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

Name: Spain
Address: ES

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,363 in United Kingdom versus $1,642 in Spain.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,471 in United Kingdom versus $2,393 in Spain.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,579 in United Kingdom versus $3,144 in Spain.

Living in United Kingdom is roughly 44% more expensive than in Spain on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: United Kingdom 77% above, Spain 23% above.

United Kingdom ($1,670–$3,916) and Spain ($1,125–$3,182) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 £15.04

$16.46 €14.38

22.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.3 £65.6

$58.1 €50.7

52.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 £7.69

$10.59 €9.25

-2.27%

Cappuccino

$4.77 £3.55

$2.30 €2.01

107.39%

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

$2.44 £1.82

$2.59 €2.26

-5.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 £1.29

$1.88 €1.65

-7.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 £5.09

$3.41 €2.98

100.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 £4.84

$3.97 €3.47

64.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 £1.23

$1.18 €1.03

40.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 £1.27

$1.54 €1.34

11.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 £1.64

$1.59 €1.39

38.99%

Eggs

$4.09 £3.04

$3.05 €2.67

34.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.52 £7.08

$14.38 €12.56

-33.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.02 £6.71

$8.46 €7.39

6.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.18 £10.54

$15.94 €13.93

-11.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 £2.20

$2.54 €2.22

16.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 £1.25

$2.08 €1.82

-19.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 £2.11

$2.02 €1.77

40.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.53

$2.66 €2.32

28.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 £1.26

$1.82 €1.59

-7.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 £1.17

$1.88 €1.65

-15.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 £0.84

$1.35 €1.18

-17.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 £1.14

$0.75 €0.66

104.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.16 £14.99

$6.35 €5.55

217.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.47 £7.78

$5.75 €5.02

82.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 £2.14

$1.30 €1.14

120.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 £2.45

$2.11 €1.85

56.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.33 £2.48

$1.72 €1.50

93.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.3 £71.6

$35.11 €30.67

174.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.53 £4.11

$4.56 €3.99

21.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 £1.19

$1.30 €1.13

23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.51 £20.45

$26.70 €23.33

3.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.41

$1.81 €1.58

4.97%

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

$38.1K £28.3K

$39.2K €34.3K

-2.96%

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

$41.0K £30.5K

$30.6K €26.7K

33.91%

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

$326 £242

$153 €133

113.77%

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

$17.18 £12.77

$20.36 €17.79

-15.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.96 £31.94

$34.00 €29.71

26.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.94 £34.15

$48.13 €42.05

-4.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.87 £11.80

$16.14 €14.10

-1.67%

Cinema Ticket

$13.80 £10.26

$9.37 €8.19

47.28%

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

$1,723 £1,281

$520 €454

231.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K £15.5K

$10.2K €8,888

105.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.3 £67.1

$85.9 €75.1

5.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.39 £33.00

$36.75 €32.11

20.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 £76.7

$91.7 €80.1

12.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 £76.3

$108 €94.7

-5.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 £1,055

$1,043 €911

36.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 £850

$834 €729

37.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,298 £1,708

$1,674 €1,462

37.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,873 £1,392

$1,223 €1,069

53.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,728 £4,258

$4,158 €3,633

37.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,339 £3,226

$2,629 €2,297

65.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,264 £2,427

$1,965 €1,717

66.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

3.51

63.82%

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

Last update for United Kingdom: July 13, 2026

Last update for Spain: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,266 in United Kingdom, $897 in Spain. Capital cities: $2,937 in London vs $1,607 in Madrid.

National salary averages: $3,192 in United Kingdom, $1,989 in Spain. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 41% higher in United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 58% more in United Kingdom.

Public transport is 179% 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

United Kingdom vs Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,154 per month in Spain and $2,793 in United Kingdom, there's a 30% 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.