Spain vs United States - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Spain United States
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1627
$2522
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3691
$5757
🏠 One person rent
$928
$1593
🏘️ Family rent
$1503
$2642
🍽️ Food expenses
$469
$656
🚐 Transport expenses
$94.4
$103
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2076
$4550
💸 GDP per capita
$35327
$84534
😃 Human freedom index
8.37
8.71
❤️ Life expectancy
83.9
78.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
55
64
🌐 English speaking %
39%
95.9%
🎓 Higher education
90
100
😀 Quality of life
83
88
🏙️ Population
48.8M
340M

The average cost of living in Spain ($1627) is 35% less expensive than in the United States ($2522). Spain ranked 34th vs 9th 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 31st and 22nd best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

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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
$16.4
$19.8
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$57.4
$77
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$11.7
$11.7
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.94
$6.39
 Cappuccino
$2.74
$5.44
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.65
$2.76
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$980
$1682
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$757
$1337
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1688
$2997
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1251
$2414
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$94.1
$130
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$145
$200
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$32.2
$68.9
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.24%
6.16%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4946
$4871
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$3068
$3394
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.91
$2.34
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$34.7
$71.1
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$17.3
$18
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.74
$1.02
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.22
$1.11
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.51
$3.58
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.59
$4.47
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.6
$4.73
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$15.6
$13.2
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.8
$12.3
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$17
$17.3
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.68
$5.06
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.18
$1.82
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.2
$4.57
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.72
$4.83
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.93
$2.88
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.11
$2.97
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.55
$1.52
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.4
$2.75
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$7.06
$15
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.3
$2.45
🚬 Cigarette pack
$6.48
$11.1
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$9.57
$10.5
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.59
$6.66
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.01
$4.59
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.31
$2.24
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$48.6
$52.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$9.96
$14.7
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$72.1
$127
💇 Haircut, simple
$15.2
$22.1
👖 Brand Jeans
$88.2
$55.3
👟 Brand Sneakers
$97.2
$94.7
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$568
$1520
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$10763
$20019

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Spain vs the United States

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Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Spain

City Cost of living Population
Madrid
$2109
3.51M
Barcelona
$2129
1.73M
Valencia
$1812
841K
Tenerife
$1739
955K
Zaragoza
$1436
693K
Seville
$1343
689K
Malaga
$1705
599K
Palma de Mallorca
$2017
435K
Bilbao
$1790
351K
Alicante
$1513
366K
Valladolid
$1415
303K
Las Palmas
$1508
382K
Vitoria-Gasteiz
$1697
261K
Cordoba
$1291
323K
Vigo
$1439
294K
San Sebastian
$1778
190K
A Coruna
$1410
252K
Terrassa
$1367
233K
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
$1773
290K
Gijon
$1508
270K
Sabadell
$1623
225K
Badalona
$2084
232K
Burgos
$1242
177K
Pamplona
$1622
209K
Granada
$1350
234K
Cartagena
$1195
221K
Elche
$1268
246K
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
$1642
212K
Marbella
$2004
160K
Albacete
$1303
175K

In the United States

City Cost of living Population
New York City
$4202
8.8M
Los Angeles
$3420
3.9M
Chicago
$2851
2.75M
Houston
$2261
2.3M
San Diego
$3486
1.39M
Philadelphia
$2597
1.6M
San Francisco
$4110
874K
Phoenix
$2423
1.61M
Dallas
$2472
1.3M
San Jose
$3957
1.01M
San Antonio
$2071
1.43M
Washington
$3350
690K
Seattle
$3183
737K
Austin
$2475
962K
Boston
$3680
676K
Fort Worth
$2259
919K
Hempstead
$2710
793K
Indianapolis
$2405
888K
Charlotte
$2470
875K
Jacksonville
$2192
950K
Columbus
$2140
906K
Denver
$2848
716K
Portland
$2785
653K
Nashville
$2451
689K
Atlanta
$2628
499K
Oklahoma City
$1931
681K
Baltimore
$2224
586K
Las Vegas
$2294
642K
Sacramento
$2682
525K
Memphis
$1917
633K