Is it expensive to live in Spain?

Which are the least expensive Spanish cities?

How do they compare with the city you are living in now?

In this article, with the data available from 2023, you will understand everything about the cost of living in Spain: purchasing power, rent, cost of daily items such as groceries and restaurants, comparison of all the sectors’ prices vs other European countries,… We will explain to you why Spain is a very cost-effective place to live vs all the major economies in the world and which Spanish cities are the best to work or relax with a small budget or we will tell you which Spanish cities are the most expensive ones.
You could think this article is long, but don’t hesitate to read the table of contents just below to find direct answers to your questions.
Yes, Spain is one of the cheapest countries in the world, and it is even more interesting if you consider the quality of life and the economic activity!

Enjoy your reading, you just landed on one of our most-read articles!

If you want to compare the cost of living between the United Kingdom and Spain, we wrote a dedicated article on that: The cost of living in Spain vs UK.

1. The Cost of living in Spain is 8% lower than in the rest of Europe!

   Of course, you will tell us that you want to go to Spain for the sun or to the beaches…

   There are plenty of other good reasons as well, but when you look at finding a place to live, we think that the cost of living is a very important criterion!

   We did the work with the help of the Statistics from Eurostat to compare Spain’s cost of life vs any other European country so that you could compare your current lifestyle with the one you could have in Spain.

   Here are the results:

   

   If you compare Spain on this chart in Orange colour with Europe in Blue colour, you will notice that Spain is more expensive in only one area: “Communication” by 12%. All the other sectors are cheaper in Spain than in the rest of Europe!

   Let’s have a look at the data:

    

   Cost of Goods & Services	Europe-19	Spain	Spain vs Europe
   Transport services	106	88	83%
   Restaurants and hotels	103	89	87%
   Alcoholic beverages and tobacco	105	91	87%
   Clothing	101	90	89%
   Consumption price index	106	97	92%
   Food and non-alcoholic beverages	105	97	93%
   Transport equipment	101	96	95%
   Household appliances	102	99	97%
   Footwear	101	100	99%
   Electricity, gas and fuels	108	107	99%
   Consumer electronics	101	100	100%
   Furniture and furnishings	102	102	100%
   Communication	109	123	112%

    

   Source: Eurostat 2020

   If you prefer a chart, here is our interactive chart:

    

   So, next time you visit Spain, enjoy the sun, the beaches, the cultural treasures and of course the quality of life… and for sure, the excellent Mediterranean food and tapas!
   As you can see on this table with the General Index: Spain is on average 8% cheaper than the rest of Europe!

    

2. Spain is cheaper than Europe for 7 products and services…

   Spain is cheap for :

   • Transport services, -17%
   • Restaurants and Hotels, -13%
   • Alcoholic beverages and tobacco, -13%, I guess you all noticed? ,
   • Clothing, -11%
   • Food and non-alcoholic beverages, -7%
   • Transport equipment, -5%,
   • Household appliances, -3%
   • Summer 2022 update: Utilities are much cheaper in Spain than in European countries.

   So keep enjoying the beers and the Tapas.

    

   

   10 reasons for buying a property in Spain

    

3. Spain is more expensive for 1 thing … 🙂

   Communication, +12%

   Check the detailed comparison of electricity prices made by Eurostat.

   The good news: Europe voted laws for cheaper communications within EU!

    

4. Cost of living in Spain vs the World

   Numbeo, is a website comparing the cost of living in many different countries and cities all over the world. According to them, in January 2022, Spain is the 46th most expensive country in the world with an average cost of life of 53.88 (vs 100 for New York). Spain is cheaper than Greece, for instance, and has the same cost of life as Estonia. Not bad if you want to enjoy the sun! If you look at the top 21 countries in the world in terms of GDP, Spain is the 12th country in terms of the cost of living.

   How does Numbeo create its indexes?

   Numbeo takes NYC as a reference: these indices are relative to New York City (NYC). This means that for any city with the same cost of living as New York City, it will have a value of 100. If another city has, for example, a rent index of 120, it means that, on average, in that city, rents are 20% more expensive than in New York City. If a city has a rent index of 70, that means that city rents are on average 30% less expensive than in New York City.

