Cost of living comparison

compared to
Madrid vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary

Madrid is 94.8% more expensive than South Africa overall.

Restaurants
pay 2.3 times more in Madrid
Groceries
pay 51.6% more in Madrid
Transportation
pay 41.5% more in Madrid
Housing
pay 2.4 times more in Madrid
Childcare
pay 2.9 times more in Madrid
Entertainment and Sports
pay 69.0% more in Madrid
Clothing
pay 40.8% more in Madrid

The cost of childcare, housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and transportation in Madrid are more expensive than in South Africa. Notably, childcare, housing, and restaurants are significantly more expensive in Madrid.

Madrid vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Madrid instead of South Africa, you would:

pay 2.3 times more for restaurants

 
South Africa
Madrid
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $8.97
ZAR167.75
$16.08
€15.42
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.77
ZAR89.19
$10.72
€10.28
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.95
ZAR17.85
$2.79
€2.67

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pay 51.6% more for groceries

 
South Africa
Madrid
Bread
1 loaf
$0.99
ZAR18.52
$1.50
€1.44
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.67
ZAR68.71
$6.92
€6.64
Milk (1 gallon) $4.20
ZAR78.50
$4.41
€4.23

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pay 41.5% more for transportation

 
South Africa
Madrid
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.99
ZAR93.27
$6.79
€6.51
Monthly public transit pass $52.31
ZAR978.04
$42.87
€41.11
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $20,607.77
ZAR385,297.34
$35,759.38
€34,291.70

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pay 2.4 times more for housing

 
South Africa
Madrid
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$41.37
ZAR773.47
$31.85
€30.54
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $382.55
ZAR7,152.49
$1,468.90
€1,408.61
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $326.35
ZAR6,101.62
$1,074.71
€1,030.60

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pay 2.9 times more for childcare

 
South Africa
Madrid
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $174.12
ZAR3,255.40
$567.57
€544.27
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $4,033.53
ZAR75,413.67
$10,069.47
€9,656.19

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pay 69.0% more for entertainment and sports

 
South Africa
Madrid
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.11
ZAR39.41
$3.75
€3.60
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.88
ZAR35.20
$2.59
€2.48
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.90
ZAR54.30
$6.43
€6.17

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pay 40.8% more for clothing

 
South Africa
Madrid
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$47.72
ZAR892.12
$90.50
€86.79
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$32.06
ZAR599.40
$37.21
€35.69
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$90.39
ZAR1,689.97
$97.88
€93.86

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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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See the cost of living in South Africa vs. Spain. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within South Africa and Spain.

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