What utilities typically cost per month in Spain

Key rules

• Electricity: Your bill depends on tariff, contracted power, usage and the wholesale price, so ask the supplier for all of them.
• Water: Prices are set city by city, so a friend's bill elsewhere tells you little about yours.
• Butane: The regulated bottle price is revised every second month, so your cost can change during the year.
• Internet: Promotional fibre prices often rise later, so ask what you will pay when the offer ends.

Prices change often and the ranges here are indicative, so confirm current figures with the energy regulator, your water utility and the operators.

The short version

Expect electricity to be the bill that varies most, water to depend heavily on your city, and mobile and internet to be the easiest to keep low. No single figure fits everyone, so budget with the ranges below and then check real prices for your address.

Electricity

A typical household pays several tens of euros a month. Your own figure depends on four things: the tariff, the contracted power (the maximum load you can draw at once), how much you use, and the wholesale price of electricity that year.

Ask the supplier for the tariff, the contracted power and the price per kWh. Compare these with the current typical figures from the national energy regulator or the consumer group OCU. Their averages differ because each assumes a different type of household.

Climate and home type matter a lot:

• In the north and the inland centre, heating is the biggest use, whether by gas, oil or electricity.
• On the Mediterranean coast and in the south, you heat less but run air conditioning in summer.
• A detached house uses much more energy than a flat.
• An older, poorly insulated home uses more than a recent one.

The islands have their own specifics, so ask locally if you are moving there.

Water

Water and sewerage bills differ widely between cities, because each town or utility sets its own tariffs. The cheapest and dearest cities can differ by a large multiple. Dry southeast and Mediterranean areas and the islands tend to cost more than the north.

Your own use matters too. A house with a garden or pool uses far more than a flat. Ask your local water utility for its tariff and billing cycle. Many bill every two or three months, so one bill covers more than a month.

Gas

Gas depends on what you use. Piped natural gas on the regulated tariff has a fixed monthly charge plus a price per kWh. The government revises it every quarter.

Bottled butane (the 12.5 kg bottle) has a regulated price that is revised every second month, on the third Tuesday. So your cost can change during the year. Heating is the main driver, so cold-climate homes pay far more than mild-climate ones. Check current prices with the Ministry for the Ecological Transition or the company that supplies you.

Mobile

Individual plans start at low single-digit euros per month at budget operators with small data allowances. Prices rise for large or unlimited data at the main operators. Budget brands are typically cheaper than the big three. Match the data allowance to what you really use, and check current prices with the operators.

Home internet

Fibre is priced by speed, commonly 300 Mb to 1 Gb. Budget operators are cheapest and main operators cost more. A bundle with mobile lines and TV costs more in total but lowers the price per service. Promotional prices often rise after a set period, so ask what you will pay when it ends. Fibre is mainly available in urban areas.

Why the first bill surprises

The first bills often include one-off items on top of normal use:

• A deposit (fianza) for water or gas. It commonly runs from tens of euros up to a couple of hundred.
• Connection fees (enganche) and a contract-change fee for gas and water.
• A catch-up charge for the days before your contract date.
• A long billing cycle. A two- or three-month water bill looks like a big jump.
• Meter rental, billed monthly. Add it to your budget.

Electricity connection and verification fees apply only to new supplies or power increases. Amounts depend on the company and region. Ask each company about these before you sign, and use the checklist below.

To turn all this into a number for your home, use the budget estimator below.

Checklist

• Ask the electricity supplier for the tariff, contracted power and price per kWh, and compare with the typical bill of several tens of euros per month for a household.

• Ask your local water utility for its tariff and billing cycle, as water bills vary widely between cities and are often billed every two or three months.

• Ask the water and gas companies whether they require a deposit (fianza), which commonly runs from tens of euros up to a couple of hundred.

• Ask about connection fees and any contract-change fee for gas and water before you sign.

• Check whether your first bill includes a catch-up charge for the days before your contract date.

• Compare mobile plans from budget operators and main operators, matching the data allowance you need.

• Compare fibre plans by speed and ask what the price becomes when the promotional period ends.

• Ask if meter rental is billed monthly and add it to your monthly budget.

Monthly utilities budget estimator

Work it out

What you enter

• People living in the home (people): Count everyone who will live in the home.
• Electricity you use in a year (kWh): Your yearly total on an electricity bill or supplier app; typical flats use 2,500 to 3,000 kWh, houses often over 4,500 kWh.
• Average electricity price per kWh before tax, power charge included (EUR): Your supplier's offer or a past bill: divide the pre-tax total by the kWh used.
• Sales tax rate on your electricity (IVA, IGIC or IPSI) (%): Shown as a tax line on the electricity bill; 21 on the mainland.
• Water and sewerage price per cubic metre before tax (EUR): Your local water utility's tariff or a past water bill.
• Tax rate on your water bill (%): Shown as a tax line on the water bill; 10 on the mainland.
• Total monthly cost of mobile plans (EUR): The operators' price pages or your current mobile bills.
• Monthly cost of home fibre internet (EUR): The operators' price pages or your current internet bill.

Figures used

• Special electricity tax, mainland: 5.11 % (as of 2025; check the current figure before you rely on it)
• Average household water use per person per day: 130 litres (as of 2022)

Worked example (with People living in the home 2 people, Electricity you use in a year 3,000 kWh, Average electricity price per kWh before tax, power charge included 0.15 EUR, Sales tax rate on your electricity (IVA, IGIC or IPSI) 21 %, Water and sewerage price per cubic metre before tax 2 EUR, Tax rate on your water bill 10 %, Total monthly cost of mobile plans 20 EUR, Monthly cost of home fibre internet 30 EUR)

When the sum misleads

• Gas is not included: if your home uses gas or butane, add that bill separately.
• Electric heating or air conditioning raises yearly kWh, so use the higher figures for houses.
• Water use is higher in Mediterranean and island areas with pools or gardens, so add some margin there.
• Promotional internet and mobile prices often rise after a period, so use the full price.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my water bill differ so much from a friend's in another city?

Water bills differ widely between Spanish cities because each town or water utility sets its own tariffs. Dry southeast and Mediterranean areas and the islands tend to cost more than the north. Ask your local water utility for its tariff before you budget.

How much is the deposit for water or gas?

A deposit (fianza) for water or gas commonly runs from tens of euros up to a couple of hundred. The amount depends on the company and region. Ask the company when you sign up, so it does not catch you out on the first bill.

Does a house cost more to run than a flat?

Yes, a detached house uses much more energy than a flat, and an older, poorly insulated home uses more than a recent one. Houses with a garden or pool also use more water. Cold northern and inland zones spend more on heating, while the south spends more on air conditioning in summer.

Does the price of regulated butane or gas change during the year?

Yes, the regulated gas tariff is revised every quarter and the regulated 12.5 kg butane bottle price every second month, on the third Tuesday. The gas tariff has a fixed monthly charge plus a charge per kWh. Check the latest figures before you budget.