The post How much does it cost to live in Spain? appeared first on How to buy in Spain.
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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.
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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! -
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.
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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!
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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):
RankCountryCost of Living IndexRent IndexCost of Living Plus Rent IndexGroceries IndexRestaurant Price IndexLocal Purchasing Power Index1 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.
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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:
RankCityCost of Living IndexRent IndexCost of Living Plus Rent IndexGroceries IndexRestaurant Price IndexLocal Purchasing Power Index1 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 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:
RankCityCost of Living IndexRent IndexCost of Living Plus Rent IndexGroceries IndexRestaurant Price IndexLocal Purchasing Power Index1 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 2020Click 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
RestaurantsRange Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 12.00 € Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 50.00 € McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 8.50 € Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) 3.00 € Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) 3.50 € Cappuccino (regular) 1.97 € Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) 1.98 € Water (0.33 liter bottle) 1.24 € 
MarketsMilk (regular), (1 liter) 0.88 € Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) 1.20 € Rice (white), (1kg) 1.09 € Eggs (regular) (12) 2.16 € Local Cheese (1kg) 9.98 € Chicken Fillets (1kg) 6.19 € Beef Round (1kg) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 12.06 € Apples (1kg) 1.71 € Banana (1kg) 1.66 € Oranges (1kg) 1.71 € Tomato (1kg) 1.85 € Potato (1kg) 1.26 € Onion (1kg) 1.23 € Lettuce (1 head) 1.00 € Water (1.5 liter bottle) 0.71 € Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 5.00 € Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.06 € Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) 1.80 € Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 5.00 € 
TransportationOne-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.38 € Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 40.00 € Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.00 € Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff) 1.20 € Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 22.10 € Gasoline (1 liter) 1.39 € Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 22,000.00 € Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 24,137.00 € 
Utilities (Monthly)Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment 152.66 € 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) 0.16 € Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 39.11 € 
Sports And LeisureFitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 43.20 € Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 24.59 € Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 9.00 € 
ChildcarePreschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 482.11 € International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 10,460.00 € 
Clothing And Shoes1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 71.45 € 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, …) 31.70 € 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 71.59 € 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 96.05 € Rent Per MonthApartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 913.24 € Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 714.06 € Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 1,537.84 € Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 1,109.38 € 
Buy Apartment PricePrice per Square Meter to Buy Apartment in City Centre 4,796.96 € Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 3,045.59 € 
Salaries And FinancingAverage Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 1,703.29 € Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 1.84 This city had 1947 entries in the past 12 months by 249 different contributors.
Last update: February 2022 -
The 3 most expensive Spanish cities
Bilbao, Barcelona and Madrid are in the top 3.
- 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
- 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
- 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.
- Bilbao
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The 3 cheapest Spanish cities
The 3 cheapest Spanish cities are: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Malaga and Sevilla.
- 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
- 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
- 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.
- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
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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. -
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. -
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.
- Madrid is in the most expensive cities in Spain for rent with a rent index of 31.1.
- Barcelona is in the most expensive cities in Spain for rent with a rent index of 30.8.
- 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.
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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.
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife is in the cheapest cities in Spain for rent with a rent index of 19.13
- Zaragoza (Saragossa) is in the cheapest cities in Spain for rent with a rent index of 18.24
- Vigo is in the cheapest cities in Spain for rent with a rent index of 17.16
- Granada is in the cheapest cities in Spain for rent with a rent index of 15.65
- 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.
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Spanish cities with the least expensive restaurants?
- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is in the cheapest cities in Spain for restaurants with an index of 48.92
- Seville (Sevilla) is in the cheapest cities in Spain for restaurants with an index of 48.9
- 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.
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Spanish cities with the most expensive restaurants?
- Bilbao is in the most expensive cities in Spain for restaurants with an index of 63.19
- Barcelona is in the most expensive cities in Spain for restaurants with an index of 62.42
- 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.
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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.
- Valencia is in the cheapest cities in Spain for buying groceries with a Groceries index of 44.43
- Granada is in the cheapest cities in Spain for buying groceries with a Groceries index of 43.71
- Murcia is in the cheapest cities in Spain for buying groceries with a Groceries index of 43.3
- Malaga is in the cheapest cities in Spain for buying groceries with a Groceries index of 43.07
- Vigo is in the cheapest cities in Spain for buying groceries with a Groceries index of 42.75
- Alicante is in the cheapest cities in Spain for buying groceries with a Groceries index of 42.39
- 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.
