How much should you budget for your trip to Spain? With the weak euro, you won’t need to be as careful as in the past to avoid spending a large amount of money.
Meet a tight budget in Spain
It’s easy to travel cheaply in Spain without compromising your vacation. Read on for some sample prices so you can calculate how much to budget for your trip to Spain.
How much do costs vary in Spain?
Regarding the types of costs you would have as a tourist in Spain, you can broadly divide the country into three sections:
- Bilbao, San Sebastián and other northern cities: slightly more expensive than Madrid and Barcelona
- Madrid and Barcelona: similar to each other. Barcelona will be a bit more expensive in the tourist areas, but a little effort will reward you with lower prices. The prices below are all for Madrid and Barcelona.
- Rest of Spain: cheaper than Madrid and Barcelona.
Accommodation budget
For a bed in a dorm in a youth hostel, expect to pay between € 13 and € 24 per night. For a double room in a pension, double that. For € 70 per night, you will get a very nice room.
Food and drink budget
- Coffee and a pastry or toast for breakfast cost less than € 2 (add € 1.50 for freshly squeezed orange juice)
- A baguette and a drink for lunch will cost around € 5.
- A three-course ‘menu of the day’ can cost from € 6 to € 15. A la carte meals are more expensive, but you can still eat well for less than € 20.
- Spain can be hot, depending on the season. Budget for the need to buy water and occasionally have a cold drink.
- Total food budget per day : € 15 to € 40 (if you have lunch in a supermarket you can eat even cheaper).
But don’t take our word for it – Numbeo, a cost of living comparison site, offers restaurant prices in Barcelona (it gives very similar figures for Madrid).
Entry to the Attractions Budget
Museums and art galleries can vary widely, from completely free to around € 10. If you plan to visit many museums, you may be interested in a Spain Discount Card. But make sure you get your money’s worth!
Transportation budget
- Long-distance buses and trains : Long-distance buses generally cost half the price of the train, with travel times approximately 30 percent longer. The bus is much better valued than the train, but it can be quite difficult to book as the Spanish bus network is divided into several different companies. You will rarely pay more than € 30 for a bus, but you can pay more than € 70 for an economy class train ticket (sleeper cars and first class tickets will delay you even more). But not always . Never book your bus or train without first checking the price of the other.
- Metro and urban buses : Traveling through cities in Spain is cheap. A bus or metro ticket rarely costs more than € 1 and there are usually savings tickets that can make them even cheaper. Read about the Madrid Metro and Barcelona Metro to learn more about these tickets. You can conveniently buy your Metro de Madrid tourist pass before you arrive for the same price as if you bought it at the station.
- Taxi : a 10 minute ride in a taxi in Spain will generally cost around six to seven euros. They should use the meter. If you feel like you’ve been overrated, ask for a receipt; there will be details of where to complain about the reverse. When going to or from the airport, check the price before entering. There is a fixed price for more trips to the airport. Check with a different taxi if you think the price listed is too high. As one taxi driver told me, there are very few bad taxi drivers in Spain, but those who do exist all work at airports.
