72
$4.04 €3.60
-24.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.63 €5.91
$16.48 €14.70
-59.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.20 €6.43
$9.16 €8.17
-21.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.33 €7.43
$17.27 €15.40
-51.77%
Apples (1kg)
$2.52 €2.25
$2.51 €2.24
0.40%
Banana (1kg)
$2.77 €2.47
$2.17 €1.94
27.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 €2.11
$2.52 €2.25
-6.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 €2.04
$2.48 €2.21
-7.66%
Potato (1kg)
$2.07 €1.85
$2.31 €2.06
-10.39%
Onion (1kg)
$2.51 €2.24
$2.05 €1.83
22.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.51 €1.34
$1.49 €1.33
1.34%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 €0.62
$1.05 €0.93
-34.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.92 €4.39
$6.85 €6.11
-28.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.37 €3.90
$7.80 €6.96
-43.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 €0.96
$1.21 €1.08
-10.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 €1.79
$2.24 €2.00
-10.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Vilagarcia de Arousa
Madrid
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.56 €1.39
$1.72 €1.53
-9.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.24 €17.16
$37.26 €33.23
-48.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.78 €4.26
$3.21 €2.86
48.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.21 €1.08
$1.61 €1.43
-24.84%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.13 €17.07
$30.80 €27.48
-37.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 €1.55
$1.82 €1.62
-4.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.2K €31.4K
$33.2K €29.6K
6.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.0K €27.6K
$32.3K €28.8K
-4.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vilagarcia de Arousa
Madrid
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$151 €134
$182 €162
-17.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.34 €14.58
$17.24 €15.38
-5.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.37 €27.09
$34.81 €31.05
-12.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Vilagarcia de Arousa
Madrid
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.00 €24.98
$47.26 €42.16
-40.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.32 €13.66
$18.30 €16.33
-16.28%
Cinema Ticket
$8.31 €7.41
$11.18 €9.97
-25.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Vilagarcia de Arousa
Madrid
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$271 €242
$696 €621
-61.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,678 €8,633
$17.9K €16.0K
-45.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Vilagarcia de Arousa
Madrid
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.1 €64.3
$86.0 €76.7
-16.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.46 €27.17
$43.09 €38.44
-29.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.7 €63.9
$110 €97.9
-34.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$132 €117
$112 €99.6
17.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Vilagarcia de Arousa
Madrid
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$540 €481
$1,525 €1,360
-64.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$335 €299
$1,229 €1,096
-72.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$770 €687
$2,815 €2,511
-72.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$499 €445
$2,013 €1,795
-75.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,433 €1,278
$9,105 €8,122
-84.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$846 €755
$4,699 €4,192
-81.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Vilagarcia de Arousa
Madrid
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,288 €2,041
$2,487 €2,218
-7.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.58
3.15
13.65%

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

Last update for Vilagarcia de Arousa: November 1, 2026

Last update for Madrid: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Vilagarcia de Arousa
$335
Madrid
$1.2K 267% $894
Groceries & Markets
Vilagarcia de Arousa
$217
Madrid
$304 40.1% $87
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vilagarcia de Arousa
$197
Madrid
$234 18.4% $36
Eating Out
Vilagarcia de Arousa
$154
Madrid
$276 79.8% $123
Clothing & Footwear
Vilagarcia de Arousa
$138
Madrid
$158 14.6% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Vilagarcia de Arousa
$45
Madrid
$70 56% $25
Getting Around
Vilagarcia de Arousa
$36
Madrid
$55 52.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $540 in Vilagarcia de Arousa and $1,525 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 9% 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: $38 in Vilagarcia de Arousa vs $68 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $304 per month, with Vilagarcia de Arousa cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Vilagarcia de Arousa
🇪🇸 Madrid
🕒 Local time
12:38 12:38 PM
12:38 12:38 PM
Same time as Vilagarcia de Arousa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
37,689
3,332,035 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Vilagarcia de Arousa Madrid 480 km
From you
  • Vilagarcia de Arousa
  • 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
Vilagarcia de Arousa vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Vilagarcia de Arousa or Madrid?
Vilagarcia de Arousa wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Vilagarcia de Arousa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Vilagarcia de Arousa or in Madrid?
On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Vilagarcia de Arousa. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Vilagarcia de Arousa compared to Madrid?
Rent for a central apartment: $540 in Vilagarcia de Arousa versus $1,525 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Vilagarcia de Arousa or in Madrid?
Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How do dining costs compare in Vilagarcia de Arousa and in Madrid?
Dining out is cheaper in Vilagarcia de Arousa – a meal for two runs $38 versus $68 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Vilagarcia de Arousa or in Madrid?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Vilagarcia de Arousa is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Vilagarcia de Arousa or Madrid?
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.
How safe is Vilagarcia de Arousa compared to Madrid?
Safety-wise, Vilagarcia de Arousa and Madrid are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Vilagarcia de Arousa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Vilagarcia de Arousa vs other spots: cost of living compared

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