Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and United Kingdom Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,688 in Spain versus $2,412 in United Kingdom.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,494 in Spain versus $3,533 in United Kingdom.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,299 in Spain versus $4,653 in United Kingdom.

Living in Spain costs about 30% less than in United Kingdom on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Spain 23% above, United Kingdom 76% above.

Internal cost variation is higher in United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,118 to $4,221, compared to $980–$2,739 in Spain. City choice carries more weight in United Kingdom.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.19 €14.84

$21.35 £15.84

-19.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.3 €49.43

$87.2 £64.7

-34.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.55 €9.96

$10.72 £7.95

7.74%

Cappuccino

$2.43 €2.10

$4.79 £3.55

-49.27%

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

$2.61 €2.25

$2.57 £1.91

1.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.61

$1.82 £1.35

2.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.48 €3.00

$6.61 £4.91

-47.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 €3.43

$6.90 £5.12

-42.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.09

$1.68 £1.25

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 €1.31

$1.76 £1.30

-13.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 €1.44

$2.28 £1.69

-27.19%

Eggs

$3.43 €2.96

$4.09 £3.04

-16.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.76 €12.74

$9.88 £7.33

49.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.78 €7.58

$9.44 £7.00

-6.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.77 €14.47

$14.89 £11.05

12.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.25

$2.97 £2.21

-12.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.83

$1.69 £1.25

25.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.84

$2.80 £2.08

-23.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.67 €2.31

$3.48 £2.58

-23.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.65

$1.77 £1.31

7.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.74

$1.66 £1.23

21.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.16

$1.22 £0.90

10.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.69

$1.71 £1.27

-53.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.61 €5.70

$23.99 £17.79

-72.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.65 €4.88

$11.05 £8.19

-48.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.13

$3.07 £2.28

-57.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.85

$3.36 £2.49

-36.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.47

$3.34 £2.47

-49.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.28 €30.44

$103 £76.6

-65.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €3.96

$5.30 £3.93

-13.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 €1.32

$2.16 £1.60

-29.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.69 €22.16

$27.14 £20.13

-5.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.54

$1.95 £1.44

-8.21%

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

$37.2K €32.1K

$39.5K £29.3K

-5.73%

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

$30.9K €26.7K

$40.8K £30.3K

-24.28%

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

$151 €130

$326 £242

-53.71%

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

$17.98 €15.51

$18.25 £13.54

-1.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.12 €28.58

$42.65 £31.64

-22.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.74 €40.33

$46.53 £34.51

0.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.95 €13.76

$18.19 £13.49

-12.31%

Cinema Ticket

$10.10 €8.71

$13.50 £10.01

-25.19%

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

$561 €484

$1,734 £1,286

-67.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,566

$23.3K £17.3K

-52.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.8 €74.9

$91.6 £68.0

-5.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 €32.42

$46.91 £34.79

-19.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 €78.9

$106 £78.5

-13.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 €94.2

$101 £75.0

7.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 €902

$1,365 £1,013

-23.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 €712

$1,108 £822

-25.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,637 €1,412

$2,209 £1,639

-25.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 €1,093

$1,779 £1,320

-28.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,290 €3,702

$5,624 £4,171

-23.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,675 €2,308

$4,390 £3,256

-39.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,046 €1,766

$3,384 £2,510

-39.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

5.32

-38.16%

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

Last update for Spain: August 29, 2026

Last update for United Kingdom: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $927 in Spain, $1,296 in United Kingdom. Capital cities: $1,583 in Madrid vs $3,001 in London.

National salary averages: $2,039 in Spain, $3,270 in United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 40% higher in United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 44% more in United Kingdom.

Public transport is 187% more expensive in United Kingdom.

Salaries are 60% higher in United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in United Kingdom.

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 $1,860 per month in Spain and $2,670 in United Kingdom, there's a 44% 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 simply cheaper in Spain: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in United Kingdom is consistently higher than in Spain across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

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