Cost of living comparison
compared to
Chula Vista vs. Madrid Cost of Living Summary
Chula Vista is 40.3% more expensive than Madrid.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.3% less in Chula Vista
- Groceries
-
pay 44.7% more in Chula Vista
- Transportation
-
pay 2.1% more in Chula Vista
- Housing
-
pay 70.5% more in Chula Vista
- Childcare
-
pay 2.4 times more in Chula Vista
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 34.0% more in Chula Vista
- Clothing
-
pay 6.2% less in Chula Vista
The cost of childcare, housing, groceries, entertainment and sports, and transportation in Chula Vista are more expensive than in Madrid. Expenses including clothing and restaurants are lower in Chula Vista. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Chula Vista.
Chula Vista vs. Madrid Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Chula Vista instead of Madrid, you would:
pay 2.3% less for restaurants
|
Madrid
|
Chula Vista
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.10
€15.42
|
$21.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.68
€9.95
|
$11.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.13
€2.67
|
$2.67
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.19
€1.87
|
$2.00
|
|
Madrid vs. Chula Vista - Cost of restaurants
pay 44.7% more for groceries
|
Madrid
|
Chula Vista
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.71
€1.46
|
$4.57
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.25
€6.17
|
$6.22
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.61
€3.93
|
$4.67
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.36
€2.86
|
$5.83
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.05
€3.45
|
$4.48
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.18
€1.00
|
$2.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.02
€0.87
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.19
€1.02
|
$1.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.26
€1.07
|
$2.26
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.94
€0.80
|
$1.42
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.01
€0.86
|
$1.12
|
|
Madrid vs. Chula Vista - Cost of groceries
pay 2.1% more for transportation
|
Madrid
|
Chula Vista
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.08
€6.03
|
$4.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$45.84
€39.06
|
$72.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$38,541.72
€32,837.78
|
$28,500.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.23
€13.83
|
$17.91
|
|
Madrid vs. Chula Vista - Cost of transportation
pay 70.5% more for housing
|
Madrid
|
Chula Vista
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$34.54
€29.43
|
$74.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,540.98
€1,312.93
|
$2,650.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,118.82
€953.24
|
$1,800.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$153.78
€131.02
|
$205.84
|
|
Madrid vs. Chula Vista - Cost of housing
pay 2.4 times more for childcare
|
Madrid
|
Chula Vista
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$673.20
€573.57
|
$1,750.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,119.76
€11,178.11
|
$28,750.00
|
|
Madrid vs. Chula Vista - Cost of childcare
pay 34.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Madrid
|
Chula Vista
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.50
€3.83
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.20
€2.73
|
$5.90
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.01
€5.97
|
$10.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.05
€43.50
|
$20.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.68
€9.95
|
$14.75
|
|
Madrid vs. Chula Vista - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.2% less for clothing
|
Madrid
|
Chula Vista
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$98.88
€84.25
|
$60.72
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.27
€35.16
|
$58.44
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$107.49
€91.58
|
$77.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$125.44
€106.87
|
$126.25
|
|
Madrid vs. Chula Vista - Cost of clothing
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: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Spain vs. United States.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Spain and United States.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Chula Vista or Madrid. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.