Your daily budget at a glance
The table below gives rough figures per person per day, excluding accommodation. They are based on official transport and museum fares and on average restaurant prices recorded in Madrid.
| Expense | Low budget | Mid-range budget | Comfortable budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transport | 10-trip ticket, €7.30 (about €0.73 per trip) | Abono turístico zone A, €10.30 per day | Metro plus a few taxis (flag fall from €2.55) |
| Lunch | Menú del día, around €15 | More elaborate menú del día or sit-down tapas, €20 to €30 | À la carte restaurant, €40 and up |
| Dinner | Two or three cañas with tapas at the bar | Raciones to share on a terrace | Dinner at a well-known restaurant |
| Museums | Free hours only | One major paid museum per day (€12 to €18) | Two paid visits, with audio guide or guided tour |
| Rough total | €30 to €40 | €60 to €90 | €120 and up |
Prices noted in October 2026. The totals are estimates: they vary mostly with what you eat in the evening and how many paid museums you visit.
Accommodation: the biggest expense
Accommodation takes the largest share of the budget. According to Spain's National Statistics Institute (INE), the average price of a hotel room in the Community of Madrid was about €117 a night in August 2026, a quiet month in Madrid, down about 4.6% year on year. Prices rise sharply during major trade fairs, match weekends at the Bernabéu, the San Isidro festivities in May and Pride in late June and early July.
To spend less:
- Book early for spring and autumn, the busiest seasons, and compare with summer, when rates often drop.
- Aim for well-connected neighbourhoods outside the very centre: Lavapiés, Argüelles or Chamberí are only a few stops from Puerta del Sol.
- Check the total price: booking platforms sometimes add cleaning or service fees at the end of the booking. On the other hand, there is no tourist tax to pay on arrival.
Eating: menú del día, tapas and cañas
The menú del día is the best value in Madrid. Served at lunchtime on weekdays, it usually includes a starter, a main course, a dessert or coffee, bread and a drink. Its average price in the Community of Madrid is around €15 in 2026 according to industry studies; it is a little higher in office districts and near the sights, and lower in residential neighbourhoods. The chalkboards on the pavement show the price and the dishes of the day: read them before you go in.
In the evening, Madrilenians eat late, rarely before 9 pm, and many prefer to hop between tapas bars. A caña (small draught beer) costs a few euros; in some bars, especially in La Latina and Lavapiés, a small tapa comes free with every drink. Raciones, larger portions to share, cost more but are often enough for two.
A few useful habits:
- Tap water is safe to drink in Madrid, and Spain's 2022 waste law requires bars and restaurants to offer non-bottled water free of charge: ask for "agua del grifo".
- The terraces on Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol charge more than the neighbouring streets. A coffee or a beer there costs noticeably more.
- Covered markets let you taste several specialities, but the San Miguel Market, which is very touristy, is more expensive than neighbourhood markets such as San Antón or Antón Martín.
- Supermarkets remain the cheapest option for breakfast, picnics in the Retiro and bottled water.
Getting around: metro, bus, taxi
Madrid is compact and much of the centre can be covered on foot. For the rest, the metro and EMT bus network is dense and cheap. The 2026 fares were set by the Regional Transport Consortium (CRTM):
- Single metro ticket, zone A: €1.50 whatever the length of the trip since 1 October 2026; EMT bus: €1.50.
- 10-trip ticket for metro zone A and EMT: €7.30, the best deal for most visitors. It is loaded onto the rechargeable Tarjeta Multi card, which costs €2.50 and can be shared by several travellers.
- Abono turístico (tourist travel pass, unlimited trips): €10.30 for 1 day, €17.50 for 2 days, €23.10 for 3 days and €43.20 for 7 days in zone A; half price for children under 11. Compared with the 10-trip ticket, it only pays off if you make a very large number of trips in a day, or for a trip to the airport, since it exempts you from the €3 supplement.
- Airport: the metro airport supplement is €3 on the single and 10-trip tickets, and the Airport Express bus costs €5. By taxi, the flat fare between the airport and the area inside the M-30 is €33, with no supplements.
Since 1 June 2026, you can also pay for a single metro ticket directly at the gate with a contactless bank card or a phone. To get to the centre from Barajas, all the options are compared in our guide to Barajas airport.
Museums and monuments: prices and free hours
Madrid's four major sights all offer free time slots, sometimes restricted to certain visitors. Planning your days around these slots can save you several dozen euros, at the cost of some queuing.
| Place | Full price | Free hours | Other free admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prado Museum | €15 (reduced €7.50) | Monday-Saturday 18:00-20:00, Sundays and public holidays 17:00-19:00 | Under 18s, students aged 18 to 25 |
| Reina Sofía Museum | €12 | Monday and Wednesday-Saturday 19:00-21:00, Sunday 12:30-14:30 (closed Tuesday) | A few days a year, including 12 October |
| Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum | €14 (reduced €10) | Monday 12:00-16:00 (permanent collection), Saturday 21:00-23:00 | Under 18s |
| Royal Palace | €18 (reduced €9) | Monday-Thursday 16:00-18:00 from October to March, 17:00-19:00 from April to September, for EU citizens and residents and Latin American citizens | 12 October for everyone, 18 May, under 5s |
Prices noted in October 2026. Tickets are limited during free hours: arrive early, especially at the Prado, where the queue forms well before 6 pm.
The Paseo del Arte pass
If you want to see the three big museums on the Paseo del Prado without time constraints, the Paseo del Arte pass costs €32.80 and gives access to the collections of the Prado, the Reina Sofía and the Thyssen, once each, for one year from purchase. That is a saving of about 20% compared with three separate tickets. It is sold at the ticket desks and on the online ticket offices of all three museums.
Free hours in practice
- Two hours is rarely enough for the Prado: focus on one or two sets of rooms (Velázquez, Goya, Bosch) rather than skimming everything.
- Monday is the ideal day for the Thyssen, which is free for its whole opening time that day, followed by the Reina Sofía in the evening.
- The free Royal Palace slot requires an ID proving your nationality or residence, and the ticket office closes one hour before the end of the slot.
Tips to cut costs
- Eat a big lunch and a light dinner: the lunchtime menú del día costs far less than an à la carte evening meal.
- Beware of restaurant touts around Sol and Plaza Mayor, and always check the bill. Our article on scams to avoid in Madrid details the common traps.
- Pay in euros when a card terminal offers to convert into your home currency: the conversion offered is almost always more expensive. See our guide to money, payments and tipping in Madrid.
- Avoid taxis for short trips in the centre: the metro and walking are often faster at rush hour.
- Make the most of free parks: the Retiro, Madrid Río and Casa de Campo easily fill half a day without spending anything.
- Pick your season: summer and midwinter are often cheaper for hotels.
Further reading
To prepare your stay without unpleasant surprises, read our guide to public transport in Madrid to choose between the 10-trip ticket and the abono, the list of things to do in free Madrid, and our selection of neighbourhoods to decide where to stay in Madrid according to your budget.
