Current costs of living in Spain

1. House Costs

Community Charge (Only applicable where there is a community)

These depend very much on the Development, and vary between each. The charges will cover all maintenance of the communal areas. They can range from €100 a year for an Apartment with no communal areas (to cover a lift and the entrance, together with the Insurance for the community) to €2,000 or more for communities with padel courts, swimming pools and landscaped gardens. For some people they like the fact that for a monthly/annual charge someone else takes care of the shared environment

Suma-IBI (Council-House Tax - Per Year)

This is dependent on the size of the property but on the Orihuela Costa and in Torrevieja you would expect to pay around €200 per year

2. Insurances

Car Insurance 

Of course all Insurance will depend on risks, and the car being Insured, but for a 58 year old male Insuring a Seat Leon, with no previous claims you could expect to pay around €220 per year, this was from an online quote from AXA online

Health Insurance

For a married couple in their Mid 50´s with DKV Insurance, in good health, you would  expect to pay around €180 month (€90 per person) for full health cover

3. Utility Costs

Electricity 

Electricity has been de-regulated in Spain so there are a wealth of companies from whom you can purchase Electricity, you can choose the largest, which is Iberdrola, or you can choose ethical companies such as Nordic who offer 100% renewable energy

As an example a Townhouse with 4 Adults, the bill per month is around €140

https://comparador.selectra.es/

https://comparador.cnmc.gob.es/

Water

This is of course dependent on how much water you use, so if you have a private swimming pool and an irrigated garden then you would expect to pay a lot more than a townhouse in a spanish village. Excluding those type sof items one would expect to pay around €40 per month for 4 adults in a property. 

Butano/Propano

The cost of a bottle of gas is determined by the Government as @ 15-05-2023 the price is €16.78 and is reviewed every two months. This bottle is the standard size as you purchase from a Petrol station (12.5KG) . If you contract directly from Repsol or Cepsa then you can have a contract where they deliver the bottle to your property. 

4. Food Costs

In Spain every village will have its own Bakery, Butcher, and weekly food market, where you can purchase fresh vegtables. These products generally last longer in a fridge that those purchased in a Supermarket. 

There are many methods to compare but its so much easier to go online and build your own Supermarket weekly basket and then compare to where you currently live, we have compiled a list as above of the most frequently purchased options.