   Let’s dig deeper into the worldwide ranking made by Numbeo on the cost of living (with rent) ranking (fourth column):

   Rank	Country	Cost of Living Index	Rent Index	Cost of Living Plus Rent Index	Groceries Index	Restaurant Price Index	Local Purchasing Power Index
   1	Bermuda	146.04	98.58	123.80	148.66	159.17	81.07
   2	Switzerland	123.35	53.54	90.62	128.13	122.09	118.44
   3	Norway	100.90	34.68	69.86	97.31	105.49	83.11
   4	Iceland	94.86	41.93	70.05	90.22	99.42	77.06
   5	Barbados	92.37	21.99	59.38	87.81	78.18	32.08
   6	Jersey	92.02	65.33	79.51	76.88	94.65	79.14
   7	Israel	88.05	33.94	62.69	76.72	95.31	75.58
   8	Denmark	84.12	33.23	60.26	68.60	98.75	99.45
   9	Bahamas	84.00	35.34	61.19	70.59	89.09	45.07
   10	Singapore	83.98	66.43	75.75	77.08	61.17	91.34
   11	Guernsey	83.59	54.02	69.73	76.76	89.98	71.57
   12	Hong Kong	80.71	74.57	77.83	84.72	58.58	65.74
   13	Luxembourg	80.50	60.09	70.93	74.75	88.79	98.84
   14	Australia	77.75	36.84	58.57	77.44	72.95	104.63
   15	Japan	77.03	25.86	53.04	81.31	45.40	87.11
   16	Ireland	76.05	42.08	60.13	62.10	80.40	82.27
   17	Netherlands	75.66	36.06	57.10	65.49	76.35	87.99
   18	New Zealand	74.52	34.44	55.73	72.04	70.05	83.63
   19	France	74.13	25.33	51.26	73.64	71.84	85.41
   20	South Korea	73.22	20.02	48.28	91.95	42.10	76.85
   21	Finland	73.20	25.95	51.05	65.16	77.65	91.02
   22	Belgium	72.61	25.79	50.67	63.32	78.63	79.72
   23	Sweden	71.74	25.86	50.23	65.78	72.61	98.14
   24	Austria	71.04	27.13	50.46	65.88	66.03	77.25
   25	Canada	70.22	34.33	53.40	70.01	67.86	87.98
   26	United States	70.13	42.07	56.98	70.37	70.07	106.34
   27	United Kingdom	69.65	31.84	51.93	56.58	76.79	88.78
   28	Lebanon	69.62	24.81	48.61	66.83	54.25	35.12
   29	Malta	67.84	29.72	49.97	59.59	72.42	44.18
   30	Macao	66.81	43.00	55.65	67.90	51.32	69.27
   31	Puerto Rico	66.53	18.40	43.97	69.60	55.60	72.78
   32	Italy	66.47	20.55	44.95	57.95	70.58	61.74
   33	Seychelles	65.93	32.35	50.19	61.55	77.01	19.43
   34	Germany	65.58	27.62	47.78	52.31	60.91	103.08
   35	Qatar	62.81	48.20	55.96	54.97	63.01	93.67
   36	Taiwan	62.35	17.69	41.42	76.19	29.42	58.35
   37	Cyprus	59.03	22.36	41.84	49.20	61.15	57.31
   38	United Arab Emirates	58.33	43.28	51.28	46.67	61.53	92.17
   39	Palestine	58.11	11.01	36.03	51.23	44.58	39.84
   40	Maldives	57.66	30.20	44.78	56.60	34.72	28.59
   41	Greece	56.22	12.68	35.81	44.73	52.19	39.73
   42	Cuba	55.00	15.23	36.36	47.93	33.54	1.45
   43	Trinidad And Tobago	54.88	15.97	36.64	53.96	53.74	38.47
   44	Bahrain	54.77	29.22	42.79	44.59	48.94	61.41
   45	Slovenia	53.88	17.90	37.01	47.71	46.74	59.48
   46	Spain	53.88	21.25	38.58	45.69	53.96	70.04
   47	Estonia	53.68	16.37	36.19	42.29	56.43	63.46
   48	Yemen	53.14	6.71	31.38	67.12	24.74	14.41
   49	Uruguay	52.07	13.93	34.19	44.01	49.39	30.07
   50	Suriname	51.78	9.71	32.06	45.92	79.61	13.44
   51	Panama	51.43	21.75	37.51	52.16	43.38	33.09
   52	Belize	51.30	11.64	32.71	48.76	36.60	45.73
   53	Saudi Arabia	50.41	11.67	32.25	42.57	35.50	91.85
   54	Senegal	50.25	22.97	37.46	42.17	46.22	23.45
   55	Jamaica	49.67	15.10	33.46	53.41	35.04	30.25
   56	Oman	49.42	16.77	34.11	46.51	43.24	84.24
   57	Jordan	49.19	9.23	30.46	40.81	41.16	31.34
   58	Cambodia	49.11	15.68	33.44	50.61	22.90	13.32
   59	Croatia	48.94	13.38	32.27	41.98	41.29	47.55
   60	Kuwait	48.68	31.31	40.54	35.63	47.48	78.57
   61	Latvia	48.45	11.77	31.26	38.37	42.10	51.65
   62	Libya	48.35	12.89	31.73	54.03	34.10	33.25
   63	Czech Republic	48.24	18.40	34.25	42.76	36.72	66.47
   64	Portugal	47.94	20.73	35.19	39.01	40.26	46.80
   65	Ethiopia	47.49	16.88	33.14	36.68	18.03	10.15
   66	Ivory Coast	47.03	17.68	33.27	40.22	31.99	6.92
