Spain
How much does a trip to Madrid cost?
In Madrid, plan around €39/day on the ground travelling cheap, or €1351 for 7 nights per person mid-range, excluding flights.
- From
- €39/day
- vs Paris
- 90%
- Best month
- Jun
At a glance
Wikidata, Wikipedia and Open-Meteo data
- Population
- 3.5M
- Area
- 604 km²
- Elevation
- 663 m
- Language
- Spanish
- Currency
- EURO
- Avg. July temp.
- 26°
- Avg. Jan. temp.
- 5°
- Rainy days / year
- 66
inhabitants
EURO
19° - 32°
1° - 10°
About
Madrid in brief
Madrid is the capital and most populous city of Spain. It had a population of over 3.4 million in the city proper in 2025, and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.8 million. Madrid is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), after Berlin, and its metropolitan area is the second-largest in the EU, after Paris. The municipality covers an area of 605.77 square kilometres (233.89 sq mi). Madrid lies on the River Manzanares in the central part of the Iberian Peninsula at about 660 metres (2,170 ft) above mean sea level.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
InstantTripCost estimate
Full 7-night budget breakdown
Per-person estimate including flights from Paris, split across the six expense categories.
per person · Comfort
| Category | Budget | Comfort | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flights | €187 | €220 | €330 |
| Hotel | €108 | €876 | €1548 |
| Food | €273 | €609 | €1365 |
| Transport | €56 | €126 | €315 |
| Activities | €28 | €140 | €434 |
| Misc | €21 | €154 | €469 |
| 7-night total | €673 | €2125 | €4461 |
Flight from Paris (annual median).
Daily detail
Price overview for Madrid
Three tiers to anchor you: what a budget traveler, a comfort traveler, and a premium traveler typically spend.
Budget
€65
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €18
- Meal
- €13
- Transit / day
- €8
Comfort
€251
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €146
- Meal
- €29
- Transit / day
- €18
Luxury
€498
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €258
- Meal
- €65
- Transit / day
- €45
Why visit
Why visit Madrid
Madrid packs three of Europe's great museums into a ten-minute walking triangle: the Prado, the Reina Sofía that holds Guernica, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza. The budget-changing detail: each has a free-entry window. The Prado is free for the last two hours of the day, the Reina Sofía in the evening and on Sunday afternoon. Time your visits to those windows and you see the core of Madrid's art without paying the €15 admission per museum.
For a traveler paying in euros, a second point smooths everything: Spain is in the eurozone. No exchange, no conversion fee, the listed prices are what you pay. It sounds minor but across a trip it removes a layer of friction and the 2 to 3% invisible loss you take in a non-euro destination.
Lodging is surprisingly reachable for a capital: a well-rated hostel runs around €10 a night, a decent three-star €65 to €100 depending on season. The center is compact and walkable, from the Retiro to Puerta del Sol.
For two people at mid-range comfort, plan roughly €110 to €160 a day excluding flights. Madrid sits about level with Paris across a full trip, but with a free cultural lever few capitals offer at this scale.
When to go
Weather & best time to visit
Average temperatures and conditions by month in Madrid.
Best month to visitJune
Where to sleep
Where to stay in Madrid
Madrid is a walking city, so staying central pays off more than elsewhere: most useful neighborhoods are twenty minutes apart on foot. Price depends more on the vibe you want, quiet residential or nightlife, than on distance to the center.
Sol - Centro
The geographic heart, walkable to the three museums and the main squares. Lively, sometimes noisy, unbeatable for a short first visit.
La Latina - Lavapiés
South of center, home to Sunday tapas and world cuisines. Working-class, alive, often a notch cheaper than Sol.
Malasaña - Chueca
North of center, trendy, boutiques and cocktail bars. Dense nightlife, best for those who want to go out.
Retiro - Salamanca
East of center, upscale residential along the Retiro park. Quiet, pricier, pleasant for a slower trip.
Hand-picked hotels
Where to stay in Madrid
Accommodation picks by price range.
Hostel LAS ROSAS
Hostel, standard (6.3/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
Hostel OASIS
Hostel, standard (5.5/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
Hostel Acacias
Hostel, standard (5.4/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
TiTANIC ALQUILERES
Hotel, decent (7.5/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
Funway Academic Resort
guesthouse, decent (7.8/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
JQC Rooms
guesthouse, decent (7.8/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
Elba Madrid Alcalá
Hotel, very well rated (8.8/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
Catalonia El Retiro
Hotel, rated excellent (9/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
Hotel Meninas - Boutique Opera
Hotel, very well rated (8.8/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
All observed hotels in Madrid
24 properties, nightly rate for a 2-night stay arriving 15 October 2026.
