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Car Hire Spain

offers low cost car hire from locations all across Spain. Whether you plan to party in Madrid, bask on the beaches of Alicante, or soak up the culture of Barcelona, let Argus Rent A Car take you there.

Cost of living in Spain

Iit is rather tough to give anything more than an approximate guide to the cost of living in Spain. Costs vary greatly by region, with the cost of living much higher in the urbanized centers such as Spanish capital and Barcelona than in the rural Spanish villages and towns. Statistically Spain is placed third in lowest cost of living in Europe (trailing Portugal and Greece).

In the Spanish urbanized centers, the cost of housings is high compared to the other costs of living. Spaniards who did not purchase housing when costs were lower nowadays feel it inevitable to pay more than half the average income to acquire average housing, which is a very high percentage. People frequently enquire about the cost of living in Spain and the answer is, well, it depends on your life-style and where you live.

As you would expect, grocery price in Spain vary quite a lot depending on where you live and where you shop. The cheapest supermarkets are typically Mercadona and Dani, accompanied by Al Campo, Carrefour and many smaller local markets. The most expensive is Hipercor (the supermarket associated with El Corte Ingles), though the quality is exceptional and right on for the money. Overall, grocery bills are approximately 2/3 of the cost of UK grocery bills as long as you cook most meals yourself and do not mind substituting ingredients. If you use a lot of pre-prepared foods and/or you like your little imported luxuries then the cost is likely to be the same or a little less than what you would spend in the UK.
Average Living Expenses in Spain

 

Telephone: Flat-fee of about 20 euros per month for basic service. Calls that you make are additional.

 

Electricity:  Many Spanish homes are very poorly insulated, which means heating price could be higher than they would be in the UK. Electricity, for two people, bills are around thirty to thirty-five euros per month.

 

Gas:  Just about 5c per kWh including taxation, (UK costs vary from 1.6-2p per kWh including taxation). Gas is not yet available in all areas and again, heating system price may be greater than you expect.

 

Water:  Water is metered in Spain, but you would not usually pay more than 15 Euro per month if you do not have a pool or garden. With a pool and garden the price can be 4 or 5 times that. The supply of water is a major concern in Spain - the price paid for the beautiful weather. Water is controlled by local municipalities, many of which have their own wells. In some municipalities, water distribution is the responsibility of a private company. The cost of connection for a new home can vary from 50 to 300 Euros. In most areas there is a standing quarterly charge for a minimum consumption.

 

Dining out:  In non tourist areas, expect to pay around 15-20 Euros a head for a very decent evening meal, or around 6E per head for a "menu of the day" set menu at lunch time. In tourist areas you may also be able to eat out for those prices, but you'll have to search around. The low cost of eating out is offset somewhat by the fact that takeaways are not widely available in Spain, and those that are available are about as expensive as eating out anyway. For two people bills are generally 300 Euros a month. An average restaurant bill is eight to fifteen Euros (much cheaper at lunch), with a glass of beer or wine one to two Euros. _______________________________________________

During the 1970s and 1980s Spain was a very cheap place to live, but now Spain has caught up with the rest of Europe and as such the cost of living in Spain is comparable to the rest of Europe.

Alcohol and tobacco are still almost half the price of other European countries and fresh fruit and vegetables are generally cheaper, as are meat, fish and poultry but clothes, shoes and electrical goods are slightly more expensive. The cost depends mostly on whether you buy imported or locally produced goods. Generally you should expect to budget for everyday living costs on the same basis as you would in the rest of Europe.

A general rule of thumb for many people, when calculating the cost of living in Spain is that, if it is going to cost you 150 euros a week to live in the UK, it will cost you around 100 euros a week to live in Spain.
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