Cost of living comparison
Madrid is 0.1% cheaper than Barcelona.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.8% less in Madrid
- Groceries
-
pay 3.7% less in Madrid
- Transportation
-
pay 14.9% more in Madrid
- Housing
-
pay 1.9% less in Madrid
- Childcare
-
pay 14.2% less in Madrid
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.4% more in Madrid
- Clothing
-
pay 5.6% more in Madrid
The cost of transportation, clothing, and entertainment and sports in Madrid are more expensive than in Barcelona. Expenses including childcare, groceries, restaurants, and housing are lower in Madrid.
If you lived in Madrid instead of Barcelona, you would:
pay 2.8% less for restaurants
|
Barcelona
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.15
€16.63
|
$16.08
€15.59
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.79
€11.43
|
$10.72
€10.39
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.54
€2.47
|
$2.79
€2.70
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.91
€1.85
|
$1.80
€1.75
|
|
pay 3.7% less for groceries
|
Barcelona
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.81
€1.75
|
$1.50
€1.45
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.89
€7.65
|
$6.92
€6.71
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.29
€4.16
|
$4.41
€4.27
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.26
€3.16
|
$3.05
€2.96
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.15
€4.03
|
$3.78
€3.67
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.05
€1.02
|
$1.13
€1.09
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.88
€0.85
|
$0.87
€0.84
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.00
€0.97
|
$1.01
€0.97
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.13
€1.10
|
$1.05
€1.02
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
€0.81
|
$0.83
€0.81
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.80
€0.78
|
$0.82
€0.80
|
|
pay 14.9% more for transportation
|
Barcelona
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.73
€6.52
|
$6.79
€6.58
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$23.58
€22.87
|
$42.87
€41.58
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,473.26
€33,431.86
|
$35,759.38
€34,679.12
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.36
€19.75
|
$14.90
€14.45
|
|
pay 1.9% less for housing
|
Barcelona
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$37.02
€35.90
|
$31.85
€30.88
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,371.48
€1,330.05
|
$1,468.90
€1,424.52
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,029.44
€998.34
|
$1,074.71
€1,042.24
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$137.15
€133.01
|
$130.03
€126.10
|
|
pay 14.2% less for childcare
|
Barcelona
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$635.96
€616.75
|
$567.57
€550.42
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,241.07
€11,871.28
|
$10,069.47
€9,765.28
|
|
pay 1.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Barcelona
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.75
€3.64
|
$3.75
€3.64
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.44
€2.36
|
$2.59
€2.51
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$5.89
€5.72
|
$6.43
€6.24
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$49.24
€47.76
|
$43.11
€41.81
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.45
€10.13
|
$10.72
€10.39
|
|
pay 5.6% more for clothing
|
Barcelona
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$82.23
€79.75
|
$90.50
€87.77
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.25
€35.16
|
$37.21
€36.09
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.65
€94.70
|
$97.88
€94.92
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$110.84
€107.49
|
$121.40
€117.73
|
|
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