   67	Costa Rica	47.01	14.70	31.87	45.54	41.69	39.88
   68	Zimbabwe	45.68	8.75	28.37	39.88	38.13	19.07
   69	Lithuania	45.65	15.01	31.29	36.18	46.64	58.74
   70	Slovakia	44.68	16.11	31.29	39.74	36.08	54.70
   71	El Salvador	44.37	13.19	29.75	44.32	35.47	21.17
   72	Mauritius	44.08	10.95	28.55	45.61	33.44	29.62
   73	Chile	43.90	13.51	29.66	38.87	43.26	33.27
   74	Guatemala	43.49	15.60	30.42	41.92	32.59	26.35
   75	Thailand	43.21	14.69	29.84	45.15	22.59	31.56
   76	Venezuela	43.20	9.99	27.63	37.34	46.23	15.41
   77	Fiji	43.16	17.76	31.26	48.06	37.42	35.87
   78	South Africa	42.09	16.60	30.14	34.78	41.33	78.36
   79	Dominican Republic	41.77	9.59	26.68	38.45	34.30	21.07
   80	China	41.77	16.53	29.93	46.01	28.37	59.99
   81	Hungary	40.66	11.91	27.18	35.19	32.82	51.98
   82	Honduras	40.46	10.28	26.31	34.73	28.67	32.09
   83	Botswana	40.17	10.21	26.12	35.16	42.50	62.63
   84	Nicaragua	39.64	8.68	25.13	38.13	27.51	17.63
   85	Cameroon	39.48	6.91	24.22	40.41	26.33	15.37
   86	Poland	38.95	14.45	27.46	32.42	33.52	59.95
   87	Montenegro	38.95	12.87	26.72	31.76	33.22	34.19
   88	Bulgaria	38.38	9.07	24.64	34.02	32.44	45.96
   89	Vietnam	37.48	13.22	26.11	38.70	19.98	29.38
   90	Iran	37.39	17.05	27.85	29.46	25.18	17.98
   91	Ecuador	37.34	11.28	25.12	34.49	28.55	31.76
   92	Philippines	37.06	9.59	24.18	37.84	20.61	21.47
   93	Malaysia	37.02	9.87	24.29	39.45	20.84	55.30
   94	Serbia	36.21	8.73	23.33	28.18	29.24	37.83
   95	Ghana	36.20	19.31	28.28	37.53	30.06	16.82
   96	Bosnia And Herzegovina	36.12	6.82	22.39	31.14	25.34	44.10
   97	Indonesia	35.85	9.82	23.65	38.29	17.74	21.07
   98	Myanmar	35.67	21.18	28.87	37.63	20.00	13.84
   99	Albania	35.50	8.47	22.83	29.32	25.82	30.19
   100	Mexico	35.35	12.55	24.66	34.82	32.67	38.62
   101	Russia	35.26	13.09	24.87	29.86	34.56	37.41
   102	Romania	35.24	10.17	23.49	31.38	30.02	48.12
   103	Bolivia	34.77	10.18	23.24	31.26	24.97	36.04
   104	Mongolia	34.74	11.22	23.72	36.14	22.80	24.34
   105	Argentina	34.69	7.71	22.04	28.17	33.32	30.72
   106	Somalia	34.58	5.16	20.79	39.39	26.65	29.40
   107	Iraq	34.47	10.63	23.29	30.46	28.31	40.92
   108	Kenya	33.92	8.73	22.11	31.27	28.82	32.18
   109	Armenia	33.89	11.61	23.45	27.59	30.55	28.86
   110	Morocco	33.83	8.98	22.18	30.63	24.52	34.36
   111	Uganda	33.50	9.19	22.10	31.00	24.85	11.41
   112	Brazil	33.24	8.27	21.54	28.16	25.24	27.85
   113	Bangladesh	33.13	4.42	19.67	30.41	21.70	25.30
   114	Zambia	33.04	9.26	21.90	31.53	22.46	40.33
   115	Tanzania	32.81	12.36	23.23	30.04	24.86	15.97
   116	Peru	32.53	11.22	22.54	30.71	21.53	28.17
   117	Rwanda	31.62	15.90	24.25	27.71	27.99	26.82
   118	North Macedonia	31.38	6.06	19.51	26.95	21.02	35.44
   119	Sri Lanka	31.29	8.23	20.48	37.67	17.27	19.27
   120	Belarus	30.89	9.81	21.01	27.24	31.64	31.78
   121	Ukraine	30.71	10.57	21.27	26.30	25.75	37.22
   122	Nigeria	30.49	35.99	33.07	33.65	20.92	9.34
   123	Moldova	30.35	8.70	20.20	24.96	27.10	33.43
   124	Paraguay	30.20	10.04	20.75	25.45	24.19	26.08
   125	Georgia	30.18	9.26	20.37	26.44	27.88	31.15
   126	Azerbaijan	29.73	7.86	19.48	26.57	26.73	27.26
   127	Egypt	29.52	5.82	18.41	27.42	23.42	21.54
   128	Syria	28.75	5.17	17.70	29.34	22.81	6.59
   129	Kazakhstan	28.68	9.44	19.66	25.35	27.24	32.23
   130	Turkey	28.31	6.63	18.15	22.64	18.40	32.88
   131	Nepal	28.29	3.96	16.89	26.45	20.41	22.96
   132	Tunisia	27.87	5.32	17.30	27.36	15.96	27.83
   133	Uzbekistan	27.31	9.29	18.86	26.83	24.22	22.37
   134	Kosovo (Disputed Territory)	27.05	8.04	18.14	24.84	19.53	43.86
   135	Algeria	26.87	4.59	16.43	28.82	14.48	24.63
   136	Colombia	26.72	8.18	18.03	23.47	19.44	28.85
   137	India	24.43	5.30	15.47	26.43	17.56	49.72

