Cost of living in Spain for UK retirees

What Spanish households actually spend

The most reliable official picture comes from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) Household Budget Survey. For 2025, published in June 2026, the average Spanish household spent €35,101, or €14,066 per person.

Source: INE, Encuesta de Presupuestos Familiares 2025. Monthly figures are our division by 12.

Two cautions. First, INE counts imputed rent for households that own their home, so the housing line is not a cash rent figure. Second, these are averages across every kind of household. Single people aged 65 or over spent an average of €23,024 a year and couples without children spent €36,334 (any age), but neither is a measure of what a UK retiree renting on the coast will pay.

Regional gaps are large. Average spending per person was €12,197 in Andalucía, €13,704 in the Comunitat Valenciana, €16,124 in Madrid and €16,642 in the País Vasco.

Rent: the biggest variable

Idealista publishes monthly asking-rent data. In September 2026 the Spain-wide average was €15.1 per square metre per month, up 5.6% on a year earlier. The regions most retirees look at sit well either side of that.

Source: idealista rental price reports. The 80 m² column is our own illustration of a two-bedroom flat; asking rents come from listings and can differ from agreed rents.

Rents are also rising fastest in some of the places UK buyers favour. Idealista reported Alicante rents up 9.1% in the year to June 2026, one of the largest rises among big markets.

Private health insurance

If you move before you can use the UK or Spanish public routes, you will probably pay for private cover, and the non-lucrative visa requires proof of health insurance. Prices depend heavily on age and policy type. Two sources give a feel for the range.

Sources: Redacción Médica (citing Rastreator) and the Póliza Médica comparator. Prices are averages; your quote will depend on your age, health and insurer.

There is also a public option for long-term residents. After a continuous year of effective residence and registration on the local padrón, you can pay into Spain’s public scheme through the convenio especial: €60 a month if you are under 65 and €157 a month from 65. See our healthcare guide.

A worked example for a couple

To show how these pieces combine, here is a partial budget for a couple using only the sourced figures above: rent for an 80 m² home, health insurance at €96 to €139 each, and food at the INE household average.

This is not a full budget. It leaves out utilities, transport, leisure, home contents, a car, travel back to the UK, tax and currency risk.

To get closer to a real total, add the rest of your own spending. As a rough guide, INE’s average household figures for transport and for recreation add about €335 and €148 a month. Utilities, a car and trips home vary too much to estimate fairly here.

Notice what the example does not say. The visa income test (€3,000 a month for a couple) is higher than this partial budget in every region shown. It is a legal threshold for residency, not a statement of what you will spend.

What is not in these numbers

• Currency. If your income is in pounds and your costs are in euros, a weaker pound raises your Spanish costs by the same proportion.
• Tax. Spanish residents are taxed on worldwide income. See our tax guide for how pensions are treated.
• Where you live. A coastal expat town and an inland city can differ by hundreds of euros a month in rent alone.
• Your own habits. The most accurate budget starts with what you spend now in the UK, adjusted for the differences above.

Common questions