Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zaragoza and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaragoza: $1,694 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Zaragoza
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Zaragoza Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Zaragoza

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,694

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,694 in Zaragoza versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Zaragoza $1,694
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Zaragoza versus $3,296 in Madrid.

Zaragoza $2,478
Madrid $3,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in Zaragoza versus $4,328 in Madrid.

Zaragoza $3,263
Madrid $4,328

Living in Zaragoza costs roughly 25% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zaragoza 25% above, Madrid 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.54 €14.72

$18.20 €16.19

-9.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.9 €50.6

$68.1 €60.5

-16.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$11.24 €9.99

0.27%

Cappuccino

$2.12 €1.89

$3.15 €2.80

-32.70%

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

$2.43 €2.16

$3.36 €2.99

-27.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.36 €2.10

-34.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 €3.05

$3.83 €3.40

-10.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.93

$4.92 €4.38

-32.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.32 €1.17

-9.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.61 €1.43

21.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.65 €1.47

-9.70%

Eggs

$2.81 €2.50

$4.07 €3.62

-30.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.17 €14.39

$15.82 €14.07

2.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 €7.98

$9.49 €8.44

-5.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.00 €18.68

$17.52 €15.59

19.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.37

$2.56 €2.27

4.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$2.09 €1.86

19.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$2.47 €2.19

5.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.08 €2.74

$2.49 €2.22

23.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.26 €2.01

-11.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.15 €1.91

4.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.57 €1.40

12.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 €0.65

$1.07 €0.95

-31.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 €5.44

$6.55 €5.82

-6.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.38 €3.90

$7.65 €6.81

-42.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.17 €1.04

-21.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.07

$2.22 €1.97

55.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.63 €1.45

3.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.91 €28.38

$36.42 €32.39

-12.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 €2.06

$3.73 €3.32

-37.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.54 €1.37

-31.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.17 €25.95

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.78 €1.58

-0.56%

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

$35.6K €31.6K

$35.5K €31.6K

0.23%

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

$29.3K €26.1K

$33.2K €29.6K

-11.75%

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

$161 €144

$189 €168

-14.53%

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

$11.52 €10.25

$17.48 €15.55

-34.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.33 €18.97

$34.32 €30.53

-37.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.72 €31.78

$48.62 €43.25

-26.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.36 €12.77

$18.44 €16.40

-22.13%

Cinema Ticket

$9.10 €8.09

$11.04 €9.82

-17.57%

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

$493 €439

$693 €617

-28.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,876 €7,006

$17.8K €15.8K

-55.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €79.6

$84.6 €75.3

5.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.48 €34.23

$42.50 €37.80

-9.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 €89.0

$110 €98.1

-9.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$112 €99.9

1.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 €721

$1,506 €1,339

-46.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 €630

$1,170 €1,041

-39.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 €1,145

$2,756 €2,451

-53.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 €898

$1,845 €1,641

-45.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,196 €2,843

$9,168 €8,155

-65.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,944 €1,729

$4,234 €3,766

-54.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,009 €1,787

$2,483 €2,209

-19.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.14

10.19%

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

Last update for Zaragoza: October 11, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zaragoza

$709 41.8%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7% 65.1% $461

Groceries & Markets

Zaragoza

$306 18.1%

Madrid

$303 13.4% 0.8% $2.6

Eating Out

Zaragoza

$231 13.7%

Madrid

$269 11.9% 16.3% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zaragoza

$194 11.5%

Madrid

$241 10.6% 23.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Zaragoza

$154 9.1%

Madrid

$157 7% 2.4% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Zaragoza

$54 3.2%

Madrid

$71 3.1% 31.2% $17

Getting Around

Zaragoza

$46 2.7%

Madrid

$54 2.4% 17.5% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $810 in Zaragoza and $1,506 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 24% 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: $57.0 in Zaragoza vs $68.0 in Madrid. Groceries flip the comparison at $306 vs $303, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Zaragoza

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

11:52 11:52 AM

Same time as Zaragoza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

682,513

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

Zaragoza vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 24% 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: $810 in Zaragoza 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 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Zaragoza – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,694 in Zaragoza versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Zaragoza but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Zaragoza the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zaragoza delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,694 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zaragoza hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Zaragoza 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 Zaragoza 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.