Cost of living in Spain vs the UK

Last updated 2026-09-14

Part of the Moving to Spain from the UK guide.

This page sets out crowd-sourced cost-of-living figures for Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia against a UK national-average baseline. All figures are from Numbeo, accessed in September 2026, and are crowd-sourced — that means they reflect user-submitted prices aggregated by city, not audited official statistics. They are useful for understanding direction and rough scale; they are not a personal budget. All values are in euros; the UK baseline is the Numbeo UK country average converted from sterling at the rate recorded on the access date.

Five cost lines are compared: rent for a one-bedroom city-centre apartment, basic utilities for an 85m² flat, a representative single-person monthly grocery basket, a monthly public-transport pass, and the cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant. Below the comparison table, each city is covered in its own section with notes on what drives costs locally, followed by a regional variation section for those considering cities beyond the main three, a section on the specific lines where Spain is cheaper or more expensive than the UK, and three sample monthly budgets at different income levels.

Spain vs UK cost of living — comparison table

The table below compares the five cost lines across Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia against the UK national average. All figures are in euros. Crowd-sourced Numbeo data, accessed 2026-09-14.

UK baseline is the Numbeo UK country average (not London) converted from sterling to euros at the rate recorded on the access date. Figures are crowd-sourced and approximate.

Madrid

Madrid is Spain's capital and its largest city. The Numbeo figures for a city-centre one-bedroom apartment show rent at €1,353/month, utilities at €168/month and a monthly transport pass at €33/month. A representative single-person grocery basket is ~€200–250/month (single person). Eating out — a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant — is around €60 (meal for two).

Rent in Madrid varies considerably by district. City-centre neighbourhoods such as Salamanca, Retiro and Malasaña sit above the Numbeo city-centre average; outer districts and municipalities in the wider Community of Madrid sit below it. The Numbeo figure is a crowd-sourced city-centre average, not a fixed price. The Metro network is extensive and one of the cheaper in Europe on a per-kilometre basis; the monthly pass covers unlimited travel within zones and is one of the lines where Madrid is clearly lower than the UK average. Utilities in Madrid are somewhat lower than the UK baseline, though electricity bills in Spain are linked to wholesale market prices and can be volatile. Supermarkets — particularly Mercadona and Lidl — are generally considered competitive on staple goods.

Barcelona

Barcelona is Spain's second-largest city and the most expensive of the three in this comparison on rent. The Numbeo figures show a city-centre one-bedroom apartment at €1,462/month, utilities at €164/month and a monthly transport pass at €23/month. Groceries for a single person run around ~€220–280/month (single person). Eating out costs around €60 (meal for two) for two at a mid-range restaurant.

Barcelona's rent is the highest of the three cities in this table, driven by demand from both domestic and international residents, short-term rental pressure, and limited new supply in the most sought-after central neighbourhoods such as Eixample, Gràcia and Born. The city's rent situation has attracted significant political attention and rental-regulation measures; the crowd-sourced Numbeo figure reflects average market conditions at the access date rather than any regulated or social-housing rate. Barcelona's public transport is run by TMB and the integrated T-usual card covers Metro, bus and local rail, with the monthly pass shown here among the lowest of the three cities in the table.

Valencia

Valencia is Spain's third-largest city and the most affordable of the three in this comparison. The Numbeo figures show rent at €1,252/month, utilities at €140/month and a monthly transport pass at €35/month. Groceries for a single person run around ~€200–250/month (single person). Eating out costs around €60 (meal for two) for two.

Valencia combines a large urban area with a lower cost base than Madrid or Barcelona. The city centre has been subject to growing demand from international remote workers, particularly since 2020, and prices have risen from a lower starting point; the Numbeo figure is a current crowd-sourced average rather than a historical comparison. Valencia's proximity to extensive agricultural land means fresh produce is generally available at competitive prices in local markets (mercados). Utilities in Valencia are the lowest of the three cities in the table.

