Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vitoria-Gasteiz and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Vitoria-Gasteiz: $2,061 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Madrid outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

Cost of Living Index in Vitoria-Gasteiz
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Vitoria-Gasteiz Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Vitoria-Gasteiz

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,061

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,061 in Vitoria-Gasteiz versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Vitoria-Gasteiz $2,061
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,913 in Vitoria-Gasteiz versus $3,296 in Madrid.

Vitoria-Gasteiz $2,913
Madrid $3,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,765 in Vitoria-Gasteiz versus $4,328 in Madrid.

Vitoria-Gasteiz $3,765
Madrid $4,328

Living in Vitoria-Gasteiz costs roughly 9% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vitoria-Gasteiz 53% above, Madrid 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.45 €15.52

$18.20 €16.19

-4.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 €60.3

$68.1 €60.5

-0.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.71 €11.30

$11.24 €9.99

13.08%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.81

$3.15 €2.80

-35.24%

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

$2.85 €2.54

$3.36 €2.99

-15.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.36 €2.10

-13.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.83 €3.40

-11.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 €3.46

$4.92 €4.38

-21.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.32 €1.17

-10.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.61 €1.43

22.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.65 €1.47

19.39%

Eggs

$3.50 €3.11

$4.07 €3.62

-14.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 €19.58

$15.82 €14.07

39.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 €8.40

$9.49 €8.44

-0.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.22 €15.32

$17.52 €15.59

-1.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 €2.79

$2.56 €2.27

22.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.09 €1.86

18.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 €2.30

$2.47 €2.19

4.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$2.49 €2.22

-3.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$2.26 €2.01

-19.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.15 €1.91

-12.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.57 €1.40

3.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$1.07 €0.95

-29.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.79 €7.82

$6.55 €5.82

34.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.60 €4.98

$7.65 €6.81

-26.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.17 €1.04

-5.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.67

$2.22 €1.97

-15.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.63 €1.45

4.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.57 €29.86

$36.42 €32.39

-7.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.58 €5.86

$3.73 €3.32

76.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.54 €1.37

16.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.43 €21.73

$29.17 €25.95

-16.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.78 €1.58

2.81%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$35.5K €31.6K

7.89%

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

$30.8K €27.4K

$33.2K €29.6K

-7.16%

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

$157 €140

$189 €168

-16.67%

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

$20.42 €18.16

$17.48 €15.55

16.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.45 €35.09

$34.32 €30.53

14.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 €48.96

$48.62 €43.25

13.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.22 €9.98

$18.44 €16.40

-39.15%

Cinema Ticket

$9.91 €8.81

$11.04 €9.82

-10.24%

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

$385 €342

$693 €617

-44.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,745 €6,889

$17.8K €15.8K

-56.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.7

$84.6 €75.3

21.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.51 €29.81

$42.50 €37.80

-21.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.4

$110 €98.1

-0.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$112 €99.9

30.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,134 €1,008

$1,506 €1,339

-24.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$973 €866

$1,170 €1,041

-16.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 €1,275

$2,756 €2,451

-48.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,268 €1,127

$1,845 €1,641

-31.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,462 €3,080

$9,168 €8,155

-62.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,337 €2,968

$4,234 €3,766

-21.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,784 €2,476

$2,483 €2,209

12.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.47

3.14

10.51%

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

Last update for Vitoria-Gasteiz: 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

Vitoria-Gasteiz

$973 47.2%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7% 20.2% $197

Groceries & Markets

Vitoria-Gasteiz

$316 15.4%

Madrid

$303 13.4% 4.2% $13

Eating Out

Vitoria-Gasteiz

$246 12%

Madrid

$269 11.9% 9.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vitoria-Gasteiz

$217 10.5%

Madrid

$241 10.6% 10.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Vitoria-Gasteiz

$177 8.6%

Madrid

$157 7% 10.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Vitoria-Gasteiz

$75 3.6%

Madrid

$71 3.1% 5.5% $4.2

Getting Around

Vitoria-Gasteiz

$56 2.7%

Madrid

$54 2.4% 2.8% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,134 in Vitoria-Gasteiz and $1,506 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vitoria-Gasteiz pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Vitoria-Gasteiz vs $68.0 in Madrid. Groceries flip the comparison at $316 vs $303, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Vitoria-Gasteiz

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

Same time as Vitoria-Gasteiz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

255,886

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

Vitoria-Gasteiz vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vitoria-Gasteiz wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Vitoria-Gasteiz the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 12% higher in Vitoria-Gasteiz, 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: $1,134 in Vitoria-Gasteiz versus $1,506 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Madrid pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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

At $2,061 in Vitoria-Gasteiz versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Vitoria-Gasteiz but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Vitoria-Gasteiz the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Vitoria-Gasteiz delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,061 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Vitoria-Gasteiz hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Vitoria-Gasteiz 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 Vitoria-Gasteiz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.