   Now that we saw that the cost of living in Spain vs the rest of the world is ranking well, it is time to check which Spanish cities are expensive or cheap. So at least you will know it before moving there.

    

5. Cost of living in Spanish cities

    

   Here is the January 2022 ranking of all the main Spanish cities vs their cost of living according to Numbeo:

   Rank	City	Cost of Living Index	Rent Index	Cost of Living Plus Rent Index	Groceries Index	Restaurant Price Index	Local Purchasing Power Index
   1	Bilbao	63.62	26.53	46.06	56.67	63.19	66.70
   2	Barcelona	60.70	30.79	46.54	48.52	62.42	70.07
   3	Madrid	59.19	31.10	45.89	48.87	62.32	75.06
   4	Palma de Mallorca	58.30	27.34	43.65	47.79	59.64	63.61
   5	Zaragoza (Saragossa)	54.60	18.24	37.39	47.85	54.95	69.42
   6	Seville (Sevilla)	53.47	20.55	37.89	48.76	48.90	71.73
   7	Vigo	52.85	17.16	35.95	42.75	54.95	75.98
   8	Valencia	52.65	21.84	38.06	44.43	55.27	70.33
   9	Las Palmas de Gran Canaria	52.00	22.08	37.84	48.07	48.92	55.22
   10	Granada	51.75	15.65	34.66	43.71	46.84	87.46
   11	Malaga	51.65	25.51	39.28	43.07	51.32	67.07
   12	Murcia	51.32	15.65	34.44	43.30	51.62	77.45
   13	Alicante	51.21	19.85	36.37	42.39	52.07	80.29
   14	Santa Cruz de Tenerife	50.65	19.13	35.73	42.17	53.40	64.54

   Source: Numbeo.com : January 2022

   Those numbers rely on members updating data, so they should be taken with a grain of salt.

   If you want to compare the evolution over the last year, here was the ranking made last year:

   Rank	City	Cost of Living Index	Rent Index	Cost of Living Plus Rent Index	Groceries Index	Restaurant Price Index	Local Purchasing Power Index
   1	Bilbao	64.85	26.11	45.98	55.47	60.44	68.06
   2	Barcelona	61.71	30.52	46.52	49.28	60.72	60.44
   3	Madrid	61.15	33.16	47.52	48.88	61.55	67.17
   4	Zaragoza – Saragossa	60.20	18.06	39.68	51.93	54.82	68.68
   5	Palma de Mallorca	58.66	27.64	43.56	46.22	62.75	56.87
   6	Granada	57.09	17.10	37.61	45.38	48.84	61.84
   7	Alicante	53.56	17.70	36.10	42.54	53.44	79.61
   8	Valencia	53.44	21.92	38.09	42.83	50.94	73.81
   9	Santa Cruz de Tenerife	53.37	18.31	36.30	44.14	52.01	60.48
   10	Seville – Sevilla	52.97	20.06	36.95	46.42	43.62	68.59
   11	Malaga	52.89	22.85	38.26	42.32	50.59	69.48
   12	Las Palmas de Gran Canaria	50.52	22.00	36.63	43.40	49.89	60.29

    

   Source: Numbeo.com : June 2020

   Click on any of those cities hyperlink to find the latest number of any of those cities.

    

   

   The impacts of the Coronavirus on the Spanish Real Estate

   How should you understand those numbers?