Regional variation

The three cities in the comparison table are Spain's three largest. Costs across the rest of Spain vary considerably, and in many cities and towns they are lower than any of the three. Seville, Málaga and Alicante — all popular with British expats — tend to have lower rent than Madrid or Barcelona on Numbeo data, with Alicante and the broader Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol areas among the most affordable of Spain's larger urban centres. Smaller inland cities such as Murcia, Salamanca and Valladolid sit lower still on most cost lines. Rural areas and small towns can be substantially cheaper across every line in the table, with rent figures well below those of any major city.

The Canary Islands and Balearic Islands carry their own cost dynamics. The Canaries benefit from a lower VAT regime (IGIC rather than IVA) which reduces the cost of some goods; their climate draws significant foreign resident populations. The Balearics (Palma de Mallorca) are among the most expensive locations in Spain due to tourism pressure and limited housing supply; rent in Palma has risen sharply and in some periods rivals Barcelona. These figures are not in the comparison table above; the Numbeo database holds per-city data for each.

Cheaper than the UK

On the Numbeo figures in the table, public transport is lower in all three Spanish cities than the UK national average. The Madrid monthly pass at €33/month, Barcelona at €23/month and Valencia at €35/month compare to a UK baseline of ≈€90/month (£77). This is one of the clearest consistent differences across the table. Utilities are lower in all three cities than the UK baseline (≈€282/month (£242)), with Madrid at €168/month, Barcelona at €164/month and Valencia at €140/month.

Eating out in Spain is generally lower than in UK cities of comparable size and economic activity. The Numbeo figures show meal-for-two costs at €60 (meal for two) in Madrid, €60 (meal for two) in Barcelona and €60 (meal for two) in Valencia, against a UK baseline of ≈€76 (meal for two; £65). The menu del día — a set weekday lunch offered by most Spanish restaurants, typically including a starter, main, dessert and drink — is one of the ways dining out in Spain can be considerably cheaper than the per-item price suggests; it is not captured in the Numbeo meal-for-two figure.

More expensive than the UK

The UK baseline used in the comparison table is the Numbeo UK national average, not London. A UK national average rent of ≈€1,174/month (£1,007) covers the whole country, which means lower-cost UK cities pull it down significantly. On that basis, Madrid rent at €1,353/month and Barcelona at €1,462/month are above the UK average. Valencia at €1,252/month is close to or below it depending on the current figures. For someone moving from London specifically, all three Spanish cities are likely to look considerably cheaper on rent — London is not the UK baseline used here.

Imported goods — including branded British products — typically cost more in Spain than in the UK. Post-Brexit import rules mean that UK products entering Spain face standard EU third-country tariffs and checks, which adds to retail costs. Grocery baskets that include a high proportion of branded British imports will sit above the Numbeo crowd-sourced average. Spanish internet and mobile prices are broadly competitive with the UK, though the comparison varies by provider and package.

Sample monthly budgets

The three sample budgets below are constructed from the Numbeo crowd-sourced figures in the table above. They are illustrative only — they are not a personal budget recommendation and do not account for individual circumstances, lifestyle, property size or location within a city. All figures are approximate and in euros.

Sample budgets use Numbeo crowd-sourced figures (accessed 2026-09-14). All values are approximate and in euros. Fixed rows use sourced figures; variable rows (eating out, leisure) are illustrative ranges only.

Frequently asked questions

Related pages

• Moving to Spain from the UK — hub — visa routes, move costs, healthcare and tax overview.
• Spain visas for British citizens — non-lucrative, digital nomad, work and family routes in full.
• Healthcare in Spain for British expats — S1 form, private insurance costs, public-system access by visa type.
• Tax in Spain for UK nationals — income tax, wealth tax, the Beckham law and the UK–Spain treaty.

This page provides general information and figures only. It is not immigration, tax, or financial advice, and nothing here is a recommendation or an assessment of your circumstances. Requirements change — always check the current official rules before you act.