Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and the United States

Name: United States
Address: US

For one person, living is cheaper in Spain: $1,754 a month against $2,701 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
133

Cost of Living Index in the United States
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United States Living Index

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🇪🇸 Spain

$1,754

/mo nomad

🇺🇸 United States

$2,701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 States actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,754 in Spain versus $2,701 in the United States.

Spain $1,754
United States $2,701

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,570 in Spain versus $3,980 in the United States.

Spain $2,570
United States $3,980

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,386 in Spain versus $5,258 in the United States.

Spain $3,386
United States $5,258

Internal cost variation is higher in the United States: monthly costs span $980 to $5,162, compared to $928–$2,590 in Spain. City choice carries more weight in the United States.

Living in Spain costs about 35% less than in the United States on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Spain 30% above, the United States 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 €14.73

$19.92 $19.92

-16.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.4

$81.0 $81.0

-30.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €10.00

$12.07 $12.07

-6.88%

Cappuccino

$2.32 €2.07

$5.55 $5.55

-58.20%

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

$2.57 €2.28

$2.67 $2.67

-3.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.09 $2.09

-11.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 €2.97

$5.96 $5.96

-43.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 €3.58

$7.76 $7.76

-48.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.05 $1.05

15.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 €1.37

$3.55 $3.55

-56.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$4.64 $4.64

-64.87%

Eggs

$3.30 €2.93

$4.18 $4.18

-21.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.35 €12.76

$12.76 $12.76

12.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.54 €7.60

$12.63 $12.63

-32.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.09 €14.31

$17.22 $17.22

-6.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$5.15 $5.15

-52.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$1.64 $1.64

23.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$4.46 $4.46

-53.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$4.98 $4.98

-51.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$2.84 $2.84

-37.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.78

$3.09 $3.09

-34.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.19 $2.19

-41.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.66

$2.27 $2.27

-66.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 €5.71

$10.61 $10.61

-39.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.71 €5.08

$14.71 $14.71

-61.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.15

$2.10 $2.10

-38.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.77

$3.82 $3.82

-47.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.35 $2.35

-27.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.97 €30.22

$64.1 $64.1

-46.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €4.07

$3.57 $3.57

28.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.85 $1.85

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.59 €21.87

$30.19 $30.19

-18.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.07 $1.07

62.62%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$35.3K $35.3K

-1.21%

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

$29.7K €26.4K

$25.9K $25.9K

14.59%

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

$147 €131

$217 $217

-32.19%

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

$17.90 €15.92

$61.4 $61.4

-70.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.21 €27.76

$74.4 $74.4

-58.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.57 €39.65

$45.08 $45.08

-1.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.01 €13.35

$23.07 $23.07

-34.94%

Cinema Ticket

$9.24 €8.22

$14.79 $14.79

-37.53%

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

$529 €470

$1,480 $1,480

-64.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K €9,212

$25.5K $25.5K

-59.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.8 €75.5

$53.0 $53.0

59.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.80 €32.73

$42.75 $42.75

-13.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 €79.7

$94.3 $94.3

-4.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €94.8

$115 $115

-7.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$988 €879

$1,678 $1,678

-41.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 €703

$1,313 $1,313

-39.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 €1,405

$2,649 $2,649

-40.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 €1,064

$2,183 $2,183

-45.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 €3,610

$3,374 $3,374

20.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,615 €2,326

$2,661 $2,661

-1.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,923 €1,711

$4,404 $4,404

-56.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

6.55

-49.62%

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 States: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spain

$791 45.1%

United States

$1.3K 48.6% 66.1% $523

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.5%

United States

$411 15.2% 51.3% $139

Eating Out

Spain

$237 13.5%

United States

$327 12.1% 38% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$196 11.2%

United States

$352 13% 79.8% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$143 8.2%

United States

$137 5.1% 3.9% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$63 3.6%

United States

$75 2.8% 18.4% $12

Getting Around

Spain

$53 3%

United States

$86 3.2% 63.5% $33

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $908 in Spain, $1,609 in the United States. Capital cities: $1,506 in Madrid vs $2,730 in Washington, DC.

National salary averages: $1,972 in Spain, $4,533 in the United States. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 77% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 32% more in the United States.

Salaries are 130% higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Spain

🇺🇸 United States

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

00:19 12:19 AM

6 h behind Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

340,110,988

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Spain United States 7,040 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Spain
United States

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 States: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,754 per month in Spain and $2,701 in the United States, there's a 54% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,609 in the United States 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 States 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 States may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.