Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and Spain

Name: Spain
Address: ES

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.

133

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

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index

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🇺🇸 United States

$2,701

/mo nomad

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,754

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United States 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 States and in Spain actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

United States $2,701
Spain $1,754

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

United States $3,980
Spain $2,570

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

United States $5,258
Spain $3,386

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 the United States is roughly 54% more expensive than in Spain on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.92 $19.92

$16.56 €14.73

20.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 $81.0

$56.6 €50.4

43.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$11.24 €10.00

7.38%

Cappuccino

$5.55 $5.55

$2.32 €2.07

139.22%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$2.57 €2.28

3.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.86 €1.66

12.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 $5.96

$3.34 €2.97

78.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.76 $7.76

$4.02 €3.58

93.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.21 €1.08

-13.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.54 €1.37

130.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$1.63 €1.45

184.66%

Eggs

$4.18 $4.18

$3.30 €2.93

26.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 $12.76

$14.35 €12.76

-11.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 $12.63

$8.54 €7.60

47.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.22 $17.22

$16.09 €14.31

7.02%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.45 €2.18

110.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$2.02 €1.79

-18.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.07 €1.85

115.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.44 €2.17

104.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.78 €1.58

59.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.01 €1.78

53.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.29 €1.15

69.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.75 €0.66

202.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.61 $10.61

$6.42 €5.71

65.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$5.71 €5.08

157.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.30 €1.15

61.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

$1.99 €1.77

91.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.70 €1.51

38.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.1 $64.1

$33.97 €30.22

88.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 $3.57

$4.58 €4.07

-22.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.48 €1.32

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.19 $30.19

$24.59 €21.87

22.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.74 €1.55

-38.51%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$34.9K €31.0K

1.22%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$29.7K €26.4K

-12.73%

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

$217 $217

$147 €131

47.47%

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

$61.4 $61.4

$17.90 €15.92

242.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.4 $74.4

$31.21 €27.76

138.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.08 $45.08

$44.57 €39.65

1.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.07 $23.07

$15.01 €13.35

53.70%

Cinema Ticket

$14.79 $14.79

$9.24 €8.22

60.06%

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

$1,480 $1,480

$529 €470

179.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.5K $25.5K

$10.4K €9,212

145.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.0 $53.0

$84.8 €75.5

-37.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$36.80 €32.73

16.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 $94.3

$89.7 €79.7

5.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$107 €94.8

8.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 $1,678

$988 €879

69.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 $1,313

$791 €703

66.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,649 $2,649

$1,580 €1,405

67.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,183 $2,183

$1,196 €1,064

82.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,374 $3,374

$4,059 €3,610

-16.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,661 $2,661

$2,615 €2,326

1.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,404 $4,404

$1,923 €1,711

128.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

3.3

98.48%

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

Last update for the United States: October 10, 2026

Last update for Spain: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United States

$1.3K 48.6%

Spain

$791 45.1% 39.8% $523

Groceries & Markets

United States

$411 15.2%

Spain

$272 15.5% 33.9% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United States

$352 13%

Spain

$196 11.2% 44.4% $156

Eating Out

United States

$327 12.1%

Spain

$237 13.5% 27.6% $90

Clothing & Footwear

United States

$137 5.1%

Spain

$143 8.2% 4.1% $5.6

Getting Around

United States

$86 3.2%

Spain

$53 3% 38.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

United States

$75 2.8%

Spain

$63 3.6% 15.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

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

National salary averages: $4,533 in the United States, $1,972 in Spain. 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

🇺🇸 United States

🇪🇸 Spain

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

21:26 9:26 PM

6 h ahead of the United States

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,110,988

47,415,750

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

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From you

United States
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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 States vs Spain: 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.