Spain : Cost of Living by City
- Alicante
- Barcelona
- Granada
- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
- Madrid
- Malaga
- Palma de Mallorca
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife
- Seville (Sevilla)
- Valencia
- Zaragoza (Saragossa)
How Much Does It Cost to Live in Granada?
Granada is a mid-sized provincial capital in the Andalucia region of Spain, and arguably the single most worthwhile city in Spain for visitors – since that’s where Alhambra is!
If you live there or visit this great city, you will find the cost of living is relatively low compared to other popular places in Spain.
Many tourists and locals actually underline how cheap it is!
Still, the amount of money you spend here greatly depends on your own preferences and lifestyle – so if you want to splurge, you’ll have plenty of opportunities, and if you want to live on a tighter budget – you’ll manage that easily in this city.
Cost of Living Breakdown in Granada
RESTAURANTS
Granada is notable (and probably the only city in Spain) for having most of its bars serve free tapas with each drink, which makes eating out in Granada very inexpensive. There are many popular restaurant areas where you are sure to eat quality yet cheap food. Just about every plaza in town holds at least one inexpensive or at least mid-range outdoor restaurant.
| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $11.34 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $2.83 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $1.95 |
MARKETS
If you’re super smart about your food, shopping for food in markets is a good idea, though the budget depends on whether you’re alone or have a family, and also on the store you’re shopping in. You can also find plenty of fresh produce in open markets where local farmers sell all the fresh meat, seafood, cheeses, fruit and vegetables you need.
| Average Market Prices | |
|---|---|
| Milk (1 Liter) | $1.09 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $1.02 |
| Eggs (12) | $1.93 |
TRANSPORTATION
The local buses are well-organized, cover nearly all sights of interest and run quite frequently. The buses cost 1.60$ per trip, but you can also buy a multi-trip card (5$ for 7 trips, 12$ for 16, and 22$ for 33 trips). Driving in Granada is a nightmare best avoided at all costs so do not try to save up on your public transport expenses this way.
| Average Transport Prices | |
|---|---|
| One Way Ticket | $1.59 |
| Monthly Pass | $51.59 |
| Gasoline | $1.48 |
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Depending on the size of your apartment, monthly utilities, including heating, cooling, electricity and gas could cost between 80$ and 300$ a month. However, for an apartment of about 85m2, your bills would amount up to 140$. Keep in mind that the gas bill goes up in winter, from November to February. Internet is expensive as well, amounting up to around 50$ a month.
| Average Utilities Prices | |
|---|---|
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $137.83 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.23 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $49.62 |
SPORTS & LEISURE
In Granada, attending fitness clubs and classes is less expensive than in other cities in Spain. If you want to go to a fitness club in Granada and get in shape, the fee will be around 37$ a month, or 15$ for an hour of renting a tennis court. If you want to watch a movie here, however, expect it to cost over 8$. This is also a reasonable price.
| Average Leisure Prices | |
|---|---|
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $36.96 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $15.87 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $8.22 |
CLOTHING & SHOES
The area surrounding Puerta Real serves as the city’s main shopping district. It’s brimming with shops where you can buy anything! It is still pretty expensive in comparison to some other cities in Europe, but relatively reasonable for Spain. Usually, quality jeans cost around 78$, as do quality sneakers, while lighter pieces of clothing are only 30$.
| Average Clothing Prices | |
|---|---|
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $78.80 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $29.67 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $82.67 |
RENT PER MONTH
It is widely known that there are many major cities in Spain where the most expensive aspect of living is rent but Granada doesn’t fit into this description. In this city, rent is far cheaper than in most major cities. Here, you cannot find an apartment to rent for less than 400$, and if you’re looking for one in the center, then count on giving 500$.
| Average Rent Prices | |
|---|---|
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $513.97 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $417.60 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $871.10 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Granada?
Since rent isn’t as expensive here as it is in some other important cities in Spain, the biggest chunk of the paycheck of Granada’s citizens gets spent on food.
The next huge expense is rent, since the standard is high in Spain, even though rent is lower in this particular city.
The percentage of income that gets spent on rent is getting close to the percentage that gets spend on food.
Restaurants take up the third spot on the list, as well as transportation (with just 1% less than restaurants) since fancy food is a very big part of this city, and transportation is necessary.
As usual, the smallest amount of money is spent on clothes and accessories.
Average Costs Breakdown
Granada: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
People in Granada earn considerable amounts of money, and this is actually their normal standard of living.
With an average wage reaching 1500$, a citizen of Granada has a very high average salary which fits very well into general Spanish standards.
Of course, those that are renting have a harder time since they’re spending a lot more money, even though is less of a problem here than in some major cities.
The minimum wage doesn’t fall far behind the average monthly salary, so citizens of Granada shouldn’t have problems making ends meet.
Granada Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Granada Safety Review
| OVERALL RISK | LOW |
|---|---|
| TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK | LOW |
| PICKPOCKETS RISK | MEDIUM |
| NATURAL DISASTERS RISK | LOW |
| MUGGING RISK | LOW |
| TERRORISM RISK | LOW |
| SCAMS RISK | MEDIUM |
| WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK | LOW |
| TAP WATER RISK | LOW |
Cost of Living by City in Spain
| City | Cost of Living Index |
|---|---|
| Alicante |
53.9 |
| Barcelona |
62.15 |
| Las Palmas de Gran Canaria |
47.39 |
| Madrid |
60.12 |
| Malaga |
50.38 |
| Palma de Mallorca |
65.17 |
| Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
48.69 |
| Seville (Sevilla) |
54.7 |
| Valencia |
55.27 |
| Zaragoza (Saragossa) |
58 |
