Cost of living comparison

compared to
North Carolina vs. Madrid Cost of Living Summary

North Carolina is 35.1% more expensive than Madrid.

Restaurants
pay 7.0% less in North Carolina
Groceries
pay 57.8% more in North Carolina
Transportation
pay 0.3% less in North Carolina
Housing
pay 38.1% more in North Carolina
Childcare
pay 2.4 times more in North Carolina
Entertainment and Sports
pay 37.7% more in North Carolina
Clothing
pay 16.2% less in North Carolina

The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, and entertainment and sports in North Carolina are more expensive than in Madrid. Expenses including clothing, restaurants, and transportation are lower in North Carolina. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in North Carolina.

North Carolina vs. Madrid Cost Breakdown

If you lived in North Carolina instead of Madrid, you would:

pay 7.0% less for restaurants

 
Madrid
North Carolina
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $16.08
€15.59
$16.06
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.72
€10.39
$10.06
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.79
€2.70
$2.31
 

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pay 57.8% more for groceries

 
Madrid
North Carolina
Bread
1 loaf
$1.50
€1.45
$3.48
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.92
€6.71
$6.25
 
Milk (1 gallon) $4.41
€4.27
$3.46
 

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pay 0.3% less for transportation

 
Madrid
North Carolina
Gasoline (1 gallon) $6.79
€6.58
$3.19
 
Monthly public transit pass $42.87
€41.58
$53.89
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $35,759.38
€34,679.12
$34,400.31
 

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pay 38.1% more for housing

 
Madrid
North Carolina
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$31.85
€30.88
$72.47
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,468.90
€1,424.52
$1,527.81
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,074.71
€1,042.24
$1,294.23
 

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pay 2.4 times more for childcare

 
Madrid
North Carolina
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $567.57
€550.42
$1,254.70
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $10,069.47
€9,765.28
$25,128.75
 

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pay 37.7% more for entertainment and sports

 
Madrid
North Carolina
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $3.75
€3.64
$5.09
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.59
€2.51
$4.89
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$6.43
€6.24
$7.33
 

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pay 16.2% less for clothing

 
Madrid
North Carolina
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$90.50
€87.77
$49.88
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$37.21
€36.09
$37.28
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$97.88
€94.92
$86.65
 

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: January 2025
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