   These indices are relative to New York City (NYC). This means that for New York City, each index should be 100(%). If another city has, for example, rent index of 120, it means that on average in that city rents are 20% more expensive than in New York City. If a city has a rent index of 70, that means that city rents are 30% less expensive for that city than for New York City. Numbeo calculates different indicators:

   • Cost of Living Index (Excl. Rent) is a relative indicator of consumer goods prices, including groceries, restaurants, transportation and utilities. The cost of Living Index doesn’t include accommodation expenses such as rent or mortgage. If a city has a Cost of Living Index of 120, it means Numbeo estimates it is 20% more expensive than New York (excluding rent).
   • Rent Index is an estimation of the prices of renting apartments in the city compared to New York City.
   • Groceries Index is an estimation of grocery prices in the city compared to New York City.
   • Restaurants Index is a comparison of prices of meals and drinks in restaurants and bars compared to NYC.
   • Cost of Living Plus Rent Index is an estimation of consumer goods prices including rent compared to New York City.
   • Local Purchasing Power shows relative purchasing power in buying goods and services in a given city for the average wage in that city. If domestic purchasing power is 40, this means that the inhabitants of that city with the average salary can afford to buy on an average 60% fewer goods and services than New York City residents with an average salary.

   For more information about used weights (actual formula) please visit Numbeo Motivation and Methodology.

   To discover real current pricing for any city, of course, always good to double-check later, click on any city on our table to discover the details published by Numbeo:

    

   Here is an example of the current pricing of cost of living for Barcelona calculated by Numbeo as of January 2022

   Data collected over the last year

   Restaurants		Range
   Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	12.00 €	9.00–20.00
   Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	50.00 €	33.50–80.00
   McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	8.50 €	8.00–10.00
   Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught)	3.00 €	2.00–4.00
   Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)	3.50 €	2.50–5.00
   Cappuccino (regular)	1.97 €	1.30–3.00
   Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle)	1.98 €	1.25–3.00
   Water (0.33 liter bottle)	1.24 €	1.00–2.00
   Markets
   Milk (regular), (1 liter)	0.88 €	0.60–1.20
   Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g)	1.20 €	0.55–2.50
   Rice (white), (1kg)	1.09 €	0.75–1.99
   Eggs (regular) (12)	2.16 €	1.20–3.20
   Local Cheese (1kg)	9.98 €	3.50–20.00
   Chicken Fillets (1kg)	6.19 €	2.99–8.00
   Beef Round (1kg) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	12.06 €	7.00–17.00
   Apples (1kg)	1.71 €	0.99–3.00
   Banana (1kg)	1.66 €	1.00–3.00
   Oranges (1kg)	1.71 €	1.00–4.00
   Tomato (1kg)	1.85 €	1.00–2.99
   Potato (1kg)	1.26 €	0.70–2.13
   Onion (1kg)	1.23 €	0.70–2.00
   Lettuce (1 head)	1.00 €	0.80–1.50
   Water (1.5 liter bottle)	0.71 €	0.50–1.50
   Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	5.00 €	3.00–8.00
   Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1.06 €	0.65–1.90
   Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)	1.80 €	1.00–3.00
   Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	5.00 €	5.00–6.00
   Transportation
   One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	2.38 €	1.30–2.50
   Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	40.00 €	40.00–54.00
   Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	3.00 €	2.25–5.00
   Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff)	1.20 €	0.93–3.00
   Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	22.10 €	19.80–45.00
   Gasoline (1 liter)	1.39 €	1.00–1.58
   Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	22,000.00 €	20,000.00–26,000.00
   Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	24,137.00 €	21,500.00–26,000.00
   Utilities (Monthly)
   Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment	152.66 €	102.00–300.00
   1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans)	0.16 €	0.09–0.19
   Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	39.11 €	30.00–60.00
   Sports And Leisure
   Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	43.20 €	30.00–60.00
   Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	24.59 €	18.00–30.00
   Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	9.00 €	8.00–12.00
   Childcare
   Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	482.11 €	400.00–600.00
   International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	10,460.00 €	7,000.00–20,000.00
   Clothing And Shoes
   1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	71.45 €	30.00–109.00
   1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, …)	31.70 €	19.00–70.00
   1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	71.59 €	45.00–110.00
   1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	96.05 €	59.00–150.00
   Rent Per Month
   Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	913.24 €	750.00–1,150.00
   Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	714.06 €	600.00–850.00
   Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	1,537.84 €	1,300.00–2,000.00
   Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	1,109.38 €	1,000.00–1,300.00
   Buy Apartment Price
   Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment in City Centre	4,796.96 €	3,500.00–6,286.00
   Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	3,045.59 €	2,300.00–4,000.00
   Salaries And Financing
   Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	1,703.29 €
   Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	1.84	1.50–3.00

   This city had 1947 entries in the past 12 months by 249 different contributors.
   Last update: February 2022

    

6. The 3 most expensive Spanish cities

   Bilbao, Barcelona and Madrid are in the top 3.

