Travel Spain: Budget Breakdown for 30+ Cities

spain budget

Dreaming of coming to Spain? Come on, you know you want to!

Either for one week or ten years you probably need to start somewhere with how much money you can expect to spend while you are in beautiful España. Luckily, Spain is one of the cheapest countries in Europe, so it is easy to travel on a budget while you’re here, especially if you can anticipate what things usually cost in advance. The best place to start is with the budget!

Having lived in Spain for three years I have been lucky enough to build a network of an amazing group of people who are more than willing to help out when I get a crazy project stuck in my head. I have been working for weeks on building a comprehensive budget guide to traveling around Spain, especially to places a little off the beaten track.

Introducing my Spain budget breakdown for 30 cities!

I polled in to many friends who live around Spain about what the average cost of 12 different things. I only asked people who have spent long extended periods of time living in each of these cities, most are expats and some are from Spanish friends. Their prices reflect the most common costs of these items in each city, but we can all safely say that prices fluctuate during festivals and peak beach season, and especially around big tourist monuments. Ultimately, Spain can be very cheap and very travel friendly, even in the big cities, especially if you are willing to walk a little further to find a better price. 

How does the Spain budget breakdown work?

  • 1 beerUna caña is the standard measurement when ordering a beer, a half pint on tap
  • 1 glass of wine-Just your standard glass of wine, nothing fancy
  • 1 tapa or pincho-Tapas and pinchos are small snack-sized portion of food ordered at bars, usually for dinner
  • Café con leche-A shot of espresso with milk. This is the standard coffee you order out in Spain
  • Average meal-For a menú del día, usually at lunch at it’s two courses with desert and wine, varies
  • Night on the town-How much copas (mixed drinks) and cover charges are
  • Dorm hostel-shared dorm room in a hostel
  • Private hotel/hostel room-Private room in a hostel, pensión (B&B) or a hotel
  • Transport: Bus, metro or local trains around town
  • Attractions-Self-explanatory
  • Rent: how much one room costs in a studio or a shared plus utilities (gas, electricity, water and wifi)
  • Groceries for 1 wk-How much one person spends on groceries per week average

I want to keep this Spain budget guide growing and as up to date as possible. Want to contribute a budget to a Spanish city not listed here? See a price discrepancy? Shoot me an email at [email protected] or leave a comment below!

Thanks!

Liz xx

Madrid

  • 1 beer-€1.50-3, but can be more in the more touristy areasSpain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€3-5
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€2.50-5
  • Café con leche-€2-5
  • Average meal-€12-25
  • A night on the town-€5-15 for mixed drinks, disco cover €10-20
  • Dorm hostel-€15
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€30
  • Transport: Bus €1.50 and metro: €2 per ride but now depends on zone though many ride passes available, local cercanías trains around €3.50 depending where you go
  • Attractions-movies and small venue concerts €8-12, museums, palace, ect. free to €15, extra costs for a guide
  • Rent: €350 + €50-75 utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€25-35

Barcelona

  • 1 beer– €1.20 – €1.50 for local beer
    Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine–  €2-3
  • 1 tapa or pincho- €1.50-€5, depending on how close to highly touristy areas you are
  • Café con leche– €1.40, max
  • Average meal- around €10
  • A night on the town- €10-€15, but it can go as high as €25 in the major clubs
  • Dorm hostel- from around €10
  • Private hotel/hostel room- from around €15
  • Transport-€9.45 for the T-10, which gives you 10 trips on all the local public transport
  • Attractions- Ranges from free museum exhibitions to €17 to see the Sagrada Familia with a guided tour. If you time your visits right, you can get into most stuff for free – try going on the first weekend of a month, or during festivals like La Mercè, as they often have an open-house weekend for big attractions. The only things I’ve never been able to get into for free are Gaudí’s Casa Batllò and La Pedrera.
  • Rent- Around €300 + €50 in utilities, light, gas, and wifi would get you a nice-sized exterior room in a shared flat in the city center.
  • Groceries for 1 wk– €20-30

Many thanks to Jessica from Hola Yessica for contributing! Follow her adventures in Barcelona on Twitter

Northern Spain

Bilbao

  • 1 beer-€1.80 Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€1.20
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€1.50
  • Café con leche-€1.50
  • Average meal-€15
  • A night on the town-Between €5-12 for cover, usually mixed drink-€7, caña (a small beer on tap) €4
  • Dorm hostel-€17-20/night
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€60
  • Transport: Bus and metro: €1.20 or €.70 cents with creditrans pass
  • Attractions-Guggenheim-€8 Bellas Artes Museum-€5
  • Rent: €350 + €30-50 utilities in a shared flat and € 15 wifi
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€30 (obviously depends what you’re buying!)

