What temporary housing costs in Spain's main cities

Key rules

• Cheapest big cities: Seville and Valencia are the cheapest of the five main cities, and Barcelona and Madrid the dearest.
• Peak events: Summer and big events can add 30-100% or more, and can double hotel prices in Valencia and Seville.
• Extra costs: Tourist apartments usually add a cleaning fee of €30-60, and bills may be extra on monthly rentals.
• Long stays: For a week or a month, ask for a discount of 10-30% on aparthotel rates.

These are approximate 2024-2025 price levels, so check live prices for your dates and city before you book.

The short answer

Plan on roughly €60-150 a night in a hotel or apartment, or €900-2,200 a month for a furnished flat, depending on the city. Barcelona and Madrid cost the most. Seville and Valencia cost the least among the big cities. Inland cities are cheaper again.

All figures are typical levels from 2024-2025. Prices have been rising a few percent a year, so add a margin.

Hotels (per night)

These are 3-4 star double rooms booked a few weeks ahead. Budget hostals and luxury hotels are not included.

Big events can push prices far higher. Fallas in Valencia, and Semana Santa and Feria in Seville, can double them.

Aparthotels and tourist apartments (per night)

An aparthotel studio or one-bed unit has a kitchen and costs about this in normal periods:

• Madrid: €90-150
• Barcelona: €110-190
• Valencia: €80-130
• Malaga: €80-140
• Seville: €80-140

Summer and peak events can add 30-100%. For stays of a week or a month, ask for a discount. Discounts of 10-30% are common.

Licensed tourist one-bedroom apartments in central areas are a little cheaper per night:

• Madrid: €80-140
• Barcelona: €100-180
• Valencia: €70-120
• Malaga: €80-140
• Seville: €70-120

Peaks run 1.5-2 times higher in major events or summer. Add a cleaning fee, usually €30-60. Barcelona has a cap on licences and plans to phase out tourist flats by 2028, so supply is tight and prices stay high there.

Monthly furnished rentals

For stays of 1-11 months, look for a furnished one-bedroom on a temporada contract. Central or well-connected areas cost about this per month:

• Madrid: €1,300-2,000
• Barcelona: €1,400-2,200
• Valencia: €1,000-1,500
• Malaga: €1,100-1,700
• Seville: €900-1,400

These are usually 10-30% above long-term rents, and higher in summer in coastal cities. Bills are often extra or capped, so ask what is included before you compare offers.

Cheapest formats

If you can live with shared space, these cost much less:

• Coliving: usually €700-1,500 a month, with bills and extras often included.
• Hostel dorm bed: about €20-45 a night. Barcelona and Madrid are at the top, Seville and Valencia at the bottom, and all cost more in summer.

Inland cities

Inland cities are typically 25-45% cheaper than Madrid or Barcelona. A furnished one-bed for a month costs about:

• Zaragoza: €650-1,000
• Valladolid: €550-850
• Salamanca: €600-950

Mid-range 3-star hotel rooms cost about €50–90 a night in smaller Spanish cities. In Salamanca and Valladolid, student demand from September to June pushes up room prices. These cities are cheaper outside the university term.

How to build your budget

1. Pick the format that fits your length of stay. Under two weeks, a hotel or apartment is fine. For a month or more, a furnished rental or aparthotel with a long-stay discount is usually cheaper.
2. Multiply the nightly or monthly figure by your stay, then add cleaning fees and any bills not included.
3. Add 10-15% for price rises and surprises.
4. Avoid big events and summer if you can. They can double the cost.

The calculator below lets you test a city, season and length of stay.

Bridge housing budget calculator by city, season and length

Work it out

What you enter

• Nights you will stay (nights): Your planned dates for the bridge stay.
• Price per night before fees (EUR): The listing or the host's quote.
• Guests who pay tourist tax (not exempt children) (people): Count the people in your party above the exemption age for the region.
• Tourist tax per person per night (EUR): The price breakdown on the listing, or ask the host or your town hall.
• Most nights the tax is charged (nights): The regional rule for your destination: 7 in Catalonia, 9 in the Balearic Islands.
• Platform service fee on top of the price (%): The price breakdown at checkout. Enter 0 if none is shown.
• Cleaning fee for the stay (EUR): The listing's price breakdown or the host's quote.
• Utilities billed above any included cap (EUR): The rental terms; enter 0 if utilities are included.
• Damage or security deposit for the stay (EUR): The listing or the host's terms.
• Total cash you have available (EUR): Your bank balances.
• Monthly rent of the home you want to lease (EUR): The listings you are considering.
• Your monthly living costs besides housing (EUR): Your own budget for food, transport and phone.

Figures used

• Legal deposit (fianza) on a habitual-residence lease: 1 months (as of 2025)
• First month's rent usually paid in advance: 1 months (as of 2025)
• Most an additional guarantee can be: 2 months (as of 2025)

Worked example (with Nights you will stay 30 nights, Price per night before fees 65 EUR, Guests who pay tourist tax (not exempt children) 2 people, Tourist tax per person per night 3 EUR, Most nights the tax is charged 7 nights, Platform service fee on top of the price 14 %, Cleaning fee for the stay 60 EUR, Utilities billed above any included cap 0 EUR, Damage or security deposit for the stay 300 EUR, Total cash you have available 9,000 EUR, Monthly rent of the home you want to lease 1,200 EUR, Your monthly living costs besides housing 900 EUR)

When the sum misleads

• If the margin above the usual day-one amount is negative, shorten the bridge stay or choose a cheaper format before you book.
• Stays longer than the tax cap pay tax only for the capped nights.
• The stay deposit is usually returned, but the lease cash is needed on the day you sign, so keep it in view.
• Agencies hired by the landlord should not charge you a fee; if one asks, add it to your lease cash.

Frequently asked questions

Is a smaller city much cheaper for a bridge stay?

Yes, the savings are large, as the city figures above show. A furnished one-bed month is about €650-1,000 in Zaragoza, €550-850 in Valladolid and €600-950 in Salamanca. Hotels run about €60-100 per night.

Do student cities cost more at certain times?

Yes, in Salamanca and Valladolid rooms cost more from September to June because of student demand. Furnished stays there are cheaper outside the university term.

Can I get a discount for staying a week or a month in an aparthotel?

Often, yes: Weekly or monthly stays are usually discounted 10-30%, so ask for a long-stay rate before booking by the night.

Are there extra fees on tourist apartments?

Yes, cleaning fees of €30-60 are usually added on top of the nightly price. Add them to your budget, especially for short stays.

Where can I compare prices myself?

Rental price indices from the big property portals are free in report form. Hotel and apartment booking sites give live price checks for your dates, and the national statistics office publishes average hotel rates by province.