Spain: cheaper than rip-off britain?

A new survey from Kyero.com reveals the truth about Spain’s cost of living…

According to the survey, a couple can (on average) live on € 644 per month in addition to any rent or mortgage payments.

Taken from a wide range of locations in Spain and calculating average (median) monthly figures, visitors responding to the Kyero.com survey gave the following figures:

One-off Charges

Monthly Charges

A visitor living on the Murcia / Alicante border on the Coast summarised the cost of living in Spain: “Most things are two thirds the cost of the UK, however, the odd thing like phones and adsl are considerably more due to the Telefonica monopoly”.

Communication costs seem to be higher in Spain (or cost the same as the UK but for a lower level of service) – mainly due to the lack of competitive forces in the market. One respondent from Spain’s most affluent province, Girona, added: “Living in Spain did seem cheap when there were no bills to pay but .electricity is expensive and petrol costs have gone up. I wouldn’t say living in Spain is cheap.”

A visitor from Huelva province – an area that has seen very strong house price increases in recent years agreed: “Market, supermarket and household commodity prices are continuously spiralling in line with fuel cost increases.”

If the cost of essential purchases in Spain are increasing, it seems that the ‘little extras’ still compare well to UK costs. One visitor compared London to Almeria: "Having come from London where we would say it costs 50 quid to walk out the door, here it costs us a fiver – and that’s drinks and tapas for two!

Another respondent from Murcia agreed: “Average meal out in Spain for two with bottle of wine under 25 euros. In the UK, it’s in excess of 55€.”

Live like the locals

Perhaps the secret of living cheaply in Spain is to live like the locals? “Groceries depend upon how you live – if you insist on English bacon, it costs are a lot more than if you buy local produce”.

Choosing the area of Spain in which to live also has a big impact. Provinces like Barcelona, Madrid and Girona will demand a cost of living premium for their superior infrastructure, accessibility and work opportunities. Provinces where less is on offer, typically cost less to live in.

Hopefully, one thing the survey successfully achieved was to put a stake in the ground for people assessing the cost of living in Spain. Many people arriving in Spain are on a limited income and it’s far from easy to find employment in many areas of Spain. Knowing how much things cost in advance is an essential step in preparing for a new life in Spain.