Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Marcos vs. Madrid Cost of Living Summary
San Marcos is 10.9% more expensive than Madrid.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.9% less in San Marcos
- Groceries
-
pay 13.2% more in San Marcos
- Transportation
-
pay 25.9% less in San Marcos
- Housing
-
pay 27.9% more in San Marcos
- Childcare
-
pay 49.3% more in San Marcos
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 32.3% more in San Marcos
- Clothing
-
pay 15.6% less in San Marcos
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, and groceries in San Marcos are more expensive than in Madrid. Expenses including transportation, clothing, and restaurants are lower in San Marcos.
San Marcos vs. Madrid Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Marcos instead of Madrid, you would:
pay 4.9% less for restaurants
|
Madrid
|
San Marcos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.10
€15.42
|
$19.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.68
€9.95
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.13
€2.67
|
$2.76
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.19
€1.87
|
$2.23
|
|
Madrid vs. San Marcos - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 13.2% more for groceries
|
Madrid
|
San Marcos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.71
€1.46
|
$3.23
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.25
€6.17
|
$4.91
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.61
€3.93
|
$3.44
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.36
€2.86
|
$3.83
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.05
€3.45
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.18
€1.00
|
$1.88
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.02
€0.87
|
$0.54
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.19
€1.02
|
$1.67
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.26
€1.07
|
$1.12
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.94
€0.80
|
$1.20
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.01
€0.86
|
$1.05
|
|
Madrid vs. San Marcos - Cost of groceries
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 25.9% less for transportation
|
Madrid
|
San Marcos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.08
€6.03
|
$2.80
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$45.84
€39.06
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$38,541.72
€32,837.78
|
$36,278.39
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.23
€13.83
|
$14.39
|
|
Madrid vs. San Marcos - Cost of transportation
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 27.9% more for housing
|
Madrid
|
San Marcos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$34.54
€29.43
|
$70.76
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,540.98
€1,312.93
|
$1,340.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,118.82
€953.24
|
$1,400.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$153.78
€131.02
|
$145.65
|
|
Madrid vs. San Marcos - Cost of housing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 49.3% more for childcare
|
Madrid
|
San Marcos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$673.20
€573.57
|
$670.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,119.76
€11,178.11
|
$26,120.00
|
|
Madrid vs. San Marcos - Cost of childcare
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 32.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Madrid
|
San Marcos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.50
€3.83
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.20
€2.73
|
$4.82
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.01
€5.97
|
$8.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.05
€43.50
|
$69.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.68
€9.95
|
$15.00
|
|
Madrid vs. San Marcos - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 15.6% less for clothing
|
Madrid
|
San Marcos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$98.88
€84.25
|
$45.57
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.27
€35.16
|
$44.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$107.49
€91.58
|
$98.95
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$125.44
€106.87
|
$116.43
|
|
Madrid vs. San Marcos - Cost of clothing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
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 San Marcos or Madrid. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.