Cost of Living in 🇪🇸 Spain vs 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Is Spain more expensive than United Kingdom? Real cost, salary, and lifestyle signals compared side by side — every number sourced from a specific, disclosed dataset, never invented.
Quick answer
Based on RouteWise's data, the estimated monthly cost to live comfortably runs about $4,277 in Spain versus $4,637 in United Kingdom.
At an example $5,000/month income from Spain, that converts to roughly USD 9,258 in comparable purchasing power in United Kingdom.
At $5,000/month from Spain (example)
USD 9,258 in United Kingdom
vs. USD 5,000 via plain currency conversion
Spain
United Kingdom
$4,277
Est. monthly cost to live comfortably
1.3x real avg. local earnings
$4,637
84/100
Healthcare (WHO)
88/100
87/100
Safety percentile
70.3/100
—
Purchasing power in United Kingdom
Example anchor
2.6x local avg.
#2/198
Passport rank
#20/198
Who is likely to find each country more affordable?
Based on RouteWise's estimated monthly cost of living, Spain is the more affordable of the two — someone relocating from United Kingdom would typically see their money go further in Spain. Food-cost and passport signals above are worth weighing alongside this if you're deciding between the two.
Frequently asked questions
Is Spain more expensive than United Kingdom?
Spain comes out cheaper on RouteWise's data — the estimated monthly cost to live comfortably is $4,277 in Spain versus $4,637 in United Kingdom (1.3x each country's own real average local earnings, our documented comfortable-living estimate).
What is the cost of living in Spain per month?
An estimated $4,277/month to live comfortably, based on 1.3x Spain's real average local earnings — RouteWise's documented comfortable-living estimate, not an itemized rent-and-groceries budget.
Is Spain cheaper than United Kingdom?
Estimated comfortable monthly cost: $4,277 in Spain vs $4,637 in United Kingdom.
What is the average salary in Spain compared with United Kingdom?
An example $5,000/month income from Spain converts to about USD 9,258 in comparable purchasing power in United Kingdom (vs. USD 5,000 via plain currency conversion, with no cost-of-living adjustment) — see the full salary comparison for real average-earnings figures for both countries.
Which passport is stronger, Spain or United Kingdom?
Spain ranks #2 of 198 (166 visa-free destinations); United Kingdom ranks #20 of 198 (162 visa-free destinations).
Explore more
Data: ILOSTAT average earnings, WHO Universal Health Coverage Index, OWID/UNODC homicide-rate statistics, VanBasket/World Bank ICP food-cost index, real passport-index visa data. Example income figures are a disclosed anchor, not either country's typical salary.