Moving to Spain Data Shows Same Family Life Costs Nearly $127,000 More a Year in Barcelona Than in Badajoz

Moving to Spain’s Cost of Living Calculator covers 11 Spanish cities and more than 1,700 data points, refreshed quarterly.

BARCELONA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Moving to Spain (https://movingtospain.com) has expanded its Cost of Living Calculator to cover 11 Spanish cities. New data shows the same comfortable family life costs 77% more in Barcelona than in Badajoz, a difference of more than €11,000 (approximately $127,000) per year for an identical lifestyle.

Modelled across all 11 cities, a family of four living comfortably in a four-bedroom house with two children in international school would spend €12,578 per month in Badajoz versus €22,281 in Barcelona. Palma de Mallorca sits just below Barcelona at €22,181, with Madrid at €18,870. Granada (€13,821), Málaga (€14,088), Bilbao (€14,806), and Seville (€14,844) cluster at the lower end. The same family making the same lifestyle choices can save more than €116,000 a year by choosing one Spanish city over another.

The pattern holds across lifestyle levels. A single person living modestly in a studio apartment would spend €920 per month in Badajoz versus €1,577 in Madrid, a 71% gap. Rent is the dominant variable: a comfortable four-bedroom house ranges from €1,660 per month in Badajoz to €9,690 in Barcelona, a multiple of 5.8 times. Non-housing costs like groceries, utilities, and school fees vary by far less between cities.

The calculator was rebuilt in 2026 to cover eleven cities in response to client inquiries that consistently moved from a country-level question, “Can I afford Spain?”, to a city-level one: “Which Spanish city fits my budget?” It draws on Moving to Spain’s primary research, with rent sourced from Idealista, and was featured in Forbes on April 27 by senior contributor Laura Begley Bloom.

“National averages tell you almost nothing,” said Alastair Johnson, Co-founder of Moving to Spain. “Where you live in Spain and how you live make a much bigger difference to your budget than which country you’re in. Two families with identical incomes and lifestyles can end up with monthly budgets that differ by nearly a factor of two, simply because of which Spanish city they choose. The calculator gives people that picture before they commit, not after.”

The calculator excludes private health insurance and personal tax, both of which depend too heavily on individual circumstance. These are addressed through Moving to Spain’s vetted specialist partner network.

About Moving to Spain

Moving to Spain (movingtospain.com) has helped English-speaking individuals and families relocate to Spain since 2017. Founded by Alastair and Alison Johnson, the company has completed 700+ full relocation plans, supported 3,000+ clients with visas, residency, and tax, and educated more than 350,000 people through free resources. Based in Barcelona and supported by a network of more than 45 local specialists across Spain.