Rent, electricity, groceries, transport and health insurance, city by city and with official 2026 sources. No frills and no promises: what you will really pay each month, and what you need saved to land without surprises.
By Suelen Miranda · Product Owner at Aterriza España · Brazilian in Spain
Updated July 2026
It is the first question for anyone thinking of moving to Spain, and the one the internet answers worst: scattered figures, undated and copied from one blog to the next. Here we do the opposite. Every number in this article comes from an official source — the INE, the Official State Gazette, Eurostat, the CNMC or the rental indices of idealista and Fotocasa — with its year beside it. Where a figure cannot be stated with confidence, we say so and give a range. We would rather be honest than falsely precise.
The short answer, so you don't have to scroll to the end:
Now the breakdown, item by item.
Rent is the biggest item in any budget in Spain and the one that varies most from city to city — and from neighborhood to neighborhood within the same city. It is also where the biggest difference between living in the capital or on the Mediterranean coast is decided, so it is worth a close look.
In June 2026, the average rent in Spain hit an all-time high: €15.3/m² per month, 4.2% more than a year earlier, according to the idealista index. But that national average hides enormous differences, and here is the key for newcomers: affordable life in Spain is not in the big capitals, but in dozens of mid-size cities and towns across the Levante, the interior of Aragón and Murcia, and the north. These are the asking prices:
| City | €/m² | Average rent |
|---|---|---|
| Levante / Mediterranean coast | ||
| Valência | 16,7 € | ~1.500 € |
| Alicante | ~13 € | ~1.320 € |
| Tarragona | ~12 € | ~1.090 € |
| Elche | ~10 € | ~1.040 € |
| Inland — Aragón and Murcia | ||
| Zaragoza | ~12 € | ~1.120 € |
| Múrcia | ~10 € | ~1.010 € |
| North and northern interior | ||
| Valladolid | ~10 € | ~970 € |
| Salamanca | ~11 € | ~1.010 € |
| Oviedo | ~12 € | ~990 € |
| Gijón | ~13 € | ~960 € |
| The big capitals (for comparison) | ||
| Madri | 23,7 € | ~1.760 € |
| Barcelona | 23,0 € | ~1.750 € |
Source: idealista (€/m², June 2026 rental report) and Fotocasa (average rent per home, June 2026). These are asking prices (what is requested in the listing), usually above the signed-contract price.
The first conclusion, with a number: outside Madrid and Barcelona, rent is 30% to 40% cheaper per square meter. And we are not talking about just three cities: Valencia, Alicante and Tarragona are the best-known entry point, but real demand from newcomers — Brazilians included — is increasingly spreading to mid-size cities like Zaragoza, Murcia, Valladolid or Salamanca, to the north (Oviedo, Gijón) and to the towns of the Alicante belt (Elche, Elda, Villena, Aspe, Crevillente), where for the same money you live with more space and less competition for each flat.
The idealista and Fotocasa indices measure what landlords ask in listings, not what is finally signed. The real closing price is usually much lower. An example with official data: in Zaragoza, while the asking price is around €12/m², the State Rental Price Reference System (SERPAVI), run by the Ministry of Housing, puts the median of actual contracts at €7.72/m². The gap is huge, and it works in your favor if you know how to negotiate and present a solid file.
And here comes the second difficulty, which the numbers don't tell: for a newcomer, with no Spanish payslip or history, the problem is often not the price, but getting someone to rent to you. We cover this in detail in our guide on how to rent in Spain without a payslip.
After rent, utilities are the second fixed block of the month. They vary with the size of the home, the number of people and habits, but solid 2026 references can be given:
| Utility | Guideline monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Electricity | ~66 € |
| Gas (if the home uses it for heating) | ~40 – 75 € |
| Water | ~18 – 30 € |
| Internet + mobile (bundle) | ~38 € |
Source: electricity, OCU electricity price report (June 2026); internet + mobile, CNMC Household Panel (Q4 2025); water, INE statistics (unit cost €1.92/m³) plus a fixed charge, highly variable by region. Gas is a range: many homes on the Mediterranean coast don't even use it.
Adding the basics — electricity, water and internet — one person in a small flat usually lands around €100–160 a month; a family in a larger home, between €160 and €230. Gas weighs more in winter, but in the Mediterranean climate its impact is much smaller than inland or in the north.
Here's good news for newcomers: Spain is around 5% below the European Union average in food prices, according to Eurostat. Eating well, with fresh market produce, remains relatively affordable compared with much of Europe.
How much do people actually spend? The average Spanish household spent €449 a month on groceries in 2024, according to the INE Household Budget Survey. But that figure is from 2024, and prices have risen since: the food CPI accumulated +4.95% up to mid-2026 (INE), putting the current average around €471 a month per household — roughly €188 per person.
