Cost of living

Spanish flag, Cost of living in SpainThe cost of living in Spain may depend where in the country you are located. As a result, the cost for accomendation is usually higher in the larger cities. However, food prices and the cost of other services tend to be quite similar to the rest of Europe.

Different sources show that the estimated cost of living for students and researchers in Spain is between €900 and €1100 per month. A cup of cappuchino at a restaurant is around €1,60 and a Coke/Pepsi is around €1,70. In a supermarket a bottle of water (1,5 liter) costs about €0,60 and a package of milk (1 liter) costs about €0,80.

If you want to read more about price levels in Spain, click on this link:
https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Spain

Money and Banking costs

Euro (€) is Spain’s unit of currency. The opening hours for banks in Spain are usually between 8.30 am to 2.00 pm, Monday through Friday. The process and cost of opening a bank account depends on the nationality of the person. Therefore, a resident is required to have a valid passport and a resident identity card to open an account. In addition, the non-residents are required to prove their non-residential status. This can be done by either obtaining a certificate from the local police office, or by letting the bank submit the application for a cost of around €15. In other words, the bank account will not be active until the branch has the certificate.

The main banks in Spain include:

  • Banco Santander
  • BBVA
  • CaixaBank
  • Banco de Sabadell
  • Bankia
  • Banco Popular Español
  • etc.

For further reading about the banks in Spain, follow this link:
https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/careers/companies/top-banks-in-spain/

Almost every supermarket, restaurant, hotel and shops accepts credit card. That is to say, the need to always have cash in your wallet is quite small. On the other hand, there might be some exceptions that only accept cash payment. To sum up, before visiting smaller shops or cafés, it can be convenient to stop at an ATM first. Moreover, it is also good to rememeber that there is usually a withdrawel charge (1,5-2%) in the ATMs.

Travelling costs

Students are responsible for their own travel expenses, although they may be entitled for a European grant to cover study in another member state. Students who participate in placement and internship programs organised by private agencies normally pay a program fee. This fee covers registration, finding accommodation for the entire period stay and placement confirmation. However, the fee does not include travel expenses, such as airfares, transfers, local transportation or travel insurance. To clarify, these expenses must be arranged separately by the student.

Long distance buses cost less than the train, but journey times are about 30% longer. In addition, booking tickets in advance is difficult because of the number of competing service providers in the network.

If you want to travel within cities in Spain the ticket prices are not expensive. For instance, a bus or metro ticket costs about €1.25 to €1.50 and because of the often occuring discounts it is possible to pay even less.

Spain has several large airports across the country. Therefore it is easy and accessable to travel by flight as well. The major airports are situated in Madrid, Barcelona, Mallorca, Málaga and Gran Canaria.

More information on specific programs:

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