Many thanks to Liz P from A Midwestern Life lived for two years in Bilbao teaching English and and adventuring around Europe. Follow her adventures back home in the midwest on Twitter!

San Sebastián

  • 1 beer-€3Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€3.50
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€2.50
  • Café con leche-€1.80
  • Average meal-€14
  • Night on the town-€20 for drinks/disco cover €10
  • Dorm hostel-€15-25/night
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€40-100
  • Transport: Bus and metro: €1.50 per ride
  • Attractions-€10-20
  • Rent: €350-450 + €50 utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€40-50

Pamplona

  • 1 beer-€1.50-2Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€2.50
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€2.50
  • Café con leche-€1.50
  • Average meal-€12
  • A night on the town-€6 for drinks
  • Dorm hostel-€20
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€40+
  • Transport: Bus €1.20 per ride
  • Attractions-Free
  • Rent: €225 in a shared apartment + €40 utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€30

*This is not indicative of prices during San Fermín and the running of the bulls in July

Logroño

  • 1 beer-€1.50Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€1.20
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€1.20
  • Café con leche-€1.40
  • Average meal-€12
  • A night on the town-€5-6 mixed drinks disco cover €5-10
  • Dorm hostel-€25/night
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€25-40
  • Transport: Bus €.72
  • Attractions-around €10 max to tour a winery in La Rioja, most everything else is free
  • Rent: €150 in a 3 bedroom shared flat in the old quarter + €25 utilities, average total around €200-225
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€25

 Santander

  • 1 beer-€1.50 Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€1.50-2
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€1.50-2.50
  • Café con leche-€1.50
  • Average meal-€12-15
  • A night on the town-€15-20
  • Dorm hostel-€19 (there is only one)
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€30
  • Transport: Bus-€1.10 or .64 with a transport card and local train-€1.50-3
  • Attractions-Free
  • Rent: € 220-270 + €50 utilities in a 4 bedroom flat
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€20-30

Gijón, Asturias

  • 1 beer-€1.50 Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€2-2.20 for a crianza, step up from the cheapest
  • 1 tapa or pincho-normally free with a drink, otherwise €2-3 and a ración (a plate) for €6
  • Café con leche-€1.20
  • Average meal-€8, €10-12 on the beach
  • A night on the town-€15 for drinks, discos in Gijon aren’t popular because the bars don’t close til around 5/6
  • Dorm hostel-No dorm hostels
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€40
  • Transport: €1,20 for a bus ride, but with a city card it’s .75. Also there are bicycles that you can use for free with the city card
  • Attractions-€14 for the aquarium but only €10 with the city card
  • Rent: €200 sharing a 2 bedroom + €50 utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€50 for 2 people for a little over a week

Zaragoza

  • 1 beer-€1-1.50, 9 pack of beer-€6 Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€2
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€1.50-3
  • Café con leche-€1.40
  • Average meal-€10-14
  • A night on the town-€15 cover but that’s rare, around €20+
  • Dorm hostel-€19
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€40
  • Transport: €0.68 with bus card on the TUZSA (€7 which buys card and includes €5 of fares) and you don’t get charged twice if you use it within an hour of your first fare or €1.25 without the card each trip.
  • Attractions-Caesaraugusta Tour €7/person, La Basilica del Pilar – Free, La Seo €3.50, Zaragoza B Hop On / Hop Off Tour 24 hour pass €15.
  • Rent: €400-500 for a studio/1 bedroom + €80 utilities in the center/old quarter, €200 for a shared flat
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€30-50 depends if you add in something like a bottle of whiskey

Santiago de CompostelaSpain Budget Santiago

  • 1 beer– €1,50
  • 1 glass of wine-€1,20 (house wine)
  • 1 tapa or pincho– free with your drink
  • Café con leche-€1.20
  • Average meal-€6-10
  • A night on the town-€15-20. Usually no cover.
  • Dorm hostel-€15-30
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€40-60
  • Transport: Bus €1 or €6.00 for 10 rides with a bus pass (+€3 refundable card)
  • Attractions-Cathedral (end of Santiago’s Way), main museums and galleries, free.
  • Rent: €100-250 euros in a shared flat+ €30-50 utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€30

Many thanks to Inma from A World to Travel for contributing! 

