Cost of living comparison

compared to

Arlington vs. Madrid Cost of Living Summary

Arlington is 19.9% more expensive than Madrid.

Restaurants
pay 27.8% more in Arlington
Groceries
pay 24.9% more in Arlington
Transportation
pay 10.9% less in Arlington
Housing
pay 17.7% more in Arlington
Childcare
pay 2.8 times more in Arlington
Entertainment and Sports
pay 36.3% more in Arlington
Clothing
pay 4.4% less in Arlington

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

Arlington vs. Madrid Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Arlington instead of Madrid, you would:

pay 27.8% more for restaurants

 
Madrid
Arlington
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $17.92
€16.07
$25.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$11.20
€10.05
$14.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $3.30
€2.96
$3.00
 

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pay 24.9% more for groceries

 
Madrid
Arlington
Bread
1 loaf
$1.57
€1.41
$3.61
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $8.35
€7.49
$6.89
 
Milk (1 gallon) $5.25
€4.71
$3.97
 

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pay 10.9% less for transportation

 
Madrid
Arlington
Gasoline (1 gallon) $6.88
€6.17
$5.21
 
Monthly public transit pass $36.95
€33.15
??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $35,271.67
€31,643.98
$36,318.00
 

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pay 17.7% more for housing

 
Madrid
Arlington
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$34.86
€31.28
$89.33
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,491.38
€1,337.99
$1,550.00
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,193.86
€1,071.07
$1,300.00
 

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pay 2.8 times more for childcare

 
Madrid
Arlington
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $668.48
€599.73
$3,012.40
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $17,859.91
€16,023.02
$31,129.44
 

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pay 36.3% more for entertainment and sports

 
Madrid
Arlington
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $3.92
€3.52
$7.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.07
€2.76
$6.00
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$6.72
€6.03
$12.56
 

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pay 4.4% less for clothing

 
Madrid
Arlington
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$86.50
€77.60
$50.00
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$42.98
€38.56
$54.88
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$108.99
€97.78
$101.67
 

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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