Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valencia and Albacete

For one person, living is cheaper in Albacete: $1,551 a month against $2,054 in Valencia, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Valencia
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Valencia Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Albacete
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Albacete Living Index

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Valencia

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,054

/mo nomad

Albacete

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,551

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Valencia and in Albacete

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,054 in Valencia versus $1,551 in Albacete.

Valencia $2,054
Albacete $1,551

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,045 in Valencia versus $2,230 in Albacete.

Valencia $3,045
Albacete $2,230

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,035 in Valencia versus $2,910 in Albacete.

Valencia $4,035
Albacete $2,910

Living in Valencia is roughly 32% more expensive than in Albacete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Valencia 52% above, Albacete 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.24 €17.12

$14.35 €12.77

34.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$48.40 €43.05

40.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 €10.78

$9.24 €8.22

31.17%

Cappuccino

$2.75 €2.44

$2.18 €1.94

26.15%

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

$2.59 €2.30

$2.34 €2.08

10.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.66 €1.48

20.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.82 €2.51

21.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.07

$4.73 €4.20

-3.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$0.82 €0.73

48.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.20

$0.82 €0.73

63.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.68 €1.49

4.17%

Eggs

$3.37 €3.00

$2.98 €2.65

13.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.94 €9.73

$16.58 €14.75

-34.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.88 €7.01

$5.69 €5.06

38.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.59 €13.87

$17.42 €15.49

-10.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$2.64 €2.35

-5.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$2.08 €1.85

-12.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.49 €2.21

-25.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.51 €2.23

1.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.21 €1.96

-22.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.17 €1.93

-15.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.56 €1.38

-30.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$0.54 €0.48

48.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 €5.79

$6.53 €5.81

-0.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$5.32 €4.73

6.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.21 €1.08

6.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.20 €1.96

-22.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.36 €1.21

63.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.31 €34.96

$16.75 €14.90

134.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 €3.99

$3.81 €3.39

17.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.55 €1.38

-13.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.66 €21.04

$29.98 €26.67

-21.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.67 €1.49

8.98%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$34.6K €30.7K

0.06%

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

$28.6K €25.4K

$29.5K €26.2K

-3.00%

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

$157 €140

$187 €166

-16.05%

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

$16.31 €14.51

$18.20 €16.19

-10.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.75 €30.02

$16.99 €15.11

98.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.74 €38.02

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.79 €7.82

$4.43 €3.94

98.42%

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 €9.80

$9.07 €8.07

21.39%

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

$568 €505

$676 €602

-16.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,602 €8,541

$17.5K €15.6K

-45.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.6 €82.4

$82.5 €73.4

12.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.14 €36.60

$43.22 €38.44

-4.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 €83.9

$90.1 €80.1

4.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$113 €101

5.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,393 €1,239

$920 €818

51.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 €931

$662 €589

58.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,274 €2,022

$1,240 €1,103

83.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,717 €1,527

$947 €843

81.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,495 €4,888

$2,301 €2,047

138.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,312 €2,946

$2,041 €1,816

62.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,900 €1,690

$1,959 €1,743

-3.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.41

3.14

8.60%

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

Last update for Valencia: October 11, 2026

Last update for Albacete: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Valencia

$1K 51%

Albacete

$662 42.7% 36.7% $385

Eating Out

Valencia

$268 13%

Albacete

$208 13.4% 22.3% $60

Groceries & Markets

Valencia

$252 12.3%

Albacete

$258 16.7% 2.3% $5.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valencia

$207 10.1%

Albacete

$222 14.3% 7.3% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Valencia

$156 7.6%

Albacete

$148 9.6% 5.2% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Valencia

$65 3.2%

Albacete

$18 * 1.2% 72% $47

Getting Around

Valencia

$59 2.9%

Albacete

$34 2.2% 43.2% $26

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,393 in Valencia and $920 in Albacete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Albacete pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Valencia vs $48.00 in Albacete. Groceries flip the comparison at $252 vs $258, with Valencia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Valencia

🇪🇸 Albacete

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

Same time as Valencia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

807,693

173,206

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Valencia Albacete 140 km

From you

Valencia
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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

Valencia vs Albacete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Valencia and Albacete differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($2,054 vs $1,551 including rent). Albacete is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Albacete. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,393 in Valencia versus $920 in Albacete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Albacete – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $68.0 in Valencia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,054 per month in Valencia versus $1,551 in Albacete – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,551 in Albacete versus $2,054 in Valencia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Albacete but tight or insufficient in Valencia. The gap between the two cities makes Albacete the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Valencia and Albacete are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Albacete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Valencia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.