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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.
- Bilbao is in the most expensive cities in Spain for buying groceries with a Groceries index of 56.67
- Madrid is in the most expensive cities in Spain for buying groceries with a Groceries index of 48.87
- 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.
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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.
- Granada is in the Spanish cities with the biggest purchasing power and has a Purchasing power index of 87.46
- Alicante is in the Spanish cities with the biggest purchasing power and has a Purchasing power index of 80.29
- Murcia is in the Spanish cities with the biggest purchasing power and has a Purchasing power index of 77.45
- Vigo is in the Spanish cities with the biggest purchasing power and has a Purchasing power index of 75.98
- 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.
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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.
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife is in the Spanish cities with the smallest purchasing power and has a Purchasing power index of 64.54
- Palma de Mallorca is in the Spanish cities with the smallest purchasing power and has a Purchasing power index of 63.61
- 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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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Don’t miss our downloadable charts
FAQ Why is it so cheap to live in Spain?
What is the cheapest city in Spain to fly into?
Of course, Madrid has the most flights towards Spain and is followed by Barcelona. That makes those two airports the cheapest way to Spain. The other most active airports in Spain are: 3. Gran Canaria airport 4. Malaga airport 5. Tenerife South airport 6. Palma airport 7. Alicante airport 8. Lanzarote airport 9. Valencia airport 10. Fuerte ventura airport
Where is the cheapest place in Spain to holiday?
1. Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2. Malaga 3. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Of course, many smaller cities are cheaper, compare other cities with those main cities in our article
What is the best city to live in Spain?
Expats love Barcelona and Madrid for sure. If you compare those two cities with other international cities, they are on top of it. Expats love as well many smaller cities like Valencia, Seville, Bilbao, Malaga, Marbella... Discover those cities with the articles we wrote on each one
Is Spain a cheap place to visit?
Spain is on average 11% much cheaper than Europe.
Spain is very cheap for Transport Services, Restaurants and Hotels, Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, Transport Equipment, Clothing and yes the list doesn’t stop here… Spain is cheap for Food and Drinks. So keep enjoying the beers and the Tapas.
Looking for an expert in Spain? Ask us directly!
Senior analyst and strategist at HTBIS
Check the full HTBIS team here
The post How much does it cost to live in Spain? appeared first on How to buy in Spain.
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What is the real cost of owning your Spanish property as a non-resident?
Congratulation for your purchase, now let’s check the annual costs of owning your property.
You’ll have those divided into five different groups: Taxes, Insurance, Utilities (Electricity, Water, Gaz, Television, Internet, Telephone), the charges of your own property and eventually Community Charges.
Let’s have a look at a concrete example: a two bedroom apartment in Barcelona of 100 m2 with a market price in 2022 of 440.000€ and a “valor Catastral” of 100,000€. We assume a rental value of 18.000€.
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Taxes
If you want to have a detailed view from our experts on this subject, have a look at our article: What taxes do you have to pay on your Spanish property?
Here is a quick summary:
a. Local Tax: IBI, “Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles“:
What is it? A local tax on any Spanish property.
Who has to pay for it? Any owner of a Spanish property, local or foreigner.
How do you know? You’ll get a letter after June of any year but some local authorities don’t send it. You owe this tax
Who is the beneficiary? The tax is payable to your local Town Hall. Those are for infrastructure, waste collection,…
If you pay too late, you will have to pay a penalty.
Where can I pay it? Your local Town Hall, a few of them are available online.
Our tip: A few of them allow domiciliation of payment: very easy, they will take the amount from your account every year. A very good solution if you are living abroad. Make sure your account balance is sufficient: some banks would refuse to pay or would charge you a high interest if the account would fall into negative territory.
How is the Tax Calculated? The IBI is based on the “Valor Catastral“. The “Valor Cadastral” can be legally adjusted if needed by any Town Hall.
Our tip: by working with a lawyer, he will make sure that the previous owner paid for it, if it is not the case, you’ll have to pay for him!
What if your property is empty? You owe the tax!
