I know you are curious about the cost of things in Spain, as that is a popular question we are often asked. I thought we would show you a little here an there about our Spain food costs. If you have any other curiosities, feel free to ask us and we will be glad to share with you.
Spain Food Costs
As far as the listed price, all tax is included. So what you see is what you pay. I love that! We will list items in the local currency (Euros) and then you can check the current exchange rates, as this will change the cost of things in Spain for your currency.
A few notes on money here:
- The Euro sign € is often placed between the Euro and cents. so 2.20 = 2€20. They would tell you it is Dos con Veinte Euros (2 with 20).
- Euros is pronounced (Ay ooh rows)
Every letter is pronounced. I was saying (yur os). - The decimal and comma placements are opposite of USA. So 2,445 in USA is 2.445 here and 3.20 in meters would be 3,20. (The kids caught on to this very quickly at school)
- Cents are centavos, but I rarely hear it used.
I am sharing the prices from our local market in Almunecar Spain. These prices will of course vary depending on the region or location within Spain. Just like any other country things can be a bit more expensive in the cities and sometimes a little cheaper in the smaller towns. Almunecar is in an agricultural area, so produce can be less expensive.
So what do everyday things cost?
- A dozen Eggs is about €1.70 (Una docena de Huevos)
- Sliced white Bread is about €1 (Pan de molde)
- 6 pack of Pepsi/Coke about €3 (Seis lata’s de Pepsi)
- 2 pack of 2 liter Pepsi or Coke €2.50 (Dos litro botella de Pepsi)
- 1 Liter of OJ €,63 cents (Un litro de Zumo de Naranja)
- 1 Liter of Milk €,69 cents (Un litro de Leche)
- 1 bar of Butter €,98 cents (Mantequilla) equivalent to 2 sticks of butter in USA.
- 6 small flavored Greek or regular Yogurt €1.60 (Yogur Griego)
- A Baguette €,40 cents (Un barra de Pan)
- Bag of Rice €1.20 (Un paquete de Arroz)
- Bag of Flour €,45 cents (Un paquete de Harina)
- Bag of Sugar €1.02 (Un paquete de Azucar)
- Bag of Pasta €,85 cents (Un paquete de Pasta)
- Bag of dried Beans (pinto, red, etc) €1.90
- Box of Cereal prices vary €1.20 to €4.20
- Sliced Lunch Meat package (turkey, chicken, ham) €1.30 (Lonchas de Pavo, Pollo, Jamon)
- 1 Kilo of Strawberries prices vary from €2.20 – €3.20 depending on the season/harvest.
- 5 Kilo of clean potatoes €3.29
- Boneless, skinless Chicken Breast about €5.95 per kilo (Pechuga de Pollo)
- Bag of Ice €,90 cents (Bolsa de Hielo)
- Saltine Crackers €2.20 (Cracker con sal)
- Produce is fairly inexpensive, as much of it is locally grown. 1 kg of strawberries €2.89. 1 bag of apples €1.39
- Colgate Toothpaste €1.75
- Toothbrush (3pack) €1.20
- Waxed Dental Floss €1
- Body Wash or hand soap varies by brand €1.00 – 2.20
- Laundry Soap €3.20 for 40 tablets
- Dish Soap varies by brand €1.00 – €2.90
- Dish Sponges €1.30 for 3 pack
- Paper towels €3.45 for a 6 roll pack
- Toilet Paper price varies by brand €3.00 – €4.20 for 12 roll pack
- Beer €1,70 to €5,70 for a six pack depending on brand bottles or cans
- Wine from €1,70 up for a bottle of wine. Average price for decent wine €3.00
- Gas or Diesel fuel about €1.42 per liter (remember 3.8 liters are in a gallon. OUCH!) Update as of February 2019 €1.19 per litre.
