Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Spain

Name: Spain
Address: ES

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.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,453

/mo nomad

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,754

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

United Kingdom $2,453
Spain $1,754

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

United Kingdom $3,548
Spain $2,570

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

United Kingdom $4,643
Spain $3,386

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 the United Kingdom is roughly 40% more expensive than in Spain on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.82 £15.62

$16.56 €14.73

25.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.3 £64.7

$56.6 €50.4

52.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.76 £8.07

$11.24 €10.00

-4.27%

Cappuccino

$4.87 £3.65

$2.32 €2.07

109.91%

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

$2.55 £1.91

$2.57 €2.28

-0.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.39

$1.86 €1.66

-0.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.75 £5.06

$3.34 €2.97

102.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.49 £4.87

$4.02 €3.58

61.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.21 €1.08

35.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 £1.24

$1.54 €1.37

7.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.63 €1.45

33.13%

Eggs

$4.02 £3.01

$3.30 €2.93

21.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.40 £7.05

$14.35 €12.76

-34.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.99 £6.74

$8.54 €7.60

5.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.55 £10.92

$16.09 €14.31

-9.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 £2.17

$2.45 €2.18

18.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$2.02 €1.79

-20.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 £2.08

$2.07 €1.85

34.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$2.44 €2.17

38.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 £1.34

$1.78 €1.58

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$2.01 €1.78

-19.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.29 €1.15

-4.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$0.75 €0.66

121.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.67 £17.76

$6.42 €5.71

268.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.67 £8.00

$5.71 €5.08

86.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 £2.30

$1.30 €1.15

135.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 £2.50

$1.99 €1.77

67.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.34 £2.51

$1.70 €1.51

96.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 £77.1

$33.97 €30.22

202.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.44 £4.08

$4.58 €4.07

18.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.36 £1.77

$1.48 €1.32

59.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.17 £19.63

$24.59 €21.87

6.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.46

$1.74 €1.55

12.07%

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

$38.0K £28.5K

$34.9K €31.0K

8.89%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$29.7K €26.4K

36.90%

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

$315 £236

$147 €131

114.26%

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

$17.88 £13.41

$17.90 €15.92

-0.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.77 £32.09

$31.21 €27.76

37.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.93 £33.71

$44.57 €39.65

0.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.98 £13.49

$15.01 €13.35

19.79%

Cinema Ticket

$13.06 £9.80

$9.24 €8.22

41.34%

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

$1,753 £1,315

$529 €470

231.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K £16.9K

$10.4K €9,212

117.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 £67.8

$84.8 €75.5

6.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.49 £34.13

$36.80 €32.73

23.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 £75.9

$89.7 €79.7

12.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.4

$107 €94.8

-4.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,339 £1,005

$988 €879

35.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 £822

$791 €703

38.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 £1,615

$1,580 €1,405

36.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 £1,275

$1,196 €1,064

42.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,551 £4,165

$4,059 €3,610

36.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,374 £3,282

$2,615 €2,326

67.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,324 £2,494

$1,923 €1,711

72.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

3.3

61.21%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 13, 2026

Last update for Spain: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.7%

Spain

$791 45.1% 27.9% $306

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$375 15.3%

Spain

$196 11.2% 47.8% $179

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$322 13.1%

Spain

$237 13.5% 26.4% $85

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$303 12.4%

Spain

$272 15.5% 10.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$153 6.2%

Spain

$143 8.2% 6.2% $9.5

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$133 5.4%

Spain

$53 3% 60.4% $81

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$71 2.9%

Spain

$63 3.6% 11.3% $8

Cost Breakdown

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

National salary averages: $3,228 in the United Kingdom, $1,972 in Spain. 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

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇪🇸 Spain

🕒 Local time

00:20 12:20 AM

01:20 1:20 AM

1 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

47,415,750

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

United Kingdom
Spain

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

United Kingdom vs Spain: 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.