Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Spain: $1,754 a month against $2,453 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇪🇸 Spain

$1,754

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Spain and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,754 in Spain versus $2,453 in the United Kingdom.

Spain $1,754
United Kingdom $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,570 in Spain versus $3,548 in the United Kingdom.

Spain $2,570
United Kingdom $3,548

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,386 in Spain versus $4,643 in the United Kingdom.

Spain $3,386
United Kingdom $4,643

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,131 to $3,986, compared to $928–$2,590 in Spain. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in Spain costs about 29% less than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Spain 30% above, the United Kingdom 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 €14.73

$20.82 £15.62

-20.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.4

$86.3 £64.7

-34.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €10.00

$10.76 £8.07

4.46%

Cappuccino

$2.32 €2.07

$4.87 £3.65

-52.36%

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

$2.57 €2.28

$2.55 £1.91

0.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.85 £1.39

0.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 €2.97

$6.75 £5.06

-50.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 €3.58

$6.49 £4.87

-38.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.64 £1.23

-26.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.66 £1.24

-7.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.17 £1.63

-24.88%

Eggs

$3.30 €2.93

$4.02 £3.01

-17.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.35 €12.76

$9.40 £7.05

52.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.54 €7.60

$8.99 £6.74

-5.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.09 €14.31

$14.55 £10.92

10.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$2.90 £2.17

-15.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$1.60 £1.20

26.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.78 £2.08

-25.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$3.39 £2.54

-28.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.78 £1.34

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.78

$1.62 £1.21

24.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.23 £0.92

4.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.66

$1.66 £1.24

-54.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 €5.71

$23.67 £17.76

-72.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.71 €5.08

$10.67 £8.00

-46.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.15

$3.06 £2.30

-57.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.77

$3.33 £2.50

-40.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.51

$3.34 £2.51

-49.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.97 €30.22

$103 £77.1

-66.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €4.07

$5.44 £4.08

-15.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.36 £1.77

-37.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.59 €21.87

$26.17 £19.63

-6.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.95 £1.46

-10.77%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$38.0K £28.5K

-8.16%

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

$29.7K €26.4K

$40.6K £30.5K

-26.95%

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

$147 €131

$315 £236

-53.33%

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

$17.90 €15.92

$17.88 £13.41

0.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.21 €27.76

$42.77 £32.09

-27.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.57 €39.65

$44.93 £33.71

-0.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.01 €13.35

$17.98 £13.49

-16.52%

Cinema Ticket

$9.24 €8.22

$13.06 £9.80

-29.25%

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

$529 €470

$1,753 £1,315

-69.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K €9,212

$22.5K £16.9K

-54.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.8 €75.5

$90.4 £67.8

-6.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.80 €32.73

$45.49 £34.13

-19.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 €79.7

$101 £75.9

-11.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €94.8

$102 £76.4

4.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$988 €879

$1,339 £1,005

-26.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 €703

$1,096 £822

-27.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 €1,405

$2,152 £1,615

-26.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 €1,064

$1,699 £1,275

-29.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 €3,610

$5,551 £4,165

-26.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,615 €2,326

$4,374 £3,282

-40.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,923 €1,711

$3,324 £2,494

-42.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

5.32

-37.97%

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

Last update for Spain: October 13, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spain

$791 45.1%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.7% 38.7% $306

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.5%

United Kingdom

$303 12.4% 11.7% $32

Eating Out

Spain

$237 13.5%

United Kingdom

$322 13.1% 35.9% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$196 11.2%

United Kingdom

$375 15.3% 91.5% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$143 8.2%

United Kingdom

$153 6.2% 6.6% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$63 3.6%

United Kingdom

$71 2.9% 12.7% $8

Getting Around

Spain

$53 3%

United Kingdom

$133 5.4% 153% $81

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $908 in Spain, $1,252 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $1,506 in Madrid vs $2,869 in London.

National salary averages: $1,972 in Spain, $3,228 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 38% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 46% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 200% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 64% higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Spain

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

04:27 4:27 AM

03:27 3:27 AM

1 h behind Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Spain United Kingdom 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Spain
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,754 per month in Spain and $2,453 in the United Kingdom, there's a 40% 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.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,252 in the United Kingdom and $908 in Spain. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Spain, $3,000 covers most cities easily; in the United Kingdom 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; the United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.