Vigo

  • 1 beer-€1.30 Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€1.30
  • 1 tapa or pincho-free with a drink
  • Café con leche-€1.1o
  • Average meal-€8
  • A night on the town-Normally you don’t pay to get into most bars where there is dancing, but there are a few clubs where you have to pay to get in (3 euros)
  • Dorm hostel-€15
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€30
  • Transport: Bus-€1.24 without a bus card
  • Attractions-Samil (the beach, free), el Castro (a park with an ancient castle, also free), Islas Cíes (natural park on some islands nearby, about 10 euros to get the boat there but free once you’re there)
  • Rent: € 180 in a 3 bedroom + €30 utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€30

Many thanks to Alisa from Alisabroad for contributing!

Pontevedra

  • 1 beer-€1-1.5 eurosPontevedra
  • 1 glass of wine-€1.30
  • 1 tapa or pincho- free with a drink
  • Café con leche-€1
  • Average meal-€7-8
  • A night on the town-Normally no covers
  • Dorm hostel-€15
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€30-40
  • Transport: No in town buses to vigo 2.5 one way and Santiago around 6 euros
  • Attractions-Old town very beautiful, Loro during Carnival, Pontevedra Museum: free and quite big
  • Rent: € 200 or less including utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€30

Southern Spain and Islands

Seville

  • 1 beer-between €1 and €1.20, up to €1.60 in touristy areas and closer to €3 at discos
    Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€2.50-3.50
  • 1 tapa or pincho-free only encompasses olives, altramuces and potato chips these days. Tapas are €1.80 – €3.00 everywhere else
  • Café con leche-around €1.20
  • Average meal-€8-12
  • A night on the town-typically about €15-20
  • Dorm hostel-€16-18
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€25 and up, price goes up with proximity to the cathedral.
  • Transport: local buses and metro are €1.30 per ride, cercanías commuter trains are €1.70 per ride. The Sevici bikes cost €10 a week, plus a €250 deposit. Horse carriage rides can be up to €60 per ride, depending on the season.
  • Attractions-the big name sites (the Cathedral, Alcazares) cost €8 each. Most churches are free, as are the open air museums. Others, like Itálica, Fine Arts and the Metropol, are between €1.50-3. Flamenco peñas are often free, sometimes €5, whereas the touristy tablaos can reach €25 without a drink or €35 with one!
  • Rent: One bedroom in a shared apartment with one-two bathrooms will be between €200 and €300, with utilities around €45 a month.
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€25

Many thanks to Cat of Sunshine and Siestas for contributing and sharing her experiences after 5 good years in Sevilla! Follow her adventures on Twitter today!

Granada

  • 1 beer-€1.50-2.20 comes with a free tapa Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€1.50-2.60 comes with a free tapa
  • 1 tapa or pincho-Normally free but sometimes an extra €1 or so
  • Café con leche-€1.20
  • Average meal-€9
  • A night on the town-€20-30, disco cover usually €5-10 and includes a 1st drink though sometimes drinks can cost up to €9
  • Dorm hostel-€18-20
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€35
  • Transport: Bus and metro: €1.20 per ride but only €.70 on a bus pass that you top up in multiples of €5
  • Attractions-€14 Alhambra, museums free to €8
  • Rent: €150-200 in a shared + €30-60 in utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€25-30

Many thanks to Molly in Granada for contributing! Follow her adventures on Twitter today!

Córdoba

  • 1 beer-€1.20Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€1.80
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€1.80
  • Café con leche-€1.50
  • Average meal-€8-10
  • A night on the town-€20
  • Dorm hostel-€12-15
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€15
  • Transport: Bus €1.20 or €6.60 for 10 rides with a bus pass
  • Attractions-€8 Mezquita though free in the morning before the service, €5-8 Palacio de Viana, €5 Alacazar
  • Rent: €170-200 euros in a shared flat+ €30-50 utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€20-30

Málaga

  • 1 beer-€1.50-2Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€2
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€2-2.50
  • Café con leche-€1.20-1.50
  • Average meal-€8-12
  • A night on the town-€4-6 for drinks, disco cover €6-10
  • Dorm hostel-€13
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€15-30+
  • Transport: Bus €1.30 per ride, €26 per month for students, €38 per month pass
  • Attractions-€2 each-Gibralfaro castle and Alcazar, free on Sunday afternoons
  • Rent: €200-250 shared flat+ €50 utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€30-40
Many thanks to Amy from Teach, Learn, Run for contributing!

