Cost of living comparison
Madrid is 21.4% cheaper than Brussels.
If you lived in Madrid instead of Brussels, you would:
pay 16.7% less for restaurants
|
Brussels
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.59
€17.71
|
$15.16
€13.71
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.97
€10.83
|
$10.32
€9.33
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.72
€2.46
|
$2.71
€2.45
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.58
€2.33
|
$1.81
€1.64
|
|
pay 17.9% less for groceries
|
Brussels
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.68
€2.43
|
$1.74
€1.57
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.38
€7.58
|
$7.67
€6.93
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.89
€5.33
|
$4.36
€3.94
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.11
€3.72
|
$3.02
€2.73
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.43
€4.91
|
$3.87
€3.50
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.23
€1.12
|
$1.14
€1.03
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
€0.81
|
$0.89
€0.80
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.31
€1.18
|
$0.97
€0.87
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.30
€1.18
|
$1.13
€1.02
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.87
€0.79
|
$0.72
€0.66
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.83
€0.75
|
$0.77
€0.69
|
|
pay 6.8% less for transportation
|
Brussels
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.19
€6.50
|
$6.78
€6.13
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$53.34
€48.22
|
$54.15
€48.96
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,021.96
€28,047.51
|
$36,133.87
€32,669.28
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$24.16
€21.85
|
$14.65
€13.24
|
|
pay 13.9% less for housing
|
Brussels
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$57.82
€52.28
|
$33.64
€30.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,165.94
€1,054.15
|
$1,370.72
€1,239.29
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$976.56
€882.93
|
$989.21
€894.36
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$182.93
€165.39
|
$123.32
€111.49
|
|
pay 51.0% less for childcare
|
Brussels
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$989.17
€894.32
|
$543.23
€491.14
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,148.55
€20,929.02
|
$9,978.95
€9,022.15
|
|
pay 16.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
Brussels
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.44
€4.92
|
$3.79
€3.43
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.88
€3.51
|
$2.63
€2.37
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.25
€8.37
|
$6.12
€5.53
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$34.92
€31.57
|
$48.46
€43.82
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.15
€12.79
|
$10.83
€9.79
|
|
pay 27.0% less for clothing
|
Brussels
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$104.24
€94.25
|
$83.95
€75.90
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$49.59
€44.83
|
$33.93
€30.68
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$117.47
€106.20
|
$87.19
€78.83
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$144.77
€130.89
|
$99.93
€90.35
|
|
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