   1. Bilbao
      • Our article on Bilbao: Bilbao, the new awakening of the city
      • Check the monthly weather statistics for Bilbao
      • Check some of our experts in our local network in Bilbao: Real estate Lawyers in Bilbao, Property hunters in Bilbao, Architects in Bilbao, How to find a mortgage in Bilbao all assisting you in your language
   2. Barcelona
      • Our article on Bilbao: Bilbao, the new awakening of the city
      • Check the monthly weather statistics for Bilbao
      • Check some of our experts in our local network in Bilbao: Real estate Lawyers in Bilbao, Property hunters in Bilbao, Architects in Bilbao, How to find a mortgage in Bilbao all assisting you in your language
   3. Madrid
      • Our articles on Madrid: Real estate foreign investors are discovering Madrid, Madrid on the top 3 list of European Cities to invest in
      • Check the monthly weather statistics for Madrid
      • Check our Citytrip ePostcards on Madrid

   Here is the cost of living ranking of all the major Spanish cities if you want to get more than the top 3.

7. The 3 cheapest Spanish cities

   The 3 cheapest Spanish cities are: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Malaga and Sevilla.

   1. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
      • Our article on Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: Gran Canaria, the tropical gem of Spain
      • Our article on the Canary Islands: Everything you ever wanted to know about the Canary Islands
      • Check the monthly weather statistics for Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
   2. Malaga
      • Our articles on Málaga: Malaga: an emerging city to buy second homes, Malaga is always a place for your dream house
      • Our article on the Costa del Sol: Everything you ever wanted to know about the Costa del Sol.
      • Check the monthly weather statistics for Málaga
      • Check our Citytrip ePostcards on Málaga
      • Discover the best new build projects in Andalusia available right now
        New build for sale in Spain € 540,000

        3 beds 3 baths 191 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 520,000

        3 beds 2 baths 109 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 345,000

        2 beds 2 baths 97 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 435,000

        3 beds 2 baths 114 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 350,000

        3 beds 2 baths 106 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 273,000

        2 beds 2 baths 83 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 368,000

        3 beds 2 baths 103 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 315,000

        2 beds 2 baths 90 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 245,000

        2 beds 2 baths 83 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 335,000

        3 beds 2 baths 98 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 250,000

        2 beds 2 baths 90 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 420,000

        2 beds 2 baths 81.7 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 475,000

        3 beds 2 baths 101.9 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 490,000

        3 beds 2 baths 119.8 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 540,000

        3 beds 2 baths 129.2 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 530,000

        3 beds 2 baths 106.9 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 370,000

        2 beds 2 baths 88.9 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 440,000

        3 beds 2 baths 106.9 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 585,000

        3 beds 3 baths 162 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 348,000

        3 beds 2 baths 220 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 631,000

        3 beds 2 baths 123 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 345,000

        2 beds 2 baths 154 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 430,000

        3 beds 2 baths 116 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 730,000

        3 beds 2 baths 149 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 529,000

        3 beds 2 baths 133 m²

        New build for sale in Spain € 319,000

        2 beds 2 baths 87 m²
   3. Seville
      • Our article on Sevilla: Discover the charm of the south and invest in Seville
      • Check our infographic on the Costa de la Luz with all the activities there.
      • Check the monthly weather statistics for Seville
      • Check some of our experts in our local network in Seville: Real estate Lawyers in Seville, Property hunters in Seville, Architects in Seville, How to find a mortgage in Seville all assisting you in your language
      • Find your local experts in Seville within our network, it’s free!

   Here is the cost of living to rank of all the major Spanish cities if you want to get more than the top 3.

8. The most expensive cities in Spain for real estate are

   End September 2021, Sorted by price, second column

   City / Region	Price	Yr Price Evolution	Qtr Price Evolution	Number of Transactions	Transaction Evolution
   Gipuzkoa	2 736 €	3,0%	-0,6%	7 171	15%
   Madrid (Comunidad de)	2 685 €	2,9%	0,9%	83 173	25%
   Balears (Illes)	2 496 €	4,8%	2,1%	14 322	15%
   País Vasco	2 421 €	3,3%	-0,4%	22 366	18%
   Barcelona	2 396 €	1,3%	-0,4%	60 555	19%
   Bizkaia	2 364 €	3,9%	0,0%	12 036	17%
   Cataluña	2 038 €	1,9%	-0,2%	93 862	24%
   Araba/Alava	1 975 €	2,8%	-1,7%	3 159	25%
   Málaga	1 924 €	7,6%	3,9%	32 109	25%
   Ceuta	1 798 €	-0,5%	0,1%	711	34%
   Ceuta y Melilla	1 738 €	0,1%	0,3%	1 464	47%
   Melilla	1 699 €	0,9%	0,6%	753	63%
   TOTAL NACIONAL	1 662 €	2,6%	0,8%	611 093	28%

   with the National Spanish Average: 1,662 €/m²
   Read more and get the last updated prices on the Spanish property market.