- The town bus is €1 per trip, so it is every time you get on, no transfers. Anya and I found out the hard way. And we had to get off at the “end of the line” even though we wanted to continue around the full loop. walking is easier and faster (unless the bus is right there)
Obviously, this list can go on and on. It can also vary if there is a sale (Oferta).
Just let me know if there is something you are curious about and I will try to cover. Also you may find it helpful to read our post on how to estimate the cost of living
Cost Of Living In Spain 2019 Details Revealed!
We have updated information for 2019 in the link above, so go check it out now!
One more tip:
If you come to Spain in summer, keep in mind that Andalucía (Southern of Spain) gets reeeeaally hot, up to 45ºC/113ºF, that’s why Andalucía (aka Andalusia in English) is known as the pan of Europe. If you travel there, please keep yourself hydrated all the time and stay on cool places, On the other side, northern of Spain has cooler temperatures; yet one of the most typical destinations if you plan on just sightseeing once you live in Spain is called “Islas Canarias” (or Canary Islands in English) it’s like California, like awesome weather most of the time; just unlike California, Canary Islands don’t have hurricanes and that stuff.
There are many places to visit and enjoy here in Spain, and if you ever come, do not hesitate to ask for advice.
Have fun and enjoy Spanish way of life!
As a Spaniard, I may give ya some advices if you ever come to Spain.
it’s not a bad idea to carry some cash while moving into Spain, not every place accept debit/credit cards
About bills: €100/€200 are rare to be seen, €500 are even rarer, and the purple ones (€500) are not made anymore; due no not much people use it.
Keep in mind that if you decide to move to big cities such as Madrid or Barcelona; those are pretty famous, but more expensive than small cities like Ciudad Real or Cuenca).
It’s not a bad idea either to learn some Spanish before coming; it’s true that English is commonly understood here, but not everyone speaks it and people’s level may vary from one to another.
Don’t worry about food. Eating here is also cheap (depending on your destination, but also each city has their typical meals, exclusive from those places, some are sweet, some are salty….it’s up to you to find which ones you like the most.
Whenever you decide you stock your fridge or (anywhere) about food supplies, keep in mind that larger supermarkets have a larger variety of food, but those places are normally more expensive than smaller supermarkets.
Thanks for the comment Jorge.
Hello! I am curious as to the cost of electricity, water and other utilities.
We just wrote an updated post with this information included for our usage. cost of living in Spain 2019
the price of food is cheap compared to the US
Yes there are certainly things which are much cheaper. We were always under the impression that Europe was expensive and in many places it is. That said, it isn’t like that “everywhere”, so if you hunt around you can find good deals. The produce is especially inexpensive, when it is in season.
This is amazing and very helpful! Flying into Spain from the US for the first time later this month and cannot wait to experience it. Will be checking out your entire blog for tips! Thank you 🙂
Awesome, Thanks Kristen. Where are you heading and for how long? If you make it to Southern Spain, give us a shout. 🙂
Really useful information. I lived in Valencia for a while and definitely preferred the price of shopping there to most UK supermarkets. Mercadona was my local!
Thanks Adam. Yes, Mercadona is our local. Did they have that catchy jingle when you shopped there?
Thanks Renee, I love them too. It helps as a guide for me, when I am planning to make that move! 🙂 I just updated today with info requested from a reader in Vermont.
Great post, Heidi. Always love pricing info. 🙂
I’m curious, what denomonitations of currency notes and coins are available/commonly used and what do they look like?
Good question. I have updated the photo gallery with images of the Euro Notes and Coins. I would say common is under 50. I see people at grocery story etc and it is mainly 10 or 20 and loads of change.
Notes: 5 – 10 – 20 – 50 – 100 – 200 and 500 (I have not seen any higher than that.)
Coins: ,01 – ,02 – ,05 – ,10 – ,20 – ,50 – 1 and 2
Thanks for asking! I love it. 🙂
Current exchange rate depends on the day and bank/credit card. It can range anywhere from 1 Euro = $1.30 to $1.35.