Cost of living comparison
compared to
Santa Monica vs. Madrid Cost of Living Summary
Santa Monica is 41.8% more expensive than Madrid.
- Restaurants
- pay 6.7% more in Santa Monica
- Groceries
- pay 48.6% more in Santa Monica
- Transportation
- pay 2.5% more in Santa Monica
- Housing
- pay 83.3% more in Santa Monica
- Childcare
- pay 88.1% more in Santa Monica
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 67.9% more in Santa Monica
- Clothing
- pay 4.6% less in Santa Monica
Santa Monica vs. Madrid Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Santa Monica instead of Madrid, you would:
pay 6.7% more for restaurants
Madrid | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $18.10 €15.89 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $11.68 €10.25 | $12.50 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $3.13 €2.75 | $2.83 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.19 €1.92 | $2.00 | |
Madrid vs. Santa Monica - Cost of restaurants
pay 48.6% more for groceries
Madrid | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.71 €1.50 | $4.41 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $7.25 €6.36 | $6.67 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.61 €4.05 | $4.71 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $3.36 €2.95 | $5.00 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $4.05 €3.56 | $6.33 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.18 €1.04 | $2.00 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.02 €0.90 | $0.87 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.19 €1.05 | $1.84 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.26 €1.11 | $2.53 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.94 €0.83 | $1.38 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.01 €0.89 | $1.22 | |
Madrid vs. Santa Monica - Cost of groceries
pay 2.5% more for transportation
Madrid | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $7.08 €6.21 | $4.74 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $45.84 €40.25 | $67.50 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $38,541.72 €33,839.71 | $32,727.50 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $16.23 €14.25 | $18.01 | |
Madrid vs. Santa Monica - Cost of transportation
pay 83.3% more for housing
Madrid | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $34.54 €30.32 | $69.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,540.98 €1,352.99 | $3,175.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,118.82 €982.32 | $2,533.33 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $153.78 €135.02 | $155.53 | |
Madrid vs. Santa Monica - Cost of housing
pay 88.1% more for childcare
Madrid | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $673.20 €591.07 | $1,762.50 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $13,119.76 €11,519.17 | $15,000.00 | |
Madrid vs. Santa Monica - Cost of childcare
pay 67.9% more for entertainment and sports
Madrid | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $4.50 €3.95 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.20 €2.81 | $5.58 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $7.01 €6.15 | $11.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $51.05 €44.83 | $90.00 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $11.68 €10.25 | $18.00 | |
Madrid vs. Santa Monica - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.6% less for clothing
Madrid | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $98.88 €86.82 | $61.25 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $41.27 €36.23 | $44.15 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $107.49 €94.37 | $100.09 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $125.44 €110.13 | $149.85 | |
Madrid vs. Santa Monica - 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: June 2026
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