9. The cheapest cities in Spain for real estate are

   End September 2021, Sorted by price, second column

   City / Region	Price	Yr Price Evolution	Qtr Price Evolution	Number of Transactions	Transaction Evolution
   Ciudad Real	712 €	-1,0%	0,1%	5 446	43%
   Teruel	752 €	2,2%	-0,8%	1 733	30%
   Cuenca	766 €	-1,1%	-2,6%	2 346	48%
   Jaén	786 €	1,6%	1,1%	6 400	31%
   Zamora	792 €	-3,9%	-1,4%	1 871	54%
   Cáceres	837 €	-0,3%	1,7%	3 823	25%
   Ávila	844 €	4,5%	3,3%	2 516	35%
   Extremadura	857 €	1,4%	1,5%	10 666	37%
   León	860 €	-0,9%	2,7%	4 657	33%
   Toledo	868 €	3,5%	2,0%	10 775	39%
   Badajoz	871 €	2,7%	1,3%	6 843	45%
   Lugo	881 €	3,1%	0,5%	3 601	57%
   Castilla-La Mancha	887 €	1,3%	0,5%	27 431	40%
   Ourense	891 €	-2,7%	-0,1%	2 451	42%
   Albacete	904 €	0,2%	-1,8%	3 919	39%
   Soria	914 €	-2,3%	3,7%	1 311	53%
   Palencia	930 €	-1,4%	2,9%	1 956	48%
   Segovia	985 €	-0,1%	2,3%	2 418	52%
   Murcia (Región de)	986 €	2,9%	-1,4%	22 074	32%
   Lleida	995 €	0,8%	-3,2%	5 661	45%

   with the National Spanish Average: 1.662 €/m²
   Read more on and get the last updated prices on the Spanish property market.

10. Spanish cities with the highest rents

    Rent Index is an estimation of prices for renting apartments in the city compared to New York City. If Rent index is 80, Numbeo estimates that the price of rents in that city is on an average 20% less than the price in New York.

    1. Madrid is in the most expensive cities in Spain for rent with a rent index of 31.1.
    2. Barcelona is in the most expensive cities in Spain for rent with a rent index of 30.8.
    3. Palma de Mallorca is in the most expensive cities in Spain for rent with a rent index of 27.3.

     

    Have a look at our chart comparing the different rental levels in Spain.

     

     

11. Spanish cities with the lowest rents

    Rent Index is an estimation of prices for renting apartments in the city compared to New York City. If Rent index is 80, Numbeo estimates that the price of rents in that city is on an average 20% less than the price in New York.

    1. Santa Cruz de Tenerife is in the cheapest cities in Spain for rent with a rent index of 19.13
    2. Zaragoza (Saragossa) is in the cheapest cities in Spain for rent with a rent index of 18.24
    3. Vigo is in the cheapest cities in Spain for rent with a rent index of 17.16
    4. Granada is in the cheapest cities in Spain for rent with a rent index of 15.65
    5. Murcia is in the cheapest cities in Spain for rent with a rent index of 15.65

     

    Have a look at our chart comparing the different rental levels in Spain.

     

     

12. Spanish cities with the least expensive restaurants?

     

    1. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is in the cheapest cities in Spain for restaurants with an index of 48.92
    2. Seville (Sevilla) is in the cheapest cities in Spain for restaurants with an index of 48.9
    3. Granada is in the cheapest cities in Spain for restaurants with an index of 46.84

     

    Have a look at our chart comparing the different restaurants pricing levels for many cities in Spain.

     

     

13. Spanish cities with the most expensive restaurants?

     

    1. Bilbao is in the most expensive cities in Spain for restaurants with an index of 63.19
    2. Barcelona is in the most expensive cities in Spain for restaurants with an index of 62.42
    3. Madrid is in the most expensive cities in Spain for restaurants with an index of 62.32

     

    Have a look at our chart comparing the different restaurants pricing levels for many cities in Spain.

     

     

14. Cheapest Spanish cities for groceries?

    Groceries Index is an estimation of grocery prices in the city compared to New York City. To calculate this section, Numbeo uses weights of items in the “Markets” section for each city.

    1. Valencia is in the cheapest cities in Spain for buying groceries with a Groceries index of 44.43
    2. Granada is in the cheapest cities in Spain for buying groceries with a Groceries index of 43.71
    3. Murcia is in the cheapest cities in Spain for buying groceries with a Groceries index of 43.3
    4. Malaga is in the cheapest cities in Spain for buying groceries with a Groceries index of 43.07
    5. Vigo is in the cheapest cities in Spain for buying groceries with a Groceries index of 42.75
    6. Alicante is in the cheapest cities in Spain for buying groceries with a Groceries index of 42.39
    7. Santa Cruz de Tenerife is in the cheapest cities in Spain for buying groceries with a Groceries index of 42.17

     

    Have a look at our chart comparing the different Groceries indexes for many cities in Spain.