Nerja (Málaga)

  • 1 beer-€1.70, €2.30 for a pint Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€1.70
  • 1 tapa or pincho-free with a drink
  • Café con leche-€1.15
  • Average meal-€7-14
  • A night on the town-€15
  • Dorm hostel-€18
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€27-40 single, €13+ sharing a private room
  • Transport: €4 one-way to Málaga (timetable)
  • AttractionsBalcón de Europa-Free, Nerja Museum-€4, Nerja Caves-€8
  • Rent: €350 for a studio + €30-45 utilities, €150+ for a shared flat
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€20-30

Ronda

  • 1 beer-€1Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€2
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€.80-2
  • Café con leche-€1.50
  • Average meal-€8-11
  • A night on the town-€4-6 for drinks, no cover
  • Dorm hostel-€20-25
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€30-70
  • Transport: No public transport
  • Attractions-Plaza de Toros €6, Musueo del Vino €10 w/tasting and glass, smaller Museums such as Museo Lara y Museo del Bandolero €3-8, and a lot of incredible natural beauty for free!
  • Rent: €165 in a two bedroom + €45 utilities in the center
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€25

Cádiz

  • 1 beer-€1.20Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€1.60
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€2.50
  • Café con leche-€1.30
  • Average meal-€8
  • A night on the town-€12-15
  • Dorm hostel-€23
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€32
  • Transport: Buy the transport card for 1,50€ to get the discounted rate. A bit complicated from there as it depends on how many stops it makes
  • Attractions-Free, or under €5
  • Rent: €400+ for 1 bedroom/studio + €80 utilities, €250+ for a shared with utilities around €40 or under per person
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€50 for two people

Many thanks to Lauren from Spanish Sabores and Teach and Travel Spain for contributing! Follow her on Twitter today!

Arcos de la Frontera

  • 1 beer-€1Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€2.50
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€2-3.50
  • Café con leche-€1
  • Average meal-€8-10
  • A night on the town-€3 mixed drinks, €1 shots
  • Dorm hostel-No hostels
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€40-60
  • Transport: Bus: €.80 per ride, bus to Jerez €1.60, €6.50 to Cádiz
  • Attractions-€2 for the church otherwise free
  • Rent: €185 in a 3 bedroom and €250 studio + €60 utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€30

Many thanks to Chelsea of Andalucía Bound for contributing!

Sanlucar de Barrameda (Cádiz)

  • 1 beer-€1-2 Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€1-2
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€2-4
  • Café con leche-€1.20
  • Average meal-€6-10, meals are mostly tapas
  • A night on the town-€12-15
  • Dorm hostel-€13
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€25
  • Transport: Bus €1
  • Attractions-Free
  • Rent: €125 + €50 utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€30

Úbeda and Baeza (Jaén)

  • 1 beer-€1.50 Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€1.70
  • 1 tapa or pincho-Free with a drink
  • Café con leche-€1
  • Average meal-€10
  • A night on the town-Around €20
  • Dorm hostel-€15
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€20-40
  • Transport: Bus: €1 per ride
  • Attractions-€4 for church/museum entry ect.
  • Rent: €120 in a 3 bedroom + €50 utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€20-30

Many thanks to Trevor of  A Texan in Spain  for contributing!  

Almería

  • 1 beer-€1.50-2 Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€2.50-3.50
  • 1 tapa or pincho-free with every drink, but bigger ones €3.50 – 4, sometimes 2-3.50
  • Café con leche-€1.50
  • Average meal-€8-10
  • A night on the town-Around €20
  • Dorm hostel-€12-15
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€30+, hotel €80 +
  • Transport: Bus: €1.05 per ride
  • Attractions-€4 for church/museum entry ect.
  • Rent: €180 in a shared + €40 utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€15-25

Many thanks to Shawn of Casual Notebook for contributing!

