
Cost of living in Spain: real numbers to help you budget better
We crunched the numbers on the cost of living in Spain, including average rental prices, grocery bills, and more—all to help you budget better.
5 min read
Let’s be honest—life in Spain is pretty good and it's a good place to move in. But it’s still worthwhile to do a little math and put together your monthly budget so that your life keeps running smoothly. But how much does it actually cost to live in Spain?Well, the country is known for its great food, perfect weather, and rich culture, so it’s no surprise that expats from all over the world are drawn to the Iberian peninsula. And the fact that Spain has one of the highest life expectancies in the world (currently around 84 years) is more supporting proof that the quality of life is good. But life expectancy is one thing—the cost of living in Spain is another.You’ll want to work out how much you need and plan your finances accordingly. To help you do that, we’ve put together this guide to the cost of living in Spain, including basic services and just-for-fun expenses.The most basic expense to consider is your groceries. Although prices in Spain are generally stable, every so often inflation rears up and disrupts everything a little.The following list may be different depending on your supermarket of choice and the quality of the product (well-known brands are more expensive than supermarkets’ own labels, for example) but these are average prices to give you an idea of how much it will cost to fill your shopping cart:
These are basic products that the average Spaniard puts in their shopping cart on a regular basis. Average prices can go up or down depending on the origin of the product, the shop, the city, and many other factors.Still, it costs around €50 on average to buy food for one person for one week, which means you’d be spending about €200 a month on food.You’ve probably already guessed: Living in Madrid or Barcelona is not the same as living in Albacete. The price of accommodation in Spain varies significantly—meaning that your budget will partly depend on where you choose to live.Aside from the city, there are other factors that affect rental prices. These include the neighbourhood, the size of the property, whether you have housemates or not, whether the property is furnished or not, and what services the apartment building has.Here’s a table with some price ranges you can use as a guide.
So, we’ve already seen that property prices are worlds apart across different parts of Spain—and it’s no different for transportation. Every city has its own prices, travel cards, and service frequencies.To make your journey a bit easier, we’ve compiled a table with the prices of bus tickets in the major Spanish cities.
Price of food in Spain
Product | Average price |
---|---|
Water, 1.5 liters | €0.62 |
Milk, 1 liter | €0.78 |
White rice, 1 kg | €1.01 |
Bottle of olive oil | €3.89 |
Potatoes, 1 kg | €1.16 |
Bananas, 1 kg | €1.56 |
Oranges, 1 kg | €1.42 |
Cheese, 1 kg | €9.77 |
Beef, 1 kg | €10.40 |
1 baguette | €0.50 |
Eggs, 1 dozen | €1.88 |
1 bottle of wine | €5 |
Beer, 1 liter | €0.88 |
Price of accommodation in Spain
City | Monthly price for a 50 m2 apartment | Monthly price for a room |
---|---|---|
Madrid | €660 - 880 | Around €400 |
Barcelona | €660 - 880 | Around €400 |
Valencia | €550 - 650 | Around €300 |
Seville | €450 - 550 | Around €280 |
Vigo | €400 - 500 | Around €250 |
Bilbao | €600 - 700 | Around €350 |
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | €500 - 600 | Around €280 |
Santander | €500 - 600 | Around €250 |
Price of transportation in Spain
City | Bus ticket price |
---|---|
Madrid | €1.50 |
Barcelona | €2.40 |
Valencia | €1.50 |
Seville |