How much money is needed to live comfortably in Spain?

Comfortable single-person living in Spain runs $2,150 per person per month on the moderate benchmark, which covers rent, groceries, utilities, transport, and modest discretionary spending. A couple typically lands around $3,250 to $3,750. Location moves the number meaningfully: Madrid and Barcelona run 25 to 40 percent above the national average, mostly through housing, while Valencia, Seville, Malaga, and inland towns sit 10 to 25 percent below. Spain’s universal public healthcare (covered through social security contributions or private equivalents for non-EU residents) keeps medical costs low compared with the US. Eating out is consistently cheap by Northern European or US standards, and groceries are roughly 30 to 40 percent below US prices. For the full breakdown, see our Spain cost of living page.