Huelva

  • 1 beer-€.90 for a caña and €1-1.50 for a bottle Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€1-2
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€2.50
  • Café con leche-€1
  • Average meal-€7
  • A night on the town-€15, disco cover €3
  • Dorm hostel-€18
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€30-40
  • Transport: Bus: €.90 per ride
  • Attractions-€4 museum
  • Rent: €150 in a 4 bedroom + €50-60 utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€25-30

Ubrique, Andalucia

  • 1 beer-€1 Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€1.50
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€2.50
  • Café con leche-€1
  • Average meal-€7
  • A night on the town-€4 for mixed drink
  • Dorm hostel-No dorms
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€40
  • Transport: Bus €7.79 to Jerez and €10 to Cádiz
  • Attractions-Free, lots of hiking
  • Rent: €150 everything included
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€30

Murcia

  • 1 beer-€1 Spain Budget Murcia
  • 1 glass of wine-€1.50
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€1.50+
  • Café con leche-€1.20
  • Average meal-€12-15 dinner
  • A night on the town-€15-20, clubs have a cover with at least 1 included drink, but it’ll be a 10€ cover
  • Dorm hostel-€22+
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€30
  • Transport: Bus: €1.50 per ride
  • Attractions-max. €20
  • Rent: €160 – 200 in a shared flat+ €40 utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€40

Palma de Mallorca (The Balaeric Islands)

  • 1 beer-€2.50 – 4Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€3-3.50
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€2.50-3
  • Café con leche-€2
  • Average meal-€10-20, 30 in the more touristy areas
  • A night on the town-€20, 40+ for a cover at some of the big clubs
  • Dorm hostel-€25 – 35
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€35 hostel, €100+ hotel
  • Transport: €1,5 ticket, metro €1,75, metro (intercity) €10 – €15
  • Attractions-Free, lots of hiking
  • Rent: (3 bedroom) €250 – 350 in a shared place, €50 + gastos
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€25 – 30

Many thanks to Shawn of Casual Notebook for contributing!

Central Spain

Valencia

  • 1 beer-€1-2 Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€2-3
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€2-3
  • Café con leche-€1.70
  • Average meal-€10 cheapest
  • A night on the town-€ for drinks, disco cover €
  • Dorm hostel-€16
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€50+
  • Transport: Bus €1.50 and metro €1.50 per ride (increases the farther you travel), passes available
  • Attractions-The Hemisferic, the City of Arts and Sciences €7.50,the Oceanografic in the Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias is €27 for an adult ticket. L’Albufera, boat ride and bus to the beach €5.50
  • Rent: €200-300 + €50 utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€30

Salamanca

  • 1 beer-€1-2
    Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€2
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€2-2.50, more in the more touristy areas
  • Café con leche-€1.50-3
  • Average meal-€6-9
  • A night on the town-€15+ Salamanca’s night life is incredibly cheap owing to it’s large student population
  • Dorm hostel-€12
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€25
  • Transport: Bus: €.75
  • Attractions-€4 entrance to the old university, €4.50 old cathedral including climbing to the parapets, new cathedral free, €4 San Esteban convent
  • Rent: €140-200 for a shared place + €40 utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€15+

Valladolid

  • 1 beer-€2.50 Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€2.50
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€1-2.50
  • Café con leche-€1-2
  • Average meal-€10-15
  • A night on the town-€20, no covers
  • Dorm hostel-No dorm hostels
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€40
  • Transport: Bus: €1.30 or .48 with a bono-bus card
  • Attractions-€3 sculpture museum, similar prices for churches and other attractions or free
  • Rent: €200 + €50 utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€15+

Mérida, Extremadura

  • 1 beer-€1 Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€2
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€1.50
  • Café con leche-€1
  • Average meal-€8-12
  • A night on the town-€15, disco cover €5 with a free drink
  • Dorm hostel-€20-25
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€30+
  • Transport: Bus €1.10
  • Attractions-generally free, Roman amphitheater €12
  • Rent: €120-180 shared flat + €50 utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€40

Badajoz, Extremadura

  • 1 beer-€1 Spain Budget
  • 1 glass of wine-€2
  • 1 tapa or pincho-€2-3.50
  • Café con leche-€1-1.50
  • Average meal-€8
  • A night on the town-€15 for drinks, no covers
  • Dorm hostel-No dorm hostels
  • Private hotel/hostel room-€30-50
  • Transport: Bus €1.05
  • Attractions-€
  • Rent: €140-240 in a 4 bedroom shared flat + €30 utilities
  • Groceries for 1 wk-€40 max
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