Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valencia and Zaragoza

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaragoza: $1,694 a month against $2,054 in Valencia, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Valencia
Learn more

Valencia Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Zaragoza
Learn more

Zaragoza Living Index

Jump to prices

Valencia

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,054

/mo nomad

Zaragoza

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Valencia and in Zaragoza

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,054 in Valencia versus $1,694 in Zaragoza.

Valencia $2,054
Zaragoza $1,694

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,045 in Valencia versus $2,478 in Zaragoza.

Valencia $3,045
Zaragoza $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,035 in Valencia versus $3,263 in Zaragoza.

Valencia $4,035
Zaragoza $3,263

Living in Valencia is roughly 21% more expensive than in Zaragoza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Valencia 52% above, Zaragoza 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.24 €17.12

$16.54 €14.72

16.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$56.9 €50.6

19.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 €10.78

$11.27 €10.03

7.54%

Cappuccino

$2.75 €2.44

$2.12 €1.89

29.72%

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

$2.59 €2.30

$2.43 €2.16

6.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.54 €1.37

29.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.43 €3.05

0.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.07

$3.30 €2.93

38.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.19 €1.06

2.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.95 €1.74

-31.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.49 €1.32

17.45%

Eggs

$3.37 €3.00

$2.81 €2.50

19.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.94 €9.73

$16.17 €14.39

-32.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.88 €7.01

$8.98 €7.98

-12.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.59 €13.87

$21.00 €18.68

-25.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$2.67 €2.37

-6.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$2.50 €2.23

-27.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.60 €2.31

-28.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$3.08 €2.74

-17.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.00 €1.78

-14.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.24 €1.99

-17.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.77 €1.57

-38.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$0.73 €0.65

9.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 €5.79

$6.12 €5.44

6.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$4.38 €3.90

29.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.92 €0.82

40.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$3.45 €3.07

-50.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.69 €1.50

31.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.31 €34.96

$31.91 €28.38

23.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 €3.99

$2.32 €2.06

93.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.06 €0.94

26.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.66 €21.04

$29.17 €25.95

-18.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.77 €1.58

2.82%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$35.6K €31.6K

-2.76%

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

$28.6K €25.4K

$29.3K €26.1K

-2.54%

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

$157 €140

$161 €144

-2.70%

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

$16.31 €14.51

$11.52 €10.25

41.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.75 €30.02

$21.33 €18.97

58.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.74 €38.02

$35.72 €31.78

19.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.79 €7.82

$14.36 €12.77

-38.79%

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 €9.80

$9.10 €8.09

20.99%

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

$568 €505

$493 €439

15.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,602 €8,541

$7,876 €7,006

21.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.6 €82.4

$89.5 €79.6

3.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.14 €36.60

$38.48 €34.23

6.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 €83.9

$100 €89.0

-5.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$113 €101

4.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,393 €1,239

$810 €721

71.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 €931

$709 €630

47.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,274 €2,022

$1,288 €1,145

76.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,717 €1,527

$1,009 €898

70.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,495 €4,888

$3,196 €2,843

71.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,312 €2,946

$1,944 €1,729

70.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,900 €1,690

$2,009 €1,787

-5.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.41

3.46

-1.45%

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

Last update for Valencia: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zaragoza: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Valencia

$1K 51%

Zaragoza

$709 41.8% 32.3% $338

Eating Out

Valencia

$268 13%

Zaragoza

$231 13.7% 13.7% $37

Groceries & Markets

Valencia

$252 12.3%

Zaragoza

$306 18.1% 21.1% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valencia

$207 10.1%

Zaragoza

$194 11.5% 6.2% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Valencia

$156 7.6%

Zaragoza

$154 9.1% 1.6% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Valencia

$65 3.2%

Zaragoza

$54 3.2% 16.8% $11

Getting Around

Valencia

$59 2.9%

Zaragoza

$46 2.7% 22% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,393 in Valencia and $810 in Zaragoza. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zaragoza pays 6% 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 $57.0 in Zaragoza. Groceries flip the comparison at $252 vs $306, with Valencia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Valencia

🇪🇸 Zaragoza

🕒 Local time

20:52 8:52 PM

Same time as Valencia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

807,693

682,513

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Valencia Zaragoza 250 km

From you

Valencia
Zaragoza

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 Zaragoza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Valencia and Zaragoza differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,054 vs $1,694 including rent). Zaragoza is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Zaragoza. 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 $810 in Zaragoza. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zaragoza runs roughly 23% less than in Valencia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $568 in Valencia versus $493 in Zaragoza. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,694 in Zaragoza versus $2,054 in Valencia, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Zaragoza but tight or insufficient in Valencia. The gap between the two cities makes Zaragoza 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 Zaragoza 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 Zaragoza gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Valencia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.