| Hotel | Category | Rating | From / night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostel LAS ROSAS | Budget | ★ 6.3 | €9 |
| Hostel OASIS | Budget | ★ 5.5 | €10 |
| Hostel Acacias | Budget | ★ 5.4 | €11 |
| Hostel 18 | Budget | ★ 5.4 | €11 |
| Hostel JIRAFA | Budget | ★ 4.8 | €11 |
| Hostel Vallecas | Budget | ★ 4.5 | €12 |
| Hostel Thirty One | Budget | ★ 4.4 | €12 |
| Hostel 165 | Budget | ★ 6.8 | €12 |
| TiTANIC ALQUILERES | Mid-range | ★ 7.5 | €65 |
| Funway Academic Resort | Mid-range | ★ 7.8 | €104 |
| JQC Rooms | Mid-range | ★ 7.8 | €104 |
| Suites Marqués de Vadillo | Mid-range | ★ 8.5 | €109 |
| Hostal JQ Madrid 1 | Mid-range | ★ 8.1 | €113 |
| Hotel Villa de Barajas | Mid-range | ★ 8.2 | €113 |
| Globales Acis y Galatea | Mid-range | ★ 8.2 | €114 |
| Elba Madrid Alcalá | Luxury | ★ 8.8 | €132 |
| Fuencarral Rooms | Mid-range | ★ 8.4 | €142 |
| Catalonia El Retiro | Luxury | ★ 9 | €173 |
| Hotel Meninas - Boutique Opera | Luxury | ★ 8.8 | €180 |
| Barceló Imagine | Luxury | ★ 9.1 | €209 |
| Hotel Sardinero Madrid | Luxury | ★ 8.9 | €213 |
| Hotel Regina | Luxury | ★ 9.4 | €213 |
| Hotel Liabeny | Luxury | ★ 9 | €217 |
| Preciados | Luxury | ★ 9 | €220 |
Eating
Eating in Madrid
Concrete benchmarks to set your meal budget, from the morning coffee to dinner.
Madrid's best budget move has a name: the menú del día. On weekday lunchtimes, most neighborhood restaurants serve a full set menu, starter, main, dessert and often a drink, for €12 to €15. It's the same meal that would cost double à la carte in the evening. Alongside, tapas are for sharing: a few plates and drinks for two easily stay under €25, especially in La Latina or Lavapiés away from the tourist terraces on Plaza Mayor. Mind the Spanish rhythm: lunch lands around 2pm, dinner rarely before 9pm, and kitchens close between services.
Getting around
Moving around Madrid
Transit, distances and the smart moves so you don't pay the tourist tax.
The center is walkable, which cuts the transport bill from the start. Beyond that, the metro is cheap and a ten-ride pack costs far less than single tickets, around €12 and shareable. From Barajas airport, the metro reaches the center for a few euros plus an airport supplement, a fraction of a taxi. Public bikes and buses fill in, but walking is the real saving here, the city being flat and dense.
To see, to do
Things to do in Madrid
Recommended activities and tours.
Museo del Prado
Art museum
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
Art museum
Royal Spanish Academy
Museum
Royal Palace of Madrid
Museum
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
Art museum
Puerta del Sol
Square
El Retiro Park
Park
National Museum of Archaeology
National museum
Temple of Debod
Museum
Teatro Real
Monument
Places referenced on Wikidata. Admission prices vary by season - check each venue's official site.
Travel tips
6 ways to save
- The three major museums (Prado, Reina Sofía, Thyssen) have free-entry windows: timing visits to them saves roughly €15 per museum per person.
- The weekday menú del día offers a full lunch for €12 to €15, half the à la carte evening price.
- The Retiro park, the Temple of Debod and Puerta del Sol are free and fill half a day at no cost.
- Paying in euros avoids any exchange fee, unlike a non-eurozone destination.
- A well-rated hostel runs around €10 a night, one of the best ratios among European capitals.
- A shareable ten-ride metro pack costs far less than tickets bought one at a time.
FAQ
FAQ - Madrid
- How much does a week in Madrid cost?
- For seven nights, plan roughly €400 to €650 per person on a budget (hostel, menú del día, museums at free windows), and around €950 to €1,400 at mid-range comfort with a three-star hotel, excluding flights.
- What's the best month to visit Madrid?
- Spring (May) and autumn (September-October) are ideal. The Madrid summer is brutal: July and August average over 25°C with far higher peaks and almost no rain, and the city empties out. Winter is dry and cool, around 6°C, with lower prices.
- Is Madrid an expensive destination?
- Madrid sits about level with Paris across a full trip, but offers more free levers: three major museums with free windows, parks and monuments with no admission, and a set lunch that makes eating very affordable. Budget lodging is also unusually cheap here.
- What are meal times in Madrid?
- Much later than in France. Lunch is around 2pm, dinner rarely before 9pm. Many kitchens close between services, from 4pm to 8pm: aiming for the menú del día at midday avoids being left with no option in the afternoon.
Similar budget
Destinations at a similar price
Cost index close to Madrid.
Also in Spain
Other destinations in Spain
This destination is listed in