Spain is a great country to travel to. Probably you are curious about how much budget you need to travel to Spain. Compared to other countries in Western Europe, Spain is not expensive to travel through. However, many variables influence how expensive a trip ultimately costs. Read in this article how much you spent per category, how much budget you need depending on what type of traveler you are and finally we share how much we spent on our travel through Spain.
The amounts mentioned in this article are based on our journey through the north of Spain. Keep in mind that other parts of Spain are cheaper. With a limited Spain travel budget it is possible to make an awesome trip. Discover here how you need to do this!
How much budget do you need for a vacation in Spain?
Budget traveler: If you pay close attention to your expenses a budget of €50 – €80 per person per day can be sufficient.
Mid-range traveler: If you want to stay in nice accommodations, do a couple of fun activities and travel pleasantly, €80 – €120 per person per day is sufficient.
Luxury traveler: If you like to stay in luxury accommodations and like comforts, you will spend more than €150 per person per day.
The overview below is based on our road trip through Northern Spain.
| Sleep | Eating | Transport | Activities | Miscellaneous |
| Dorm: €15 – €25 | Street food: +€3 | City bus/taxi: €2-€ 4 | Local tour guide Barcelona: €30 | Travel guide: €20 |
| Budget room: €20 – €50 | Menú del día: €10 – €20 | Regional bus: €5 – €20 | Guggenheim Museum: €10 | Travel insurance 3 weeks: €100 |
| Middle class: €50 – €100 | Fancy food: €18 – €40 | Train Barcelona – Montserrat: €12.50 | Horse riding Ordesa: €15 | Water bottle: €65 |
| Luxury hotel: +€100 | Local beer: €1 – €2 | Domestic flight: +€50 | Olite castle ticket: €3.50 | Sleeping bag €25 |
You can read each part in more detail below.
Travel costs Spain: Sleep
In Spain, you have many accommodation options. You can stay in a luxury hotel or a dormitory. If you stay in a dormitory, this will cost on average between €15 and €25 per night. This is perfect for travelers who don’t want to spend too much money on accommodation costs. When you travel as a couple, it is nice to book a double room. Budget rooms are available between €20 – €50. If you would like something more luxurious you will spend €50 to €100 per night. Travelers who like to stay in unique places should take into account that per night you pay +€100.
If you are going to travel through the north of Spain or you follow our itinerary through Northern Spain it is recommended to book all the accommodations upfront. In our article best places to stay in Northern Spain you can see in an overview which accommodations we recommend per destination. This overview is perfect to save time by searching the internet looking for accommodations.
Travel costs Spain: Food
Eating in Spain is always a pleasure. You taste the delicious southern European flavors every day, whether it’s tapas in the evening, manchego sandwich in the morning, or churros as a snack. The food in Spain is delicious. The food is not expensive we recommend that you don’t eat at the tourist spots. In our experience, when you eat at local places the quality of the food is better and you save a lot of money.
Most of the accommodations breakfast are included. Breakfast in Spain is good. Usually, it contains bread, cereal, fruit, yogurt, toast, croissant, coffee, and all kinds of spreads.
For lunch in Spain, it is best to use a Menú del día. This is a menu of the day (3-course menu) where you pay on average between €10 and €20. This includes one drink of your choice. The benefit is that you don’t have to eat much in the evening. Menú del día is intended for the locals so that they still have the opportunity to eat in restaurants.
Travelers can use Menú del día too, it is tasty, it fills you up and it saves you a lot of money. At most restaurants you see a sign showing the menu of the day. You can often use this option between 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm.
There are some dishes you want to try when you are in Spain:
- Paella: This is Spain’s most iconic dish. It is a Sunday meal consisting of rice, fish and shellfish, saffron and other necessities. You can order a fish or chicken version;
- Tortilla: This is a typical Spanish dish and is a thick omelet filled with potatoes and onions.
- Tapas: Tapas are popular because this is a main course in a small version. Patatas bravas are tapas that you definitely want to taste;
- Gazpacho: A cold soup that comes from the south of Spain. Delicious to eat when it is hot outside;
- Crema Catalana: a delicious dessert that is comparable to Crème Brûlée;
- Queso Manchego: Delicious sheep’s cheese. Due to the long ripening process, the cheese is slightly spicy;
- Allioli: This is a variant of the garlic sauce and is delicious with tapas;
- Jamón Ibérico: The best ham you can order in Spain, this meat comes from the Ibérico pig;
- Pescado a la plancha: If you stay near the Mediterranean you can often eat grilled fish on a beach, delicious.
