Cost of living comparison
Redwood City vs. Madrid Cost of Living Summary
Redwood City is 62.8% more expensive than Madrid.
- Restaurants
-
pay 24.7% more in Redwood City
- Groceries
-
pay 63.7% more in Redwood City
- Transportation
-
pay 7.4% less in Redwood City
- Housing
-
pay 2.2 times more in Redwood City
- Childcare
-
pay 3.2 times more in Redwood City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.3 times more in Redwood City
- Clothing
-
pay 27.1% less in Redwood City
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, and restaurants in Redwood City are more expensive than in Madrid. Expenses including clothing and transportation are lower in Redwood City. Notably, childcare, entertainment and sports, and housing are significantly more expensive in Redwood City.
Redwood City vs. Madrid Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Redwood City instead of Madrid, you would:
pay 24.7% more for restaurants
|
Madrid
|
Redwood City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.92
€16.07
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.20
€10.05
|
$13.25
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.30
€2.96
|
$3.16
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.30
€2.06
|
$2.70
|
|
pay 63.7% more for groceries
|
Madrid
|
Redwood City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.57
€1.41
|
$5.31
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.35
€7.49
|
$7.58
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.25
€4.71
|
$5.67
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.15
€3.72
|
$7.60
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.23
€3.79
|
$4.85
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.17
€1.05
|
$2.78
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.96
€0.86
|
$1.30
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.15
€1.03
|
$2.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.16
€1.04
|
$2.90
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.00
€0.89
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.97
€0.87
|
$1.67
|
|
pay 7.4% less for transportation
|
Madrid
|
Redwood City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.88
€6.17
|
$5.78
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$36.95
€33.15
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,271.67
€31,643.98
|
$36,998.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.84
€14.21
|
$14.09
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for housing
|
Madrid
|
Redwood City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$34.86
€31.28
|
$70.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,491.38
€1,337.99
|
$4,250.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,193.86
€1,071.07
|
$2,500.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.11
€129.28
|
$184.67
|
|
pay 3.2 times more for childcare
|
Madrid
|
Redwood City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$668.48
€599.73
|
$2,942.94
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$17,859.91
€16,023.02
|
$42,562.50
|
|
pay 2.3 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Madrid
|
Redwood City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.92
€3.52
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.07
€2.76
|
$5.66
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.72
€6.03
|
$12.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$50.67
€45.46
|
$240.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.20
€10.05
|
$18.00
|
|
pay 27.1% less for clothing
|
Madrid
|
Redwood City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$86.50
€77.60
|
$45.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.98
€38.56
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$108.99
€97.78
|
$100.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.77
€101.17
|
$115.00
|
|
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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