Public transport in Spain is good and cheap by European standards, and in 2026 there are still discounts on urban passes. The monthly pass price varies by city:
| City | Monthly pass |
|---|---|
| Madri (zona A) | 32,70 € |
| Barcelona (1 zona) | 22,80 € |
| Valência (1 zona) | 21,00 € |
| Alicante (zona A) | 24,00 € |
Source: each city's transport authority (CRTM Madrid, ATM Barcelona, ATMV Valencia, TAM Alicante), with the 2026 discounts (Mitma). In the Valencian Community the discounts are extended to 31 December 2026, so Valencia (€21) and Alicante (€24) keep the reduced price; without the discount they would be €35 and €40.
For those with a car: fuel is around €1.52–1.54/liter (95 petrol and diesel, national average in early July 2026, per the EU Oil Bulletin). In cities like Valencia or Alicante, though, many people live perfectly well without a car.
Spain has a free, good-quality public health system. Once you are a resident and registered — through work or another route — you access it with your health card. For those who don't pay social security, there is the Special Agreement (Convenio Especial): by paying a monthly fee (€60 for under-65s; €157 from that age) you access public healthcare after one year of local registration.
There is one case where private insurance is not optional: the non-lucrative and digital nomad visas require full private health insurance with no co-payments. A visa-valid policy usually costs between €95 and €100 a month for an adult, and the price depends heavily on age. It's an expense to build into the budget from day one if that's your entry route.
So far we've talked about the current month's spending. But the question that really matters when you plan the move is another: how much money do I need saved to land without surprises? Because in the first month you don't just pay rent: you pay the deposit (usually one or two months), sometimes a month in advance, rent-default insurance if the landlord asks for it, and the first set-up costs. That initial sum is what catches many people off guard.
That's why we built a cost-of-living calculator that does that real calculation for your case — your city, the number of people, the type of home — and tells you both the monthly spend and the money you need saved before boarding. It's the honest way to answer "will it be enough?" before taking the step.
Putting all the items together, here's a typical month in a mid-cost city like Valencia or Alicante (not Madrid or Barcelona):
| Item | One person | Couple | Family (3-4) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | 700-950 € | 850-1.100 € | 1.100-1.500 € |
| Utilities | 100-160 € | 130-190 € | 160-230 € |
| Groceries | 180-250 € | 350-450 € | 500-650 € |
| Transport | 21-33 € | 42-66 € | 60-100 € |
| Health insurance (if the visa requires it) | 60-100 € | 120-200 € | 200-350 € |
| Guideline total | 1.100-1.500 € | 1.500-2.000 € | 2.000-2.800 € |
We insist: this is a reference estimate with 2026 data, not a promise. Your specific case may fall above or below depending on the city, the neighborhood and how you live.
To put these figures in context: the minimum wage in Spain in 2026 is €1,221 a month across fourteen payments (€17,094 a year), according to the Royal Decree that sets it. The income thresholds the visas require are tied to these indicators — the non-lucrative asks you to prove around €28,800 a year; the digital nomad, around €2,849 a month. General inflation, meanwhile, is at 3.2% year-on-year (INE, 2026), now far from the peaks of previous years.
The exact numbers for your case
These figures are the map. Your real budget depends on your city, your family and your entry route. In a consultation with us we do that calculation with you — and, if you want, we help you have your home ready before you land. Request a consultation →
In a mid-cost city like Valencia or Alicante, between €1,100 and €1,500 a month, including rent, utilities, food, transport and, if your visa requires it, health insurance. In Madrid or Barcelona you must add a fair bit, above all for rent, which is 30-40% more expensive.
Many more than people think. Mid-size cities like Murcia, Valladolid, Zaragoza or Elche have average rents around €1,000, well below the ~€1,750 of Madrid or Barcelona. And the towns in the Alicante belt (Elda, Villena, Aspe, Crevillente) or cities like Reus bring rent down even further.
The average household spends around €471 a month (INE, updated to 2026), roughly €188 per person. If you buy mostly fresh produce, count on a bit more: fruit, vegetables and meat have risen above the average.
If your entry route is the non-lucrative or the digital nomad visa, yes: they require full private insurance with no co-payments, around €95-100 a month per adult. Once you are a resident and paying social security, you access free public healthcare.
INE — CPI (May/June 2026), Household Budget Survey 2024, Water Statistics 2022. · BOE — RD 126/2026 (minimum wage); RD 576/2013 (Special Agreement). · idealista and Fotocasa — rent, June 2026; SERPAVI — actual contracts. · CNMC — telecom (Q4 2025). · OCU — electricity (June 2026) and supermarkets (2025). · Eurostat — price levels 2024. · Mitma — transport 2026. · Ministry of Health — Special Agreement. Data updated July 2026.