Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Germany

Name: Germany
Address: DE

For one person, living is cheaper in Spain: $1,754 a month against $2,056 in Germany, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Germany
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Germany Living Index

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🇪🇸 Spain

$1,754

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🇩🇪 Germany

$2,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Spain and in Germany

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Spain and in Germany actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,754 in Spain versus $2,056 in Germany.

Spain $1,754
Germany $2,056

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,570 in Spain versus $3,129 in Germany.

Spain $2,570
Germany $3,129

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,386 in Spain versus $4,202 in Germany.

Spain $3,386
Germany $4,202

Spain ($928–$2,590) and Germany ($1,329–$2,658) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Spain costs about 15% less than in Germany on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Spain 30% above, Germany 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 €14.73

$16.62 €14.79

-0.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.4

$72.6 €64.6

-22.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €10.00

$12.24 €10.89

-8.17%

Cappuccino

$2.32 €2.07

$4.08 €3.63

-43.14%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.37 €3.00

-23.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.01 €2.67

-38.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 €2.97

$4.90 €4.36

-31.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 €3.58

$4.38 €3.90

-8.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.32 €1.17

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.11 €1.88

-27.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$3.37 €3.00

-51.63%

Eggs

$3.30 €2.93

$3.91 €3.48

-15.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.35 €12.76

$14.23 €12.66

0.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.54 €7.60

$11.79 €10.49

-27.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.09 €14.31

$20.95 €18.64

-23.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$3.18 €2.83

-22.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$2.06 €1.83

-1.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.22 €1.98

-6.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$4.14 €3.68

-41.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.46 €1.30

21.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.78

$1.43 €1.27

40.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.60 €1.42

-19.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.66

$1.06 €0.95

-29.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 €5.71

$9.67 €8.61

-33.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.71 €5.08

$5.97 €5.31

-4.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.13 €1.01

15.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.62 €1.44

22.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.51

$3.90 €3.47

-56.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.97 €30.22

$70.8 €62.9

-51.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €4.07

$5.38 €4.78

-14.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.81 €2.50

-47.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.59 €21.87

$38.76 €34.48

-36.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.12 €1.88

-17.92%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.9K €31.0K

$32.9K €29.3K

6.01%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$29.7K €26.4K

$37.7K €33.5K

-21.18%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$147 €131

$338 €301

-56.59%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.90 €15.92

$25.29 €22.49

-29.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.21 €27.76

$48.19 €42.86

-35.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.57 €39.65

$40.85 €36.34

9.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.01 €13.35

$27.91 €24.83

-46.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.24 €8.22

$14.64 €13.02

-36.89%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$529 €470

$564 €502

-6.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K €9,212

$17.4K €15.4K

-40.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.8 €75.5

$90.5 €80.5

-6.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.80 €32.73

$43.21 €38.44

-14.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 €79.7

$99.3 €88.3

-9.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €94.8

$127 €113

-16.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$988 €879

$917 €816

7.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 €703

$696 €619

13.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 €1,405

$1,660 €1,476

-4.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 €1,064

$1,310 €1,165

-8.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 €3,610

$5,987 €5,326

-32.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,615 €2,326

$4,049 €3,601

-35.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,923 €1,711

$3,321 €2,954

-42.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.96

-16.67%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Spain: October 13, 2026

Last update for Germany: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Spain

$791 45.1%

Germany

$696 33.8% 12% $95

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.5%

Germany

$333 16.2% 22.7% $62

Eating Out

Spain

$237 13.5%

Germany

$278 13.5% 17.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$196 11.2%

Germany

$412 20% 110% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$143 8.2%

Germany

$162 7.9% 13.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$63 3.6%

Germany

$70 3.4% 11.2% $7.1

Getting Around

Spain

$53 3%

Germany

$106 5.2% 101% $53

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $908 in Spain, $801 in Germany. Capital cities: $1,506 in Madrid vs $1,469 in Berlin.

National salary averages: $1,972 in Spain, $3,101 in Germany. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 13% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 25% more in Germany.

Public transport is 128% more expensive in Germany.

Salaries are 57% higher in Germany, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Germany.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Spain

🇩🇪 Germany

🕒 Local time

17:55 5:55 PM

Same time as Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

84,358,845

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Spain Germany 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Spain
Germany

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Spain vs Germany: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,056 per month in Germany and $1,754 in Spain, there's a 17% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Spain: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

In Spain, $3,000 covers most cities easily; in Germany it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Spain wins on affordability; Germany may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.