Travel costs Spain: Transport
Because Spain is a large country, it is best to select a certain area and travel there. Depending on what kind of trip you are going to do, it is best to travel by public transport (you can buy public transport tickets via the link) or by car. We recommend traveling by car because you’re able to travel more flexible and are not tied to timetables from public transport.
If you travel to Spain by plane and you are looking for a car to rent, you can rent it through Rentalcars. We use Rentalcars when we want to travel by car to discover new destinations. They’re easy to use and book with.
Based on our Northern Spain road trip you can take into account the costs below. The total costs are shown based on two people.
- Own transport: 5000 km (calculated from the Netherlands) | petrol €350 | toll €180 | total €530
- Airplane + rental car: plane ticket +/- €150 p.p. | rental car +/- €450 | petrol €150 | toll €40 | total €940
- Airplane + public transport: plane ticket +/- €150 p.p. | public transport +/- €200 p.p. | total €700
If you travel in your car you just enter the address in the navigation and you’re ready to go. The best way to find a plane ticket is to look at Skyscanner. Tickets for public transport can be bought on-site at the stations.
Travel costs Spain: Activities
The advantage of traveling in Spain is that many activities can be done independently. The main costs you have are entrance tickets. For example, visiting the Guggenheim Museum costs €10 and Olite castle €3.50. If you want to follow a tour with a local guide in Barcelona, it costs €30. An activity such as horseback riding in Ordesa National Park costs €15 for 90 minutes.
Because many activities can be done independently, such as hiking in the nature parks and discovering historic centers, you don’t spend a lot of money on activities.
Travel costs Spain: Miscellaneous
These costs are very different per person. A couple of things that we always use for our vacations are listed below.
We use Lonely Planet’s books to read detailed information about the country.
A water bottle is always useful to have. We use Crazycap, this is a water bottle that kills all bacteria in the water using UV. This allows us to drink tap water anywhere in the world through this bottle. So we never have to buy water and can always safely drink tap water without having problems with our stomachs.
Finally, you can also use a sleeping bag. The benefit is that you always sleep in “your bed”. If you don’t like to sleep in unfamiliar beds and you like hygiene, then sleeping in a sleeping bag is a good solution.
Travel insurance
World Nomads travel insurance policies offer coverage for more than 150 activities. Get a quote, make a claim, or buy or extend your policy while on the road.
How much were the Spain trip cost for us?
- Accommodation €34
- Transport €13
- Food €28
- Activities €15
Total: €90 per person per day (amounts are rounded). This is based on our road trip through Northern Spain. We did this with our car. Total cost per person: 24 (days) x €90 = €2160.
We have always stayed in good hostels and hotels, enjoyed good food, and did all the activities that we thought would be fun.
Accommodation: We do not recommend cutting back on accommodation costs. It is possible, however, cheaper accommodation are mostly located outside the center. You will lose a lot of time getting to the center.
Transport: As you can see, we have kept the transport costs low by using our own car. If you want to keep your transport costs low, it is recommended to travel with your car. If this is not possible, you spend €10 per day more.
Food: If you use Menú del día and have breakfast at the accommodation that we recommend here you spend more or less what we did. It is difficult to cut down on food expenses.
Activities: When you see all the sights we recommend in all our articles about Spain you spend €15. Recommended is not to cut down on this. After all, if you are standing in front of La Sagrada Familia, for example, you also want to go inside.
Budget holiday Spain: Conclusion
If you want to travel comfortably, stay in nice hostels and hotels, do fun activities, and enjoy delicious food, a budget of €80 to €120 per day is sufficient.
We hope this article has helped you to get a clear picture of how much it costs to travel around Spain.
Want to read more articles from us about Spain? If you are looking for an itinerary that you can use as inspiration to create your itinerary or simply copy it, you can read our itinerary through Northern Spain.
If you are looking for a Spain travel guide you can open it via the link. Here you can read all the information you need to prepare yourself to travel to Spain, such as the best places to visit, the best time to travel, what to bring and more.
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