     

     

15. Most expensive Spanish cities for groceries?

    Groceries Index is an estimation of grocery prices in the city compared to New York City. To calculate this section, Numbeo uses weights of items in the “Markets” section for each city.

    1. Bilbao is in the most expensive cities in Spain for buying groceries with a Groceries index of 56.67
    2. Madrid is in the most expensive cities in Spain for buying groceries with a Groceries index of 48.87
    3. Seville (Sevilla) is in the most expensive cities in Spain for buying groceries with a Groceries index of 48.76

     

    Have a look at our chart comparing the different Groceries indexes for many cities in Spain.

     

     

16. Spanish cities with the best purchasing power?

    Local Purchasing Power is an indicator calculated by Numbeo that shows relative purchasing power in buying goods and services in a given city for the average wage in that city. If domestic purchasing power is 40, this means that the inhabitants of that city with the average salary can afford to buy on an average 60% fewer goods and services than New York City residents with an average salary.

    1. Granada is in the Spanish cities with the biggest purchasing power and has a Purchasing power index of 87.46
    2. Alicante is in the Spanish cities with the biggest purchasing power and has a Purchasing power index of 80.29
    3. Murcia is in the Spanish cities with the biggest purchasing power and has a Purchasing power index of 77.45
    4. Vigo is in the Spanish cities with the biggest purchasing power and has a Purchasing power index of 75.98
    5. Madrid is in the Spanish cities with the biggest purchasing power and has a Purchasing power index of 75.06

     

    Have a look at our chart comparing the different purchasing power for many cities in Spain.

     

     

     

    

     

17. Spanish cities with the smallest purchasing power?

    Local Purchasing Power is an indicator calculated by Numbeo and it shows relative purchasing power in buying goods and services in a given city for the average wage in that city. If domestic purchasing power is 40, this means that the inhabitants of that city with the average salary can afford to buy on an average 60% fewer goods and services than New York City residents with an average salary.

    1. Santa Cruz de Tenerife is in the Spanish cities with the smallest purchasing power and has a Purchasing power index of 64.54
    2. Palma de Mallorca is in the Spanish cities with the smallest purchasing power and has a Purchasing power index of 63.61
    3. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is in the Spanish cities with the smallest purchasing power and has a Purchasing power index of 55.22

     

    Have a look at our chart comparing the different purchasing power for many cities in Spain.

     

     

     

18. Why should you relocate to Spain?

    If you take the last column of the table of Numbeo, you earn on average 69 to 85% of what you would earn if you lived in New York but at the same time, the cost of life plus rent index (third data column) is between 33 to 47%. So, that’s one of the main reasons why Spain is one of the best countries in the world for relocating & for working remotely?

    Discover all our detailed reviews of the beautiful Spanish Costas.

    

    Find all our best Spanish Costas infographics: Costa Brava, Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, Costa Barcelona, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands,…

    Of course, that’s why Spain is as well such a nice place to retire or enjoy holidays

    If in addition to that, you take into account that Spain is the healthiest country in the world to live in as we wrote in our last article and Spain has so many experiences to enjoy, that’s why it is the number one holiday destination in Europe.

     

    

    Why should you relocate to Spain?

     

19. Compare the cost of living of two cities in the world

    And you will see quickly how much you will save, even if you are there on holiday. That’s one of the best-kept secrets of Spain.

     

    Have a look at our chart comparing the different purchasing power of the biggest cities in the world with many Spanish cities.

     

     

    Compare two cities with Numbeo, here we took Valencia and Malaga

    Check the city comparator of Flying Yack

     

    If you want to find out quickly which is the cheapest city in any region in the world, don’t forget to check the colour maps of Numbeo.

     

20. How do we help you?

    As you may have read on our homepage howtobuyinspain.com, Buying a property in Spain is cheap and looks easy, but there are some pitfalls. That is why we have built over the years a network of 100+ local partners dedicated to assisting you: Lawyers, Mortgage brokers (financing and refinancing at lower rates), Insurance brokers, Tax advisors, Surveyors, Property hunters, Renovation, NIE specialists… So don’t miss our homepage howtobuyinspain.com, it is where you should continue for your property search in Spain.

     

    Further reading: 10 reasons why you should buy a property in Spain.

     

21. Don’t miss our downloadable charts

FAQ Why is it so cheap to live in Spain?

Looking for an expert in Spain? Ask us directly!

Stéphane

Senior analyst and strategist at HTBIS

Check the full HTBIS team here

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