Our tip: After buying a property, register your property with the Town Hall within two months. Take all the official documents with you. Most of the time, your lawyer will do this for you.
If you forgot it, your local town hall could recoup the amounts due for the last 5 years + penalties… So, now you know!
The IBI for the apartment in Barcelona is under 0.6% of the “Valor Catastral“: i.e. 360€
b. State Tax: You are renting it. You are not renting it… Modelo 210 – Form 210
A. You are renting out your apartment => Quarterly filling, before the 15th of the month following the end of the quarter.
The State tax for the apartment in Barcelona is 19% of the “Rental Value“: i.e. 3648€ on an annual basis and 912€ on a quarterly basis.
Our Tip: you have items that could reduce this amount, check with (y)our lawyer.
B. Your apartment is not rented => Yearly filling
The State tax for the apartment in Barcelona is under 0.2% of the “Valor Catastral“: i.e. 200€
Where can you find the Spanish form 210 directly in English?
Where can you find the official information for filing your Spanish Form 210 in English?
Have a look at the help guide written in English by the Spanish Authorities.
Our Tip: Pay attention, if you bought the property with someone else (spouse, kids,…), everybody needs to do one filling for the taxes!
Our Tip: Take advantage of our network and get your filling done by someone on the ground.
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Insurance
The insurance should be around 0.05% of the price of your property.
The insurance for the apartment in Barcelona is under 250€.
Our Tip: Many insurance brokers in Spain speak foreign languages. Ask a quote from our home insurance partner in Spain.
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Utilities
If your apartment in Barcelona is empty, you’ll have a few charges just to have accounts open and running:
+/- 15€ / month for water
+/- 20€ / month for electricity
+/- 6€ / month for gas
For a total of 41€ / month if your apartment in Barcelona is not rented.
If your apartment in Barcelona is rented, charges may increase up to 150€ / month. With inflation rising since 2021, you should expect those costs to increase even more in the future.
Our Tip: If your Gas meter needs to be reopened, you’ll have to get a technician to certify that your installation standards is fine. Count about 150€ for this.
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Community Charges
This charge depends on the property you bought:
- Is there a lift in the building?
- Is the property new? Does it need more or less of maintenance?
- Are many properties empty?
- Do you have a swimming pool?
- How often is the property cleaned?
For your apartment in Barcelona count between 50€ and 100€ per month.
Our Tip: Ask for the last Assembly documents before buying. Your lawyer will do this in general. You will get a much better picture on those costs and on the costs carried on the property in the past or to be done in the future.
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Charges of your own property
- Do you have a private garden?
- Do you have your own private pool?
- The paintwork needs doing?
- Do you have a mortgage? Check our paper we wrote on that to find out what is your monthly mortgage payment: What is the cost of your Spanish Mortgage? Your ultimate Mortgage calculator
To sum up: 0.8% per year:
- 0.15% Local tax,
- 0.05% National tax(not rented ),
- 0.05% Insurance,
- 0.1% Utilities (empty),
- 0.3% Community charges,
- 0.1% Property charges
Do you want to be sure of the cost of buying a Spanish property? Read the news we wrote on this. Last but not least another interesting paper is: cost of living in Spain vs any country in the world.
All those information are from reliable sources. We advise you to check those with your fiscal and legal advisor in Spain in order to get all those costs up to date and adjusted to your specific situation. Find your Spanish property lawyer here.
Do you want to start searching immediately?
Discover the best new build projects in Spain available right now
If you don’t know where to buy, this general article on the Spanish Real Estate market could be very useful: Everything you ever wanted to know about the top 20 Spanish real estate markets
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This infographic could help you before buying your new property in Spain.
Don’t try to do it alone, you think you will save money, but you will WASTE money
Stéphane Senior analyst and strategist at HTBIS
Stéphane, with over 20 years of experience in real estate, finance and entrepreneurship, is the co-founder of www.howtobuyinspain.com. With an extensive network of local partners in Spain, his deep commitment to the real estate sector combined with strong analytical skills and a problem-solving mentality have fueled his success. Constantly eager to learn and passionate about teaching, Stéphane believes in the power of knowledge sharing to master any subject.
Our FAQ on Cost of buying a house in Spain
The post What is the real cost of owning your Spanish property in 2023? appeared first on How to buy in Spain.
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