Spain vs United States - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Spain United States
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1402
$2498
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3156
$5861
🏠 One person rent
$801
$1595
🏘️ Family rent
$1277
$2818
🍽️ Food expenses
$398
$638
🚐 Transport expenses
$84.5
$100
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1822
$4485
💸 GDP per capita
$33509
$82769
😃 Human freedom index
8.34
8.64
❤️ Life expectancy
83.1
77.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
56
65
🌐 English speaking %
22%
95.3%
🎓 Higher education
90
100
😀 Quality of life
78
86
🏙️ Population
47.4M
340M

The average cost of living in Spain ($1402) is 44% less expensive than in the United States ($2498). Spain ranked 38th vs 7th for the United States in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.3 months in Spain compared to 1.8 months in the United States. Ranked 30th and 21st best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Spain vs United States infographic

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Prices in Spain vs the United States

We calculate prices for Spain and the United States as a population-weighted mean of 153 and 2202 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

Spain United States
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$13.7
$19.4
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$47.7
$77.2
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$9.78
$11
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.35
$6.27
 Cappuccino
$2.27
$5.22
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.21
$2.59
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$846
$1640
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$653
$1347
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1444
$2923
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1046
$2471
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$78.8
$124
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$121
$190
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$30.2
$66.2
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.5%
6.52%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$3979
$4583
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2578
$3784
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.65
$2.35
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$31.6
$68.9
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$15.1
$18
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.63
$0.96
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.07
$1.1
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.29
$3.59
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.4
$4.49
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.78
$4.15
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.9
$13.1
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.7
$11.9
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$14.1
$16.4
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.15
$5.15
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.8
$1.78
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.83
$4.54
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.27
$4.63
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.63
$2.84
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.75
$2.86
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.47
$1.48
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.04
$2.64
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$6.04
$14.6
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.16
$2.21
🚬 Cigarette pack
$5.68
$10.6
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$8.29
$9.47
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.18
$5.83
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.91
$4.44
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.18
$2.13
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$43.3
$48.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$8.72
$14.2
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$63.2
$125
💇 Haircut, simple
$14.2
$21.2
👖 Brand Jeans
$74.7
$53.3
👟 Brand Sneakers
$82.3
$90
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$466
$1451
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$8661
$21164

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Spain vs the United States

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Spain

City Cost of living Population
Madrid
$1781
3.42M
Barcelona
$1841
1.7M
Valencia
$1522
826K
Seville
$1255
687K
Tenerife
$1612
932K
Zaragoza
$1101
687K
Murcia
$1138
673K
Malaga
$1430
592K
Bilbao
$1455
348K
Palma de Mallorca
$1696
432K
Las Palmas
$1268
380K
Alicante
$1300
359K
Cordoba
$1100
323K
Vigo
$1227
294K
Terrassa
$1361
229K
Gijon
$1233
269K
Valladolid
$1212
301K
Sabadell
$1431
222K
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
$1567
280K
Vitoria-Gasteiz
$1532
258K
Pamplona
$1422
208K
San Sebastian
$1477
189K
Badalona
$1747
227K
A Coruna
$1196
249K
Granada
$1164
233K
Jerez de la Frontera
$892
214K
Oviedo
$1129
186K
Cartagena
$1068
220K
Elche
$1154
243K
Burgos
$1107
176K

In the United States

City Cost of living Population
New York City
$4441
8.8M
Los Angeles
$3196
3.9M
Chicago
$2678
2.75M
Houston
$2265
2.3M
San Diego
$3428
1.39M
Phoenix
$2395
1.61M
Philadelphia
$2597
1.6M
San Francisco
$3905
874K
Dallas
$2471
1.3M
San Jose
$3810
1.01M
San Antonio
$2033
1.43M
Austin
$2455
962K
Seattle
$3015
737K
Indianapolis
$2189
888K
Washington
$3149
690K
Fort Worth
$2289
919K
Hempstead
$2664
793K
Charlotte
$2528
875K
Boston
$3547
676K
Jacksonville
$2364
950K
Denver
$2717
716K
Columbus
$2145
906K
Portland
$2629
653K
Nashville
$2508
689K
Atlanta
$2570
499K
Las Vegas
$2271
642K
Oklahoma City
$1832
681K
Baltimore
$2287
586K
Oakland
$2968
441K
Sacramento
$2813
525K