Are you about to move to one of the stunning Spanish cities? Read our tips and find out everything about the cost of living in Spain.

Along the last years Spain has been welcoming an increasing number of young people, both exchange students and professionals. The best cities to live in Spain, where you can find a great quality of life, services, entertainment and opportunities are: Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona.

Keep reading our article and discover more about the cost of living in Spain, in the three most famous destinations for young expats.

Cost of living in Madrid, Spain

Madrid, the capital of Spain, is the biggest city in the country. It offers so many opportunities and it welcomes every year thousands of expats. The demand is quite high and so are the prices (compared to other cities in Spain).
Anyways, the cost of living in Madrid is cheaper than other big European destinations. In general, we could say that the rank for a student or a young professional is between 900 euros and 1300 euros per month, depending on social habits and lifestyle. Let’s have a look at the details.

Cost of the accommodation in Madrid

When calculating the cost of living in Spain, the accommodation is the main expense to set up. The most popular housing solution for young people is renting a room in Madrid, by sharing an apartment with other expats. The average price for a room in the city centre is 400-600 euros. If you go to live in the outskirts of Madrid you can also find accommodations for 300 euros, but you’ll miss the comforts of the best neighborhoods. 

Public transportation in Madrid

The public transportation in Madrid is super efficient and quite affordable. The monthly metro and bus card is only 20 euros for people under 26 (Abono Joven). If you’re over 26, the personal card price starts from 54,60€ and increases depending on how many areas you add to your purchase.

Moreover, Madrid offers many other means of transport for a cheap price: bike and moto sharing, taxi, Uber and Cabify.

Food and leisure activities in Madrid

Madrileños love to gather and dine out in typical tapas bars, fancy restaurants or trendy rooftop terraces. Here you can have a complete lunch with the daily menú for only 11-14€; grab a good drink for only 7-15€ or even beer/wine glass for 1.50-3€. For your weekly grocery shopping you can calculate an average budget of 35€.

Also leisure activities can be on a budget, theaters shows in Madrid can start from 20€ and cinemas tickets from 8€. 

And the night entertainment will surprise you! You have the opportunity to try every kind of club: from the free entry (and free shots) ones, where Erasmus students usually hang out, to the fanciest clubs in the city with an entrance of 15€.

Cost of living in Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona is very similar to Madrid, in terms of cost of living in Spain and amenities that the city can offer. It is the second biggest city in the country and is capital of the Catalonia region, famous all over the world among students, professionals and tourists: therefore it became one of the most expensive places in Spain (still below the European average). It has been calculated that the cost of living in Barcelona is around 700-1200 €. 

Cost of the accommodation in Barcelona

Same as Madrid, the most popular choice of accommodation for young internationals is renting a room in Barcelona. If we compare the two cities, in Barcelona rent is around 9% lower than Madrid; therefore it is around 500 € in the central neighbourhoods.

Public transportation in Barcelona

The Catalonian capital offers a great public transport network, made of metro and buses. You can purchase a single ticket for 2.15€  or choose the monthly personal card up to 40€. Check out the ticket options here.

Food and leisure activities in Barcelona

If you want to eat out, for a daily menu in Barcelona you can spend from  10€ to 25€ (for an a la carte dinner). While the weekly grocery shopping will be around 30€.
Prices for entertaining activities are: from 10 € to 30 € for an entrance to a nightclub (depending on the type of disco). Theater ticket range is from 12 up to 50 € and cinema entrance from 7 up to 10€.

Cost of living in Valencia, Spain

The cost of living in Spain, in general, is below the average in the Western Europe. Valencia is the perfect example of a city which offers literally everything, which has a great quality of life but with a super affordable cost. If you are an international student or young professional, you can calculate a budget of 700-1000€ per month, to live in Valencia. 

Cost of the accommodation in Valencia

Same as the other cities, the most common choice for accommodation among young internationals is renting a room in Valencia. With a budget of 300-350€ (or even lower) you can find beautiful and equipped rooms in the center of the city!

Public transportation in Valencia

Public transport is pretty good in Valencia. You can use metro and buses with a 10-trips card for 8-10€ or get a monthly personal card (that will be even cheaper if you use it on a daily basis).

While, if you prefer being active and sporty, a very popular option is moving around Valencia by bike with Valenbisi.

Food and leisure activities in Valencia

The average young international will spill around 30€ per week for grocery shopping. Not bad, uh?! And we assume that you’ll eat out quite a lot during your stay abroad. But no worries, Valencia has great prices for dining out, in restaurants or tapas bars, where you can get a big amount of food and drinks for less than 10€.

Healthcare in Spain

You have to know that public healthcare services in Spain are quite good. If you are a citizen or if you have the residency card (empadronamiento) you get access to these free services. It’s important to take into account that the public Spanish National Healthcare System does not cover every health expense. Things like ambulances, dentists or some pharmacy prescriptions are at your own expense.

If you are a Non-EU citizen, purchasing a private health insurance which covers you throughout the whole stay in Spain is mandatory in order to get the Visa.

If you are from a country in the European Union, in the European Economic Area (EEA) or from Switzerland, you can obtain many free services by using your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This free card gives you access to the most necessary healthcare public services.

So, to sum up, we can say that the cost of living in Spain is very affordable if compared to other famous European countries. Young internationals will broadly spend around 900-1,200€ per month, depending on the Spanish city they live in and their lifestyle.