Cost of living comparison
Madrid is 21.4% cheaper than Brussels.
- Restaurants
-
pay 18.7% less in Madrid
- Groceries
-
pay 19.8% less in Madrid
- Transportation
-
pay 13.4% less in Madrid
- Housing
-
pay 10.7% less in Madrid
- Childcare
-
pay 49.1% less in Madrid
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 22.0% less in Madrid
- Clothing
-
pay 16.0% less in Madrid
Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, groceries, restaurants, clothing, and transportation are lower in Madrid.
If you lived in Madrid instead of Brussels, you would:
pay 18.7% less for restaurants
|
Brussels
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.44
€18.20
|
$16.08
€13.65
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.86
€10.92
|
$10.72
€9.10
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.89
€2.46
|
$2.79
€2.37
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
€2.17
|
$1.80
€1.53
|
|
pay 19.8% less for groceries
|
Brussels
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.59
€2.20
|
$1.50
€1.27
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.47
€6.35
|
$6.92
€5.88
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.00
€5.10
|
$4.41
€3.74
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.29
€3.64
|
$3.05
€2.59
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.66
€4.81
|
$3.78
€3.21
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.16
€0.99
|
$1.13
€0.96
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.96
€0.82
|
$0.87
€0.74
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.19
€1.01
|
$1.01
€0.85
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.38
€1.17
|
$1.05
€0.89
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.98
€0.83
|
$0.83
€0.71
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.94
€0.80
|
$0.82
€0.70
|
|
pay 13.4% less for transportation
|
Brussels
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.92
€5.88
|
$6.79
€5.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$53.59
€45.50
|
$42.87
€36.40
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,152.89
€27,297.55
|
$35,759.38
€30,359.42
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$25.94
€22.02
|
$14.90
€12.65
|
|
pay 10.7% less for housing
|
Brussels
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$55.46
€47.09
|
$31.85
€27.04
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,200.57
€1,019.27
|
$1,468.90
€1,247.08
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,025.16
€870.36
|
$1,074.71
€912.42
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$179.33
€152.25
|
$130.03
€110.40
|
|
pay 49.1% less for childcare
|
Brussels
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$988.17
€838.94
|
$567.57
€481.86
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,667.79
€19,244.77
|
$10,069.47
€8,548.90
|
|
pay 22.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Brussels
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.36
€4.55
|
$3.75
€3.18
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.01
€3.40
|
$2.59
€2.20
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.65
€8.19
|
$6.43
€5.46
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.09
€32.34
|
$43.11
€36.60
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.20
€12.06
|
$10.72
€9.10
|
|
pay 16.0% less for clothing
|
Brussels
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$96.46
€81.89
|
$90.50
€76.83
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.32
€43.57
|
$37.21
€31.59
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$115.01
€97.64
|
$97.88
€83.10
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$143.35
€121.70
|
$121.40
€103.07
|
|
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