Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Barcelona 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Barcelona is 4.6% higher than in Madrid (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Barcelona is 4.0% higher than in Madrid | |
| Rent Prices in Barcelona are 2.8% higher than in Madrid | |
| Restaurant Prices in Barcelona are 1.8% higher than in Madrid | |
| Groceries Prices in Barcelona are 8.8% higher than in Madrid | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Barcelona is 12.9% lower than in Madrid | |
Restaurants | Madrid Edit |
Barcelona Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant | 15.00 € | 15.00 € | 0.0 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course | 60.00 € | 60.00 € | 0.0 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) | 10.00 € | 12.00 € | +20.0 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) | 3.50 € | 3.50 € | 0.0 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | 4.00 € | 4.00 € | 0.0 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) | 2.68 € | 2.43 € | -9.1 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) | 2.68 € | 2.40 € | -10.2 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) | 1.84 € | 1.80 € | -2.1 % |
Markets | Madrid Edit |
Barcelona Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) | 4.00 € | 4.15 € | +3.8 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) | 1.31 € | 1.57 € | +19.7 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) | 0.66 € | 0.75 € | +14.0 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) | 2.91 € | 2.95 € | +1.3 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) | 5.52 € | 6.83 € | +23.7 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) | 3.54 € | 3.77 € | +6.3 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) | 6.37 € | 7.61 € | +19.5 % |
| Apples (1 lb) | 1.01 € | 1.04 € | +3.1 % |
| Banana (1 lb) | 0.84 € | 0.96 € | +15.1 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) | 0.96 € | 0.88 € | -8.6 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) | 1.03 € | 1.07 € | +3.7 % |
| Potato (1 lb) | 0.81 € | 0.78 € | -4.0 % |
| Onion (1 lb) | 0.81 € | 0.72 € | -11.4 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) | 1.11 € | 1.27 € | +14.2 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) | 0.84 € | 0.75 € | -11.1 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) | 6.70 € | 6.00 € | -10.4 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) | 1.24 € | 1.22 € | -2.4 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | 1.93 € | 2.02 € | +4.5 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) | 6.00 € | 6.00 € | 0.0 % |
Transportation | Madrid Edit |
Barcelona Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) | 1.50 € | 2.55 € | +70.0 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) | 33.90 € | 23.00 € | -32.2 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) | 3.50 € | 3.88 € | +10.7 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) | 2.09 € | 3.86 € | +84.6 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) | 25.00 € | 25.30 € | +1.2 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | 6.22 € | 6.17 € | -0.7 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) | 33,365.00 € | 33,365.00 € | 0.0 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) | 29,245.21 € | 28,571.43 € | -2.3 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Madrid Edit |
Barcelona Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment | 160.00 € | 159.64 € | -0.2 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data | 15.97 € | 19.26 € | +20.6 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | 29.74 € | 33.90 € | +14.0 % |
Sports And Leisure | Madrid Edit |
Barcelona Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | 41.82 € | 47.99 € | +14.8 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 14.78 € | 18.60 € | +25.9 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat | 10.00 € | 9.00 € | -10.0 % |
Childcare | Madrid Edit |
Barcelona Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child | 570.00 € | 598.53 € | +5.0 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child | 10,170.59 € | 12,553.85 € | +23.4 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Madrid Edit |
Barcelona Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) | 81.10 € | 74.05 € | -8.7 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) | 36.31 € | 32.05 € | -11.7 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) | 91.74 € | 91.19 € | -0.6 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes | 111.30 € | 102.94 € | -7.5 % |
Rent Per Month | Madrid Edit |
Barcelona Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 1,324.62 € | 1,349.62 € | +1.9 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 971.78 € | 1,042.14 € | +7.2 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | 2,318.42 € | 2,371.03 € | +2.3 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | 1,562.62 € | 1,590.22 € | +1.8 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Madrid Edit |
Barcelona Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre | 622.16 € | 511.12 € | -17.8 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre | 372.04 € | 375.98 € | +1.1 % |
Salaries And Financing | Madrid Edit |
Barcelona Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) | 1,973.36 € | 1,786.66 € | -9.5 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 3.59 | 3.39 | -5.4 % |
| Last update: | May 2025 | May 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 341 | 357 |
Moving to Madrid? Explore:
Moving to Barcelona? Explore:
Cities near Madrid: | Cost of Living in Pozuelo de Alarcon | 8.64 miles |
| Cost of Living in Getafe | 9.04 miles |
| Cost of Living in Coslada | 9.17 miles |
| Cost of Living in La Moraleja | 11.07 miles |
| Cost of Living in Rivas-Vaciamadrid | 12.79 miles |
| Cost of Living in Fuenlabrada | 15.28 miles |
| Cost of Living in Mostoles | 15.34 miles |
| Cost of Living in Alcala de Henares | 20.54 miles |
| Cost of Living in Soto del Real | 26.90 miles |
| Cost of Living in Aranjuez | 30.41 miles |
Cities near Barcelona: | Cost of Living in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat | 5.50 miles |
| Cost of Living in Badalona | 6.72 miles |
| Cost of Living in Cornella de Llobregat | 7.27 miles |
| Cost of Living in Sabadell | 16.28 miles |
| Cost of Living in Terrassa | 17.03 miles |
| Cost of Living in Igualada, Catalunya | 42.33 miles |
| Cost of Living in Tarragona | 63.44 miles |
| Cost of Living in Castello de la Plana | 173.67 miles |
| Cost of Living in Sagunto | 205.23 miles |
| Cost of Living in Valencia | 218.59 miles |